noahfandomstudies

[noahfandomstudies]

Acessibility

For our fan experience we came up with special ticketed yankee games that have aspects to make the game-watching experience as enjoyable as possible for a guest with a disability. Some ways that we would incorporate accessibility include lower stadium capacity, ear muffs for guests, and re-configured concession stands. Some other ways that disabilities might overlap in fan spaces with the economic framework could be that due to a disability a fan might not have the economic resources to partake in events with other fans.

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Autoethnography

As a huge fan of the popular television series "The Sopranos" I try to interact with the fandom as much as I can. One of the ways that I participate in Sopranos fan culture is by buying various merchandise such as apparel from Etsy, funko pops, prop replicas, and signed posters. A majority of the merchandise that I purchase comes from sites where the products are mostly focused on being created by fans of particular media. The Sopranos is a show where it has lots of hidden symbolism, themes, foreshadowing, and ideas that I could not personally catch on the first viewing of the series. With that being said, I proceeded to watch The Sopranos 13 more times (Yes I kept track) to try and find something different each times in which I ultimately did. The show deals a lot with dark themes integrated with foreshadowing which I fully understood after I knew what going to happen based on watching the series prior. Currently, I am involved with a few Sopranos fan groups online such as being an active member in TheChaseLounge (A sopranos Forums page), a member of the r/TheSopranosmemes subreddit, a discord server with fans who like to analyze The Sopranos, and a follower of many Sopranos memes Instagram pages. In my spare time I do enjoy creating memes for The Sopranos ' Instagram and Reddit pages. I also actively participate in making Sopranos fan edit videos for TikTok. I have also been following various cast members on Instagram including Michael Imperioli, Steve Schrippa, Robert Iler, and Jamie Lynn Sigler. I currently engage with numerous Sopranos fan works such as Pod Yourself a Gun, the memes of r/Thesopranosmemes, multiple theories on The Chase Lounge, and Poda Bing.

Since The Sopranos tries to portray the culture of Italian Americans in northern New Jersey to the best of the showrunner's ability and part of that includes to try include the kind of language and slang that they use. Whenever I hear commonly used words in the Italian American culture I immediately think back to The Sopranos because the slang and the language are such an integral part of the identity of the characters in the show. Although (to my knowledge) some of the words are not the same as they are in native Italian, they are still iconic and heavily adapted to the Italian American culture. I have personally heard words such as “Marone”, “Piacere”, and “Bafangool” used in sentences in my lifetime although I’m not sure if they were referring to the show or not, still, it is an example of how the language “bleeds” into the real world. Anonymity impacts the way that fans of The Sopranos because they are most likely all different kinds of ages. While many may not really care about instances such as 17-year-olds bonding over a fandom with a 57-year-old, others would find it a little weird due to how untraditional it is. As far as knowing people's actual names when communicating goes, I don’t feel that it has much relevance to the interactions and discussions that fans have. The reason that anonymity is not a huge relevant factor in Sopranos is because anyone can enjoy the content of the show and bond over their understanding of what the show entails. The only reason that anonymity could affect the fandom would be if a fan's cultural viewpoints do not intertwine with that of the show’s content, this could create arguments among fans. With that being said, I feel the anonymity might be better for the fandom because it eliminates some of the possible controversies that could arise in engagement. Regarding the “us vs. them” construct, I feel that within the Sopranos fandom and my own personal experience members of the fandom do not really feel alienated because of their fandom. I feel that fandom nowadays and mainstream society blend together due to the media and the hype that it has the ability to generate amongst a particular fandom. I also think that  peoples involvement in social media has allowed fans to become more vocal about their fandom and having it encouraged.

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The frameworks featured in this video include the visual and narrative framework

[noahfandomstudies]

Fanwork 3

"Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3 - The opening theme that introduces the audience to the world of Tony Soprano and sets the stage for the show's exploration of power, family, and morality, however it also symbolizes walts mentality to leave his safe life as a teacher and take risks while pursuing his thrilling life as crime/.

"White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane - Represents the surreal and often hallucinatory nature of Tony's and Jesse’s psyche, as well as both show's exploration of identity, self-awareness, and his desire for what can’t be.

"The Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel - Reflects the underlying repressed loneliness and existential crisis experienced by many characters, despite their outward displays of power and bravado. This can relate to Jesse hitting rock bottom after the death of jane and feeling worthless in life. This can relate to Tony due to his constant panic attacks that stem from having the pressure of dealing with two familys in his life.

"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones - Captures the pervasive sense of danger and instability that permeates the world of The Sopranos and walt and jesse being under watch by the Dea, as well as the constant struggle for survival.

"Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones - Symbolizes the morally ambiguous nature of Tony Soprano and his fellow mobsters, who often justify their actions as necessary evils. This also relates to walter white who justifies his wrong doings as a way to provide for his family

"Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival - Represents the generational conflict between Tony and his children, as well as the broader tension between tradition and modernity. This also is shown in Breaking bad as walt tries to instill morally correct values on to his son while simultaneously acts immoral in his secret life of crime.

"Behind Blue Eyes" by The Who - Reflects the inner turmoil and conflicted emotions experienced by Tony and other characters as they grapple with their dual identities as family members and criminals and how that effects their relationships. This is also seen with walt constantly trying to keep his family afloat when his meth business starts to interfere with his wife noticing him become distant.

"Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones - Symbolizes the darkness and nihilism that visually and metaphorically lurks beneath the surface of The Sopranos' seemingly idyllic suburban setting. Throughout breaking bad Walt is seen to live a dual life as a family man and a drug kingpin which the lyrics in the song also explain as he tries to cover up his separate lives sometimes in favor of keeping his family safe.

"Hurt" by Johnny Cash - Captures the profound sense of regret and existential despair that haunts Tony and Walt and Jesse as they confront the consequences of their actions.

"Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M. - Reflects the universal themes of pain, loss, and vulnerability that permeate The Sopranos, as well as the characters' shared repressed humanity beneath their hardened exteriors. The repression is also shown in breaking bad as Jesse and walt know what they’re doing is wrong but continues to do it because they know that it will ultimately complete some kind of objective within their own lives for satisfaction/

“Money” by the Flying Lizards- Reflects on the contant theme of greed with money that is present throughout the show and how it ultimately becomes alot of the characters downfall. Both tony and walt are victims of greed and desire to money which ultimately lead them into the life of crime and causes all of their troubles.

"Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd - Symbolizes the characters' in both The Sopranos and Breaking bad including Christopher and Jesse as they attempt to escape from reality through substance abuse, as well as the emotional numbness that often accompanies a life of crime.

"Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey - The controversial final scene of the series, which invites viewers to question the nature of truth, reality, and redemption through its interpretive lyrics. For breaking bad this song could also signifies closure for the viewers of the show and gives a sense of completion and finality for conflicts and character arcs

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Frameworks within TOH

Queer theory- the show constantly challenges heteronormative conveitonality, through the representations and queer themes throughout the show for ex. willow being confirmed as pansexual. There is also speculation that luz's close bond with amity can be identified as a queer relationship due to the character being confirmed to be bisexual.

Gender- The charachter of luz kind of breaks the mold of the traditional fictional hero stock character of a young man in the fantasy world who is full of self confidence and charisma by introducing a female character who posses heroic and self confidence qualities while breaking societal expectations within media.

Econ- Economic themes pop up within TOH specifically within the Blight family who thinks that since they have this mega company they can pretty much have an obscene amount of influence in the public community, which seems to try to emulate real world ideals. After the portal is broken eda can no longer steal from the human world and sell junk to make her living so she relies on doing odd jobs, another example of financial burden that people face in the real world.

Culture- Luz is Afro-Dominican-American which is a different take on the traditional character and is highlighted throughout the different interactions she sends to her mother. Lots of designs, magical creatures, and world-building in the series draw inspiration from different cultures to create a more unique and immersive expereince.

What would i analyze?

How does the characters within the show symbolize representation within the real world?

What are some ways that Luz completely changes the traditional way of portraying the main protagonist and moving away from stock characters?

[noahfandomstudies]

Episode 4 transcript

[00:00:00.830] - Speaker 1

All right. Welcome to another episode of Wiseguy Wisdom. My name is Noah.

[00:00:04.610] - Speaker 2

And I'm Cappy.

[00:00:05.480] - Speaker 1

And today we are going to talk about how the psychoanalytic framework is in capturing The Sopranos. So the first thing, whenever I think of psychoanalytic and sopranos in the same sentences, would honestly have to be the whole, uh, Kevin Finnerty dream sequence. Um, yeah. Um, because that whole sequence, for those of you who haven't seen it, it's it's very indirect, but it basically shows, like what Tony's life would be like to like a good story. Honestly, um, if he didn't join the mob and, like, it ultimately culminates with him basically in real life, like, on the verge of dying, and he, um, he sees this house, and this house is kind of, uh, interpretive of heaven. Like, they're like, um, there's like a guy waiting on time, which is a dead cousin in, like, a hallucination. He's like, come on, everyone in here is waiting for you. Which is like, like, psychologically representative of all the people who has been killed or died in his line of work.

[00:01:01.340] - Speaker 1

And, you know, it's finally time for him to let it all go. Um, what do you think about that cab?

[00:01:06.200] - Speaker 2

Yeah. No. And I feel that a really good, um, like, conspiracy theory about this is that, like, specialists like myself and, um, others that watched, like, the show, I feel like, picked up on is, um, so basically Tony, Matt, Carmela, and, like, high school, right. And then they dated. And then it said that they actually took a break while, I think and with the later years of high school or like right after high school, they like took like a small break. And then he went out with, uh, with this, uh, this girl named Charmaine Hugo, who's actually married later in life to Tony's best friend, Artie Hugo, who owns, like, the whole, like, restaurant, like, hangout place. And they, they say that if Tony actually went, like, um, legit and straight and stuff like, like, like like, like straightforward and stuff with his life and worked a normal job and didn't get involved in the life, they would have probably ended up together.

[00:02:09.470] - Speaker 2

And as said by her, in like the first season, I think she was even like, yeah, like like it just wasn't for me, you know, like like her and Tony. And they're saying that.

[00:02:20.660] - Speaker 1

Because Tony and Artie are complete opposites, right? Like he's this mob guy, the least innocent guy ever. And then already Artie, on the other hand, is just this local business owner who is just like, you know, like, very nice, um, you know, just tries to be the nice.

[00:02:35.540] - Speaker 2

Guy who would never hurt anyone.

[00:02:37.130] - Speaker 1

No, no, absolutely. Um, I feel like another thing is, um, you know, obviously Tony has a character. Uh, psychology is a big part as a big aspect of the show is that he is a mobster who does see a therapist, which is, um, the whole kind of like kicker of the show is because out of it's it's very out of the norm.

[00:02:56.930] - Speaker 2

Um, yeah. I mean, even nowadays, I don't think like, like like I feel like that that's still kind of like looked like like in general, just mental health in general. It's still kind of like looked down upon by like, older people and stuff, you know what I mean?

[00:03:11.420] - Speaker 1

No, absolutely.

[00:03:12.800] - Speaker 2

You're seen as like, weak or like, like, and I can only imagine what it's like back then. I'm sure if you went back then to see a shrink or a psychologist or whatever they're called, um, you're just looked down as in society.

[00:03:26.420] - Speaker 1

Yeah. And like, the big thing with Tony is that, you know, um, for those of you who haven't seen the show, he literally has these, like, panic attacks just by seeing the most, like, random things. Yeah. Random shit. And it really, you know, shows how, like, Tony tries to act like this, you know, alpha male. I'm 100%, you know, there's not a one flaw with me, but he is honestly one of the most flawed characters in the entire show. He really, you know, um, also like, even going back to, like, the dream scenes. There's actually a few of them, um, there's, uh, there's one part. I believe it's in season three, um, where he's at the boardwalk and he's he's hanging out with all of his crew, and, um, he literally lights himself on fire. Yeah, like like literally lights and on fire and, um, like pre looting. That is a scene of him, um, talking to a dead fish.

[00:04:25.340] - Speaker 1

And the fish, his mouth moves and the the voice coming out of it is closed. I'm sorry. Yeah. He's like his best friend that he had to kill. So I feel like the show really, you know, incorporates and highlights. Kind of like the psychological effect of living the life as a mobster and, you know, kind of like this, like survivor's guilt that, you know, part of being a mobster is a sacrifice. Yeah. All these people, you know, unfortunately, had to die in their line of work.

[00:04:54.800] - Speaker 2

Yeah, like like, yeah. Like, most of it is like a you end up in jail or you end up dead. And like, I feel it's like super rare. Like like it's super like, um, like, obviously like, I don't know, like, like much about what? Like day in the life of gangsters. But I feel just from, like, like being on the outside, you see, like a lot of these, like, people in that line of work either get like put in jail or, um, or like, like whacked. Yeah. Or I mean, like like, I'm sure like like there's like very few that make it all the way to the end and then they just, like, retire and stuff. But I feel like that's like super rare and stuff. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[00:05:35.040] - Speaker 1

Yeah. Like like, remember the part? Um, it's I can't remember which one, but it's in one of the dream sequences where, um, he's driving, he's sitting in the backseat of his father's car and sitting right next to him is, um, Ralph Stefano, like, dead, who's dead? And then driving the car is his dead father, who also died at the hands of, like, mob implications. So it's, um, it's really interesting, you know, because, like, the show, um, really goes into the themes of what if, um, you know, obviously, because there's a lot of tragedy throughout the show, but, um, it really explores the aspect of, you know, the extent of the human psyche and how much violence and how much corruption it can really take before, honestly, you know, in Tony's case, he starts developing these panic attacks. Definitely. Um, I think another really, um, interesting thing to point out is, um, not just on Tony, but I feel like every character sort of has their own, like, noticeable psychological aspect.

[00:06:39.870] - Speaker 1

Like for example, um, Christopher, um, you know, throughout the entire series, he battles with, uh, drug addiction while also on the same time he wants to be he's he's I mean, he's an inspiring screenwriter. Um, so it's, um, you know, which takes honestly a toll on him. Like, you could tell he doesn't directly say, but you could tell that part of him wants to leave his life and pursue his passion of becoming a screenwriter. But it's kind of he's kind of, like, mentally constrained, um, you know, by the oath that he took when he became a made guy, um, that he has to keep pursuing this life as a criminal.

[00:07:19.260] - Speaker 2

Definitely, definitely.

[00:07:21.630] - Speaker 1

You know, um, I think it's also important to point out that, um, the, uh, like, going back to mental health is, um, with AJ because AJ's whole thing is, um, unfortunately, he doesn't really get a happy ending if I'm being totally honest.

[00:07:39.510] - Speaker 2

Yeah, he's.

[00:07:40.260] - Speaker 1

He's kind of just a series of one mishap after the next.

[00:07:43.470] - Speaker 2

Yeah. Like, he, like, obviously attempts some suicide and stuff. And then at the end, um, it's said that Tony is to be whacked when, like, the screen goes all black. So if that's actually the case, AJ is probably going to be pretty fucked up after that, I'd say.

[00:08:00.660] - Speaker 1

Oh yeah, he literally, you know, like he tried killing himself because, you know, first he gets kicked out of school, he gets fired from his job. He he loses his fiance. Yeah. Like, um, I think it was literally the point where, uh, Tony told him that, um, Bobby died, and then Tony was like, what's wrong? And he's like, I'm depressed, you know? So, like, even though AJ is not directly, like, involved per se with all these killings, it's still effects.

[00:08:28.830] - Speaker 2

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. So someone in his family gets, you know, brutally murdered by a fucking train set? Yeah.

[00:08:37.170] - Speaker 1

No. All right, well, we will see you in the next episode. Thank you.

[noahfandomstudies]

Episode 3 transcript

[00:00:00.570] - Speaker 1

All right.

[00:00:01.320] - Speaker 2

All right. Welcome to another episode of Wiseguy Wisdom. My name is Noah.

[00:00:06.030] - Speaker 3

And my name is Kathy.

[00:00:07.410] - Speaker 2

And, uh, today we're going to talk about, um, the economic, um, framework, uh, that's captured within The Sopranos. Now, if you've ever seen The Sopranos, um, you know that money is a huge theme that goes out this show. Um, literally every character, for the most part, in the way, is very like materialistic. Um, we see it's I'd say it's mostly portrayed in the Christopher character. Um, you know, he's like getting all these expensive cars. He's his girlfriend is like, all about this glamorous luxury stuff yourself. Like designer stuff. Yeah.

[00:00:43.800] - Speaker 3

Suitcases from Gucci. Super nice shoes. Um, I feel also that, like a big, like part of that as well is, um, like, Carmelo has the super tiny statue statue thing that's like $3,000 and like that time, I mean, $3,000 was a lot more than it is now. Yeah. You know, so like like I feel like like even like the soprano, like, house is insane. Like, like it's super luxury. Um, like, especially for Jersey and stuff, you know, like.

[00:01:16.440] - Speaker 2

Absolutely. And I feel like the whole, like, you know, big, like, character aspect of Carmela is that she, like, embraces it, right? Like, like the big the big reason like, I think she says in the show, like the big reason that she literally is aware of, like, Tony's mob work and the reason she doesn't tell anyone is because she wants to keep living this life of luxury. Yeah. And like, you know, going to Italy, you know, getting getting France, you know, getting the Porsche, going to these, you know, extravagant dinners, going watches, the country club. Yeah. Like they, they really do like, you know, highlight, you know, the, the like honestly the take that money has over you like once you have access to it and how it really, you know, guides your moral compass. Um, and like because in this case, you know, like she knows like that all the money is like blood money essentially for sure.

[00:02:14.460] - Speaker 2

You know, extortion, extortion. Yeah. But, um, she's just like, uh, I don't want to say oblivious, but she just accepts it because she knows that, you know, like, as a character trade, that the materialism is more important than, like, human lives in a sense. Definitely. You know.

[00:02:34.890] - Speaker 3

Definitely. And I think like another thing. So like in like previous, um, episodes, we, we talked about the, um, uh, queer theory with Vito, and I feel like this, like, ties in really well with him because when they find out he's gay, he basically like like he he goes on the run for a little bit just until everything cools down. Right? Um, and like. Like he, like, meets a guy and stuff and moves in with them, and he's worked and and then. But like, he left everything behind in Jersey, so he's got to start over. So he's doing like, like, like side jobs with like construction and and like I don't I think his boyfriend is like a volunteer fireman and a chef. So like that's a whole like different life. And I think like one of, like the big reasons that he, he went back to Jersey and he left this guy in New Hampshire is that I feel that that that yeah, he's gay.

[00:03:26.520] - Speaker 3

But he also like couldn't stand being away from the life with the expensive, um, like, like suits the, um, the, uh, gambling. Yeah. The drugs, all that stuff. I feel that he couldn't be away from the money and and everything that the, uh, mafia life brings.

[00:03:47.610] - Speaker 2

You know? Yeah. And, like, the interesting about it is like, um, caveat if you agree, but, like, every time, you know, like, one of the guys is like, flaunting per se, like there's, there's, there's stuff they go into like good detail to make, you know, that, like, we have money, you.

[00:04:05.370] - Speaker 3

Know, it's a nice item.

[00:04:06.330] - Speaker 2

Yes. Like like for example, like when, um, when Tony buys Carmela the poor, she's like, yeah, it's a Porsche. It's fully loaded. Has twin turbo. Yeah. Or like when, um, you know, um, uh, what what do you think are some other examples? Like, I know it's a lot throughout the. Yeah.

[00:04:21.780] - Speaker 3

No, no, for sure. Um, I feel that that, um, like Walter Santis first car. Okay. Christopher Moltisanti, um, he was the Lexus, right? Yeah. So beginning of the show, he's like, I don't know, like late 20s. He's got like, an eight, like a, I don't know, 72, $80,000 Lexus all decked out, you know, and.

[00:04:42.780] - Speaker 2

And Tony Lilly dresses. He's like, oh yeah. He's this 20 something year old kid who got a $47,000 Lexus. So like, they know that, you know, like the greed is upon them.

[00:04:53.940] - Speaker 3

And and he honestly switches cars around a lot. He does. He's got a bunds and want a Range Rover. He's got a super nice Buick. As he gets older, he's he's even got, uh, like a maserati that he bought off one of the other mob bosses from New York. Yeah, you know what I mean? And, um, also, like, when he bought, like, his first house, like, they really, like, emphasized, like how nice it was because, like, they even talked about that. The one is super expensive and stuff to keep up with when, uh, you know, like an unrelated, like, incident, like, like, fucks up, like his whole lawn, like he and like he he has to, like, pay to get fixed that they, like, really emphasized like how much maintenance and money in his house cost. Um, so yeah.

[00:05:39.870] - Speaker 2

I would say the big thing that, like, pops into my head is like, you know, at any time, like Tony gives a quote unquote gift to someone he always, like goes into detail about how nice it is. Like, for example, um, you know, when he gave I think it was in the first episode when he gave his mother the, uh, the CD player, he's like, oh, it's top of the line. It's six CD change. You know, which was like, it's like luxury for the time. Definitely. Um, or like, um.

[00:06:03.930] - Speaker 3

When he gave, uh, Carmelo's cousin, uh, like Cousin Brian. So basically he helped them do he gave them the, the idea to do, like a real estate scam with the government, and they got all this money, and then he bought him like this. Like, like he he literally bought him, like a brand new Patek and like, like the show literally had like, like that, like paddock thing. Like, like emphasize when Bryan's like, oh my God. Like, this is a paddock, you know what I mean? Like and like in real life that's probably that's a very expensive watch. I mean.

[00:06:36.450] - Speaker 2

Oh, definitely. Like, you know, in the show, um, they there's.

[00:06:42.450] - Speaker 3

So many, there's.

[00:06:43.290] - Speaker 2

So many.

