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Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos

Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos

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  • Create Date：2021-11-20 18:21:13
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Imperioli
  • ISBN：B097NQ1FPB
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Summary

* Duration: 13 hours and 42 minutes *

The definitive oral history of the landmark television series and streaming hit 'The Sopranos'。 packed with untold stories from behind the scenes and on the set。 Stars Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa - whose 'Talking Sopranos' podcast has become a sensational fan favorite - talk intimately with virtually everyone who has been involved with the show。 And they're ready to spill it all。

Who made the phone call that got HBO to launch 'The Sopranos'？ What’s the significance of all those eggs？ And， what the hell ever happened to the Russian？ Michael Imperioli， Steve Schirripa， and the entire cast and crew of 'The Sopranos' have all the answers - and they’re revealing where all the bodies are buried。 

 Inspired by the incredibly successful 'Talking Sopranos' podcast， 'The Sopranos'stars Michael Imperioli （Christopher Moltisanti） and Steve Schirripa （Bobby Baccalieri） will finally reveal all the Soprano family secrets in a surprising， funny， and honest new book。 'WOKE UP THIS MORNING' will be the definitive behind-the-scenes history of the groundbreaking HBO series that became a worldwide cultural phenomenon， ushered in a new Golden Age of Television， and to this day continues to be one of the most binged shows of all time。

Expanding on the podcast with exclusive interviews with the cast， crew， producers， writers， directors， and， of course， the series creator David Chase， Michael and Steve will tell all the incredible stories that 'The Sopranos' fans have been waiting to hear for over 20 years。 The book will cover the entire history of 'The Sopranos'series from the original concept pitch and casting to the infamous cut to black - and answer many of the thousands of fan questions sent to the podcast， as well as dispel some widely propagated myths and reveal things no one outside the show would even know to ask。

This audiobook edition is read by Michael Imperioli， Steve Schirripa， Adam Grupper， Aspen Vincent， Chris Ciulla， Christina DeLaine， Dan Bittner， Eliza Foss， Eva Kaminsky， Fred Berman， Geoffrey Cantor， James Lurie， Jason Culp， Kathleen McInerney， Lisa Flanagan， Nancy Peterson， Oliver Wyman， Richard Ferrone， and Suzanne Toren。


©2021 Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa （P）2021 HarperCollins Publishers

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Reviews

Holly ，

Of course this motivated a Sopranos re-watch。

Evan Scott ，

Just a fun interview-style remembrance of the best drama in television history。 Many laugh out loud moments！

Blane ，

Far from being a "definitive" oral history of one of the greatest TV shows ever， this compilation of podcasts is at times boring， tedious， and repetitive。。。and in the case of Michael's & Steve's forced banter/faux arguing， annoying。 Far from being a "definitive" oral history of one of the greatest TV shows ever， this compilation of podcasts is at times boring， tedious， and repetitive。。。and in the case of Michael's & Steve's forced banter/faux arguing， annoying。 。。。more

Shila Garcia ，

And now we know…。

Leslie P。 ，

This is not really written in prose format， rather it seems like the written version of their podcast。 That said， if you love the Sopranos， this book is chock full of interesting facts。

Brian Willis ，

A distillation of the "Talking Sopranos" podcast by the authors。 The book is organized as a season by season highlight reel， with interspersed chapters on topics or deeper dives with members of the creative team。I learned a lot about one of the great television shows of all time （often the very best for my money） including fun anecdotes of making the show and glowing tributes to the late， great James Gandolfini。 If you are a Sopranos fan， you will probably want to read this and re-immerse yourse A distillation of the "Talking Sopranos" podcast by the authors。 The book is organized as a season by season highlight reel， with interspersed chapters on topics or deeper dives with members of the creative team。I learned a lot about one of the great television shows of all time （often the very best for my money） including fun anecdotes of making the show and glowing tributes to the late， great James Gandolfini。 If you are a Sopranos fan， you will probably want to read this and re-immerse yourself in the world of family and "family"。 There is an audiobook version （though the actors chosen to read the transcripts are sometimes irritating - only Imperioli and Schirripa read their own parts）。 I may just go to the longer dual hour podcasts which are 1-2 hours each。 It will take awhile but so does the show， and both are equally rewarding。 。。。more

Ramzi ，

5 star content but because it's mostly transcripts from the podcast I don't feel like I learned anything new。 5 star content but because it's mostly transcripts from the podcast I don't feel like I learned anything new。 。。。more

Brad ，

Highest recommendation if you are a fan of The Sopranos。 Works out like a long podcast。 Fun format

Chris ，

Meh。 The Sopranos is one of my favorite things in the world。 I love the podcast that inspired this book。 Many of the stories in here are just verbatim transcripts from interviews that were on the show。 So if you've listened to the show， quite a bit will sound familiar。 I enjoyed the stories about working on the show。 I didn't dislike the book。 If you're looking for a book with analysis of The Sopranos， I recommend The Sopranos Sessions by Alan Sepinwall。 Meh。 The Sopranos is one of my favorite things in the world。 I love the podcast that inspired this book。 Many of the stories in here are just verbatim transcripts from interviews that were on the show。 So if you've listened to the show， quite a bit will sound familiar。 I enjoyed the stories about working on the show。 I didn't dislike the book。 If you're looking for a book with analysis of The Sopranos， I recommend The Sopranos Sessions by Alan Sepinwall。 。。。more

Jamie ，

Save your money - this is just a transcript of the podcast

Carol Wiilliams ，

I have been a huge Sopranos fan since the first night it aired on HBO。 I actually almost didn’t watch it because I thought it was a singing show。 I heard the opening music and watched Tony Soprano driving that car and smoking that cigar and I was intrigued。Since it ended I usually watch the whole series twice a year and still love it。I am also a fan of The Talking Sopranos podcast。 I never miss a Monday showing。As for this book？ I was a bit let down。 It was good， but basically to me all it seeme I have been a huge Sopranos fan since the first night it aired on HBO。 I actually almost didn’t watch it because I thought it was a singing show。 I heard the opening music and watched Tony Soprano driving that car and smoking that cigar and I was intrigued。Since it ended I usually watch the whole series twice a year and still love it。I am also a fan of The Talking Sopranos podcast。 I never miss a Monday showing。As for this book？ I was a bit let down。 It was good， but basically to me all it seemed to be was the whole Talking Sopranos podcast written into a book。 Just mostly the same interviews that we have already seen if you watch the podcast。 If you have never seen the podcast， then you would definitely find it worthwhile to read。 For me， I kept waiting for all these behind the scenes bombshells to appear。 They very， very rarely did。 A lot of the things not on the podcast， but in the book， we’re things that have been all over the internet for years。I was hoping that in the book we would finally hear from Drea De Matteo， our beloved Adriana， who has not been on the podcast。 I was hoping to hear from Joey Pants。 Ralphie was a huge villain on that show， but not a peep。 I know Tony Sirico has health problems， so I never expected him to be on the podcast， but Steve and Michael talk about him often and repeat the same stories in the book。 Joey Pants had that accident a short while back and was hit by a car， but he has been posting on IG so I thought he may have made it to the book or podcast。 Nope。 His storyline is there， but no interviews。 Drea is still a mystery to me。 I know she had her own Sopranos podcast at one time and Michael was a guest， but it’s no longer on anymore， so I don’t think that could be a conflict， but no clue。Jaimie Lynn and Robert Iler have been on the podcast and are also interviewed in the book and they have a podcast now called Pajama Pants and it’s still going strong and really is very good。There are a few pictures in the book。 Not a lot， but still nice they included them。The book definitely shows you that Michael is the more gifted writer between him and Steve。 Steve writes like he talks。 Not a bad thing， but Michael has a good way of getting his thoughts onto paper and film。I was not a fan of the new movie The Many Saints of Newark， in fact， I thought it was terrible， but it is barely mentioned in the book。 No loss there for me。I wish I could say this was a fantastic book！ I wanted so many great details…。 And like I said…。 If you don’t listen to the Talking Sopranos podcast you will probably love it。But for me， it was a trip down Memory Lane that I have been on since the podcast started。So in my humble opinion…。 If you watch the podcast， no need to buy the book。 If you don’t and you are a big Sopranos fan then read it。I’ll just store this away with all the rest of my Sopranos memorabilia。 。。。more

Virginia Schott ，

As soon as I saw a preview of this book on the Target website， I knew I had to preorder it。 I was in high school when the Sopranos were first airing and I didn't watch it at the time。 But as I progressed into college， my （now） husband recommended we watch it。 I will venture to say that the Sopranos was one of the few series that changed my life。 It was so profound and I've watched it from beginning to end， multiple times - again something I almost never do - rewatch/reread anything。 I had no clu As soon as I saw a preview of this book on the Target website， I knew I had to preorder it。 I was in high school when the Sopranos were first airing and I didn't watch it at the time。 But as I progressed into college， my （now） husband recommended we watch it。 I will venture to say that the Sopranos was one of the few series that changed my life。 It was so profound and I've watched it from beginning to end， multiple times - again something I almost never do - rewatch/reread anything。 I had no clue that Michael and Steve had created a podcast， let alone a book。 All and all 5 stars， but I'm probably prejudiced because I've loved the series so much。 I'd read and/or watch anything that they produced！ 。。。more

Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir ，

The subject matter may not have been for everyone， but no one can deny the impact and success of the HBO series “The Sopranos，” which really put cable television dramas on the map。 Now， with the release of WOKE UP THIS MORNING， readers have the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of the program and all involved with it via rewritten transcripts from the popular podcast “Talking Sopranos，” hosted by stars Michael Imperioli （Christopher Moltisanti） and Steve Schirripa （"Bobby Bacala"）。W The subject matter may not have been for everyone， but no one can deny the impact and success of the HBO series “The Sopranos，” which really put cable television dramas on the map。 Now， with the release of WOKE UP THIS MORNING， readers have the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of the program and all involved with it via rewritten transcripts from the popular podcast “Talking Sopranos，” hosted by stars Michael Imperioli （Christopher Moltisanti） and Steve Schirripa （"Bobby Bacala"）。When Michael and Steve speak about the first season， it is with a sense of awe because no one knew if a show like “The Sopranos” would be well received。 Once it was all over， the final tally was 112 Emmy nominations and 21 wins。 This includes being the very first cable TV show nominated for Best Drama， an award that they won in 2004。 They talk to casting director Sheila Jaffe， who says that the idea for the program actually came out of the film Trees Lounge from Steve Buscemi。 Michael was in that movie， and it helped give him his start， springboarding him to his unforgettable role of Spider in Goodfellas。I enjoyed their first conversation with Edie Falco， who portrayed Tony Soprano’s wife， Carmela。 It is humorous to learn that Falco cannot cook at all， whereas Carmela was hosting huge food-centered gatherings nearly every week at the Soprano house。 I am proud to share that I had the privilege of acting with Falco’s mother， Judith Anderson， when she performed with my regional theater group on Long Island in a production of the Sherlock Holmes mystery “The Hound of the Baskervilles。” Sadly， Judith passed away recently。Rock guitarist Steven Van Zandt， a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band， talks about playing Silvio。 It is funny to read that Silvio was the only one who could bring bad news to Tony just as Van Zandt used to do with Bruce！ Michael and Steve don’t recount episode by episode in the book， instead focusing on great singular moments like these throughout。 They spend time talking about the season one episode “College，” which TV Guide ranked #2 on their list of all-time greatest TV episodes。 It involves Tony taking his daughter， Meadow， to look at a college she is considering while also trying to put a hit on someone， making for a tense and extremely memorable show。None of this would have been possible without the incredible work of James Gandolfini in the lead role， and much discussion is given to his professionalism and commitment to making the character real and believable。 Show runner David Chase had to perform the eulogy at his funeral and was not sure what to say。 He is reminded by Steve that he once said to Gandolfini， “I feel you’re my brother because of the things we both loved。 Family。 Work。 People in all their imperfection。 Food。 Alcohol。 Talking。 Rage。 And a desire to bring the whole structure crashing down。 We just amuse each other。”Michael and Steve explain how “The Sopranos” put New Jersey on the map。 It previously had a bad rap， but people now saw the Garden State in a different light。 There is a great discussion with Aida Turturro， the cousin of actors John and Nicholas。 She was one of the few who already had acted with Gandolfini and pushed hard to get the role of his sister， which ended up being the apex of her career。 Michael talks about the episodes he got to write， such as “From Where to Eternity，” which features some great dream sequences for Christopher。 I even learned that he co-wrote the screenplay for the Spike Lee film Summer of Sam。They describe the challenges of beginning season three following the death of Nancy Marchand， who played Tony’s mother。 Gandolfini actually had to act in a scene with a different actor portraying her as the producers later used CGI to add in Marchand’s face。 Just as we learn a bit about Michael， similarly we get to go behind the scenes with Steve。 He grew up in Brooklyn， surrounded by wise guys， and is actually half Jewish --- even though he was raised Catholic。 Steve also is a writer and director， and his friendship with Michael includes each of them acting in independent films that the other wrote。It all came full circle for the actors when Buscemi joined “The Sopranos” for a brief but memorable stint as Tony’s cousin， Tony Blundetto， who had one of the best death and disposal scenes ever filmed on the show。WOKE UP THIS MORNING is a wonderful reading experience， thanks to all the memories， stories and behind-the-scenes anecdotes。 The fact that we are getting these from the very source makes them breathe with life。 Michael， a big music fan， even puts together a Top 10 list of his most memorable songs from “The Sopranos，” which includes such diverse talents as Van Morrison， Mazzy Star， The Pretenders， and his favorite from Johnny Thunders， “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory。” To quote Michael and Steve in this fun and complete retrospective， “Some things never fade away。”Reviewed by Ray Palen 。。。more

Zac ，

In this season-by-season behind-the-scenes account， Sopranos actors and Talking Sopranos podcast hosts Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa compile a collection of interviews with the actors， crew members， and creators who made the show one of television’s greatest successes。Woke Up This Morning might be more accurately titled Talking Sopranos: The Book for it distills and rehashes the podcast’s anecdotes。 For those who never listened to the podcast， you get （most of） the best of it without Mic In this season-by-season behind-the-scenes account， Sopranos actors and Talking Sopranos podcast hosts Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa compile a collection of interviews with the actors， crew members， and creators who made the show one of television’s greatest successes。Woke Up This Morning might be more accurately titled Talking Sopranos: The Book for it distills and rehashes the podcast’s anecdotes。 For those who never listened to the podcast， you get （most of） the best of it without Michael and Steve’s bickering， inane tangents， and product shilling， and there are definitely some amusing and eye-opening insights regarding casting decisions， creative inspirations and influences， and near disasters。 However， those who have been keeping up with the podcast will likely be let down， especially in light of the hosts’ claim that the book contains never previously revealed material。 Like Chrissy pushing Webistics， their hype for this book isn’t exactly on the level。 。。。more

Vivienne ，

My thanks to Fourth Estate for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos’ by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa in exchange for an honest review。I so enjoy this kind of retrospective book about tv series that have been important to me。 I bought its unabridged audiobook edition and combined reading and listening。 Given that it is an oral history it was perfect for an audiobook adaptation as the words on the page come alive when they were spoken My thanks to Fourth Estate for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos’ by Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa in exchange for an honest review。I so enjoy this kind of retrospective book about tv series that have been important to me。 I bought its unabridged audiobook edition and combined reading and listening。 Given that it is an oral history it was perfect for an audiobook adaptation as the words on the page come alive when they were spoken by the authors and their interviewees。 This book was Inspired by the authors’ globally successful podcast， Talking Sopranos。 In its pages they cover the development of the pilot， each of its six seasons with details about significant episodes， the cast and their characters， the music， and many behind the scenes anecdotes。Following the main text there is a picture section that contains candid photos and other mementoes; most of these were provided courtesy of Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa。 These personal photos gave a sense of the camaraderie on and off set。 Overall， these components added up to an enjoyable and comprehensive history of this groundbreaking television series。I came to The Sopranos late though I quickly fell under its spell。 As a result this proved a very informative book and also a great deal of fun。 I had already been planning to rewatch the series from the beginning and this book with its peeks behind the scenes and other details added to my enthusiasm to revisit The Sopranos。 ‘Woke Up This Morning’ was fantastic and is bound to be a huge hit with Sopranos fans。 Its hardback edition would also be a perfect gift for the same。 。。。more

