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The Real Chopper
Criminal, murderer, raconteur, author . . . mythmaker?
Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read is undoubtedly Australia's best-known criminal. Author of many bestselling books about the underworld he inhabited, and subject of a smash-hit film, his story has become part of the country's culture. And Read certainly knew how to spin a yarn.
Adam Shand – bestselling author of Big Shots: Carl Williams and the Gangland Murders – disentangles the persona of 'Chopper' from Mark Read, the man. Chopper took over Read's life, made him famous but then refused to let him go.
From Read's religious upbringing and youthful escapades to his 23 years in jail and later careers in the spotlight, Shand delves into Read's life to reveal the truth for the first time. With unparalleled access to lovers, friends and enemies, Shand learns that 'Uncle Chop Chop', Australia's favourite stand-over man, was much more than the 'earless monster' he created.
Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read is undoubtedly Australia's best-known criminal. Author of many bestselling books about the underworld he inhabited, and subject of a smash-hit film, his story has become part of the country's culture. And Read certainly knew how to spin a yarn.
Adam Shand – bestselling author of Big Shots: Carl Williams and the Gangland Murders – disentangles the persona of 'Chopper' from Mark Read, the man. Chopper took over Read's life, made him famous but then refused to let him go.
From Read's religious upbringing and youthful escapades to his 23 years in jail and later careers in the spotlight, Shand delves into Read's life to reveal the truth for the first time. With unparalleled access to lovers, friends and enemies, Shand learns that 'Uncle Chop Chop', Australia's favourite stand-over man, was much more than the 'earless monster' he created.
- GenresBiographyTrue Crime
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2014
20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 22, 2019
As Uncle Chop Chop says - Never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.
November 26, 2024
I haven't completed the book just yet, but am close enough to write a review.
In my humble opinion, this is a book that only the most serious crime readers should tackle, as it is extremely biased and a terrible legacy for Mark Reid.
I have read all 11 books of Reid's, officially supposed to be ten books, but he wrote a kind of Best Of afterwards. The stories are hilarious, especially the novels that include so many true crime figures, if you know your stuff. Reid created Chopper as a character, and nothing more. he plainly explains in his books that he is a liar and nothing he writes is to be believed. You could almost put the full ten books, not available now, as they don't fit with the Politically Correct++ world we live in today (gag!), in the Fiction section of the library.
So what does Shand do. he sets out to tear the myth of Reid to pieces, using interviews with crims and legal eagles as his sources. But these sources have axes to grind with Reid, which Reid himself notes. Of course, these guys are going to try to tear down the myth, and here they are given the opportunity.
Close to the end of the book now, I almost get the feeling of sour grapes from Shand, who has written about Roger Rogerson twice, and well. But this book is a poisoned chalice.
I will finish it, and then probably go back and read Chopper's three novels, as hilarious as they are.
This book I will consign to my library, never to be read again. For me the myth is the story, not the facts, as dubious as many of the sources are. Leave out the scorn when you write, Adam. This book is a personal crusade to destroy an Australian legend, that we all know is built on fiction, and also quite a bit of fact, even if it is someone else's story that Chopper adopted for himself.
EDIT: The remainder of the book leading up to, and following Read's death, redeemed the book, and rose it from 2 to 4 Stars. Shand seemed to switch from critic to apologist, and from that point never seemed to quite know what he was trying to express with this work. Bash Read for his fibs, and swipe his feet from under him, perhaps explaining away his own worship of the man and his myth, or retain the myth in the end, while still drawing upon questionable sources who had agendas of their own (and some odd stories, and crimes, of themselves, consigned to the shadows).
I'll let you decide.
In my humble opinion, this is a book that only the most serious crime readers should tackle, as it is extremely biased and a terrible legacy for Mark Reid.
I have read all 11 books of Reid's, officially supposed to be ten books, but he wrote a kind of Best Of afterwards. The stories are hilarious, especially the novels that include so many true crime figures, if you know your stuff. Reid created Chopper as a character, and nothing more. he plainly explains in his books that he is a liar and nothing he writes is to be believed. You could almost put the full ten books, not available now, as they don't fit with the Politically Correct++ world we live in today (gag!), in the Fiction section of the library.
So what does Shand do. he sets out to tear the myth of Reid to pieces, using interviews with crims and legal eagles as his sources. But these sources have axes to grind with Reid, which Reid himself notes. Of course, these guys are going to try to tear down the myth, and here they are given the opportunity.
Close to the end of the book now, I almost get the feeling of sour grapes from Shand, who has written about Roger Rogerson twice, and well. But this book is a poisoned chalice.
I will finish it, and then probably go back and read Chopper's three novels, as hilarious as they are.
This book I will consign to my library, never to be read again. For me the myth is the story, not the facts, as dubious as many of the sources are. Leave out the scorn when you write, Adam. This book is a personal crusade to destroy an Australian legend, that we all know is built on fiction, and also quite a bit of fact, even if it is someone else's story that Chopper adopted for himself.
