Mark Brandon Read

2009-02-13T12:22:06Z

195.138.205.241: Removed the word FUCK!!!!!! from the first paragraph as it had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the text.

{{Infobox Criminal
| subject_name = Mark Brandon Read
| image_name =
| imagesize =
| image_caption =
| date_of_birth = 17 November 1954
| place_of_birth = Melbourne, Victoria
| date_of_death =
| place_of_death =
| alias = Chopper Read
| charge =
| conviction = [[Armed robbery]] [[Assault]] [[Kidnapping]]
| penalty =
| status =
| occupation =
| spouse = Mary-Ann Hodge (divorced) (1995 - 2001) Margaret Casser
| parents =
| children = Charlie, Roy Brandon
}}
{{Cleanup|article|date=May 2007}}
{{dablink|For other uses of the word, see [[Chopper]].}} {{dablink|For The Ronnie Johns Half Hour Character, see [[The Ronnie Johns Half Hour#Chopper Read|The Ronnie Johns Half Hour]].}}

'''Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read''' (born 17 November 1954), is an [[Australia]]n ex-convict, author, and [[celebrity]].

==Early life==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=October 2007}}
Read was born to an ex-[[army]] father and a mother who was a devout [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]]. He was placed in a children's home for the first five years of his life. Read grew up in the Melbourne suburbs of [[Collingwood, Victoria|Collingwood]], [[Thomastown, Victoria|Thomastown]], [[Fitzroy, Victoria|Fitzroy]] and [[Preston, Victoria|Preston]]. He was bullied at school, claiming that by the age of 15 he had been on the "losing end of several hundred fights" and his father, usually on his mother's recommendation, beat him often as a child. Read was made a [[Ward (legal)|Ward of the State]] by the age of 14, and was placed in several [[mental institution]]s as a teenager, where, he later claimed, he was subjected to [[Electroconvulsive therapy|electroshock therapy]].
By his mid-teens, Read was already an accomplished street fighter, and the leader of the Surrey Road gang. He began his criminal career by robbing [[drug dealer]]s, based in massage parlours in the Prahran area. He later graduated to kidnapping and torturing members of the criminal underworld, often using a blowtorch or bolt cutters to remove the toes of his victims before killing them (hence the slang term "Toecutter", used for Headhunters).<ref>[http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000696832 Chopper]</ref>

While in [[Pentridge prison]]'s H division in the late 70's, Read launched a prison war. His gang, dubbed 'The Overcoat Gang', because they wore long coats all year round to conceal their weapons, were involved in several hundred acts of violence against a larger opposing gang during this period. Around this time, Read had a fellow inmate cut both of his ears off in order to be able to leave H division temporarily. While in his early biographies Read claimed this was to avoid an ambush by other inmates, his later works state that he did so to "Win a bet". Several other members of Read's gang also cut off their own ears in a similar fashion after this incident. Read was ambushed and stabbed by members of his own gang in a sneak attack, when they felt his plan to cripple every other inmate in the entire division and win the gang war in one fell swoop was going too far. Another theory is that Jimmy Loughlan and 'Blue' wished to benefit from a contract put on Choppers head by the Dockers. Read lost several feet of bowel and intestine in the attack. Ironically, James Loughlan was a longtime friend of Read's. Read was, at the time, serving a 17-year sentence after attacking a judge in an effort to get Loughlan released from prison.{{Fact|date=July 2007}}

The nickname 'Chopper' was allegedly based on the protective Bulldog from the cartoon series ''[[Yakky Doodle]]'', due to Read's habit of protecting the small and innocent from harm. Read once claimed to have served two years for [[Grievous bodily harm|GBH]] in 1978 after attacking a local pimp and drug pusher who was attempting to force a 13 year old school girl into prostitution, claiming "It was worth it".{{Fact|date=July 2007}}

Described variously as [[witty]], [[charisma]]tic, [[sadism|sadistic]], and frightening, Read admits to being involved in the killing of 19 people and a further 11 attempts. Many of his associates in the underworld claim that Read is prone to making up numbers to increase his own notoriety and the sales of his books. Read himself has stated on numerous occasions that he would "never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn."{{Fact|date=July 2007}}

==Career==
Convicted of crimes including [[armed robbery]], [[firearm]] offenses, [[assault]] and [[kidnapping]], Read spent 13 months outside [[prison]] between the ages of 20 and 38, then went on to become a successful author of [[crime fiction|crime novels]], selling in excess of 500,000 copies of his works. More recently, he has also found success as a recording artist.

In 2005, Read embarked on a tour of Australia performing a series of shows titled ''I'm Innocent'' with [[Mark "Jacko" Jackson]]<ref>[http://k2760.tripod.com/id3.html News and Gossip]</ref> and later toured Sydney in a stage show with a new co-star, former Detective [[Roger Rogerson|Roger "The Dodger" Rogerson]].

In 2001, Read was featured in an advertisement on behalf of the [[Pedestrian Council of Australia]] warning of the dangers of [[drunk driving]]. Read is seated at a kitchen table and undoes his shirt, and while pointing to the numerous scars and injuries on his body, says:
{{cquote|When I was in prison… I got slashed in the face… my ears cut off…..my eyebrows trimmed and a butcher's knife here, an [[icepick]] here - NOT FUN AT ALL, etc… If you drink and drive and you're unfortunate enough to hit somebody, you ought to pray to God that you don't go to prison.}}

In 2006, Read appeared in another commercial speaking out against [[domestic violence]]. On 13 March 2006, he released a [[rap music|rap]] album titled ''[[Interview with a Madman]]''. He also appeared in the 2002 Australian comedy, ''[[Trojan Warrior]]''.

Read allowed use of his name to Australia's heaviest alcoholic [[lager]] called "[[Chopper Heavy]]". The [[beer]] is produced in [[Rutherglen, Victoria]], a town associated with Australia's most notorious outlaw - [[Ned Kelly]].

Mark made the headlines again on December 15, 2008 after being questioned by police about an alleged incident in Johnson St [[Collingwood]]. Read was attacked by a tomahawk wielding man he claimed he had never met before. Read said "I ran to the panel beaters and grabbed a steel pipe and he jumped into a car and nicked off". Read suffered a minor injury to his arm after being hit with the blunt end of the tomahawk. Read was questioned by detectives at Richmond CIU before being released without charge. His alleged attacker has not been found.

==Personal life==
Read married [[Australian Taxation Office]] employee Mary-Ann Hodge in 1995 while imprisoned in [[HM Prison Risdon|Risdon Prison]] in [[Tasmania]] for the shooting of his friend Sidney Collins. The marriage produced one child, Charlie. They later divorced in 2001. On 19 January 2003, he married long-time friend Margaret Cassar. They have one son, Roy Brandon.

He contracted [[Hepatitis C]] during his time in prison through using a blood-stained shaver. Read revealed in March 2008 that he only has between two to five years to live and requires a [[liver]] transplant, which he has refused, citing his reason for refusal as he does not want to take away a liver from a more deserving recipient.<ref>[http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,23865899-5006301,00.html Dying 'Chopper' refuses transplant | Sunday Mail]</ref>

==Bestselling author==

Read's first book, ''Chopper: From the Inside'', was collected from letters he sent while incarcerated in Melbourne's Pentridge Prison, and published in 1991. It contains tales and [[anecdotes]] of his criminal and prison exploits. Further biographical releases followed in a similar vein. However, with the advent of ''Chopper 5: Pulp Faction'', Read began writing fictional tales based on his experiences of criminal life. Attempts were made to ban a children's book written by Read titled ''[[Hooky the Cripple]]''.

The 2000 film ''[[Chopper (film)|Chopper]]'', starring [[Eric Bana]] as Read, was based on stories from Read's books and independent research, leading to events portrayed on screen which somewhat contradicted Read's version of events. For instance Read claimed in early books to be vehemently anti-drugs, but the film portrays him as a casual drug user. In response, Read stated that "You have to have tried something to be able to say you hate it".

Bana has agreed to again play Read in the sequel to ''Chopper''. Read has refused to deny reports that he will have a cameo in the film.{{Fact|date=June 2008}}

==Bibliography==
* ''Chopper: From the Inside'' (1991), ISBN 0-646-06543-2
* ''Chopper 2: Hits and Memories'' (1992), ISBN 0-646-10987-1
* ''Chopper 3: How to Shoot Friends & Influence People'' (1993), ISBN 0-646-15444-3
* ''Chopper 4: For the Term of His Unnatural Life'' (1994), ISBN 0646210149
* ''Chopper 5: Pulp Faction: Revenge of the Rabbit Kisser and Other Jailhouse Stories'' (1995), ISBN 0-646-25065-5
* ''Chopper 6: No Tears for a Tough Guy'' (1996), ISBN 0-646-29637-X
* ''Chopper 7: The Singing Defective'' (1997), ISBN 0-646-33923-0
* ''Chopper 8: The Sicilian Defense'' (1998), ISBN 0-9586071-0-9
* ''Chopper 9: The Final Cut'' (1999), ISBN 0-9586071-4-1
* ''Chopper 101⁄2: The Popcorn Gangster'' (2001), ISBN 0-9579121-0-2
* ''[[Hooky the Cripple]]: The Grim Tale of a Hunchback Who Triumphs'' (2002), ISBN 1-86403-165-4
* ''The Adventures of Rumsley Rumsfelt'' (2003), ISBN 0-9579121-7-X
* ''Chopper 11: Last Man Standing: From Ex-Con to Icon'' (2007)
<ref>[http://k2760.tripod.com/id9.html Books]</ref>

==Discography==
* ''[[Interview with a Madman]]'' (2006)

==Public commentary and political views==
{{Unreferencedsection|date=October 2007}}
Read has made public comment about a number of criminal cases, including the [[Ivan Milat]] backpacker murder and the [[Port Arthur massacre (Australia)|Port Arthur massacre]]. He has frequently appeared on radio and television talk shows to promote his books and discuss his views on many issues. For a short period of time, he also had a column in ''[[Ralph (magazine)|Ralph]]'' magazine. He also was a regular columnist for the British magazine ''[[FHM]]''. He currently has a column in ''[[Zoo Weekly]]''. His success in selling tales of his criminal past, and a number of recent attempts by other criminals to do likewise, has prompted widespread calls to amend the Federal Proceeds of Crime Bill (2001) — which confiscates the proceeds of drug deals and robberies — to also apply to indirect proceeds of crime, including book sales, TV appearances, and the like.

Read has described his political beliefs as "to the [[political right|right]] of [[Genghis Khan]]". In his book ''Chopper 2'', he lists American [[conservative]] [[G. Gordon Liddy]] and [[Bruce Ruxton]], a critic of Australia's [[immigration]] policies and leader of the [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]]n [[Returned and Services League of Australia|RSL]], as his political heroes.

==Cultural references==
A fictionalized version of Read was recently featured in several sketches on ''[[The Ronnie Johns Half Hour#Chopper Read|The Ronnie Johns Half Hour]]''. Some of these sketches, such as [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY3TfjOeuhM Harden The F*ck Up!] have gained a kind of [[cult following]] among Read's fans in Australia and across the world. Chopper was portrayed by [[Heath Franklin]]. Read has praised Franklin's exaggerated impression, although he believes that Franklin is actually impersonating Eric Bana's film portrayal of Chopper, rather than Read himself.

Acclaimed [[science fiction]] author [[William Gibson]] based a character (Keith Blackwell) in the final two books of his ''Bridge'' trilogy on Read. In the second book of the trilogy, ''[[Idoru]]'' , Gibson wrote in his acknowledgments:
<blockquote>
"Anything I know about the toecutting business, I owe to the criminal memoirs of Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read (''Chopper from the inside'', Sly Ink, Australia, 1991). Mr. Read is a great deal scarier than Blackwell, and has even fewer ears."<ref>{{cite book|author=Gibson, W.|title=Idoru|publisher=Viking Press|location= United Kingdom | year=1997 | isbn=978-0140241075}}</ref>
</blockquote>

==References==
<references/>
{{Refimprove|date=October 2007}}
==External links==
* {{imdb name|id=0973692|name=Mark Brandon Read}}
* {{MySpace|markchopper|Mark Brandon Read}}
* [http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/ergo/chopper_read Mark Brandon Read's self-portrait] at the [[State Library of Victoria]].

{{DEFAULTSORT:Read, Mark Brandon}}
[[Category:Australian criminals]]
[[Category:Australian hip hop musicians]]
[[Category:Australian memoirists]]
[[Category:Organized crime memoirists]]
[[Category:Australian crime writers]]
[[Category:People from Melbourne]]
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Organised crime in Australia]]

[[es:Mark "Chopper" Read]]
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Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Mark Brandon Read