Ray Palen ，

The subject matter may not have been for everyone， but no one can deny both the impact and success of the HBO series “The Sopranos，” which really put cable television dramas on the map。 Now， with the release of WOKE UP THIS MORNING: The Definitive Oral History of the Sopranos， readers have the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of the series and all involved with it via rewritten transcripts from their famous podcast entitled Talking Sopranos。I must admit， I do not listen to podcasts The subject matter may not have been for everyone， but no one can deny both the impact and success of the HBO series “The Sopranos，” which really put cable television dramas on the map。 Now， with the release of WOKE UP THIS MORNING: The Definitive Oral History of the Sopranos， readers have the opportunity to relive some of the best moments of the series and all involved with it via rewritten transcripts from their famous podcast entitled Talking Sopranos。I must admit， I do not listen to podcasts nor am I up on those that are considered to be ‘on fire’ right now。 However， after reading this book I could see myself sitting there listening to hosts Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa， also the authors of this book， and the many Sopranos guests that graced their podcasts。For those who are not aware， or that somehow forgot， actors Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa played the characters Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby ‘Bacala。’ I was a huge fan of the show and Christopher happened to be my favorite character。 The ironic thing is that this book almost never happened。 Since it grew out of the podcast， the irony was that they started broadcasting in April 2020， right at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic。 Michael was in NYC and Steve was out in Las Vegas。 At the time， they had no idea how to host a podcast remotely and no one had heard of applications like Zoom back then。 Thankfully， they found a huge swelling of supportive fans that pushed them to keep it going and the result are captured with many highlights within this book。When they speak about Season 1 it is with a sense of awe because no one knew if a show such as ‘The Sopranos’ would be well received。 Well， once it was all over， the final tally was 112 Emmy Nominations and twenty-one wins。 This includes being the very first Cable TV show nominated for Best Drama --- an award they won once in 2004。 They speak with casting director Sheila Jaffe about how the idea for Sopranos actually came out of the film Trees Lounge from Steve Buscemi。 Michael Imperioli was in that film， and it helped give him his start， spring-boarding him to his unforgettable part as Spider in Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas。I personally enjoyed their first conversation with actor Edie Falco， who portrayed Mob Boss Tony Soprano’s wife， Carmela。 It is humorous to learn that Falco cannot cook at all whereas Carmela was hosting huge food centered gatherings nearly every week at the Soprano home。 I also liked Falco’s mention that her start in acting came from watching her mother who performed in Community Theatre。 I am proud to share that I had the privilege to act with Falco’s mother， Judith Anderson， when she performed with my Regional Theatre Group on Long Island in a production of the Sherlock Holmes mystery， “The Hound Of the Baskervilles。” Sadly， Judith recently passed away。Rock guitarist and member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band， Little Steven Van Zandt， talks about his role as Silvio who acted as consigliere to Tony Soprano in much the same way that he advised Bruce with their band。 It is funny to read that Steven was the only one who could bring bad news to Tony in the role of Silvio just as he did the role with ‘The Boss’ Bruce Springsteen！ Michael and Steve don’t recount episode by episode in this book and instead focus on great singular moments like these throughout。They spend time talking about the episode from Season 1 “College，” which TV Guide listed as number two on the list of all-time greatest TV episodes。 It involves Tony taking his daughter， Meadow， to look at a College she is considering while also trying to put a hit on someone。 A tense and extremely memorable episode。 None of this would be possible without the incredible work by actor James Gandolfini in the lead role of Tony Soprano and much discussion is given to his professionalism and commitment to making the character real and believable。 Show runner David Chase had to perform a eulogy at Gandolfini’s funeral and was not sure what to say。 He is reminded by Steve that he once said to James: ‘I feel you’re my brother because of the things we both loved。 Family。 Work。 People in all their imperfection。 Food。 Alcohol。 Talking。 Rage。 And a desire to bring the whole structure crashing down。 We just amuse each other。’Michael and Steve talk about how Sopranos put New Jersey on the map。 Jersey previously had a bad rap， but this show allowed people to see it in a different light。 There are still Sopranos Tours around the parts of Jersey shot during the series。 There is a great discussion with actor Aida Turturro， cousin of actors John and Nicholas， who was one of the few to previously act with Gandolfini --- who pushed hard for her to get the role of his sister that ended up being the apex of her career。 Michael talks about the episodes he got to write like “From Where To Eternity” which features some great dream sequences for Christopher。 I even learned that Michael Imperioli co-wrote the screenplay for the Spike Lee Film “Summer Of Sam” --- a fact I did not know。They discuss the challenges of beginning Season 3 following the death between seasons of actor Nancy Marchand who played Tony’s mother。 Gandolfini actually had to act in a scene with a different actor portraying her as the producers later used CGI to add in Marchand’s face。 Just as we learned a bit about Michael， similarly we get to go behind the scenes with Steve as well。 He grew up in Brooklyn， surrounded by wise guys， and was actually half Jewish --- even though he was raised Catholic。 Steve also is a writer and director and his friendship with Imperioli includes each of them acting in Independent films that the other wrote。Things come full circle for the actors when Steve Buscemi joins the show for a brief but memorable portrayal of Tony’s cousin， Tony Blundetto， who has one of the best death and disposal scenes ever filmed on The Sopranos。 The memories， stories， and behind-the-scenes anecdotes are what really make WOKE UP THIS MORNING a great reading experience and the fact that we are getting these from the very source is what makes them breathe with life。 Imperioli， a big music fan， even puts together a Top 10 Music List of his most memorable songs from The Sopranos that include such diverse talents as Van Morrison， Mazzy Star， The Pretenders， and his favorite from Johnny Thunders， “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory”。 A fun time and complete retrospective。 To quote Michael and Steve: ‘Some things never fade away。’Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter 。。。more

