The life of the gangster Al Capone could be understood as a violent expression of the American Dream. A poor kid from Brooklyn, born to immigrant parents, used his wits, fists, and a certain ruthless determination to build an empire. The underworld figure has been the fodder for countless, books and biopics, not to mention inspiring a rogues gallery of ficti ... Show More
Sep 30
Bonus Episode - Marble Thieves, Museums, and Dictators
In this bonus episode Sebastian answers questions from listeners about the recent series on the Parthenon Marbles. The host tangles with the ethics of repatriation requests from notorious dictators, the role of the Parthenon Marbles in inspiring the Greek Independence movement, a ... Show More
31m 39s
Apr 2025
Meet The Chicago Outfit's Most Infamous Hitman
Kurt Calabrese grew up in the Chicago mafia known as The Outfit. His father, Frank Calabrese Sr, was the premier hitman, known for strangling his victims with his bare hands. But Frank didn't just leave the violence at work. He trained his sons Kurt and Frank Jr in the mob enforc ... Show More
46m 8s
Apr 2025
£200 MILLION to MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON - THE INSANE STORY OF RIORDAN MAYNARD
This episode is a little bit different: it’s with someone whose name I doubt you’ll know, but it’s a story which, as soon as I heard, I knew I wanted to share with you all on Great Company.Riordan Maynard was a high flying business man until one day it all came crashing down - he ... Show More
1h 16m
Jan 2025
Hollywood's Celebrity Gangster and the Battle for Los Angeles: Mickey Cohen
Mickey once said of himself, quote, “I was a pretty fair replica of the devil.” He also killed a bunch of people, and got away with it. A street hustler since he was 6, Cohen gained a rep as a hard-fighting professional boxer despite his short stature, and a rep as a wild-haired ... Show More
1h 1m
Sep 2024
The Real Red Dead Redemption
October 5th, 1871. In what some call the wildest town in the Wild West, bad blood has been building for a long time. Wild Bill Hickok, the sheriff of Abilene, Kansas, is facing down Phil Coe, a saloon owner with a history of antagonizing the law. Then, the guns come out. This kin ... Show More
31m 26s
Jun 2021
S4 Ep6: Jimmy Fratianno (Part 1)
In 1946, a young man by the name of Jimmy Fratianno moved from Cleveland, Ohio to Los Angeles, California. Fratianno had spent most of his life immersed in crime, crossing paths with several well known mobsters. Fratianno would soon become a made man in the Los Angeles crime fami ... Show More
27m 15s