Mark Brandon Read: November 1954 - October 2013.

I don't really know why I'm writing this but 'apparently' last night on Twitter I went off on one. However the bit I do remember was rambling about Mark Brandon Read an Australian criminal who died last Wednesday (9/10/13) of complications from liver cancer.

Although Mark Read claimed to have murdered 19 people this was disputed and everybody unofficially settled at around 3. Mark Read was never convicted of murder but did spend some 21 years of his life in prison after specialising in robbery with a firearm, aggravated assault and some mild kidnapping. It was during one of these stays in prison that Read felt it would convenient for him to be transferred to the prison hospital to avoid a fight with a rival gang. So Read got one of his own gang to chop of his ears earning himself the nickname "Chopper."

I don't know how true any of this actually is because I've only seen the 2000 film once or twice. However I did watch on DVD so got to see the tapes of the very nervous weekend the film's director and it's star spent with Read researching him. On one of these tapes Read tells the story of the young son of an Italian butcher who gets beaten up everyday because he wears a flamboyant coat - I like to think of it being like Rihanna's Givanchy cloak. Everyday the boy comes back to his father crying and everyday his father tells him to quietly put up with the beatings because his coat is so magnificent.

No matter how much it pains him the boy follows his father advice for month until one day the bullies chase him into the shop while his father is out the back. So the boy goes behind the counter and picks up the biggest knife he can find an BANG! the bullies don't bother him anymore.

So yeah I only really brought it up because even in a world of crazy there is still a special seat reserved for Mark Read. The films not to bad either.


(Originally Posted) 12:00 on 16/10/13.