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Posts Archived Under Crime
To observe the 64th birthday of glam-rock legend turned convicted sex offender Gary Glitter, we added a few new sites to his category in the Yahoo! Directory. Born Paul Gadd, Glitter is best known as the man responsible for "Rock and Roll, Part II," the catchy "we scored!" tune played at sporting events.
If you are a big fan of the Heinz endorser, or just curious about the 1970s, glam rock, or celebrity downfalls in general, HisWestiness' YouTube channel is a good place to start. To date, it features 212 Gary Glitter music videos, live performances, interviews, and a BBC documentary called "The Real Gary Glitter," along with an unrelated documentary about serial killer Fred West thrown in for good measure.
Gary Glitter Across the Globe, written by a loyal member of "The Gang," describes one of Gary's "glittering concerts" during his 1996 Quadrophenia Tour, where he sang both classics and new songs, including "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and "Rock Hard Men (Need the Power)."
Given Glitter's sordid and horrifying legal troubles, it almost seems like the title of his 1974 hit song "Remember Me This Way" was a plea from his future self to his fans at that time. On a YouTube page featuring that song's music video, commenter eggy541 acknowledges the unsettling duality of Glitter's media persona: "Gary Glitter will always be the king of glam regardless of who Paul Gadd turned out to be."
These days, Glitter spends all of his time in a Vietnamese jail -- he is scheduled for release this August. We're not sure if he's planning a follow-up tour.
Suggested Sites...
- Gary Glitter's World Wide Glittering Website - The official site of Gary Glitter glitters on with a bio, discography, fanclub info, and "The Daily Glitter" news page.
- Gary Glitter - Wikipedia - Career overview of rock singer Gary Glitter. Includes music career, legal troubles, and discography.
- Gary Glitter - BBC News - The BBC is the authoritative source for the latest Gary Glitter news.
- Items Tagged with Gary Glitter - Flickr - Photos posted by Flickr users tagged with "Gary Glitter" tell stories of how people come to terms with glam rock, the 1970s, the bouffant hiarstyle, and sex crimes.
- Gary Glitter - Last.fm - Listen to Gary Glitter radio, connect with other fans, contribute to the bio-wiki, and find videos and photos on Last.fm.
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Directory categories:
Gary Glitter, Classic Rock, Sex Crimes, 1970s Music, 1970s History |
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Archived under: Crime, Entertainment, Music, Prison, Rock and Roll |
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Still image from The Great Train Robbery |
On this day in 1865, the first train robbery in the U.S. took place in North Bend, Ohio. The bandits derailed the train and robbed the passengers of their goods. The suspects were never caught and their identities remain a mystery.
More details are known about the country's next train robbery, which might be why some reports consider this one to be the first. On October 6, 1866, in Seymour, Indiana, three men boarded a train, waited a few miles until they were out of town, and then robbed a messenger at gunpoint, taking over $10,000 in gold coins and cash. These men were later identified as part of the notorious Reno Gang.
Brothers Frank, John, Simeon, and William Reno were the Old West's first brotherhood of outlaws, robbing post offices, burning homes, and bounty jumping to make a quick buck. But robbing trains that were under protection of the Pinkerton Detective Agency bumped their Wanted status to a whole new level -- one for which they would soon pay dearly. While leader John was serving 25 years, the Reno Gang continued to wreak havok until an organized lynch mob ended their reign for good on December 12, 1968. Over 50 men stormed the New Albany jailhouse where Frank, William, and Simeon were being held, dragged them from their individual jail cells, and hung them all, one by one, in a stairwell inside the prison. Justice was served by Judge Lynch.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Jesse James, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Great Train Robbery (1903), Steam Locomotives |
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Archived under: Cowboys and Cowgirls, Crime, Criminals, History, Old West, Trains |
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Cover of The Great Gatsby |
Today, on the anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic of classics, "The Great Gatsby," we, like the New York Times, feel compelled to consider what this cautionary novel's most enduring lessons really are. There seems to be only one (albeit with three parts):
Breaking the law isn't really bad so long as:
1. the crime isn't totally morally reprehensible
2. you are really charming, rich, and honorable to damsels
3. you committed your crimes for the love of a woman
Let us not forget that this "great" Gatsby made his fortune as a lawless bootlegger. Why would Fitzgerald have so glamourized a criminal? For the same reasons we all do.
