Fatbelly: Chopper… Unchopped

Some people think Chopper’s a "hero", a "legend", a "great character". We’re not so sure they would've liked to encounter him in a club/pub/H Division back in the day.

A bitterly underhand, jealous and paranoid if strangely "moralistic" criminal (he only used to “bash” other cons), he used fear, intimidation and brutal violence to establish himself as one of the most notorious and talked-about criminals in Australian history.

Eric Bana’s iconic silver screen portrayal of him in 2000 only served to amplify his already bloated celebrity status (his autobiography was a best-seller) and ten years later, a 56-year-old “Chop Chop” is at last in the position to give his version of events.

Fatbelly: Chopper… Unchopped then is an uncompromising, uncensored and very personal account of his life, sharing graphic and unpleasantly honest accounts of an existence that embraced chaos, violence and anarchy for its own lascivious rewards.

Check out our exclusive Fatbelly clips, right, for further insights into the mind of the man who had his own ears chopped off. And read some more excellent quotes below...

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·       “How do you hurt my feelings? What are you going to say to me to hurt my feelings? Are you going to say: ‘You’ve got no ears’? Ha! I’ve never had my feelings hurt. Only person who could hurt my feelings would be Margaret [Chopper’s wife] and she hasn’t hurt my feelings”
 
·       “Don’t rob women, kids or old people and don’t turn your hand to anyone who doesn’t already have a criminal record. If they’ve got a criminal record you can do what you like to them, but don’t bother ordinary people in the street or the working man. I’ve always stuck to that.”
 
·       “I’m well mannered. It costs nothing to be polite and courteous. As long as you’re well mannered you can get away with nearly anything. Always say ‘please’, ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’.”
 
·       “Having cunning is more important than having courage.”
 
·       “The most dangerous thing in jail is a psycho. Everyone is terrified of a psycho. I was a psycho.”
 
·       “Jail is a horrible place: full off maggots, violent criminals and deviants. I used to feed off them; bash them and take their money.”
 
·       “If there is a God he owes me an apology for my life, for the way I have been bloody treated.”
 
·       “I don’t regret being a crook, but I regret the amount of jail I’ve done.”
 
·       “Death is forever, isn’t it? Well, how can you be frightened of death? How can you be frightened of nothingness?”
 
·       “It is the height of arrogance to assume that you understand somebody. I don’t think I’ve ever understood anyone.”
 
·       “That’s all anyone can ask, that you’re remembered fondly by them that loved you, and that you’re remembered forever by them that hate you.”