Fin vs History - Why do Arab Men Smell So Good? | The Rise and Fall of Colonel Gaddafi (Part 1/4)

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

Is Gaddafi the most mental dictator in history? One thing’s for sure, no tyrant smelled this good The show for people who like history but don't care what actually happened.  For weekly bonus episodes, ad-free listening and early access to series, become a Truther and sign up to the Patreon https://www.patreon.com/fintaylor?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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I'm in love. I'm in love. I am in love with Colonel Gaddafi. Yeah. I never thought anyone could replace Hitler in my head as the greatest man who's ever lived. But in researching this guy, I am dumbstruck by how much I love this guy. We're talking today about Colonel Gaddafi, the rise and fall. It's the start of an epic series that will be at least four parts. I'm daunted by the scale of...

We don't want to Gaspathi or Gaddafi. We don't want to Gaspati our Gadafi loads. Don't want to Gisbath him up the wall. He's one of the great... One of the greats. Yeah, it's unbelievable. I knew there was a lot going on, but listening to the podcast researching this, I couldn't believe how consistently he changes it up so much.

is like Miles Davis. It's like you get a grip on him and then he releases something else. Who are you? He completely reinvent himself. There's like every new album. Yeah. He's got a whole new aesthetic.

He's Bowie. Yeah. It's Titanic, awesome man. As much as you know, as much as this podcast, a friend of the show, Adolf Hitler. Friend of the show, Adolf Hitler. You know, he is, I know you care about him a lot, but I will have to say he is quite one note, arguably,

Adolf Hitler. That's the thing. note, that's the note. Yeah, yeah. But Gaddafi is just constantly shifting. Yeah, I mean, when I started, when we said we were going to do Gaddafi, the only thing I really knew about him was that he was a dictator who dressed like my nan. Yeah.

Well, that's quite funny. And then, and then you realize that's only a phase he's had. And that, you know, he's into military stuff. He's a Bedouin. Yeah, there's way he goes electric. You have that with Gaddafi goes pan-Afric. Dylan goes fucking mental. Yeah, I mean, the guy is insane.

it's a satisfying arc almost Gaddafi the whole story because he's also there for such a long time but also he's he's a dictator in the shadow of Hitler and he's kind of you know it's like okay so we know what a dictator is Mussolini Hitler and so he's kind of come after that and he's playing with the expectations people have of dictators like it's drag almost I think he is a drag dictator in it's sort of playing with your preconceived notions

of what a dictator is. Exactly, what it should be. Like, irony, leaning into it, he's a bond villain. He's an actual bond villain. Yeah. So obviously, Sasha Baron Cohen is the dictator.

That's about kind of Gaddafi. And that was, that came out how long after the Arab Spring? It's around that time. Quite close, I think. So I think our idea of the Arab dictator is, Gaddafi is still. Yeah.

That's our notion of what an Arab dictator is, right? 2012, it came out. Yeah. So it's pretty much straight away. Yeah. This is a story that, that stretches from, Mussolini

all the way to there's not been a better end Nick Clegg Mussolini to Nick Clegg to place this that's where this story goes there's not been a better end to a dictator

no no dictator has met a funnier end I'd love to see a downfall scene but it's Gaddafi in a sewage pipe being fucked up the ass with a bayonet not to give the ending away so in this episode

we will be I should say Daniel Sloss is going to come on at some point to join us to deal with this man. This great of modern history. I mean, if Hitler's Pele, Right. There's Maradonna. Gaddafi's Maradona.

Right, right. In that he... He's fueled by cocaine. And the things he does, people thought, we'd seen the greatest. I guess Mao is Croif. Right. Okay. It's like about systems. I don't really know where the analogy goes.

in this first episode we'll be dealing with Libya what is it the Italians the kind of context that Gaddafi's born into It's a blank slate

for someone to come in and express themselves Yeah exactly Libya is just Is a blank canvas You can do what the fuck you want with It's mainly sand Actually it is actually a canvas

As countries go Libya is Yeah so So where do we start this story You should just explain Libya Yeah Obviously, the idea of modern nationhood came late to Libya,

so trying to conceive of it as a consistent nation doesn't really work because it's been a North African country, but it's basically just been parts of every ancient empire. Yeah, so it was the Barbary Coast, is that bit of top of North Africa where a lot of pirates were. Yeah, and I didn't know this. It was a serious problem of them capturing white people and enslaving them. Really?