[00:06:44.160] - Speaker 3

Like feature like, like, like Uncle Pussy has one. Um, Tony has one, Carmelo has one. Yeah. Um, I think, I think Moltisanti even has a Cartier.

[00:06:54.750] - Speaker 2

And also like another, like, really important thing I want to touch on is that, you know, The Sopranos ultimately, with mob stuff aside, kind of like encapsulates the American dream and how in that in that day and age and kind of still today, that involves making a ton of money and essentially buying all this materialistic stuff, really.

[00:07:14.940] - Speaker 3

Having to do too much. Yeah. Work like like exactly. Like you can go crack a dude's head open and then and then he's paying you like, like an, uh, envelope every week, you know what I mean? With, like, extortion and, um, even to, like, like the sports book part two, where, like and like the loan shark. I mean, like like you're not really showing like like like these, like the typical American dream where, like, you're working like, like an actual, like, legit job, and you got a house and stuff like, like like it's it's beyond the American dream. They have, you know, all these cars, these nice suits.

[00:07:54.360] - Speaker 2

Yeah. Like the last episode of the series is literally titled Made in America, you know, which I feel like is a very good kind of culminating way to show that, yeah, this whole series is based off of, you know, greed and kind of screwing over the other guy to make as much money as you can just to buy these material things that, you know, kind of prove your status in society. Right? Like, yeah, you know, um, like, for example, uh, like Tony, like, honestly, you know, he lives in, uh, West Caldwell, which is a nice area. He drives a giant Cadillac Escalade. Oh, yeah. He brings his family out to expensive, like. Like there's just so much in the show that literally is just very blatant. I feel about showing the effects that money in turn has on materialism. Um, within, you know, this kind of, um, landscape.

[00:08:47.970] - Speaker 3

Yeah. And I feel that and even that I'd like to get schooling aspects like they want to like, like this fictional urban day high school and like, that's like like like like super expensive school and stuff and like, they're also donating like, like five grand a year, you know, that, like, like his kids went there like super like, so super expensive, um, like, like grade school and high school and then, like, on top of that, like, they're paying for Mario to go to Columbia.

[00:09:15.660] - Speaker 2

It's an Ivy League.

[00:09:16.320] - Speaker 3

Yeah, yeah, Ivy League for a degree that you can literally probably go to, like, like like like Rutgers or, um, Illinois or.

[00:09:24.540] - Speaker 2

Yeah, Carmelo went to Montclair State, she says in the scho. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[00:09:28.110] - Speaker 3

Exactly. Like like I feel that Kamala like like kind of wants that um, like that social aspect that, that her that like, their family could do all this exclusive stuff that other families can do. Definitely.

[00:09:42.390] - Speaker 2

Definitely. So awesome. All right, well, we'll see you in the next episode.

[noahfandomstudies]

Episode 2 transcript

[00:00:01.470] - Speaker 1

All right. Welcome back to another episode of Wiseguy Wisdom. My name is Noah.

[00:00:05.550] - Speaker 2

And this is, uh, Cappy.

[00:00:07.890] - Speaker 1

Yeah. So, um, today, um, this is actually going to be a really interesting episode. We're going to talk about, um, you know, culture capital and its important Sopranos. Um, since The Sopranos whole big shtick is that it deals with Italian Americans, but, like, not in like the, you know, the traditional like, oh, like like like my point is they address like themselves and so like they address like the stereotypes and whatever in the show. But, um, I think it's also like, like important to notice how, um, you know, even though it is fictional, it still takes place in modern times in like a pretty realistic setting. Um, and I feel like David Chase, um, the show's creator, who also grew up in, like, Italian northern Jersey, acknowledges that, you know, he shows like, the guys hanging at the deli, you know, he shows the guys at like the strip club. You know, he shows like all this stuff, the jewelry, the jewelry.

[00:01:07.290] - Speaker 1

Yeah. You know, like, uh, like stuff falling off of trucks, you know, and like, stuff like that, you know? Um, but, um, no, I feel like it's it's really important because it says, you know, about more about, like, not even stereotyping, but like, um, you know, where does he get these? I like ideas and concept from, like, are they just stereotypes or are there, like, you know, some people who could be like, yeah, that's pretty much what we do, you know, like, so because there have been people, you know, there have been like, um, actual like real. I've seen videos like real gangsters and like show how accurate The Sopranos show is. And some of them say it's a little bit like it's a little bit stretched, but, um, some of it's pretty accurate.

[00:01:47.670] - Speaker 2

Yeah. For sure. Um, so I feel like for, for the culture aspect, um, um, Sopranos definitely hits it on key with even when like are they film of like like like the New York family. Like I feel like that's super key as well. And even when they do like like the construction contracts, like, like even if you look today in, like some major cities, like the Italians like a control a lot of those big contracts, though, and like, like the unions still, for the most part, are ran by Italians. But like the Italians ran everything back then. And I feel like just until, like very recently, until, you know, like a lot of them are starting to like to, like, die off now and like, not as many, um, like, like younger generation Italian kids are, are like, um, going into the life and a lot of them are choosing school and stuff. And nowadays I feel that it's just getting less and less.

[00:02:50.040] - Speaker 2

But I feel at the time of The Sopranos and even before the Italians ran most, um, industries and unions. Yeah.

[00:02:58.710] - Speaker 1

No. And like going off that like I do have the youth, um, like a part of the show is like, you know, I think it was in season one when like, Metal Strap just has. Are you in the Mafia? Oh my God, you know, like big point in the show. Um, and, you know, she's just a kid in the early 2000, you know, like, she doesn't really know much about this mafia stuff. But it's interesting because I've, like, met, like, like people in real life who they're like, oh, yeah, like like, that's like a joke. You know, I'm like, oh, you're Italian. You have any family in the mob? They're like, oh yeah. No, we, I have like grandparents and great uncles and shit. I'm like, yeah. I'm like, oh, so what about they're like, I can't tell you, right? So this is like an actual like decently good representation of like, you know, how they deal like the Italian culture like deals with it.

