
Episode 283 with Jason Bailey, Author of Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend, and a Reflective, Sympathetic Film Historian and Vault of TV and Film Knowledge
Notes and Links to Jason Bailey’s Work
Jason Bailey is a film critic, author, and podcaster. His work has appeared in The Playlist, The New York Times, Vulture, Vice, Rolling Stone, and Slate, among others. He is the editor-in-chief of Crooked Marquee, the former film editor at Flavorwire, and the author of six books-the most recent is Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend. He lives in the Bronx with his wife and two daughters.
Buy Gandolfini: Jim, Tony, and the Life of a Legend
At about 2:25, Jason talks about book events and good places to buy his book, included Matt Zoller Seitz’s dynamic website
At about 4:00, Jason talks about the incomparable Edoardo Ballerini as his audiobook narrator
At about 7:05, Jason talks about his cinematic and reading influences since childhood; he tells a story of seeing “At the Movies” and becoming a cinephile and movie criticism fan
At about 12:10, Jason responds to Pete’s question about career thoughts in his adolescent years revolving around moviemaking/writing about movies
At about 15:10, Jason talks about his approach in watching movies and whether or not he can watch a movie while “cleansing his mind” and not watching for “work”
At about 16:40, Pete asks Jason about him going to movie theaters often
At about 19:15, Jason responds to Pete’s question about favorite movie(s)/movies that explain his aesthetic, and the two discuss The Godfather Part I and Part II (and Part III!)
At about 23:35, Jason talks about being “sympathetic and empathetic and complex” in his depiction of James Gandolfini
At about 27:30, Jason shares feedback he received from Sopranos crew members and Drea DeMatteo in particular about James Gandolfini’s complicated legacy
At about 29:50, Jason talks about how his moviemaking history makes him more sympathetic in reviewing movies
At about 33:45, Jason explains his background as a fan of James Gandolfini in connection to his earlier roles and his Sopranos role
At about 38:50, Jason and Pete talk about post-Sopranos roles for James Gandolfini, typecasting, and delivery for iconic and moving lines
At about 40:35, Jason gives background on James Gandolfini’s view of the acting life and the importance of actors
At about 43:30, Jason responds to Pete’s questions about James Gandolfini’s Italian identity
At about 44:40, Pete and Jason discuss James Gandolfini’s real-life and lack of real-life organized crime connections and Tony Soprano-esque accent
At about 46:10, Jason tells an interesting, seemingly untold, story about James Gandolfini and dropping out of a Mafia movie
At about 47:50, Pete shares a Sammy “The Bull” Gravano story and Jason talks about James Gandolfini choosing roles to “put the last nail in that Tony Soprano coffin”
At about 50:15, The two discuss the haunting of James Gandolfini balanced with the great role of Tony Soprano
At about 53:20, Pete uses a supposed “jump the shark” moment to ask Jason about James Gandolfini being incredibly hard on himself
At about 55:25, Jason comments on the dichotomy between James Gandolfini’s incredibly selfless, and sometimes selfish, behavior
At about 58:00, The two reflect on a sense of seeming-contentment and fading health
At about 1:00:00, Jason responds to Pete’s questions about “treading lightly” regarding revelations and sympathetic coverage of such a beloved figure
At about 1:02:00, The two discuss revisiting The Sopranos dream scenes and the famous last scene after James Gandolfini’s death
At about 1:03:00, the two discuss the last scene(s) shot for The Sopranos
At about 1:04:00, Enough Said and its poignancy is discussed in terms of the potential of James Gandolfini’s acting range
At about 1:07:15, Jason describes the “gift” that is the final quote in the book, from Robert Iler
At about 1:08:00, Jason shares contact info and buying info for his book, from Abrams Books
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Please tune in for Episode 284 with Vanessa Saunders, a Professor of Practice at Loyola University New Orleans. Her writing has appeared in Sycamore Review, Los Angeles Review, Stockholm Review of Literature and other journals. Her novel, The Flat Woman, won FC2's Ronald Sukenick Innovative Fiction Prize.
The episode airs on May 6.
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