When the saxophonist Kenny G snapped a photo with pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong in 2014, China's government branded him a spy. To get out of the fix, Kenny put in a call to pro-Beijing actor Jackie Chan ...🧵
To understand this crazy story, you've got to know that Kenny G is perhaps the best known Western artist in China. His song, "Going Home" comes on when shopping malls close and when planes land. Adam Wilkes, Kenny's promoter, was on a plane once with Kenny...
So when Kenny stepped out of his hotel in Hong Kong in 2014, he was instantly recognized by pro-democracy protesters who had taken over the city. He stopped to take photos, including this one, which he put on Facebook.
China's government was furious with Kenny G. "We hope that foreign governments and individuals speak and act cautiously and not support the Occupy Central and other illegal activities in any form," a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.
Kenny G didn't know what to do. In a panic, he called Adam Wilkes, his promoter. But Adam was sleeping...and so...Kenny called his friend, kung-fu legend Jackie Chan.
Jackie Chan, an ardent pro-Beijing voice, told Kenny to take the post down. He did so, but then was attacked by pro-democracy supporters. Finally Adam got a hold of him and they crafted a ploy to get out of the fix.
Adam was with Bjork when she shouted "Tibet!" at a concert in Shanghai. He was touring Taylor Swift in China when her "TS 1989" concert was mistaken by officials as a reference to Tiananmen Square, and Katy Perry when she inadvertently draped herself in a Taiwanese flag.
But no one expected this kind of trouble from Kenny G and his inoffensive brand of soft jazz. Go inside Kenny's China problems on the latest episode of NIGHT OF SHOW, available now on @ApplePodcasts podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/nig…
Other listening options for Night of Show here: nightofshow.com
Got some really dope episodes of NIGHT OF SHOW coming up: Next week, Michael Jackson escapes to Thailand as the world's press follows in hot pursuit...and episode six...it's a secret...Subscribers to Brazen+ on @ApplePodcasts can access all episodes now.
This is perhaps America's most successful serial squatter. How did she get there? (She's not even American.)
Step 1/5: Pose as a Hollywood screenwriter and post many photos in which you appear to be close to huge stars.
Step 2/5: Look for marks on the beaches of Malibu and other expensive rental areas. Not just anyone but the families of Hollywood casting directors, real estate magnates and more. Pretend your screenplay is about to make big bucks, and move in "for a few days."
Step 3/5: To build credibility, talk about when you almost got cast in a Scorsese movie in your 20s but lost the role to Patricia Arquette (this part is true).
This guy, Mark Lombardi, was a famous artist who believed a hidden network of powerful individuals ruled the world. But he’d die before he could prove it. 1/
Lombardi created art that looked like this. He claimed it showed the links between dark networks that controlled governments: politicians, banks, arms dealers.
Lombardi got interested in deep state networks in Houston in the 1980s, when he realized George W Bush, then a failed oil investor with a powerful father, was being bailed out by Saudi interests. He started to collect Rolodexes of these secret connections.
This guy, Fat Leonard, just got 15 years in jail for a decades-long scandal in which he bribed US Navy admirals with prostitutes, Cristal, and Chanel handbags for their wives. What happened to the admirals you might ask?
In 2021, Project Brazen smuggled a microphone to Leonard, who was in detention in San Diego, awaiting sentencing. He’d pleaded guilty but was furious Navy admirals had got off scot-free, and so he talked for our Fat Leonard podcast. podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/fat…
It’s one of the worst national security failures in U.S. military history. Leonard supplied prostitutes to Navy admirals, and recorded the sex in case he needed leverage. In return, his Navy collaborators allowed him to overcharge for food, fuel and security by tens of millions.
One of the largest chemical attacks in U.S. history was on a Furries convention. Scores of Furries —humans dressed as cats, dogs and lions — were hospitalized after a chlorine gas bomb (the kind used in WWI) was detonated at a Chicago hotel. But the culprits were never found. 1/
No one seemed to care about the Furries getting attacked. They’re just weirdos, right? Here’s Mika on Morning Joe falling about laughing at the attack. 2/
The Rosemont police and FBI didn’t do much better. 19 Furries were hospitalized after the attack, some with lifelong injuries, but the investigation into who attacked the Furries was bungled. So we reopened it. /3
Fat Leonard, a military contractor known for organizing and filming orgies involving senior U.S. Navy admirals, is on his way back to San Diego to face sentencing for corruption over a year after he fled to Venezuela. /thread
It’s one of the US’s worst ever national security breaches. For years, Leonard arranged prostitutes for some of the Navy’s top admirals. In return, he bilked the Navy of millions by overcharging for fuel, food and security. He lived in this $40 million house in Singapore!
Leonard got away with his scam for decades because so many admirals enjoyed his parties with Cristal, women, and luxury hotel suites. He even corrupted a top NCIS officer, which hobbled investigations into his corruption.
The Italian mafia stole this masterpiece by Caravaggio in 1969 from a church in Sicily. Today it's worth $100 million and one of the world's most wanted paintings. It has become a symbol of the mob's power over the state. Now, one desperate man is trying to get it back. 1/6
William Veres, a British art dealer, was arrested in 2018 for trafficking in stolen art and given a deal by Italy's anti-mafia police: find the Caravaggio and be spared 20 years in jail. 2/6
Veres teams up with Arthur Brand, the Indiana Jones of the art world, to search for the Caravaggio. Brand is famous for finding lost paintings (Picassos etc). The pair go deep inside the Italian mafia... 3/6