Hello again after a pause in my ezine writing. I have a series of interesting articles, which happen to feature Australian personalities and current affairs. The first is this story of an infamous former criminal, Mark "Chopper" Read. The reason I selected him was because one of my American fellow bloggers said she saw a documentary of his life on Discovery Channel and wondered how he would fit into my 'Life Cycles' theory.
There was a film on his life called "Chopper", released in 2000 and starring the well-known Australian and Hollywood actor Eric Bana. He has been satirised on a TV Comedy show and has written for FHM, Ralph and Zoo Weekly magazines.He has gained a cult following in Australia and round the world. His nickname came from a favourite childhood cartoon character and not his toe-cutting exploits in gaol.
CHOPPER
He has been described variously as:- "witty, charismatic and frightening". He admits to being involved in the killing of 19 people (in reality it is more like 4) and a further 11 attempts, although his underworld friends say he is prone to making up numbers to impress and increase the sale of his books. Read himself has said that:- "he would never let truth stand in the way of a good yarn".
So, in short, he's a charming and very dangerous customer. Now what has 'Life cycles' got to say about him? Well I often enjoy the forensic aspect of 'Life Cycles' for even criminals have careers of sorts. However in his case things are straightforward. If I go to his important direction-setting age: the mid-life 36th 'Year of Revolution' I find evidence of just such a major change, for it was in this year that he had published his first book:- "Chopper-From the Inside". This was based on a collection of letters he sent whilst in prison. This book proved to be the cornerstone of his media career and was the basis of a string of similar books, which later switched to fictionalised accounts. It led to the film and TV appearances and a national speaking tour with disgraced former detective Roger "The Dodger" Rogerson. So in 'Life Cycles' terms it meets all the criteria for this important and fateful year. After all, if this book wasn't well received, then nothing may have followed from it. You may only get this sort of break once in your life.
An interesting postscript to this story is that others have followed Read's example of writing books on gaol experiences and just as there are now laws to confiscate the proceeds of drug deals and robberies, some suggest it should include indirect proceeds, like book sales, TV appearances and the like. It seems,at least at present, that crime can indirectly pay, if you know what I mean. More interesting cases will follow and the next will be from the world of tennis.
'Life Cycles' And Mark Read: "Let's Chop Up Chopper" CHOPPER
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