9 episodes
OUTLAWS: The Good Thief Kaleidoscope
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- Society & Culture
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4.4 • 22 Ratings
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Vassilis Paleokostas, aka “Greece’s Robin Hood,” has been on the lam for 14 years. In his absence, legends of his generosity have grown. But no one knows where he is, or if the stories are even true.
Here’s what we do know: there’s a million Euro bounty out for Vassilis, and a 24-hour task force trying to track him down. When he robs banks, he shares the money with the poor. When he kidnaps industrialists -- and he only kidnaps those who are known for unfair labor practices -- they give baffling interviews showing how he opened their minds. And when he escapes heavily reinforced prisons, as he’s done ... by helicopter ... twice, he does it without harming a guard.
Join host Miles Gray and our team of Greek reporters as we follow Vassilis’ trail from Athens to tiny islands to remote mountain hideouts. Along the way, we’ll meet Vassilis’s inner circle, chat with police chiefs and prime ministers, and work to understand how this thief managed to steal the country’s heart.
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The Good Thief - Ep 1. How to Rob Banks and Influence People
Miles and the team learn how Vassilis and his gang pulled off the biggest bank robbery in Greek history without firing a single shot.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Every Crook Needs a Mentor
Every bank robber has to start somewhere. We track down the man who taught Vassilis the art of crime.
Like what you hear? Follow us @kscope_nyc on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
Autobiography of a Good Thief
A mysterious manuscript gives us an inside look at Vassilis’s first prison escape, and explains how his moral code took shape.
Like what you hear? Follow us @kscope_nyc on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
The Gentleman’s Guide to Kidnapping
Vassilis spends his loot seeing the world, until he and Nikos stumble into a new idea: kidnapping.
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
INTERMISSION: Search Party
We send Kaleidoscope’s Costas Linos along with investigative journalist Nick Niarchos on an adventure through anarchist enclaves, island retreats, and isolated monasteries to find out why Greece embraces outlaws like Vassilis.
Like what you hear? Follow us @kscope_nyc on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. -
How to Escape Prison by Helicopter (Part 1)
Nobody thought it was possible to escape from Greece’s toughest maximum security prison, until Vassilis did it. With a helicopter.
Like what you hear? Follow us @kscope_nyc on Twitter and Instagram.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Customer Reviews
Thank you!
I’m Greek and - of course - I knew of Palaiokostas. Nevertheless, I’m learning a lot from the podcast. It is always interesting to have the view of non-Greeks in issues that trouble the Greek society; the comments on modern corruption and the reasons behind the brothers’ origins with mentions to the klefts and the junta, are really great. Our society is sick of not rotten to its core (that’s me losing hope…). I cannot sympathise with such outlaws, but I can see the point in examining their cases. Thank you!