Yeah. White slaves. They would go to Ireland and the south of Britain kidnapped white people and take them back and they would enslave them. Were they doing shows about, you know, I'm going to the end of a show about my white slave heritage. Yeah, the forgotten white slaves. So, you know, I'm putting that out there. Yeah, meat for the base. Yeah.

Well, did you know the Arabs actually? The Arabs actually enslaved white people. I mean, it's just hilarious that the Arabs basically stole the Irish and made them... I guess the Irish have always got a tough deal from it, you know. Whoever it is. But yeah, so Libya is on the Mediterranean coast in North Africa, which has lots of different things. It's been Phoenician. Do you know the Phoenicians are?

No, I've got a mortgage. I don't know what are the Phoenicians. So you know Carthage, which is in Tunisia, which is the country along. They're actually just a maritime nation from the Mediterranean who actually come from Lebanon. and so it's like all over the Mediterranean and these sort of seafaring peoples who were entirely wiped out by the Romans so we don't have a lot of stuff about them

then the Greeks part of the Greek Empire part of the Roman Empire Muslim Empire Ottoman Empire Yeah and that's when the Italians get involved Because I suppose the world that Gaddafi's born into It's half Italian half African Yes So as a people

I mean that you could not be later for any meeting. If you're half Italian and half African, you're not turning up. Right. Not today meets, no, no, no, no. It's not today meets, why are you gear? That's where Gaddafi is in the middle of that. And there is, yeah, so in 1911, I suppose that's where we should start the story.

This is where Italy invades what's then, well, Libya doesn't exist at this point. It's three provinces, which are created by the Italians, Tripolitana, Sirenica, and then another one. Fezanne. Okay. And Italy basically is like a young country. They don't have any colonies. No. And they're seeing all their mates, Germany, France, Britain.

Yeah. And they're going, we need to have some of this. And actually, Dan Snow, in a podcast I listened to, said that you could claim that the carnage of the 20th century really starts when. Italy invades what's now Libya because they start all the war crimes of the 20th century sort of I mean obviously there's the scramble for Africa and all the naughty Belgian stuff but like what Mussolini does in Libya is sort of the blueprint for what Hitler goes on to do the carnage of the First World War and like the Russians getting involved in Serbia sort of the Italian invading Libya it's kind of the start of all

these and a lot of this there's a huge power vacuum opening up as well because the Ottoman Empire, which has been, you know, a top dog for 500 years. Please, my for 10th. And has dominated this whole region, North Africa, Middle East, Central Asia. That is now slowly fading, creaking, as all empires do.

And so now there's that power grab, you know. Yeah, the attack, a team's been relegated. Everyone's going to try and get their best players. You know you're, you're really fucking up when somehow the Italians have got more energy than you. Yeah. They're taking your,

land. The Italians invade this part of the Ottoman Empire 1911. There is an Italian, a tallo-Turkish

war, which obviously goes on for a while because there are lots of breaks for a little sleep. And then the Italians in the 20s,

they're kind of like that settles down. There's like a peace treaty. But as soon as the peace treaty is signed, Mussolini comes to power. Right. So he's like,

well, fuck a fucker that. Yes. Fuck a datta. Fuck a fucker datta. And Mussolini comes in and sees that he sees Libya as like I'm getting that

right across the sea Greater Rome yeah he talks about the fourth shore okay so you've got Italy's got three shores right I guess yeah I mean it's a one shore really

but yeah it's that and then there's Sicily I suppose but he sees that that top of North Africa is like oh that's just we can make that Italy and so he goes in and with his mate Italo

Barbo Balbo Yeah this guy Look at this guy So this is Italian fascism The first fascism Yeah

Which people You know people don't think It's the classic fascism But it is the innovates They are the first to do it They are the first to do it And obviously they go too hard And get a bit sleepy

And stop before the Germans Take over But Italo Balbo He's the mad cunt Who is actually against anti-Semitism Is he? He's anti-Semitism Very interesting

But he's pretty anti-Arab Right He goes in... You know, pick your poison. Pick your poison. Pick your team. Different drinks, different needs. So he goes in into Libya in the late 20s, or 30s he becomes the like colonel, the whatever, chief of Libya.

And it's all pretty grim stuff. It's forced relocation. It's settlers, settler colonialism. They, concentration camps. But in Italian, it's a camp. de concentration so it's actually much more fun

you can see that people get hoodwinked much more when it's that rather than Concentrations it's hey come to my camp

de contentcione 40% of people die in the camps fuck oh yeah there's a lot of them as well yeah

like I think it's called the Libyan genocide right and no one knows about it seemingly no because they cover

their tracks incredibly well okay I mean sorry it's awful but they they yeah and and

his the key thing. Himmler and Goering they go and have a look. Do they? They go and have a look. They see what's going on here. Right. They're taking it in. It's a work tour. It's a work tour. Right. Okay. Oh, okay. Yeah, it's like when you're checking

out a factory and how they make it. Oh, interesting. They're there in hard hats for a press opportunity like, oh, this is this concentration? Okay, well maybe we should do something like this. So Italy founds Libya. The name Libya is an Italian thing. Right. Then, obviously, World War II kicks

off, Libya is a major battleground. Yeah, I mean, this is the North African Yeah, this is the, so this is Romo and, and Monty, right? Chasing each other around the desert, right? This is a, this is a children's story for me. So at this period, it's just a lot of

the Allies versus the Axis, they're just rolling around tanks in the desert. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Bombs going off, shell fire in the desert, from this, stressful time is born, the very own Colonel Gaddafi. A little boy is born in a manger

in the desert. So he's born in a tent. He's a Bedouin. Yes. Do you know what they are? I do know what the Bedouins are because if you I went to Morocco and it's like they seem to be certainly in Morocco they identify themselves quite different from the Arabs even though he's quite big into pan-Arabes and yeah but the Bedouin are like a desert

people I guess I think they're Berber tents and stuff those kind of like big tents with like the red kind of patterns on them they're like the sand traders in Star Wars Yes, they're genuinely based on They're based on that Yeah

So he's a Bedouin So he's in a tent And he's illiterate The people are illiterate Bedouin people Which is what's so funny About Gaddafi Yeah

Is that he is an illiterate Intellectual Right Yeah Have you seen that Is that Galaphanakis character No Where he doesn't

Can I borrow your glasses Yeah Yeah He does his character At Gavannanakis Where he goes This is the Maybe it is the

Illiterate intellectual He goes I can't read Like, that's Gaddafi, right? It's Rona Week. Now until Wednesday. And the best part, we're ready to help you extend your summer. You know the saying the grass is always greener on the other side?

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Light the path to a brighter future with stellar lenses for myopia control. Learn more at slur.com. And ask your family eye care professional for SLR. lenses at your child's next visit so he he can't read he's born into this world where they're mainly his camels yeah his grandfather maybe is assaulted by the Italians or fights the Italians so in the sort of 40s no one knows when he's born we should say do they know it's 41 or 42 but it's illiterate people so no no one knows better in people typically use simple open air facilities for toileting often finding secluded areas away from their camp so

they're poo in the sand yeah that's what charlie's found do they have a sort of designated I think just pick a spot probably yeah not there and then that's the that's the kitchen bit of sand and then are they burying their poos bedroom people typically go to the toilet outdoors seeking a private location

they do not bury their poo as fecal matter left on the surface dries up and it's broken down by the sun and wind circular life thank you Charlie but then you have a lot of shit in the wind though when you have like a big gust of wind that could what happens when the bedouin have a loose stool Yeah, and also it's like, yeah, you're getting smacked by your uncle shit.

Yeah, it's a brutal life, the Bedouin life. The Brits, obviously, smash Rommel, blah, blah, blah, World War II is finished. And then the UN decide that Libya should become an independent country, but it's split into French and British influence. Right. And they install this puppet king. Classic. Which is... It's the classic playbook, isn't it?

We've seen it in the Iranian Revolution. They all follow quite similar stories A lot of these Yes, they are Yeah It's always the same sort of fellas They're always using Ex-colonial infrastructure

To torture people in That's always happening King Idris the first Is he the Idris the first And then there's no one after him Or before him He's Idris the last He's the only Idris

He's a pretty corrupt old geyser Like the Iranian king Love's going on holiday He loves going on a lot That seems to be These Western puppets They just hate being in their own country for any length of time well their country's awful right because they're not they're not governing it

yeah so they're just going on a world tour yeah blah blah blah constitution developed but the big thing 1959 oil is discovered and classic and it just goes I love some of that brilliant and the British and the French and the Americans they're all taken there they're getting their oily hands classic it's it's classic label a million times yes we love it we've got oils we're going to help you with stuff but give us a huge cut of this Yeah, so they install military bases, and then corruption, corruption, corruption. So this is the landscape which Gaddafi is born into. Gaddafi goes to university.

Goes to military school. I think he gets kicked out of university because he can't read. Right. But he's very arrogant. Yes. He's an arrogant man who can't read. Yes. Which is, there's nothing more dangerous than that.

He's got like a Kanye West sort of ego that drives him through. Yeah. I don't need to read. Yeah. I'll go to university I think he went to the military, whatever Libyan military school there was, that was kind of, and I guess

that's the way, if you come from nothing, that is the way that you can move up in the world. Yeah. And there he's often he's lots of opinions and apparently he'd go around with friends who were like, he already had a couple of followers, just people who respected his opinions. Yeah. And they'd carry a stall around with them because at any

imprompto moment he would put a stall down and then just start What, with no one there? Depending, well people would come, people would It's just whenever, or maybe there's three people it's like, put a stool here, I'm going to start because back of the day, that doesn't really happen as much anymore. I guess you have people like outside Brixton Tube Station saying at the end is nigh.

But I think just like getting on a soapbox and just sort of freestyling political riffs. Yeah, the type of high part corner, that's still a thing. Yeah, but that's almost like, it's become such a thing that it's more like retro. Right. It's like a novelty that people are still doing it. But I feel back in the day, you just being, for most of history,

I feel you'd be in a town centre and there'd just be a geezer sounding off. Well, there's always a guy in a town centre sounding off. It's just that we stopped listening to them at some. Right, right, yeah. Well, I guess because you've got Reddit now and stuff. Yeah, that's where they've gone. So you can sound off. Yeah, it's the death of the high street.

Yeah, it's the death of the high street. Reddit's the death of the high street. Yeah, we're alienated due to modern life. Yes. So, but Gaddafi goes to, the university gets kicked out, goes to military school. But the main influence on his life is this guy, Abdul Nasser

which we should talk about. He loves NASA. NASA is an Egyptian big guy. And I guess is he one of the leading figures of this new movement? He's like, as I'm saying that all of this is happening, it happens over all of the Middle East, but it happens in Egypt,

but is NASA kind of one of the first people to really clap back with Arab nationalism? Yeah, he's the first. Yeah. So he's the first one to overthrow a colonial. Is it the Brits in Egypt? The Brits in Egypt, yeah. Yeah. So he He overflows them, and he basically starts this idea of Arab socialism, pan-Arabism, we're all Arab... Take back control, basically. Take back control, make Arabia great again.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all like rugs. We all like Shisha. We don't like turning up to meetings on time. We like spending too much money on perfume. We like falafel. Let's just get together. No one smells better than a rich Arab man.

Oh, they smell the best. If you're around Knightsbridge or near Harrods, just if you ever see a wealthy Arab man walk past, have a hunk on his neck. Because they smell better than the women as well. The women smell terrible. Women are awful. But just have a honk on a rich Arab man. No one is cleaner than an Arab man in this world.

A rich Arab man, I imagine. Yes, sorry, yes. Obviously, the Bedouins are incredibly lucky. They poo in the sand. But no one is a rich Arab. Oh, they smell incredible. I'd love to be held. It gives me a pepper my step when I pass a rich Arab man.

It's better than any drug. It's taking a sniff of an Arab man's neck. oh is that cedar is it pine it's a thick thing i think they like soak their what are they doing what are they doing to their smell so good because i think they are soaking the robe with like a little like they're doing puppets of oil that go into the road yeah because i buy cologne and i i spray it on and it goes after half now yeah and then i remember when we did the tom gilby episode and i'm i shook his hand and i could from from like a foot away i could so fuck he smells good and i've never been that guy that smells

overpoweringly good and I want to be. Do you know what I mean? What do I have to do to smell that good? What are your views on smells in general? Sorry? Did I stutter? What do my views on smells? Don't be political. Answer the fucking question.

What are my views on smells in general? No, I mean what's your view on cologne smelling nice? It's an interesting one because obviously I wanted, but I don't to be someone who's too into cologne is there's something a little bit rapier about it i don't know do you think i don't know there's just hmm picking what i'm going to what am i going to smell like today well yeah but you do that anyway don't you i don't know if it's a much of a choice am i going to shit my pants today

maybe i'll shit my pants should i put some ralphluena on shall i pick my pants are you a big cologne guy charlie i wear d'or polom do you say no spray no lay to yourself in the mirror no splash no gas no amani no pun on it's true that's the problem problem. I would wear it if it lasted longer. Yeah, maybe as a people, the Arabs are the biggest range of smells. Yes. They care a lot about that sort of stuff. Yes, they do. And they also

wash their bums with water. Right. Which is a big sticking point they use to bash the West with. Sticking point. As in they call us dirty bottomed which is fair. Which is I think it's true. Once you start washing your ass with water and then you go back to paper, it's like this is a bit mad, isn't it?

It is mad. Well, it's like if someone, if it's like a bit of shit got on your hand, you wash your hands you don't just go that wipe that off there's an amazing podcast clip that's one of my favorite podcast of all time where there's this like i got 35 year old black guy on a podcast and they're talking about shitting and it becomes clear the way he's been shitting his whole life and he thinks everyone else has been shitting it what he does right is he shits into his own hand right and then he washed his hand afterward where does the shit go i don't know he just shits on so he he's he catches this shit he catches his shit and then he i think he washes his his ass with his hand

and then here we go here we go play-it-play this is one absolutely incredible are you telling me that y'all just let the doodle fall in the toilet that don't catch it every time yo you shit in your hand bro with tissue this is the biggest case of gas lighting i've ever seen he's like what do you what do you mean your shit are you fucking insane i'm cat i'm cat i catch my shit it's catching practice i'm in the slips yes um that that's oh man that's his own podcast as well imagine having i mean his world her find realizing and him slowly realizing oh my god i'm the only one who does this but also i must be raised to do this it must be a long line i do have a sort of nightmare or like

a persistent little nightmare that like what if everyone has this right because wiping your ass is always that something you kind of teach yourself right um so like like, what if I am doing it weird? Yeah, because... No one talks about, like, techniques or... It's not a conversation. So what if I'm just... What I do is I get a long line of it

and then I just go... Yeah. I sort of floss. I get a towel and I floss my art. Yeah. What if there's a way of doing it that everyone does? I just pour sand on it. Like, it's a fire.

Why is he treating the toilet with such deference? Yeah. That's the toilet. That's the greatest thing humanity's ever produced. That's like shitting into an iPhone. What are you doing? Anyway.

Oh, Christ. Back to it. Back to it. Where are we at? So, yes. NASA. We're talking about NASA. NASA.

And what NASA, the big thing that NASA does, which he absolutely loves. He smells very good. I imagine NASA smells very good. Is the Suez? Yeah. Tragedy. Arguably the end of the British Empire or the big humiliation that really signifies to the world. I'd say, but Britain is on the floor, wincing and Suez is it gets kicked in the balls.

It's everyone agreeing that Britain is no longer a superpower. It's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace. And no Egyptian has ever been brought to trial for what. happens at Suez. And basically what happens is NASA nationalizes the Sewers Canal, which is owned by British and French. And the Brits and the French, try and take it back.

Yeah. And it's just the Americans basically go, nah. You're not doing that. And then we're like, all right. And it's the, it's kind of the first time it's clear how much of a little bitch to America, Britain's become. Because every time it's been like, well, we're both doing that together. Yeah.

We both do that. Come on. We're going in. And then he's like, well, you can't do that. All right. Whatever you say. And I guess this is just, this is just after Mossadeck. Yes.

In Iran, which we talked about in the Iran series. Yeah, that's all 50s, right? Yeah, so Suez is 56. Mossadegh must be 53. Yeah. So I guess, yeah, it's like in that era of like, yeah, we're in my six, your CIA. Yeah, yeah. We're all the same.

Yeah, yeah. And then, um, yeah, Suez is like, no. No. What do you mean you don't? No, you mean you don't, nah. You mean you don't poo in your hands? That's Britain. What do you mean?

We all poo in our hands, right? And America's like, no. No. You poo's right in the toilet. Don't, not front of everyone. Don't embarrass me. No, come on. Come on.

Stop joking around. At least pretend you put your hands. Look at everyone's looking at me. Put on your hands. Yeah, so NASA is, he's basically like the great. So NASA really comes, of course, well from that. And it's a big wellspring of like Arab nationalism. You could stand up to these colonial oppressors.

Yeah, and he's like a figurehead for the whole of, you know, the 50s and 60s in Africa is the, it's the independence era. It's like every country is throwing off the shackles of, it's the great undoing of the scramble. Africa, it's the, they're putting the shells back on the eggs, you know, they're back in the bin, they're cleaning the pan. Yeah. This analogy is run out of road.

But NASA is the, is the great brown hope of North Africa. And Gaddafi sees that and he's immediately as his hero. Loves him. So he just wants to be. Yeah, it's like he's got like you'd have Ronaldo posters on your wall. I mean, he is, look at him. He's just the ultimate boss man. Yeah.

NASA, isn't it? My friend, please. Well, he's the boss. Well, is he the boss-level boss man? He's the boss of the boss-men. Yeah, he's the boss-boss-level man. Britain's trying to get through the Suez Canal. No, no, no, no, please.

My cousin has a very good... Very good canal in Panama. Panama, go to Panama, please. So NASA, yeah, he's... It's an Egyptian revolution, throws off the shackles. All of North Africa is excited by the potential. And Gaddafi is a young man who can't read, but he loves the radio.

He listens to the voice of the Arabs. There's a radio station called the voice of the Arabs. He turns that on, you know, that's really, that's really, that's, that's the,

that's the, that's the, that's just tuning it. Just trying to find the tune it. Voice of the Arabs, it's like thought for today, but it's, um,

um, um, just Arabic. So he's getting all this radio stuff. He loves the radio, can't read, looking at NASA, hearing stories about him, goes to military school,

uh, and then he goes to London. Yes. So he gets stationed out in London or maybe it's part of, it's backensfield. Yes. It's, It's just

imagine Gaddafi is just Beckinsfield Services. Look, there he is. So there's a grading photo trial is getting up of Gaddafi just waltzing through London in his bedwin robes.

In his get up in 66. The conjuring last rites on September 5th. I come down here when you're out. Array! Array!

Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! The Conjuring Last Rites. Only on the theater September 5th. So he's in London for the World Cup. Is it? Oh, of course.

And he loves it. He loves the World Cup. He loves football. Yeah. But I think he hates Britain. He fucking hates him. This is right. This is swinging 60s as well.

Yeah. And he just sees it all as deeply kind of un-Islamable. Haram. Yeah. Haram. Yeah. A lot of drinking, drugs. We call it the swinging 60s.

They call it the Haram 60s. Gaddafi's in London. I just, I love the idea. He goes, Beckonsfield. Beckonsfield Services. Godaffey's just there. Beckonsville is the best services.

Is it? It's got spoons. Right. Oh, Beckonsfield Services. What an oasis in the death. You know what I mean? It's the best one. Right.

Shout out of Beckinsfield. Loads of toilets. So, anyway, Gaddafi goes to Beckonsfield Services. He doesn't like it. he said some time in Kent. There's a rumour he goes to Sandhurst, but that's not true. But he's learning how to signal. He's being instructed in like military signal.

What is that? Soldiers specialising in military communications. Right. Which is, yeah, wireless communication equipment. So it's important for what happens in the coup. Yeah. So, yeah, he's learning how to do this in Britain. He's there for nine months.

Yeah. 66. Sees Britain, England, win the World Cup. Goes back to Libya. And then he's like, fuck these guys. He's like, I've got some, I've got some, ideas and he starts getting some mates I mean the royal family are not even that popular are they

at all in Libya? No. There's a lot of unrest and a lot of resentment for the colonial period. It's the 16th biggest country in the world but it's only got about 2 million people right so I think a lot of them live in the countryside don't really know you'd say you're Libyan they'd be like what's that what yeah yeah I'm camel or shit in desert that's yeah yeah yeah so they don't really know what Libya is and as far as a coup and a revolution goes it's one of the more simple ones. Yeah. It's completely bloodless.

Gaddafi forms the free unionist officers movement, which is entirely modeled after Egypt's one. So he's a commander, but then he gets demoted to lieutenant because everyone's like, you keep mouthing off about how much you hate the king. And this is the army.

You've got to love the king. So then he basically thinks, right, I'm going to get found out here. So let's go for a, let's go for a coup now. So he gets all his other junior officer mate. and on the 1st of September 1969

but at this point King Idris is brought for medical treatment Crown Prince Hassan left in charge and Gaddafi age 27 how old are you

28 so crazy I'll be older than him at this point 27 that's a young age military coup him and his boys

they walk into radio stations they have a couple of key places yeah the classic you're doing a coup you get the radio stations you get the radio stations

the legal system you kick Greg James out you get rid of Zoe ball you go this is a coup yeah it's taken over you hold Greg James captive yeah then you make him announce in the breakfast show that there's a new commander you need to take LBC I think if you get LBC you've got the country

if you walk in and you put a gun to Nick Ferrari's head and you say this is a coup what do you want Nick Ferrari saying with a ticker below saying ring in what do you think about the new coup and then you just keep ringing in with different voices I think it's brilliant I think it's brilliant I think he's brilliant cool number one cool

Yeah so you need LBC You need to get there Before O'Brien's in Yes Because he'll just complain He's gonna whinge a lot He's gonna find a whinge

Well he's probably first against the wall Yeah O'Brien's first against the ball Yeah He will get all the winges out That's the one of the first rules of a coup No winching No

Yeah So He takes the radio stations He takes Uh government buildings Completely bloodless No shot A shot isn't fired

It's just a very like relaxed coup. But also there's no sense... Because it's not this up swing of popular thing. It's more like, it's basically a vacancy. It's like a free agent. Is anyone sitting there? No. No, I'm... You're in charge.

Yeah. So, uh, he deposes King Idris and then Gaddafi, uh, it declares Libya, the Libyan Arab Republic, is it? Is that what he calls? Um, and, uh, he... Gets on the radio.

Get some the radio. Yeah. Hi guys. You're listening to, Libya FM. It's Colonel Gaddafi here with the breakfast news. I'm in charge. Here's Charlie XX. Nations are whose nationalism has destroyed our subject to ruin. Anyway, here is Edshiram.

So the army are in charge. There's footage of him which will get up just like waving. And he's a fucking, he's a handsome guy. Yeah. Well, they all are. All the Arabs. Yeah, it's the people, Saddam, really good looking. You know?

Yeah. Even Khomeini, he looks like. like Sean Connery. Yes, exactly. There is, it does seem like they love a handsome man in the Middle East.

Yeah, I mean, gorgeous man. He must smell amazing at this point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's got a very clean bottom. Yeah. Smells of cedar,

rosemary, pine. Yeah. And even though it's not a popular movement, having a Libyan in charge is kind of the first time that's seemingly happened ever really.

Yeah. Like an actual Libyan for the Libyan people. It's not happened. So it is very exciting. But I guess everyone must know what's going on in Egypt. So everyone is kind of excited.

It's just that no one can be bothered to do it. Yeah. Or knows how to. So he calls this one September, which is very, yes, one September. One September. But it's even, yeah, it's bloodless even when they speak to, they speak to the Crown Prince and say, if you accept that you're no longer king, we'll let you go.

Yeah. So they don't even kill, they don't even do that. But then later he then says, if you come back, we're going to kill you, I think. So one of the first, some of the first things he does is he, he basically kicks out the Brits and the Americans and there's all these military bases

and he goes, get out and none are you here and then he nationalises oil classic and bands I mean a big part of the unrest towards Idris is yeah that the people are not seeing oil revenues that's not going back into the country

and I think am I right in thinking that he quite quickly after he nationalises the oil it's adding a billion dollars a year to the economy or something? Early Gaddafi, it seems pretty solid. If Gaddafi had stopped in 1971,

we'd be like, what a great guy. A lot of African leaders, that's the same, Mugabe. First 10 years of Mugabe, Unreal. Yeah. And then it's just, you know, it's maybe like Venga, I think you could say. He just stays on too long. Stays on too long. Ten years, innovates, revolutionizes, but the people catch up.

He gets a bit stuck in his ways, doesn't adapt with the time. But it's a new stadium, he's financially hamstrung. he has to get Champions League football he's not pushing it on he's developing players to save costs when he should be buying big money Chelsea around at this point

they're spending a lot of money It follows that that trajectory Gaddafi which starts off as genuinely And he's in you know At this point he's in military fatigues He's handsome He's kissing babies Shaking hands

He also has like some weirdly quite Progressive views on women Yes So he I think Yeah for the He thinks he should fuck all of them. Yes.

As will come out. But he believes that women are as capable as men. Yes. But yeah, does he also then start putting Sharia law at the same time, starts doing... So he says, yeah, he says Islam for state religion, is it a bit of Sharia law? It's a little bit of Sharia.

Yeah. But it's a deeply conservative country, so they don't really mind that. Well, he says, he says he gives women, he starts educating women, which is... Aram, in my opinion. Yes, it is Haram. What's that, Charlie? Women are females and men are males. According to gynecologists, women menstruate every month or so, while men, being male, do not menstruate.

So this is, and we will get to this. This will get this next episode. This is the green book. What's amazing about Gaddafi is, I love, like, a dictator or a leader who writes down his thoughts. Yes. And some of the quotes from it are just fucking hilarious. They're meaningless. It's absolute gibberish.

We'll get to that. But as I said, he is an illiterate intellectual. Yeah. So he's writing a book thinking he's a great scholar and he can't read. Yeah. Oh my way did you hear that yeah that's my stomach fuck my son has had um diarrhea for a week so is it just a matter of time no I think I had a squitty bum on Wednesday right and I managed to see it off had a squitty bum on Wednesday I had a shitty ass on Tuesday I was doing plops on Wednesday and on Thursday and Friday it's Saturday wipe my ass on Sunday so the first part of Gaddafi's rain is pretty it's pretty good for everyone. Yeah.

So it's bye-bye to the Italians. Well, yeah, he does forcibly expel the Italians on day one. He's like, all of you get in the bin in the sea now. He also gets rid of all the Jews. Okay. Which I think that's just racism. Yeah. Obviously, the Italians just kind of a vengeance thing.

There's probably, there's no easier way to just get support with Muslims then being anti-Israel or a lot of people yeah I guess so it's not confined to just Muslims if you're Bristol mayor and you kick your Jews out quite a lot of Bristol be quite happy with you yeah yeah he's leaving that one

whistled past the off stump no so yeah he kicks the Italians out and the Jews and he this is where the kind of contradictions in his character start to come out because he you know in some places he says women women need to be in school they need to be learning

they can do anything that a man does but if you're gay you're being flogged right if you're an adulterer you're being flogged yes there's no alcohol modesty he gets all the European influence out of the education system he sort of starts to he likes Islam

but he doesn't like political Islam right which is this weird that's kind of what NASA's thing is isn't it or is it Arab nationalism rather than Islamic nationalism yes so I guess it's more of a racial thing than rug sellers of the world unite yes um but this is all in tripoli in the west of the country he um doesn't like the east because i can't remember but i don't i think he feels there's he doesn't have

much support in the east yeah so he sort of deliberately just doesn't spend any money in benghazi yes so like even throughout his reign is you wanted any paperwork done you'd have to fly to tripoli to get it done just making it an absolute nightmare to live it's like if you lived in brighton but in order to pay your council tax you had to fly to Edinburgh Yeah So he also proposes a union With like the other Arab countries

Tunisia Blah blah blah Egypt And yeah he's been respected amongst the Arab leaders At this point Well in what year is it What year does NASA die Charlie

It's pretty quickly Yeah fuck so Gaddafi has only been in power For a year When In September 1970 Gamal Nasser dies His big hero dies

Heart attack Boss man heart attack Please My friend Suddenly dies There's a massive funeral And Gaddafi makes sure

That he is front and centre Of the mourners And he faints Several times Yeah It's like histionics Very performative Oh no

But like he's really trying to place As NASA reborn So the Arab world Is in mourning And Gaddafi sees a chance to get in front of it and become the new Arab leader in early 1970s

Gaddafi is spending all the oil wealth on domestic things like housing healthcare female education and then in 1972 at the Munich Olympics it turns out Gaddafi's been spending some of his oil pocket money on funding

some pretty naughty terrorists and in 1972 in Munich there is an act that shocks the world. There's an attack that shocks the world and maybe we'll leave this episode here. Perfectly poised.

And this is the beginning of... This is the beginning of... Gnorty. Gnorty. Murmah Gnorty. Muma Gagoti, the goat. This is the beginning of his peak era. This is Maradona into the 80s.

A new mad come that's burst onto the scene. and in 1972 he will announce himself to the world as hashtag madcount number one if you would like all episodes from this Gaddafi series it could be four, it could be five, who knows they're all on the patron right now

including the ones with Daniel Sloss for three pounds a month you can become a truth and get access to every series all at one go and some bonus episodes including our recent 90 minute concert film on the Zulu War but either way Thank you so much for stopping by, and we shall see you for more Gaddafi next time.

Goodbye, Akbar.