Rules and regulations of Society of the Banana

[Angelo Santino]

Which is why nothing will convince me otherwise that Jack Falcone didn't go into his undercover FBI role without stars and $$$ in his mind, he was probably writing his manuscript as he went along, fear for his personal safety was porbably number 4 of 5 down on the list. Today he get's paid to take newscasters with nothing better to report on, into the super market, grab a rubber band off a stalk of broccoli to reveal that's what wiseguy's use that to wrap their cash in. Fucking riveting reporting!

One questions double C , did you start using those bands on your roll?

I don't blame any of those guys for getting paid. Hell if you want to pay me 5 figures to speak to a bunch of jerk offs for a hour or so , I surprised anyone still pays Franzese has been spewing his same bs for years now. he comes off as phoney as a 3 dollar bill.

What a stupid question. Yes. A single 100 note wrapped around 25 singles, slide on that rubber band and I exit Publix feeling like Funzi fucking Tieri.

To us, Franzese and Pistone do, to the general public its probably riveting.

Hahahahah , but it all seriousness it does make a good money clip

ok A real queston , do you know If the banana society operated in Sicily as well?

I use a wallet like everyone else I know. But next time I'm shopping I'll try it, granted no one else is in the produce section seeing me take a rubberband off of a stalk.

Banana Society in Sicily, short answer No. Long answer: I'd like to find more out the Mafia in Termini Imerese and see if there's any oddities there. But it's not that easy, the early records we have are due to trials and arrests. There was no agency compiling extensive information about the overall organization. I will say that some early Sicilian groups had odd names: L'Oblonica, Stuppaghiari, Fratellanza. Of course were these localized names placed on the groups or internal names is up for debate.

[Stroccos]

Which is why nothing will convince me otherwise that Jack Falcone didn't go into his undercover FBI role without stars and $$$ in his mind, he was probably writing his manuscript as he went along, fear for his personal safety was porbably number 4 of 5 down on the list. Today he get's paid to take newscasters with nothing better to report on, into the super market, grab a rubber band off a stalk of broccoli to reveal that's what wiseguy's use that to wrap their cash in. Fucking riveting reporting!

One questions double C , did you start using those bands on your roll?

I don't blame any of those guys for getting paid. Hell if you want to pay me 5 figures to speak to a bunch of jerk offs for a hour or so , I surprised anyone still pays Franzese has been spewing his same bs for years now. he comes off as phoney as a 3 dollar bill.

What a stupid question. Yes. A single 100 note wrapped around 25 singles, slide on that rubber band and I exit Publix feeling like Funzi fucking Tieri.

To us, Franzese and Pistone do, to the general public its probably riveting.

Hahahahah , but it all seriousness it does make a good money clip

ok A real queston , do you know If the banana society operated in Sicily as well?

I use a wallet like everyone else I know. But next time I'm shopping I'll try it, granted no one else is in the produce section seeing me take a rubberband off of a stalk.

Banana Society in Sicily, short answer No. Long answer: I'd like to find more out the Mafia in Termini Imerese and see if there's any oddities there. But it's not that easy, the early records we have are due to trials and arrests. There was no agency compiling extensive information about the overall organization. I will say that some early Sicilian groups had odd names: L'Oblonica, Stuppaghiari, Fratellanza. Of course were these localized names placed on the groups or internal names is up for debate.

Yeah I find it interesting how everything kind of connects. I know nothing of the mafia in Sicily , I probably order that book once i get done with the 5 I have sitting here.

[Snakes]

I've tried to use a money clip for cash and my credit card/license but I still prefer the wallet. I'm so used to carrying that around that I'm afraid I'll leave or forget the clip somewhere.

[aleksandrored]

It is that I think it is hypocritical for a person to say that life in La Cosa nostra is bad because it destroys families, but at the same time the person profiting by making mafia musicals in Las Vegas, publishing books, giving interviews about the mafia, somehow the person lives in the Mafia, nothing against the show in Las Vegas, may be cool, but I think it kind of ridiculed the Mafia, just as those already mentioned the infamous Henry Hill was also putting several different information after the success of godfellas.

That's my point, it's all commercialization and Pistone and Franzese are no exception at cashing in. Maybe they earned it. Regardless, their public personas are 100% fake, everything is carefully scripted and presented, from Franzese speaking about 30 year old events in present tense to college students to Pistone being called a "fookin ratttt" from across the street. At this point it's really no different than bringing out Shatner to speak about the latest Star Trek film dressed in his original 1960's makeup.

So you think a lot of what Franzese and Pistine say is a lie? that he earned from 6 to 8 million a week?

[Angelo Santino]

On the surface no, both men are who they say they are. But they can stretch the truth. In the case of Franzese, rather than label him a former ranking member, they can call him "a former mob boss." With Pistone, Sonny Black went from capo in his first book to acting boss in his second, and the whole "dramatic inner conflict" we see by Johnny Depp feeling more and more loyal to Lefty is all but absent in book 1 and in fact quite the opposite. But by the 2000's he's writing that had he been sent to hit so and so, "fuck it, he would have." He specifically says that and I can't imagine him testifying that at the McClellan Committee during the early years of his post-undercover career.

Again, read Quitting the Mob published in the late 80's or early 90's, Franzese is simply loyal to his father and was quite intelligent, perhaps too intelligent for the mob in true Shakespearian form. There's no mention of him being groomed to be the specific underboss to Alphonse after he (eventually?) became boss. It's an example of the truth being stretched and apart from this forum, the average person could care less.

Do I think Franzese made millions in a week himself personally- no fucking way in hell. That's 25 million a month, 300 million a year... in 1980. Of course the entire scam might have generated up to 8 million annually, but like the Vegas skim, proceeds tend to be cut up so much that when we as outsiders see the amount we scratch our heads and say: "that's it!?!?" We look at events after they occurred and conclude someone's going to die in federal prison over what amounted to a 1500-2000 a month scam.

[aleksandrored]

I understood, thanks for the explanation, when I can I'll read this book quitting the mob.

[Angelo Santino]

I understood, thanks for the explanation, when I can I'll read this book quitting the mob.

Yes, check it out for yourself and make your own conclusion. My musings on Franzese and Pistone are just that and other people might have a difference of opinion that may be more credible or taking things into account that I am not.

Compare Quitting the Mob to Blood Covenant;
Donnie Brasco to Unfinished Business;
Pistone's senate testimony to Way of the Wiseguy.
All works are separate by 10-15 years and you can see the evolution and form your own conclusion.

[aleksandrored]

I understood, thanks for the explanation, when I can I'll read this book quitting the mob.

Yes, check it out for yourself and make your own conclusion. My musings on Franzese and Pistone are just that and other people might have a difference of opinion that may be more credible or taking things into account that I am not.

Compare Quitting the Mob to Blood Covenant;
Donnie Brasco to Unfinished Business;
Pistone's senate testimony to Way of the Wiseguy.
All works are separate by 10-15 years and you can see the evolution and form your own conclusion.

Thanks for the information, the one from Donnie Brasco I have here in my language, I will try to acquire in the future Unfinished Business to compare.

[Stroccos]

I've tried to use a money clip for cash and my credit card/license but I still prefer the wallet. I'm so used to carrying that around that I'm afraid I'll leave or forget the clip somewhere.

Cancel those cards go straight cash