DAILY Telegraph crime editor, Mark Morri, and an old schoolmate and entertainer, Geoff Brieger, have teamed up to create a true crime and live music show called Bar Gangland.
Geoff, who now goes by the stage name Geoff B Good, was a popular piano-man, playing bars in Kings Cross and around Sydney in the 80s and 90s frequented by gangsters and cops.
“Mark would come to the shows and he would be in the corner drinking with all types of people,’’ he said.
But as the music scene gave way to poker machines, Geoff decided it was time for a short break, so he got a day job for more financial stability.
Then in 2023, after a “short, 28-year break”, Geoff returned to the music industry and now spends much of his life at sea as a headline act for Carnival Cruise Lines.
“The idea for Bar Gangland came to me a year ago when Moz came to one of my shows.
“When I mentioned he was in the audience, people bailed him up with questions about all sorts of stuff,’’ he said.
The show is a mixture of well-known cover songs and “Moz” talking about his personal contact with infamous characters such as Roger Rogerson, Neddy Smith, Chopper Read, Tom Domican, John Ibrahim and many others.
He recounts some of the worst crimes in Australia including the murder of nurse Anita Cobby and the 1984 Milperra bikie massacre,1996 Port Arthur massacre, and the recent Bondi beach massacre.
But Bar Gangland is not all blood and tears.
There is plenty of humour and the show ends with Geoff performing some classic hits of Billy Joel, Elton John, The Beatles, Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Kenny Rogers, Frank Sinatra, John Denver and Tom Jones.
“Ive been covering crime in Sydney and Australia for more than 45 years. I don’t know how many murders and gangland wars I’ve covered in that time but they are all different,’’ Morri said.
“Along the way I’ve made friends, met some great characters, had a few death threats and still enjoy being a crime reporter,’’ he said.
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