
Mad Ones
Crazy Joey Gallo and the Revolution at the Edge of the Underworld
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Narrated by:
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Josh Clark
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By:
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Tom Folsom
About this listen
Crazy Joe, Kid Blast, and Larry Gallo are steeped in legend, from Bob Dylan's 11-minute ballad "Joey" to fictionalizations central to The Godfather trilogy and Jimmy Breslin's The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
Called the toughest gang in the city by the NYPD, the Gallos hailed from the rough Red Hook neighborhood on the Brooklyn waterfront. As low-level Mafiosi, they were expected to serve their Don quietly, but the brothers stood apart from typical gangsters with their hip style, fierce ambition, and Crazy Joe's manic idealism.
Joey aspired to be more than a common hood and immersed himself among the Beatniks and bohemians of the Village. Yearning to live the life of an artist, Joey wrote poetry, painted, and got his kicks devouring existential philosophy. Celebrated as the "king of the streets" by Dylan, Joey was embraced by the city's leading cultural figures as an antihero straight out of Camus.
Here, for the first time, is the complete story of the Gallos' war against the powerful Cosa Nostra, an epic crime saga that culminates in Crazy Joe's murder on the streets of Little Italy, where he was gunned down mid-bite into a forkful of spaghetti in 1972. The Mad Ones is a wildly satisfying entertainment and a significant work of cultural history.
©2009 Tom Folsom (P)2009 HighbridgeListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"The real fun of this book is [you're] never quite sure what's going to happen next....You couldn't make this up." (Associated Press)
What listeners say about Mad Ones
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- Joseph Bianchi
- 01-29-20
Great read for Brooklynites !!!
Was great to hear about the old neighborhood. This really brought back memories of the good ole days.
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- Roberto Falcon
- 10-24-21
The Godfather meets On The Road
This reminded me of what it would have been like if Jack Kerouac had written about the Mafia
Excellent read.
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Overall
- paul b
- 09-20-09
save your time
and also save your money...i was expecting some great anecdotes and never got one...the narrator tries to sound like a tough guy....he is rediculous..trying to imitate a brooklyn accent..it's a joke...pass on this one
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