Mark ’Chopper’ Read’s legacy of violence

Contrary to popular opinion, Mark Brandon “Chopper” Read was no underworld mastermind and his criminal history was littered with blunders. His police record shows that when he broke the law he was usually caught and convicted. But he was a master story-teller and here, in a series of never before heard tapes, we hear from the real Chopper. Recorded in 1999 - late at night in his car with the help of his friend, Jim Beam bourbon - Chopper talks into a tape recorder about crimes he hadn't been convicted for, how to dispose of a dead body and his run in with Alan Jones on live television.

It was while serving one of these long jail stints he learnt that writing sentences
beat the hell out of serving them. For it is as storyteller that Chopper Read will
be remembered and with good reason. He knew the dark side fascinated solid
citizens, or as he said, “Posh people love gangsters.”

For years, Read was available to any reporter looking for a quick one-liner on
matters of crime, which meant the underworld head-hunter was hunted for a
headline. And that, at least initially, was Read’s motivation. He always wanted
to be remembered - and he has got his wish.

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