[00:03:49.230] - Speaker 1

And um, another thing is like they, um, you know, obviously, you know, you're not going to see like, like, like Paulie Walnuts, like walking around like a guy in a tracksuit, you know? But there are like like, listen, growing up in North Jersey myself, I have seen, like and heard about like even just heard about in the news, like actual like Rico cases, you know, like involving these like mobs through like, money laundering and, you know, just drugs. Drugs like like grand like grand larceny. Yeah. So like to my knowledge, it's not that far off. Like, yes, it's a fictional show, but it's very like he puts it in this almost, like, hyper realistic world. Yeah.

[00:04:37.020] - Speaker 2

And like, I know that some of the, um, like, like actors did, like, have, like some mafia experience, I know.

[00:04:46.200] - Speaker 1

So yeah, there was literally um, I saw it was on a talk show. It was one of the cast members of Sopranos. He said he got a call in the middle of the night, and they didn't say who it was from. They just said, um. They said, listen, we've seen your work.

[00:05:03.050] - Speaker 2

Guys don't.

[00:05:03.530] - Speaker 1

Wear white. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. He said, listen, we've seen your work. We like what you're doing. But let me give you one thing. Why these guys don't wear shirt, which is like like when I first saw it and I first heard that, I'm like, oh my God. They actually, you know, are acknowledging it like, they're like realizing how they're representing the Italian culture. Um, you know, in like almost praising it, um, which is a very strong thing, especially coming from the mob itself. Right.

[00:05:33.830] - Speaker 2

Definitely. And like, um, yeah, obviously, I think a big thing too, that we can touch on is how the FBI. Yeah, I kind of, um, like, infiltrates these, like, families and stuff. Yeah.

[00:05:52.100] - Speaker 1

Yeah. No, it's, um, and it's interesting because, like, the FBI, um, in the show, they're like a very prominent force. Um, they literally, you know, um, like, almost like, disguise themselves, kind of doing, like a almost like a sting operation. Um, like they'll be like, hey, how's it going? You know, we know you're kind of in the mob, but we're going to be, like, very discreet about this. Like like in the show, you know, they're they're literally getting advice from Tony and his gang about, like, foreign, like, Pakistani terrorists because they're working for Homeland security. I've heard of that actually happening. Um, friends of, um, of my family, um, who have relatives have said that the FBI will literally sometimes like, well, they didn't like they couldn't really out themselves like, as crime. But they said that we they're like, yeah, we've had FBI people and come in and been like, do you have any information?

[00:06:48.080] - Speaker 1

Because wink, wink, we kind of know what you're up to.

[00:06:52.010] - Speaker 2

Yeah. And like I feel like the parts who we're like Tony, like the mob boss, like he gave, um, like the two FBI agents. Like, like information about about like about, like, uh, um, terrorism and stuff and like, obviously. Yeah. I feel like if you ever got, like, like, prosecuted and stuff like, like who, who knows if if that would even help him out in, in court and like, even to, like, um, the omerta like code, you know, where like, like the code of, like, silence and stuff. Yeah, I feel that. I don't know, like if if mobsters would actually like, like, like help it the FBI. I like that, you know, but I mean, who knows? I mean, anything's possible with this stuff. Yeah.

[00:07:38.960] - Speaker 1

Um, another thing I want to point out is because I actually have a lot of, like, personal, uh, good friends who are from, um, you know, very traditionalist Italian families. Um, from the family aspect, I would say they get a lot of it. Very accurate. You know, they're like the Italian, like, family dynamic. They're very close, you know, they're very family oriented. Um, they're very loud. Um, but also, um, you know, I feel like the show does a good job about, like, you know, showing how to, like, really care about, like, your children and like, cause in the show, the whole thing is, like, we don't want this life for our children, right? Yeah. They try and keep it as separate as they can. Um, but, like, you know, at the end of the day, they're just regular families, like, you know, we see Tony like, going to his son's football game and cheering him on.

[00:08:23.510] - Speaker 1

You know, they have the giant Christmas dinner. Yeah.

[00:08:26.510] - Speaker 2

Um, Sunday.

[00:08:27.560] - Speaker 1

Sunday, Sunday dinner. Right. And they like, you know, they're, um, one of his cousin. His like, babies communion is like a big thing. So I would say from the family aspect, it's very good. Spot on, spot on. Yeah. All right, well, thank you. And we'll see you in the next episode.

[noahfandomstudies]

Episode 1 Transcript

[00:00:00.870] - Speaker 1

All right. Welcome to the Wiseguy Wisdom podcast, I am Noah, I am one of your host.

[00:00:07.080] - Speaker 2

And we are here with Nicholas Capuano, soprano specialist.

[00:00:11.670] - Speaker 1

Awesome, awesome. So, um, today, um, in particular, we're going to be talking about queer theory and how it's kind of, you know, portrayed in The Sopranos since the a lot of The Sopranos deals with like, these kind of old school traditionalists, you know, mentalities and point of views. So like, personally, like, I think one of the big things that the show deals with, especially in season six, is the whole video storyline. And you know how he's this masculine, traditional, wise guy, but he also has a secret past of being, you know, a homosexual and how they all deal with that. Um, and this is really interesting because this is in the time this is like the early 2000 when, you know, gay acceptance was like still kind of getting up there, but like, it still wasn't there. So, yeah. What do you think about that?

