He's not someone I admire by any stretch. However, I'd like to know what was true and what wasn't about his criminal history - what was proven, what was probably true and what was false. I suspect plenty of what we hear was false.
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
LIVE: St Kilda v Western Bulldogs - 7:30PM Thu
Squiggle tips Saints at 51% chance -- What's your tip? -- Team line-ups »
His books were entertaining - I read a few of them - but I took most of it with a grain of salt. The stuff contained in his early books seems to have been more accurate than the later stuff, much of which seemed to be almost pure fiction.
That synopsis seem to be the same take one of the police officers writing for today’s HS took. That copper could spin a yarn and as the years went by the yarn got bigger.
One of my idols, yeah I idolise crims but that's cause I was born in this ****** up generation.
Just saw a 60 minutes ad, he has done an interview with them in the last few weeks apparently admits to 4 unsolved murders.
Hard one to judge. Seems a completely loose cannon in his younger years, as evidenced by his complete inability to st y out of jail.
But seems to have made a decision to leave that life and some stage, and instead become a figure of entertainment. Which he did do with a fair degree of success, leaving crime behind. I guess you could almost say he rehabilitated, in his own way.
Had no doubt many of his tales are exaggerated or invented, but I think it's probably part of that process. His new life was to entertain so he had to deliver.
I think people would have attended his show purely out of his notoriety. He toured with people like Mark "Jacko" Jackson, Roger Rogerson and Warwick Capper.
I read a book by a guy who was once Chopper Read's bodyguard - Mark 'Hammer' Dixon - and he used to travel to those shows with him. In the book Dixon says Chopper often gambled away most of the takings and he sometimes struggled to get paid as a result.
I saw his show with Jacko many years ago. Chopper came on last and was pretty pissed... he spoke reasonably well though, despite what some would think of the subject matter - some would find it funny, others repulsive.
Jacko stole the show though, absolutely hilarious. A lot of great stories from his football days.
Fair few crime fanboys there. Chopper did a Q&A and there were blokes, it was like they were meeting the Queen or the President. Not to mention bidding wars for Chopper "memorabilia", many of which ran into the thousands.