This amazing track is about Mark Brandon Reid, also known as "Chopper." He was sent to jail for murdering a gang leader and he got sentenced to 16 years. Three years into his sentence Chopper became disillusioned with jail life and hated working for the "screws." His friend and crime partner Jimmy Loughnan planned an escape, but because of Jimmy's fear of tight spaces, they were caught and given solitary for two weeks. Bon Scott read about this in a newspaper and started writing lyrics for a son

On Australia Day 1978, Mark “Chopper” Read made criminal history. After a failed Supreme Court hostage plan, he was sent to Pentridge’s brutal H Division. Facing a death contract, Chopper cut off both ears to force a transfer — landing at Old Geelong Gaol, Cell 101. Extreme survival, pure infamy. #ChopperRead #AustralianCrime #TrueCrimeAustralia #GeelongGaol #nationalcrimeandjusticemuseum | Geelong Gaol Museum