Remember John Gotti, the gangster?
These are the wise men John Gotti drew while he was in prison.
The mind of man wears many masks.
“Traditional Mafia leaders led publicity-shy lives. Not so Mr. Gotti, who reveled in media attention as the boss of the nation's largest and most influential organized crime group. He cut a swashbuckling figure in New York City, wining and dining with show-business celebrities in elegant restaurants and nightspots surrounded by a coterie of bodyguards.”
“From late 1985, when Mr. Gotti engineered the assassination of his predecessor, Paul Castellano, to 1992, when he was sent to a federal prison for life, Mr. Gotti's swagger and seeming immunity from punishment — he was acquitted in three criminal trials during the first five years of his regime — earned him mythic gangster status.”
“In tabloid argot, he was the Teflon Don, evading successful prosecution, or the Dapper Don, for his snappy appearance in courtrooms and on the city's streets. At the peak of his power, his silvery hair was styled in a swept-back coiffure, and he favored $2,000 Brioni double-breasted suits accessorized by $400 hand-painted floral silk ties. A lavish spender, he relished rare brandy costing $1,000 a bottle, and was unconcerned about losing as much as $250,000 in a dice game.” – Selwyn Raab (full story)
John Gotti died of cancer in prison at age 61.
Why was he pondering the wise men that day in prison?
I don't suppose we'll ever know.