Season Three, Episode 06

Charles Farrell playing his Yamaha C5 Grand piano inside his Boston home. Photo by Ben Grieme.
The now defunct Union Street in Newton, Massachusetts was a club Farrell performed in as a young man.
The first boxer Farrell managed was Mitch “Blood” Green. He is commonly known as “The King of Rikers Island.”
Gleason's Gym, NYC. Photo by Ben Grieme.
Mike Tyson vs. Peter McNeeley took place on August 19, 1995.
After leaving prison, Peter McNeeley was Tysons' first time back in the ring.
“The majority of fights are real…But there’s this machinery at play at every level of boxing.” – Charles Farrell on the various forms of fight fixing. Photo by Ben Grieme.
“[As a kid], I caught the very tail-end of a very golden age of boxing. I got to see extraordinarily good fighters on t.v. all the time.” — Charles Farrell. Photo by Ben Grieme.
Hope Springs Eternal is a remix album produced by Farrell. The album contains a variety of personal voicemails from boxers and gangsters arranged alongside his music.

Season Three, Episode 06

Sesquipedalian

Sesquipedalian

A story of hustles and gambles within lowlife culture.

Charles Farrell could be labeled a number of things: pianist, writer, boxing manager, and hustler. As a teenager, Farrell lived in the streets of Boston, playing piano in mafia-owned clubs. With a love for boxing, he started gambling on high-profile matches while also managing fighters. He fixed an array of professional fights by using code-talk with trainers, foolproof matchmaking, and buying referees and judges. In this story, the highs and lows of gangster culture are explored as Charles Farrell describes the ease of taking advantage of society’s vulnerable parts.

Sesquipedalian is a collaboration between Everything Is Stories and Love and Radio.

Love and Radio is produced by Nick van der Kolk and Brendan Baker.

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Transcript
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