In 1991 an incredulous, middle aged, Caucasian man with a bushy moustache was arrested – he alleged – for simply eating a Chinese meal in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. A “succulent” Chinese meal to be exact. In what would prove to be a case of mistaken identity, the enigmatic man put on a performance of Shakespearian proportions for the arresting police and swarm of awaiting news cameras on the scene. Fascinating, hilarious and truly bizarre, that video would go on to be immortalized as a YouTube viral sensation decades later; clocking up millions of views across the globe, making the man named Jack Karlson (or is that Paul Charles Dozsa? Cecil Edwards?) a modern folklore legend. This is the madcap and tragic true-ish life story about Jack: con man, master of disguise, safe cracker, prison escapee, father, husband, widower, actor – and the real truth behind that infamous video.
