Phoenix Jones: Superhero to Criminal

0:00This is your entertainment update for March 19th. A new documentary called Phoenix Jones, the rise and fall of a real-life superhero just premiered at the SXSW film NTB Festival on March 13th. It follows Benjamin Fodor, better known as Phoenix Jones, who patrolled Seattle streets as a costume crime fighter starting in 2010. The film, directed by Bayon Junim, includes talks with Fodor, his family, other vigilantes, and even actor Rain Wilson. Phoenix Jones had a background in mixed martial arts and wore a black and gold suit with a face mask while carrying a taser. A year later, he started the rain city superhero movement with like-minded folks. He drew tons of media spotlight over the years, but Seattle police pushed back hard on his stories. Critics, including a former detective, questioned his claim of making 130 arrests, saying they couldn't verify any. People close to him shared mixed views in the film, highlighting how his vigilante life

1:00pulled him in different directions. He faced legal heat too, like an arrest in October 2011 for pepper spraying people outside a club. No charges stuck there. That led him to reveal his real name publicly. Then in January 2020, he got busted selling the drug Molly to undercover officers, pled guilty, and paid a $500 fine. In the documentary, Fodor opens up about feeling like his world spun out of control, wearing his family sees him as some villain from bad headlines. It's a raw look at what happens when real life crashes into superhero dreams. A appreciation to our sponsor for backing this episode, relax deeper, reset faster, comfort you can hear, S-O-L-I-S-O-L-P-L-O dot com.