1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:10,520 Speaker 1: Podcast Playground. I'm Buzznight, the host of Cake and a Walk, 2 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:15,800 Speaker 1: music History on Foot. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 3 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:21,240 Speaker 1: tune in, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcast, and 4 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:24,759 Speaker 1: leave us a review as well. On this episode, we 5 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: have an actor who was part of a TV series 6 00:00:28,040 --> 00:00:33,240 Speaker 1: that captivated us for many years, Steve Shirippa, best known 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: for portraying Bobby Bacala on The Sopranos. He's also been 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: part of Blue Bloods and he hosts two investigative discovery 9 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: series as well. And he, along with Vincent Pastori otherwise 10 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 1: known as Big Pussy and Michael Imperiali otherwise known as 11 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 1: Christopher Moltisante, are playing theaters across the country, including April 12 00:00:54,520 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: first at the Strand and Providence. Welcome Steve Shirippa to 13 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: going to Walk. Are you I'm doing excellent? I feel 14 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:08,640 Speaker 1: like I know you from all of the time that 15 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: you spent in my living room over the years. Maybe 16 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: you do bus. So what about Steve is similar to 17 00:01:20,160 --> 00:01:28,039 Speaker 1: Bobby Bakola anything? Uh? Yeah? I think I'm a family guy. 18 00:01:28,319 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: And Bobby was certainly a family guy, a kid about 19 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 1: his kids, scared about his wife. So we certainly have that. Uh, 20 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: you know, in common Steve is much smarter than Bobby, 21 00:01:41,840 --> 00:01:45,280 Speaker 1: thank goodness. Uh and uh, you know, Bobby was a 22 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: nice guy, and uh, he kind of fell into that world. 23 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: You know, if his father was in it and he 24 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,800 Speaker 1: fell into it, I don't know if he would have 25 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: been a wise guy if it wasn't for his dad, 26 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: you know. But yeah, i'd say being a family guys, 27 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: do you pinch yourself just realizing that you were part 28 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:14,160 Speaker 1: of something that was so friggin special with the Sopranos, Well, yeah, 29 00:02:14,320 --> 00:02:16,359 Speaker 1: I mean it's hard to get on you know, it's 30 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: hard to get on any TV show period, even the 31 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: worst show. People have no idea. You know, people have 32 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 1: no idea, even the worst show that you go, this stinks. 33 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: I hate this show. The work that goes into that 34 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: and how hard it is to get on that show 35 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 1: right as an actor, and then to be lucky enough 36 00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: in the right place, right time and prepared and lucky 37 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: enough to be on that show, which is one of 38 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,640 Speaker 1: the greatest, if not the greatest show in TV history, 39 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: is something. Yeah, I very much am aware of how 40 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: lucky I am and how lining up in the universe, 41 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: because you know, I came to New York for a 42 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: wedding I auditioned. Then you know, I don't come to 43 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: New York for that wedding. We're probably not talking right now, 44 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: you know, but so you know, it's kind of like that. 45 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 1: But yeah, I absolutely pinched myself and it's still going 46 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,600 Speaker 1: and just to be a part of that. And it 47 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: was an incredible experience all the way around, and not 48 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: only being on the show. I mean, as he is 49 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: went on, my character got bigger and bigger, you know, 50 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: and you know, here I am playing with these guys. 51 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:38,520 Speaker 1: You know that I you know, watched on TV. It's 52 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:41,760 Speaker 1: you guts, you know, a little bit of an out 53 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,720 Speaker 1: of body experience, lightning in a bottle, and you guys 54 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: all on the cast seem to just really enjoy each other. 55 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: And now to this day, you're having fun with Vincent 56 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: past story and Michael imperially going around and having this 57 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:04,120 Speaker 1: inside conversation about the sopranos. You're having a blast, aren't you. Oh, 58 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,240 Speaker 1: it's a great. It's great. You know. We've been doing 59 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: it for years, different versions of it, you know, and 60 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 1: now we do it. We do it about once a month. 61 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 1: We it's a comedy driven show. We show clips we 62 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 1: show slides, We tell stories behind the scenes, stories that 63 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:23,359 Speaker 1: you only know if you were there. You know, we 64 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:29,760 Speaker 1: take questions from the audience. We have a comedian, Joey Cola, 65 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: opens the show and he asked us some questions that 66 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: you know, popular questions that we answer. We tell stories, 67 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: and it's a lot of fun because every show is 68 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: different every night, and we've been packing them in. We 69 00:04:43,880 --> 00:04:47,679 Speaker 1: sell out most places, and you know, we've been doing 70 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,280 Speaker 1: it for a number of years. We went to Australia, 71 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: we did a seventh city tour there and you know, 72 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: we're going to be in Boston March eleventh, and then 73 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:01,720 Speaker 1: Providence April first. Oh man, it sounds like so much, 74 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: so much fun. So I have to ask you. The 75 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: soundtrack to the Sopranos and the music was, you know, 76 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 1: just like the whole show. It was just crafted so tremendously, 77 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: and the way some of these songs just you know, 78 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: were unearthed or certainly for me, newly discovered or rediscovered 79 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,520 Speaker 1: songs like Living on a Thin Line by the Kinks, 80 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,039 Speaker 1: and of course the theme you know, woke up this 81 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: morning from A three. I remember Space Invaders from The Pretenders, 82 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 1: Ramblin Rose from Natkin Cole, so many of them. So 83 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 1: as a as a cast member, when did you finally 84 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: see the music scoring piece take shape? Did you know 85 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 1: along the way? No? No, absolutely not, not until you 86 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:56,039 Speaker 1: watched the show on a Sunday night. We would not 87 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: prove me to any of that. I watched the show 88 00:05:58,560 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: on Sunday like everyone else. David Chase and a producer 89 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: named Martin Bruce Lee who was in charge of that. 90 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:10,520 Speaker 1: David Chase is a musical you know, savamp. You know, 91 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: he played I believed drums as a kid, and he 92 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: is a that is his world, you know. And by 93 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: the end of the show, the budget for music was 94 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: half a million dollars a show, which is unheard of, 95 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: which is unheard of, And you know he got what 96 00:06:33,839 --> 00:06:39,159 Speaker 1: he wanted. I mean, obviously, you know, you know this 97 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:42,480 Speaker 1: is what he wanted. This is how it was. We 98 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:45,680 Speaker 1: had interviewed Martin Bruce Lee about the music on our 99 00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:49,559 Speaker 1: podcast we have well it's over now, but it's still 100 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: out there talking sopranos. Me and Michael Imperial had a 101 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 1: podcast that did like two hundred and fifty thousand people 102 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: an episode and talked about the music and and you know, 103 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,400 Speaker 1: there was a it was. It was not easy. It 104 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: was very tedious and uh, you know which one what 105 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: to use, including you know, don't stop Believing at the end. 106 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: There was numerous choices for that. So the music painte 107 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: played a huge part of the success of the show, 108 00:07:22,080 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: you know. Yeah, and you don't think of these songs 109 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: without thinking of the sopranos, right, I mean really, yeah, absolutely. 110 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: By the way, I love the podcast that you guys did. 111 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: I think it was spectacular. Yeah, thank you, thank you. 112 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: So then our brother from another mother, Stephen van zandt uh, 113 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: how special was it being with Steven and cour Silvio 114 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,880 Speaker 1: Dante on the sopranos. Well, Steve, he's a terrific guy, 115 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: just as nice as guy as you could find, very 116 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: generous guy. And you know, when we went back to 117 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,200 Speaker 1: watch the shows after I had to watched them in 118 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 1: so many years, I appreciated his performance in this character 119 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,760 Speaker 1: so much more. He was so good, so so so good. 120 00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:12,120 Speaker 1: And then Sylvio was the glue that kept you know, 121 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: the crew together. He was the smart one. He gave 122 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: good advice. He was very smart. He wasn't yeah, of 123 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: course he was a murderer, you know, I mean, but 124 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: you know he was smart, He thought things out. He 125 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 1: was the perfect concert year to Tony Soprano, as he 126 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: is to Bruce Springsteen. Yeah, that's right, absolutely, I love it. 127 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:44,719 Speaker 1: I think boy the character he played was just so 128 00:08:44,760 --> 00:08:47,920 Speaker 1: spectacular and he is. He is a great guy, super 129 00:08:48,120 --> 00:08:52,560 Speaker 1: super sweet. And then please tell me how it was 130 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:57,040 Speaker 1: working with the late Jimmy Gandolfini. Jim's a terrific guy, 131 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: is nicer guy, is great an actor as he was, 132 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: he was even a nicer guy, very generous. I talk 133 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: about that in the show, how generous he was to 134 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:10,640 Speaker 1: all of us. And you know, he paid off people's 135 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: mortgages and he gave people money, people that he didn't 136 00:09:15,120 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 1: even know, and he did it anonymously. Just a wonderful guy, 137 00:09:19,320 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: just a lot of fun. We had a lot, a lot, 138 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: a lot of less you know together, miss him. Were 139 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:33,400 Speaker 1: you in awe of just being on set with him performing? No, can't. 140 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 1: You can't be in awe of someone when you're acting 141 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: opposite them. That's not gonna work, you know, Yeah, you know, 142 00:09:41,240 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: I mean I certainly appreciated his stuff. He was brilliant, 143 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 1: absolutely brilliant. But you know, when you're on a set 144 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 1: and you're working, you can't think in those terms or 145 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:56,480 Speaker 1: you'll never get anything done. You know, you're right, And 146 00:09:56,520 --> 00:10:02,760 Speaker 1: then you've migrated off to other great work blue Bloods 147 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:09,520 Speaker 1: and also you've got a couple of discovery series, investigative 148 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: discoveries I did. I created some, I created a bunch 149 00:10:13,440 --> 00:10:16,319 Speaker 1: of shows for them. And I've been on Blue Blood 150 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,960 Speaker 1: for eight years and I got to work later on 151 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:23,560 Speaker 1: this afternoon. It's a wonderful show. I've done over one 152 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty seven episodes of that show, more than 153 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: double the Sopranos, and we shoot here in New York 154 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: and that's a wonderful cast. And just happy to be 155 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: a part of that great show, you know. And I 156 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: was on another series, Molly Ringwall years ago, right after 157 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:44,960 Speaker 1: the Sopranos. I've been very lucky. I've been working steady 158 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: for twenty three years, and you know, well see how 159 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:55,479 Speaker 1: long we could keep going. And who's been most influential 160 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 1: to you as an actor, you know, as you've studied 161 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:03,480 Speaker 1: at acting and you know look to kind of create 162 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: your own voice, you know, really no one. I mean 163 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: I talked to Michael Imperial. He's with close friends and 164 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: I talked to him. You know, I'm not a very 165 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 1: actory guy, you know, like a lot of people are. 166 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: There's a lot of actory people that don't work. They 167 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: just act that way, you know. You know, I talked 168 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:26,440 Speaker 1: to Michael a lot. I was in a movie that 169 00:11:26,520 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 1: he directed and wrote, you know, and so you know, 170 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,880 Speaker 1: I go to him, we talk, you know about stuff. 171 00:11:36,920 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: Otherwise I just do my work. You know. I have 172 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:44,080 Speaker 1: had two great acting coaches over the years, Richard Scanlon 173 00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: and the Joeanna Bexen, you know, and I just kind 174 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,920 Speaker 1: of do my thing, you know, Buz I don't I 175 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:51,960 Speaker 1: don't like to talk about it. You know, when you go, 176 00:11:52,559 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: you'll be surprised. When you go on auditions or you're 177 00:11:55,080 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: in a room with a group of actors, you'll be 178 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,920 Speaker 1: surprised how you know, everyone's trying to outdo each other, 179 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 1: you know, especially actors that don't work that much. Yes, well, 180 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: I have to tell you. You make it all look 181 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: very easy, and I know it's not easy. And I'm 182 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:21,240 Speaker 1: so grateful for the work that you've done and continue 183 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: to do. And I appreciate you being on taking a walk. 184 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:27,719 Speaker 1: Thank you very much, buzz. You know, good luck to 185 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: hear and we'll talk again. You take care. Thank you. 186 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,359 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk with Buzznight is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 187 00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts.