Death of a Giant
Some people you expect to die. Some have long lives. I never expected James Gandolfini to expire at 51. He had so much more to offer, yet as Tony Soprano he constructed a dramatic monument which will stand forever. I wish I could have shaken his hand and thanked him. Tony was the boss. Evil, violent, yes. But at the same time troubled and strangely vulnerable.
The health lobby have been quick to jump on the bandwagon, with all those smug slim folk pointing out that the big G was a large man, carried too much weight, enjoyed life etc. etc. Well, Health and Safety folk, there are big men and women, middle sized ones and you skinny lot. Some live a long time and others die early, but before they do they leave us with many happy memories. Gandolfini gave us much, so forget his weight, his lust for life, and its ‘warning’. He livedand that was good enough for anyone. Even as a chunky mob boss, however, I do recall one episode where he meets a hit man three times the size of Soprano, and tells him; “I got one word to say to you - Salad!”
As de facto head of the fictional DiMeo crime family, Tony Soprano knew just how to lay down the law. Here are some of the mobster’s most memorable lines.
· Psychiatrist Dr. Jennifer Melfi: “What line of work are you in?”
· Tony Soprano: “Waste management consultant.”
· “My father was in it. My uncle was in it. Maybe I was too lazy to think for myself.”
· “All due respect, you got no fucking idea what it's like to be Number One. Every decision you make affects every facet of every other fucking thing. It's too much to deal with almost. And in the end you're completely alone with it all.”
· “Here comes the Prozac!”
· “There's an old Italian saying: you fuck up once, you lose two teeth.”
· "Those who want respect, give respect."
· “I wipe my ass with your feelings.”
· “A wrong decision is better than indecision.”
· “If you can quote the rules, then you can obey them.”
· “What fucking kind of human being am I, if my own mother wants me dead?”
· “Even a broken clock is right twice a day.”
· “Is everyone in my life fucking bananas?”
· “I'm like King Midas in reverse. Everything I touch turns to shit.”
· “Oh, poor baby. What do you want, a Whitman's Sampler?”
· “What use is an unloaded gun?”
· “You got any idea what my life would be worth if certain people found out I checked into a laughing academy?”
· “It's good to be in something from the ground floor. I came too late for that and I know. But lately, I'm getting the feeling that I came in at the end. The best is over.”
AND HIS FRIENDS APPRECIATED HIM:
"He was a genius. Anyone who saw him even in the smallest of his performances knows that. He is one of the greatest actors of this or any time. A great deal of that genius resided in those sad eyes. He was my partner. ... He was my brother in ways I can't explain and never will be able to explain." – David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.
"We lost a giant today. I am utterly heartbroken." – Lorraine Bracco, who played Tony's psychiatrist Dr Melfi in The Sopranos.
"Jimmy was one of the most talented, authentic and vulnerable actors of our time. He was unorthodox and truly special in so many ways. He had the sex appeal of Steve McQueen or Brando in his prime as well as the comedic genius of Jackie Gleason." – Brad Grey, a producer of The Sopranos.