Watching Natale and Culotta, it's impossible not to take away that they've likely, since the year 2010 if not by 2000, were keeping up with the "mafia non-fiction" genre of books, forums etc. Makes sense, they're human and its no different than former athletes being "involved" in the genre in some inactive capacity.
The problem with this, is it taints their information when they start adding online sources into their ideas or beliefs. Imagine for example, Natale's in prison post-sentencing for the 1999 trial and he reads some books or has internet access to sites on Chicago. He would have read somewhere that it was "the Greaseballs against the Americans" which you commonly hear applied to 1920's Chicago. I imagine Natale's story with DiTrullo is true and that he likely told Natale he spent some time in Chicago. Natale, using his newfound book knowledge, used it to try and catapult himself into being even larger. Such as his story of Bruno and the Piccolos coming over together from Italy to assist the Greaseballs in fighting the Americans, they eventually recruited him in their efforts because "he killed more people than cancer." You can tell he's trying to pass off a lie and muddled the story up. To be fair, there was the so-called "Greaser Gang" group in Philly papers but it was a misunderstanding that someone in the underworld at the stature he claims he was would be able to draw a distinction. Antiliar suggested it could be a case of his imagination combined with his own amnesia which may be true. But Natale was always a well-known liar and it's harder to get away with lies today than it was back in 1995 and earlier as anyone can pull out an iphone and fact check, such as his knowing Capone despite being 12 when capone died. These are things people back in the 80's must have raised eyebrows at but without the ability to quickly pull up dates online I don't think anyone would go to the library to do research in between being a career criminal.
Frank Culotta, he's another one who strikes me as well read about the Outfit and has used it to build his own knowledge and use it to inflate himself. What he says today is very different than the information he provided to the FBI. I tend to believe their FBI versions as they were under pressure to tell the truth unlike now where he can claim he was secretly made a member by Spilotro. That's something you wouldn't neglect to tell the FBI. Same goes for Natale rattling off being made by Gambino-Bruno with a straight face. It's an amazing interview, it should have been "To Catch A Con Man," to see him look so candidly as he lies. It's a eye-opener as to who excels in that world.
Now the problem is, whenever someone from that world comes online, they can develop a group of individuals who keep them up to tab on things, youtube-related, information related to their former affiliation. I'm guilty of it too, I've made connections to certain people that if they asked me something I'd provide them information almost unfiltered. What happens when someone takes that information and uses it to come off as more knowledgeable than they actually are? They may have flipped, they never stopped being liars. They could be Giacomo Vicari on fucking steroids.
(I was speaking to someone today and somethings didn't sound right so I pulled an Angelo Molisani and... it's sad. But it is a problem now. Like Soliai making contact with Dominick Montiglio who sends him a pic of his dead uncle which turns out to be Chuckie English of Chicago, I mean how do you get that wrong, lol? Time was we had to worry about people pretending to be mobsters, now we got to worry about mobsters pretending to know more than they actually do. Can anyone imagine early 2000's Picasso here today? It's been a long and weary road since he once told me to stick my assertions up my ass and that he had dinner with John Stanfa and I didn't. "Yeah, Ok Steve." Banned.
In a way you can't blame them. They didn't join the mob to become historians and had they paid attention to and asked for clarification on every change of rank or murders while they were on the street back then it would have raised eyes brows as they would have come off like Jimmy Altieri after he flipped in S1... I just wish I could speak to them before they latch onto certain narratives- "Scarfo was The Terminator," "Gotti was too flamboyant," "Joey Merlino's a young punk." I'd rather hear their experience/word before the external noises taints it with the narrative. How many informants post-1970's maybe never asked someone point blank about it and just assumed Galante was the boss, then after all the articles, books, movies that informant would just lodge it into his mind as fact that Galante was the official boss.
For the Genuine Members Club, living guy's who's stories don't seem to evolve over time remain- Caramandi, DiLeonardo, Gravano.
Those with evolving stories- Culotta, Franzese, Natale, Pistone (I'll include him).
