Michael Imperioli

The Sopranos TV show is an amazing, iconic show which made everyone aware of HBO and pushed the TV envelope. This book is based off a podcast called Talking Sopranos which was started by two of the show's stars - Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti) and Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri).

It reads like their podcast which consists of featured interviews - with actors/actresses and directors, producers and other folks that worked on the show - there was some backstory to the show, and other additional information. (There are even a few photos in the book).

Each chapter is a season of the show and they break down some of the episodes but also provide extra information (i.e., how they filmed a car flipping over and AJ's attempted suicide) which was very insightful.

I loved the show and really enjoyed the book. I received a signed copy from the publisher after watching a Zoom discussion with the authors.


… (meer)

A fantastic companion to and look back at the series. I loved that the book isn't simply an analysis or recap of all the episodes, though apparently most of the content is from the podcast "Talking Sopranos." I don't listen to podcasts, so I am thrilled to be able to access all this rich content. I am also pleasantly surprised and impressed by Michael Imperioli's thoughtful insights, many of which were written for book and were not taken from the podcast. As it turns out, Imperioli is a wonderful writer.

Imperioli and Schirripa cast a wide and far net of people involved with the show, and I learned a lot about the craftsmanship (acting, directing, writing, stunts) behind the show, what it's like to be an actor, and what is was like to be a part of such a huge phenomenon. While it's breezy enough that it could be read very quickly, I couldn't get more through more than a page or two without being completely wowed by some little factoid about the show or about the business or about someone's personal history before joining The Sopranos. I often had to turn to Youtube to find a replay a scene or listen to a piece of music connected to the series. I'm not very interested in celebrities, per se, but it was really quite moving to learn about some people's trajectories before and after the show, who did or didn't get hired, how things changed as the series became a smash. Incredibly satisfying and must more so than Many Saints of Newark.… (meer)

> Par Anne-Sophie Jahn (Lepoint.fr), 24/09/2018 : Michael Imperioli : « Lou Reed a apporté une sensibilité littéraire au rock »
 On se souvient surtout de lui comme Christopher Moltisanti, le neveu alcoolique et drogué du mafieux Tony dans la série Les Soprano (rôle qui lui a même valu un Emmy), mais, à 52 ans, Michael Imperioli, fils d'acteurs amateurs, New-Yorkais immigrés d'Italie, a bien d'autres talents. Acteur (pour Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, Abel Ferrara), réalisateur, scénariste, guitariste dans un groupe de rock, directeur artistique de théâtre… Il sort aujourd'hui son premier roman, dans lequel il met en scène un adolescent un peu insipide qui se lie d'amitié avec son voisin du dessus : Lou Reed, charismatique chanteur du Velvet Underground et auteur du tube « Walk on The Wild Side ». À la manière d'un réalisateur de thriller, Imperioli rembobine, accélère, s'adresse au lecteur dans ce récit drôle et attachant qui a « bouleversé » Joyce Carol Oates et nous entraîne dans le Manhattan chaotique des années 1970, ses rues bruyantes, ses diners, ses bars, peuplés de dealers, musiciens, travestis et prostitués.… (meer)