After being born into a hard-working Irish Catholic family, named after his famous relative, and then educated at fine, old, private academies, it's no wonder that Fitzgerald romanticized the family- and fancy-free, philosophizing flappers, philanderers, and bootleggers of his day. The perceived freedom and bacchic revelry afforded to the lawless have long been envied by the bow-tie wearing rest of us.
So which of today's criminals will be romanticized and vindicated in the great American novels yet to be written? Perhaps a future retelling of "The Great Gatsby" will be titled "The Great Dude," and involve a happy-go-lucky dealer of unmentionables who lures an uptown girl into his van with ecstasy and techno music. Would kids still read that novel in high school?
Fate, of course, gets Gatsby in the end. But in the meantime, he does live quite the lavish and sexy life, well-equipped with pools, jewels, grand pianos, and booze -- like any gangsta.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, U.S. History in the 1920s, American Literature |
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Archived under: Authors, Books, Crime, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fiction, Literature, Millionaires, Prohibition, The Great Gatsby |
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Bustin' barrels of illegal booze |
On April 7, 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was repealed, and it was once again legal to manufacture and sell beer and other alcoholic beverages. For over a decade prior, that Amendment, along with the Volstead Act, specified that "no person shall manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor." Imagine not being able to buy a beer at a ballgame, or have a glass of wine at a restaurant, or even to sip a pina colada on the beach. This was Prohibition -- an era which saw the rise of the Roaring Twenties and the American gangster.
Back in those days, religion played an important role in our government, so after many religious groups had classified the consumption of alcohol a sin, Congress felt obliged to listen. But the new law did far more damage to society than good. It made law-breaking drinkers out of formerly law-abiding citizens. The speakeasy -- a secret nightclub that sold alcohol (and usually had gambling and other illegal entertainment) -- was born. But the most notorious result of the government's faulty law was the quick and easy rise of organized crime. Prohibition made millionaires out of gangsters like Al Capone, who controlled thousands of speakeasies in Chicago alone.
After fourteen years of violence, corruption, and Americans ignoring the law, Congress couldn't ignore its mistake any longer. And so, the Twenty-First Amendment was created to repeal the Eighteenth. Today, a few nostalgic speakeasies have re-opened their doors, and adults can legally have a drink -- as long as they know the password.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Prohibition, 1920s, Al Capone |
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Archived under: Al Capone, Alcohol, American History, Beer, Crime, Food and Drink, Government |
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Alcatraz Island
(Photo by Ingrid) |
It's hard to believe it's 45 years since dey closed Da Rock, but it's true. From 1934 until March 21, 1963, Alcatraz was da toughest prison in da country, and believe me, you didn't wanna get sent there. Anybody who wuz too tough for da udder graybar hotels got sent out west, where dey learned pretty quick dat da guards wuz tougher den dey wuz -- an' if dey tried ta pull anyt'ing, dey'd get t'rown into da Strip Cell, where dey had to sit naked in da dark on cold concrete until dey cooled off.
A lotta people t'ought dat Da Rock was da cruelest prison in the system, too; it's only about a mile from San Francisco, and we could always hear da civilians havin' fun and carryin' on (New Year's Eve was da woist). Not dat da guys who wuz here wuzn't nice; Machine Gun Kelly wuz a prince, an' Scarface Al wuz always good for a laugh -- o' course, he was nuts. (Don't get me started on dat Stroud guy, dough; he liked boids, but he hated people.)
As bad as it was den, dough, Alcatraz is a good place ta visit now; ya get a nice boat trip an' a view o' da city ya can't beat, an' a lotta da time, us former inmates is dere to tell ya whut life on De Rock wuz really like. Just don't get caught alone after dark -- some people say da joint's haunted by guys doin' more den a life sentence.
Suggested Sites...
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Directory categories:
Alcatraz Island, Correction and Rehabilitation, San Francisco Points of Interest, Crime, Al Capone |
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Archived under: Al Capone, Alcatraz, American History, Anniversaries, Crime, Criminals, Ghosts, History, In Character, Organized Crime, Prison, San Francisco, Tourist Attractions, United States |
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1970'S
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