EDIT: The remainder of the book leading up to, and following Read's death, redeemed the book, and rose it from 2 to 4 Stars. Shand seemed to switch from critic to apologist, and from that point never seemed to quite know what he was trying to express with this work. Bash Read for his fibs, and swipe his feet from under him, perhaps explaining away his own worship of the man and his myth, or retain the myth in the end, while still drawing upon questionable sources who had agendas of their own (and some odd stories, and crimes, of themselves, consigned to the shadows).
I'll let you decide.
September 24, 2014
Looking back at the public persona of Mark 'Chopper' Read, so much of what Adam Shand discusses in THE REAL CHOPPER was there for the seeing. Can't help but give you a sneaking sense of admiration for Read's skill as a myth maker, given how unlikely many of his alleged transgressions actually were.
Read has always been an interesting prospect. Somebody with enough gangster profile to titillate and amuse some sectors of the community, he was renowned as a walking underworld quotation for the media. A thorn in the side of the underworld he claimed to be a big pin in, he was a criminal, a self-confessed police informer, and a man gifted with the ability to spin a great yarn. One of his greatest skills seems to have been remembering the tales of others, and then reinventing them to build his own persona. It also seems that he was no fool, and sadly somebody who should have had other options. Definitely, the success of his books, and the building of the myth, seems to be in direct contrast to his (and their) reception in the world of publishing, law enforcement and the Underworld. Nobody could ever deny his ability to craft a living from the myth that's for sure, even though his ability to hang onto money was considerably less successful.
THE REAL CHOPPER goes right back to the start - his life as a child with a distant and cold mother and an oddly "involved" father, a lot of strange things happened in Read's childhood and teenage years. From being put into a care home as a young child, through to being committed by his mother, and onto his teenage years rampaging around Croydon and environs there's something inevitable about his path from Juvenile Detention to jail. Whilst the crimes he was jailed for seem strangely minor compared to the things he claimed to have done, Chopper was fond of confessing, as he was making daft choices in jail, making sure his time was extended or done in the hardest possible manner. It's hard to decide what Chopper ultimately achieved in life. The build up as a major player in the Underworld might have fed his need for his 15 minutes of fame, but the collateral damage is high. Maybe in some circles, he died as the ultimate gangster player, but he still died. Youngish, ill, and still trying to shore up the story / the myth - with a hint of regret.
Shand's book reads like it has been carefully constructed - part investigation, part analysis it avoids overt conclusion drawing or over-blowing the story. Nor is it an apology or a justification. There's even some rather wry observations of the author's own past behaviour where Chopper was concerned, and there's a distinction drawn between Mark Brandon Read and, for want of a better description, the "Brand Chopper".
More than just a book for "fans" of Chopper, or for those who may have enjoyed the Chopper books that were around a few years ago (although people who read and enjoyed those would do well to have a look at this). THE REAL CHOPPER actually has a lot to say about the making of celebrity, and myths and legends. It's a particularly salutary tale when you look at what passes for a lot of "popular culture" these days.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Read has always been an interesting prospect. Somebody with enough gangster profile to titillate and amuse some sectors of the community, he was renowned as a walking underworld quotation for the media. A thorn in the side of the underworld he claimed to be a big pin in, he was a criminal, a self-confessed police informer, and a man gifted with the ability to spin a great yarn. One of his greatest skills seems to have been remembering the tales of others, and then reinventing them to build his own persona. It also seems that he was no fool, and sadly somebody who should have had other options. Definitely, the success of his books, and the building of the myth, seems to be in direct contrast to his (and their) reception in the world of publishing, law enforcement and the Underworld. Nobody could ever deny his ability to craft a living from the myth that's for sure, even though his ability to hang onto money was considerably less successful.
THE REAL CHOPPER goes right back to the start - his life as a child with a distant and cold mother and an oddly "involved" father, a lot of strange things happened in Read's childhood and teenage years. From being put into a care home as a young child, through to being committed by his mother, and onto his teenage years rampaging around Croydon and environs there's something inevitable about his path from Juvenile Detention to jail. Whilst the crimes he was jailed for seem strangely minor compared to the things he claimed to have done, Chopper was fond of confessing, as he was making daft choices in jail, making sure his time was extended or done in the hardest possible manner. It's hard to decide what Chopper ultimately achieved in life. The build up as a major player in the Underworld might have fed his need for his 15 minutes of fame, but the collateral damage is high. Maybe in some circles, he died as the ultimate gangster player, but he still died. Youngish, ill, and still trying to shore up the story / the myth - with a hint of regret.
Shand's book reads like it has been carefully constructed - part investigation, part analysis it avoids overt conclusion drawing or over-blowing the story. Nor is it an apology or a justification. There's even some rather wry observations of the author's own past behaviour where Chopper was concerned, and there's a distinction drawn between Mark Brandon Read and, for want of a better description, the "Brand Chopper".
More than just a book for "fans" of Chopper, or for those who may have enjoyed the Chopper books that were around a few years ago (although people who read and enjoyed those would do well to have a look at this). THE REAL CHOPPER actually has a lot to say about the making of celebrity, and myths and legends. It's a particularly salutary tale when you look at what passes for a lot of "popular culture" these days.
http://www.austcrimefiction.org/revie...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews