Aussie "bad-ass". Tough guy. A punisher. A criminal. He's been called many of these names and more - but whether you have a positive or negative opinion of the guy, Aussies cannot ignore Mark Brandon "Chopper" Read. He has become a historic and controversial figure in Australia, with a very colourful (spelled with a "u") background - and his reputation certainly precedes him.
Chopper began his criminal career or vigilante career (depending upon your viewpoint) in his mid-teens, where he would rob drug dealers, and torture organized crime gang members. He was imprisoned in Pentridge Prison during the seventies, where he ran one of the biggest prison gangs. At one point, he had a fellow prisoner cut off his ears in an attempt to be transferred from the prison!
He later continued his battle against drug dealers after being released from prison... but was later incarcerated again. While back in prison, Chopper began writing novels documenting his criminal career. The books were a smash in Australia, and Chopper went from being a criminal on the TV news, to a celebrity.
Here's a glimpse at Chopper now:
For the year 2000, Eric Bana acted as Read in the movie entitled CHOPPER - loosely based on Chopper's novels. The film became an intense and instant classic, and was critically acclaimed internationally as well. Here's a look at a couple of key scenes from the movie...
In recent years, Chopper has become a controversial, though recognizable Aussie celebrity. He has recorded his own rap CD, appeared in numerous PSA commercials, and even wrote a children's book! But following this, adding to his fame, were skits by comedian Ronnie Johns, who impersonated Chopper on his television show. Some of these skits have become popular online. Here's a few of them:
And what does Chopper himself think of Ronnie Johns? Hear what he has to say:
