What got you interested?

[craigs48]

The Untouchables TV series. My Mom bought me the book for Christmas that year. Been collecting the books ever since.

[Chaps]

On the 30th anniversary of the Apalachin meeting, my father showed me a big article in the newspaper about it. I was fascinated by this group of men with Italian backgrounds, many of them related by blood or marriage, and involved in organized crime. Since then my understanding has expanded due to research over the years and definitely due to this board and its members. For example, I started out reading Carl Sifakis' Mafia Encyclopedia and going along with the Valachi narrative that Lucky Luciano formed the Five Families in 1931. Now, due to the excellent research of some on the board, we know they are far older.

[Lefty_Ruggiero]

I watched Goodfellas at age 12, one day I noticed it said it was based on actual events. I researched the movie online and read Wiseguy. The rest was history. Since then I read many books about the life. Still have many to go.

As someone stated earlier, the best part is discovering new information and connections via research. Basically tracing some of these criminals’ lives. I still have a lot to learn compared to others on here, finally started to take notes and draw connections.

[B.]

Amazing. Bonanno's book wasn't out yet? I wasn't alive yet.

Much respect to the Mustache Petes (Mustache Ricks?) of mob research. I didn't expect you to say the Genovese Family was the first but that makes complete sense.

And here I get pissed off when FamilySearch is down for maintenance, really puts things in perspective. We all have you to thank for helping lay the foundation we have now.

[Dave65827]

I got started by watching The Godfather films and then goodfellas and then those Franzese interviews lol

As someone else said above I’ve always been into history and “manly stuff”. I was also into some real time events too like the Donbass war, Armenia-Azerbaijan war and The Syrian civil war back in 2012-2016.

Ironically this mafia obsession of mine is a lot easier to explain to my family than the books about the Wehrmacht and the geopolitics of the Middle East

[Pmac2]

Black mass. Then I seen the book about Joe massino. Around 2006 07. The last Don. A great book then I started reading shit on the internet and along time later still read shit I guess I watch some of the YouTube shit but it went stale

[B.]

I got started by watching The Godfather films and then goodfellas and then those Franzese interviews lol

As someone else said above I’ve always been into history and “manly stuff”. I was also into some real time events too like the Donbass war, Armenia-Azerbaijan war and The Syrian civil war back in 2012-2016.

Ironically this mafia obsession of mine is a lot easier to explain to my family than the books about the Wehrmacht and the geopolitics of the Middle East

Former NY associate asked why I'd even by interested in the history and I said to me it's like military history.

And you're right, a lot easier to explain Underboss sitting on the shelf than the bio of Hitler I have with a huge imperial eagle swastika on the cover. Jewish ex-girlfriend was with me when I bought it, not sure if that makes it better or worse.

[Dwalin2014]

I don't really remember what was the specific main "trigger" for my interest in the mafia, but it developed around the time I moved to Italy, and started watching local movies and TV-series about the subject, like "La Piovra" ("The Octopus"), "Operazione Odissea", "Ultimo" etc; the fictional plots about the mafia (sometimes based on real-life events) made me curious about the real-life thing; I remember the first book about the mafia I bought was "Cose di Cosa Nostra" by Giovanni Falcone and Marcelle Padovani. I was very impressed with Falcone's and Paolo Borsellino's story, and since then have been collecting books about Italian organized crime, and later extended my curiosity to the Italian-American one as well.

[PolackTony]

I got started by watching The Godfather films and then goodfellas and then those Franzese interviews lol

As someone else said above I’ve always been into history and “manly stuff”. I was also into some real time events too like the Donbass war, Armenia-Azerbaijan war and The Syrian civil war back in 2012-2016.

Ironically this mafia obsession of mine is a lot easier to explain to my family than the books about the Wehrmacht and the geopolitics of the Middle East

the bio of Hitler I have with a huge imperial eagle swastika on the cover. Jewish ex-girlfriend was with me when I bought it, not sure if that makes it better or worse.

This reads like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.

[BoogieSoprano]

For me it started really early, when I was young my older brothers were into gangs writing graffiti and getting into lots of fights growing up, I grew up in a tough neighborhood in uptown Manhattan and just looking out my window you can see the older drug dealers getting money and my mom telling my brothers not to play across the street cause those guys were selling drugs. My older brother became a famous drug dealer in his teens so I was very street smart at a very young age.
One day they were showing The Godfather on tv and for some reason I was so intrigued by that movie and it’s characters. Then at 10 years old in ‘87 my dad took me and my cousins to the movies to watch a movie he really wanted to watch and it was the untouchables with Robert deniro and I loved it little did I know but my dad was a big time drug dealer and now that I look back every thing was starting to make sense I was surrounded and grew up around gangsters. At 11 or 12 we went on a class trip to the library and I ended up reading The Godfather book I was so interested in the mafia that I rented the movie in vhs from the local video store before blockbuster was even around and i was hooked ever since.
Then at 16 my friend got me a job at a coffee bean shop pre starbucks where they sold coffee beans from different countries it was on east 83rd street in the upper east side Manhattan very pricey neighborhood and on my first day during training two men walk in one was dressed really sharp with a suit and overcoat and the other one witch was older with thick glasses was dressed down in a Sergio tacchini jogging suit it’s funny when I think back because in my head I was like these look like mobsters, I noticed the guy training me gave them extra attention then any other customers that day and he didn’t charge them but they left a $20 tip in the tip jar for a cappuccino that was like $2. It’s funny cause when they left the manager tells me when they come in just get me and I’ll take care of them and I remember telling him why are they racist and he whispered “no they’re in the Mafia”… As I got older and read more in depth that area was indeed mafia entrenched as it wasn’t too far from pleasant avenue in east Harlem where most of the bosses from the Genovese and luchsesse were from, that area also had some mob restaurants around there so who knows exactly those two wise guys were. One of my favorite pizza shops is Patsys on east 117 and 1st avenue which was the first pizza shop to sell pizza by the slice in the whole US since 1935 and under Genovese control since it opened, Vitos and Fat Toneys favorite restaurant.

[PolackTony]

One of my favorite pizza shops is Patsys on east 117 and 1st avenue which was the first pizza shop to sell pizza by the slice in the whole US since 1935 and under Genovese control since it opened, Vitos and Fat Toneys favorite restaurant.

You meant 118 and 1st Ave, of course (for anyone that’s reading this and doesn’t know). My info has them opening in 1933, FWIW. It’s been said that Francis Coppola took DeNiro and Pacino to Patsy’s while preparing to shoot The Godfather, to expose them to the atmosphere. Years ago, I lived on that block of 118 (between 1st and Pleasant, where the scene with Sonny kicking the shit out of Carlo was shot) and had slices at Patsy’s damn near everyday. One of my all time favorite slices in NYC. Just simplicity and coal oven char.

Amazingly, there are still a couple of old Italian families that have stuck around in some of the brownstones in the blocks along Pleasant Ave. I got to hear a couple of good stories from them about the old days (bodies being dumped in the old wire factory on the FDR where the Costco is now, tenements along Pleasant Ave set up as heroin packaging operations with women stripped down naked doing the work, a la “American Gangster”). One of my neighbors was a wild, thugged out, do-rag rocking Italian dude who had just been released from a long prison stint and had survived a hit attempt via shotgun in the 80s; metal plate in the head, leg bones bolted back together kind of dude. After showing me his battle wounds he told me “welcome to Pleasant Avenue!”. At that time, I had never heard of the “Purple Gang”, had no idea who Michael Meldish and those guys were, but my first thought was that guy reminded me perfectly of the NYC version of the old school C-Notes and other Italian gangbangers I had grown up around in Chicago.

[BoogieSoprano]

One of my favorite pizza shops is Patsys on east 117 and 1st avenue which was the first pizza shop to sell pizza by the slice in the whole US since 1935 and under Genovese control since it opened, Vitos and Fat Toneys favorite restaurant.

You meant 118 and 1st Ave, of course (for anyone that’s reading this and doesn’t know). My info has them opening in 1933, FWIW. It’s been said that Francis Coppola took DeNiro and Pacino to Patsy’s while preparing to shoot The Godfather, to expose them to the atmosphere. Years ago, I lived on that block of 118 (between 1st and Pleasant, where the scene with Sonny kicking the shit out of Carlo was shot) and had slices at Patsy’s damn near everyday. One of my all time favorite slices in NYC. Just simplicity and coal oven char.

Amazingly, there are still a couple of old Italian families that have stuck around in some of the brownstones in the blocks along Pleasant Ave. I got to hear a couple of good stories from them about the old days (bodies being dumped in the old wire factory on the FDR where the Costco is now, tenements along Pleasant Ave set up as heroin packaging operations with women stripped down naked doing the work, a la “American Gangster”). One of my neighbors was a wild, thugged out, do-rag rocking Italian dude who had just been released from a long prison stint and had survived a hit attempt via shotgun in the 80s; metal plate in the head, leg bones bolted back together kind of dude. After showing me his battle wounds he told me “welcome to Pleasant Avenue!”. At that time, I had never heard of the “Purple Gang”, had no idea who Michael Meldish and those guys were, but my first thought was that guy reminded me perfectly of the NYC version of the old school C-Notes and other Italian gangbangers I had grown up around in Chicago.

No Polack I meant what I meant the address is 2287 1st Avenue and East 117th Street in East Harlem (for anyone reading this that doesn’t know) !!

[PolackTony]

One of my favorite pizza shops is Patsys on east 117 and 1st avenue which was the first pizza shop to sell pizza by the slice in the whole US since 1935 and under Genovese control since it opened, Vitos and Fat Toneys favorite restaurant.

You meant 118 and 1st Ave, of course (for anyone that’s reading this and doesn’t know). My info has them opening in 1933, FWIW. It’s been said that Francis Coppola took DeNiro and Pacino to Patsy’s while preparing to shoot The Godfather, to expose them to the atmosphere. Years ago, I lived on that block of 118 (between 1st and Pleasant, where the scene with Sonny kicking the shit out of Carlo was shot) and had slices at Patsy’s damn near everyday. One of my all time favorite slices in NYC. Just simplicity and coal oven char.

Amazingly, there are still a couple of old Italian families that have stuck around in some of the brownstones in the blocks along Pleasant Ave. I got to hear a couple of good stories from them about the old days (bodies being dumped in the old wire factory on the FDR where the Costco is now, tenements along Pleasant Ave set up as heroin packaging operations with women stripped down naked doing the work, a la “American Gangster”). One of my neighbors was a wild, thugged out, do-rag rocking Italian dude who had just been released from a long prison stint and had survived a hit attempt via shotgun in the 80s; metal plate in the head, leg bones bolted back together kind of dude. After showing me his battle wounds he told me “welcome to Pleasant Avenue!”. At that time, I had never heard of the “Purple Gang”, had no idea who Michael Meldish and those guys were, but my first thought was that guy reminded me perfectly of the NYC version of the old school C-Notes and other Italian gangbangers I had grown up around in Chicago.

No Polack I meant what I meant the address is 2287 1st Avenue and East 117th Street in East Harlem (for anyone reading this that doesn’t know) !!

Lol, it’s literally 1 door down from the corner of 118 st (!!).

[motorfab]

I got started by watching The Godfather films and then goodfellas and then those Franzese interviews lol

As someone else said above I’ve always been into history and “manly stuff”. I was also into some real time events too like the Donbass war, Armenia-Azerbaijan war and The Syrian civil war back in 2012-2016.

Ironically this mafia obsession of mine is a lot easier to explain to my family than the books about the Wehrmacht and the geopolitics of the Middle East

the bio of Hitler I have with a huge imperial eagle swastika on the cover. Jewish ex-girlfriend was with me when I bought it, not sure if that makes it better or worse.

This reads like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.

, reminds me the previous season finale where Larry took shoes in the shoah museum

[PolackTony]

I got started by watching The Godfather films and then goodfellas and then those Franzese interviews lol

As someone else said above I’ve always been into history and “manly stuff”. I was also into some real time events too like the Donbass war, Armenia-Azerbaijan war and The Syrian civil war back in 2012-2016.

Ironically this mafia obsession of mine is a lot easier to explain to my family than the books about the Wehrmacht and the geopolitics of the Middle East

the bio of Hitler I have with a huge imperial eagle swastika on the cover. Jewish ex-girlfriend was with me when I bought it, not sure if that makes it better or worse.

This reads like a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” episode.

, reminds me the previous season finale where Larry took shoes in the shoah museum