[00:00:55.560] - Speaker 2

And like, I feel like especially in, in like an Italian culture, like, um, I feel like being a homosexual in, like an Italian culture is looked pretty down upon. Yeah. Like, um, and like, I feel like they kind of did that on purpose to kind of put something out of the norm in like, like with, like Italian culture in that show. Yeah.

[00:01:19.170] - Speaker 1

So do you think it was like also because, um, you know, they brought up like good plot points or like, oh, he was like a textbook closeted man. You know, he had a wife, he had kids. Um, so it's kind of interesting because, you know, they didn't make him just like some openly gay guy in the Mafia. They they kind of make it like, oh, he was ashamed of this, but, um, it's kind of also interesting that, like, this is a point in the media where, you know, like, gay people haven't been made in character. So by the surprise of him being out as gay, it's kind of, you know, I want to say a shock factor, but it's kind of just different to, like, the traditional mobster story. Yeah.

[00:01:58.410] - Speaker 2

Of course. And, um, I feel like, like we kind of got like, like as viewers, like. And, um, they definitely gave us some sort of just opening, like, like intro to Vito's, um, other life of being, um, like homosexual, um, like, especially at the construction scene, uh, when, like, um, you know, my boyfriend Finn saw him doing something with a guy, okay. And then, like, that was like a cliffhanger. I feel like for a few episodes, you know, that they didn't touch upon until season six. So.

[00:02:34.170] - Speaker 1

Yeah, I mean, I think it's also, like, important to point out that, um, you know, the whole thing about The Sopranos is like, their crew is all about these traditionalist ideas, right? So they're all about, you know, the old the old country, you know, everything, you know, has to stay the same way. And, you know, as, you know, as a fan and I've just noticed that they're not really, you know, accepting like modern times, you know, they're kind of like stuck in a time warp. Yeah. Um, and I think it's also, like, really important to point out that, um, you know, I don't think Vito was either, like, he was kind of, like, on edge about it, too. He's like, oh, you know, my medication's making me think all weird. So it's honestly like a really interesting, like, social commentary about, you know, like acceptance of your, like, of yourself and, um, you know, how others perceive you and how accepting others are because, I mean, as we know, he literally got killed because of his homosexual lifestyle.

[00:03:35.130] - Speaker 2

Yeah, exactly. And I feel like too. So, um, with the new Jersey, like, crime family in real life, um, this actually did happen in, like, in real life, but like, like, it wasn't like, um, like a capo, like Vito. I think this might have been a boss or an underboss or something where he was actually secretly gay and, um, yeah, like a bunch of, like, people in his family actually murdered him. And then. Yeah, like like I said, like like I feel that the show definitely kind of took that idea from real life, you know? But still, though, like, I feel that you definitely don't see that, like, like too many mobsters coming out as gay, you know, just because of the old school kind of old country, um, you know, morals.

[00:04:24.420] - Speaker 1

No, definitely. Um, I think another really, like, important thing, while we're also talking about queer theory is, um, the relevance and the significance of toxic, like, toxic masculinity, because, you know, the whole thing about Tony and most of his guys as characters is they're supposed to be these like, you know, alpha male, very every single like, masculine stereotype to. Q um, and how, you know, like, they got to be these big, tough guys smoking cigars, making tons of money, you know? But, um, the thing about The Sopranos is that a kind of like. Almost like romanticizes it. Like it makes it into this, like larger than life concept where, you know, and at the time where like because the show started in 99, ended in 2007. Um, so this was at the time where like, you know, especially in like young kids minds from, I would say like teenagers where it's like, this wasn't really a thing that was thought about.

[00:05:23.720] - Speaker 1

So I feel like it's very interesting to point out how Tony is literally like, almost like the human manifestation of what people would consider today talking about toxic masculinity.

[00:05:34.040] - Speaker 2

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. I can see where that all comes from. You know what I mean? Yeah.

[00:05:40.610] - Speaker 1

And it's just it's really like the thing that interests me about it is that, um, you know, he is like, so, like, defensive about it, right? He's literally, you know, he puts it on his kids. He's like, oh, listen, this is the way you gotta be. You know, you gotta be the breadwinner while the wife stays at home, you know, with clean cooks and cleans, you know, and while, you know, he's like, um, which is a very, like interesting subject within the show, mainly due to the fact that his daughter meadow is like, the polar opposite of his mother. You know, she. Yeah. She wants to, you know, go she goes to Columbia, an Ivy League school. She wants to be like a lawyer. Yeah. And she's also very against. She's very like pro like modern times, you know?

[00:06:24.710] - Speaker 2

Yeah, definitely. And like, I feel like. Like she actually, like, doesn't want to be, like, dependent on, like, a man or a gardener or whatever. I feel like she actually wants to pull her own way. Unlike Carmela from as quoted from Tony as where she just messed around with the, uh, air conditioning and and stuff. Right. You know what I mean?

[00:06:47.540] - Speaker 1

Yeah. No, it's, um, it's super interesting because I feel like in the show, like, meadow kind of represents this, um, you know, transition to modern ideals while at the same time being her daughter, the daughter of Tony, who is all about traditionalists. Right. So it's constantly this, you know, battling of mentalities. And we see it all throughout the show. I mean, I know it's like really present, um, and um, yeah, no, it's just really interesting because like I said before, this was at a time when, you know, like modern ideals that like we, you know, today, especially queer theory was not that present in, in media and television. Um, but I feel like, you know, she is kind of like, almost like the stepping point of, um, you know, like putting that in shows and, like, showing how it's normalized.

[00:07:38.960] - Speaker 2

Definitely, definitely. And I think, like, another thing that I would definitely like to touch on with toxic masculinity, um, like we see AJ and like, like how, like the show started and like, ended and I feel like, like he was the most opposite thing than what Tony wanted him to be. It. Absolutely. You know what I mean? Like, Tony was like the super hard dude. Like, like, um, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, it was super hard and stuff and, and wanted AJ to be just like him and his father before him and AJ like, like wind up, like not doing any of the stuff that his dad wanted to be, you know what I mean?

[00:08:21.110] - Speaker 1

And the thing that's really interesting is the AJ Tony relationship kind of goes full circle because Tony is a flawed character, like from the start, you know, he has these psychological problems and he sees a therapist. But then we later learned that AJ also gets those like psychological problems. So you know, Tony's whole like fatherhood leanness of AJ really goes full circle because as I said, he's like, oh, I passed down this gene of me being, you know, like having a mental problem. Yeah.

[00:08:49.730] - Speaker 2

Yeah for sure.

[00:08:50.690] - Speaker 1

So but yeah. All right. Well that was episode one. We will see you in the next episode.

[noahfandomstudies]

For me, labor can be defined as the tedious and difficult things that you have to do however you do not want to do. Based on my experience work is something that if you had a choice you would not do it but you have to in order to achieve a goal. I don't feel that labor is something that you can have a lot of fun with because if it wasn't labor you would be more enthusiastic to do it. Labor can be applied to my specific fandom because the whole production of The Sopranos took a lot of effort, not just from a production standpoint but from a writing standpoint as well. I felt that my first fn work was pretty enjoyable to make and let me express my own views on my fandom in a creative space. I would still consider this labor because it was time-intensive and most likely something that I wouldn't do if it wasn't for a class. My favorite part of creating it so far was being able to integrate my own thoughts about the fandom into the podcast while also being able to incorporate my knowledge of the frameworks. Probably my least favorite part would have to be the time constraint of each episode, ideally I wish they were longer. For fan work 2 I'm going to keep in mind the different ways I can incorporate more frameworks.

[noahfandomstudies]

Week 3 tumblr post

The tags that stood out to me were

Alternate Universe-Vampire

Crossover-nobody asked for

they were ROOMATES

Queer analysis could be applired to Willow Park as she is confirmed the shows creator to identify as pansexual. This is a very unique example as it is becoming more normalized and accepted to incorporate confirmed sexual identities in childrens animated shows. Luz is also confirmed to be bysexual. The show incorporates a lot of LGBT representation as confirmed by Dana Terrace (the shows creator) to pave a new way of incorporating societal norms into childrens televeision.. The showrunners work in the representation very well by adding them not just as a character trait but also aiding in the characters evolution and arc. In the final season luz actually comes out to her mother in a video featuring the bisexual flag.

One of the things that stands out to me in the fandom posts is that most of the art follows the same style. I find this really interesting because for some reason they all pursue the same medium which basically makes a cartoon into a different kind of cartoon and I’m not too sure on the relevance. One other thing that stands out to me is the lack of memes but more so analyzed captioned pictures. As most people know memes are huge thing that brings fans together to not only have a good laugh but also think deeper on aspects of the media. I also found it really interesting on how much non-kid fan content there was due to the show being made for kids.

My favorite episode so far has been the teenage abomination. I found the school dynamic in the show very fun to watch as it reminds of classic shows on cartoon network that I grew up watching to it was very nostalgic for me. I found the slapstick probably to be the best part because it reminded of why I used to enjoy watching the cartoons.

[noahfandomstudies]

MY SONS

[noahfandomstudies]

little redraw from 2020,, i made this art for my (very outdated) fic i wrote after the season 1 finale👏

[noahfandomstudies]

The only family ever

[noahfandomstudies]

The first picture demonstrates a fan art that remixes the basic aspect of the media. In this iteration, it is the characters of sopranos as Simpsons characters showing how they would look animated in relation to their real-life counterparts.

The second screenshot demonstrates a fan art (music) that remixes the media. The screenshot is from a fan edit of the theme song for the show that basically remixes the song to create a slowed and reverb version.

The third screenshot demonstrates a fan using queer theory in the media. The screenshot is an article that elaborates on the gay representation within the show and how it is perceived in its time compared to modern times.

The fourth screenshot is from an overpriced piece of merchandise. This is a screenshot of an Amazon listing for a 93-dollar Funko pop of one of the show's characters. This is seriously overpriced as usually a Funko pop costs anywhere from 10-15 dollars.

The fifth screenshot demonstrates an indie piece of merch. This is a t-shirt that a fan made that creates a vintage concert-style poster of one of the characters and the pizza shop within the show to combine the concept of vintage rock and the show.

One pattern that I found when researching these different pieces is that a lot of it is actually relatively new showing how the fandom for the Sopranos has grown a lot more in recent years compared to when it first aired. Another pattern that I found is that lots of pieces made by fans almost take a comedic and satirical approach to the dark and heavy nature that the show portrays. The easier pieces to find were the various fan art since it is one of the most common pieces for fandom creations within this particular community. Some of the harder ones were the indie style merch since a lot it is not mass-produced and made by independent creators. Another hard piece to find was the article highlighting queer theory, this surprised me as the show does have a lot of lgbtq representation that has so much to unpack for analysis. What this says about the fandom is that the Sopranos truly has a cult following so mass representation in fandom creations certainly exists but is not as present compared to some other fandoms.

[noahfandomstudies]

Me and my mutuals