Jewels ，

You'll enjoy this book if you're a fan of "The Sopranos" - even if you're not a "super fan"。I enjoyed reading this， great to hear back-stories and get behind-the-scenes insider knowledge about the show - from writers， casting agents， actors and others involved in the show。 The book shows clearly how James Gandolfini （RIP） was not just the main character， but had a role in helping other cast members， writers and producers。I needed to check up on some of the actors' names at times （apologies that You'll enjoy this book if you're a fan of "The Sopranos" - even if you're not a "super fan"。I enjoyed reading this， great to hear back-stories and get behind-the-scenes insider knowledge about the show - from writers， casting agents， actors and others involved in the show。 The book shows clearly how James Gandolfini （RIP） was not just the main character， but had a role in helping other cast members， writers and producers。I needed to check up on some of the actors' names at times （apologies that I didn't immediately recognise some of them！） - I expect that if you've listened to the podcast that this is based on that wouldn't be an issue！It's amazing to think that a TV series that started over 20 years ago is still being talked about， watched， and enjoyed by so many people！ It was ground-breaking in so many ways， and opened the doors to a new way of making TV， so we should all be grateful for that！My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC。 All opinions my own。 。。。more

Becki Sims ，

This is definitely one for The Sopranos fans。 It is a dialogue going over anything you ever wanted to know about all elements of the supremely successful and unforgettable series。 I think a full cast narration audiobook would take it to the next level！I felt like I was reliving all of my favourite episodes as I read through this book。 Also getting to know the characters on a different level too。 Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest， This is definitely one for The Sopranos fans。 It is a dialogue going over anything you ever wanted to know about all elements of the supremely successful and unforgettable series。 I think a full cast narration audiobook would take it to the next level！I felt like I was reliving all of my favourite episodes as I read through this book。 Also getting to know the characters on a different level too。 Many thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 。。。more

Nic ，

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars from me however I need to put this in context - this is only because I have listened to every episode of the Talking Sopranos podcast these two did， and so basically I had heard all the stories before。 I’d highly recommend this book for those who haven’t heard the podcast because you learn so much about the actors and back room staff， great stories， an insider book really about how the actors got their roles， their relationships when filming etc。

Mary Lourdes ，

This detailed account of The Sopranos TV series is a window into the production， cast， and crew of what some have said is the greatest TV show of all time。 Imperioli and Schrippa interviewed directors， writers， actors， and others who were part of creating this show。 The interviews are honest， humorous and enlightening。 The authors' voices give an added layer to the information。 Their tone is both conversational and entertaining。 This detailed account of The Sopranos TV series is a window into the production， cast， and crew of what some have said is the greatest TV show of all time。 Imperioli and Schrippa interviewed directors， writers， actors， and others who were part of creating this show。 The interviews are honest， humorous and enlightening。 The authors' voices give an added layer to the information。 Their tone is both conversational and entertaining。 。。。more

Alex Sarll ，

An oral history of The Sopranos， which suffers simply because I recently read an oral history of The Wire。 And just as The Sopranos was very good but The Wire exceeded it， so with their attendant books。 Bear in mind that accident of timing in what follows; bear in mind also that this one spins out of a podcast， and I basically hate podcasts， that sense of peering through a window at a bunch of mates hanging out together。 Even when， as here， they're not just some random assortment of chortling bo An oral history of The Sopranos， which suffers simply because I recently read an oral history of The Wire。 And just as The Sopranos was very good but The Wire exceeded it， so with their attendant books。 Bear in mind that accident of timing in what follows; bear in mind also that this one spins out of a podcast， and I basically hate podcasts， that sense of peering through a window at a bunch of mates hanging out together。 Even when， as here， they're not just some random assortment of chortling bods， but people who have a useful insider perspective: Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa， who played Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri in the show， and in the former case also wrote for it。 Here， and I presume on the podcast， they talk to various other cast and crew from the series， and don't get me wrong， there's some really good stuff。 We were never a gangster film household， so I had never clicked that， when it started， Lorraine Bracco as Dr Melfi was the big celebrity。 Stories about who nearly got cast in various parts always open up fascinating counterfactuals （Jackie Aprile as Tony？）， and there's all sorts of fascinating little bits about things like which character was most popular with audiences at the test screenings （and simply that there were test screenings）， or the various backstories actors created for their own characters， some of which appeared on screen， and others not so much。 The connections to David Chase's own life， and in particular the inspiration for Livia， crystallised in Nancy Marchand's line – "I trust that this creature that I'm playing is deceased。" The notion that two of the key writers were fresh from Party Of Five， of all the none-more-network shows。 Hell， even the story about Rodney Dangerfield's balls， not that that one is strictly relevant。 But simply from being presented as transcripts of interviews， rather than the more structured style of most oral histories， it can't escape a certain sense of a self-congratulatory love-in。 A well-deserved one， for the most part – it was bloody good TV， especially at the time， when only Oz had really blazed that trail， and that in a much more constrained visual style。 But this brings with it a certain sense that what they gain in access， they lose in a willingness to ask uncomfortable questions。 Compounded， of course， by the looming central presence of James Gandolfini no longer being with us， meaning that there'll be passing mentions of his being more difficult to work with in later seasons， but an understandable lack of eagerness to follow that up in much detail， with the book much keener on stories about his （many， undoubted） achievements and kindnesses。 Elsewhere， there are glaring absences， not least Tony Sirico， who played Paulie – of the main players， probably the one with the background closest to the world the series portrayed， but also the one everyone else seems to have found the hardest work。And I'm still not over Jamie-Lynn Sigler （Tony's daughter Meadow） now being as old as Edie Falco （her mother Carmela） was when they made the show。 Bloody hell。 Time， eh？（Netgalley ARC） 。。。more

Tracie ，

Better than the new movie。 Honestly， it’s such a nice behind the scenes view jnto my favorite show。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Woke Up This Morning: The Definitive Oral History of The Sopranos&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0