May 9, 2025 • 34 mins
1.4 Billion Catholics have a new Pope and he’s from Chicago!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Michael del Jorno, and your morning show can
be heard live as it's happening five to eight am
Central and six to nine Eastern on great stations like
six twenty WJDX and Jackson, Mississippi, or Akron's News Talk
six forty w HLO and Akron, Ohio and News Radio
five seventy WDAK and Columbus, Georgia. We'd love to be
a part of your morning routine, but we're glad you're
(00:21):
here now. Enjoy the podcast, very special Mornings. I'm for
f mons and your ares. There he is carding the
applause going up.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Three, starting your morning off right.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
A new way of talk, a new way of understanding,
because we're.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
In this together. This is your morning show with Michael
gil John. I like to make clear that applause was
for Poplio the fourteenth, not me.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
How can you take something so sacred and be so
childish with you?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I'm the one making it clear. Seven minutes after the hour,
Welcome to Friday. Thank God, its bridy Friday, Briday, the
ninth of May you have our Lord twenty twenty five.
Why a glorious day? Not just for one point four
billion Catholics with a new pope. But for this, this
(01:18):
holy Father in Tennessee, the birth of my son, Nicholas
Michael Andrew del Jorno nineteen years ago. Today, he'll make
the birthday list today. Wow. Hey, it was something to watch.
I was what was I working on?
Speaker 5 (01:36):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
We have a new affiliate coming in Biloxi, Mississippi. Oh
cool on Monday. FLEXI not far from where I grew up, Nolins.
Not far from the casinos either. I may have been
there a few times. Okay, they may know my name
at the Treasure Bay. You may have a marker with
your name on it. But I have to do a
(01:58):
lot of production liners and stuff before launch, and so
I've been working on that. And I came out to
get something to drink, and as I look down at
my phone, and let me tell you something, when you
get something from Chris Berry or his team in Phoenix,
it's always ahead of the networks. Okay. And white smoke
(02:19):
has appeared in the Vatican City, and I thought, no way,
because I thought, for sure, you know, the first vote
is going to give you like four or five leaders.
Then that's why they do one vote. There's some other
ceremonial stuff that has to take place. That takes up
much of the first day. But you want to do
that one first initial vote just to see where everything's at,
(02:41):
and then the real canvassing begins, and so it usually
takes a second and a third vote to really get
to your two main So it's kind of like a
verdict from a jury, right, what do you expect? What
do you expect me to get such a quick verdict? Well,
I thought for sure it was going to be one
of the favorites, and so my first initial thought was
(03:04):
probably not good for Pizza Bala. Are we about to
have Peter the Roman? Are we about to have our
first from Africa? Not what wouldn't have been at first,
but an African pope an Asian pope, neither of which
would have been at first. But first was on the horizon,
wasn't it. And so then it was a little over
an hour and ten minutes between the smoke and then
(03:26):
the emerging of the cardinal And you know, in that
amount of time you just see the enthusiasm and hundreds
of thousands of people filled the square. It really is
something to watch. And Cardinal Memberti came out and here's
what he said.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I know you have obvious Gaudi, Manu, man.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
A, babe, Mosa. That's the that's the words everybody's waiting for.
We have a pope. And then you start honing in,
listening for the name and for the three or four
first names I was waiting for. I didn't get it.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I mean I'm D. I mean I'm Dcmuma, Dominomamma, Robert, Kuma,
song de Roma e Clesie, card you know, my prey
boat stunk.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
That was when uh, everybody in the Square and around
the world began to search their programs for for who Cardinal.
When I heard Roberto, I was like, well, I got
a Roberto. And then when he came back and said
Cardinal prevost I I remember. I remember my first thought
(04:57):
being I had looked at him and completely ruled him
out for one reason American. Yeah, he's American, and boy
was I wrong. So second day, fourth vote, white smoke.
An hour later, the two hundred and sixty seventh Pope
appears and it's the first American in two thousand years
(05:20):
of the history of the Catholic Church. Chicago born. So
you know what the next thought was, My friend Beate
Cristiano starts texting Cobs are Sacksman, and I said, I
don't know he's from the south side. So I started
doing the real analytical thought, well, let's think about this.
He was born in fifty five. I was born in
sixty four, so he's nine years younger in my prime.
(05:43):
Who just passed away? By the way, chet Lemon, Bucky Dent,
Richie Allen, No Neck Williams. I'm trying to think of
all of the great Chicago White Sox at my era,
and I'm thinking, well, he'd have been about nineteen twenty.
He could have been off to Villanova. By the way,
he isn't an odd we have a pope that went
to Villanova. It's crazy, right read Do you feel that's
(06:06):
from your neck of the nape? Isn't it a little south?
A little south? But yeah, I realized my Latin is
and what he used to be. And then for those
of us, for those of you living in Tulsa where
I once lived twenty years ago, at one time he
was a priest at Casha Hall, a private school in
the Utica Square area of tuls Oklahoma. I mean, all
(06:26):
these ties are for pope, And so I started thinking, Nah,
he had to be a Cubs fan. Back then, I
mean that's Ernie Banks era. That's so Originally Wrigley Field
posts a congratulation and it just kind of starts spreading
he's a Cubs fan. He's a Cubs fan. Later it's
made clear, No, he's a Chicago White Sox fan. But
(06:50):
let's talk about the important things. Obviously, a first American
pope in two thousand years, what does that mean? What's
that influence going to be? All? Righthere? Does he stand?
He was appointed a cardinal obviously by Francis. Is he
in liigned with Francis? And there's a lot of question marks,
(07:11):
things like global warming probably put a check by he's
with him, not so fast on women being ordained as deacons,
and not so fast on LGBTQ. So remember what we
had said. And again, I'm a non Catholic, so I
(07:31):
feel very uncomfortable saying this. But what I would wish
for my Catholic brothers and sisters, what I wish for
the Christendom as a whole, is someone with the spirit
of Francis, the humility and spirit and love for all,
and focus on loving people and forwarding the gospel. But
(07:54):
a return to more sound doctrine, and probably less tricks politics,
if you know what I mean. And I think that's
exactly what the cardinals gave you, things that people pointed
out quickly or struck people quickly. He didn't come out
in the by the way, do we know red yet?
(08:15):
If he chose to go to the traditional cabel was
a traditional he wore the traditional guards, well, I know that.
But did he live in the traditional pope chamber as
opposed to what Francis did? I don't know that either.
We have to look. My guess is he did, and
he came out in the red full. So a return
(08:35):
to formality, even though approachable, even though personable, a return
to formality, a little return to center doctrinely, and I
think what most people think is maybe a quieter pope.
And I think when we say quieter, what we mean
(08:57):
is let's not get so politically involved. So I think,
you know, when you're splitting hairs, it's easy. I think.
I think Pope Francis offended a lot of people, taking
a strong stance and what he thought was welcoming the poor,
welcoming the immigrants, but of course in reality you're talking
(09:20):
about illegal immigrants, and in some cases rapist murderers, killers,
drug addicts, traffickers, human traffickers, drug traffickers, and so for
a lot of people in the West, we're like, well,
I notice you're in a guarded Vatican city. Easy for
you to say, why don't you take a few? I
don't think you're going to see when I say, quieter, Pope,
I think this person's going to be just as loving,
(09:45):
just as embracing, but doctrinately tightened up. And I think
quieter on very divisive political issues, and quite frankly, are
the very things Jesus didn't get tied up in Asparabbus.
So I don't know. I think you know the notion
(10:06):
I went to you know earlier, I went to bed thinking, well,
I got a pope that might be checking the cup
score just like me. Isn't that strange? And then we
find out, Nah, he's a socks the bucks a score
please he I want to play for you? Coming up
at five point thirty. His brother And again, you know,
(10:27):
Pope Leo is really Bobby, and Bobby had an older brother,
And why do you hear Bobby's older brother talk about
I mean, what would that be like? I don't know
my brother acts very proud of me for this show
going national. I don't really think much about it. He's
still my big brother. I can't I can't even live
up to his shadow, but I can't imagine what it's
(10:48):
like and way to hear the words to grow up
around Robert, you know, find him to be kind of
a you know, strange godly kid. He used to call
him Holy Robert ends up a priest, ends up a bishop,
ends up a cardinal. But I mean, I think from
(11:09):
the lens of the brother, you're watching television like the
rest of us, and there's a smoke, and then there's
a cardinal, and then you hear your name and that
your brother is the pope. That's just got to be
out of body. So the papal conclave took two days,
four votes. The cardinals voted for Roberto Francis Prevost. He
(11:32):
takes the name Pope Leo the fourteenth. The Catholic Church
as AAA Sean Deffy came out with some more specifics
about the massive investment in our country's air traffic control system,
and somebody's gonna be flying quite a bit in the
next four weeks. My first question is how quickly. Can
we get this implemented? They got it? Don't fly Frontier Airlines.
(11:52):
That's a little taste here if you need it. Actually,
our best sound of the day we cannot play for
you today, but I could get on a plane and
fly to see Adeline end up in jail. What I
saw these Antifa punk punks due to a disabled elderly
woman is the most enraging, one of the most enraging.
(12:12):
I mean, losing basic respect for elders, but the vile,
filthy words that were coming out of their mouth. I
don't know why none of those cops turned around and
arrested them, especially when they started wishing her death and dying.
I mean, I don't know what point, you know, but
they took her to her car. I can't even play
you that audio, but I do have other audio. In
(12:36):
our Sounds of the day, we do a spotlight interview
of the week, and I have chosen it for your enjoyment.
Coming up right after you hear from the Pope's brother,
and that's in about fifteen minutes later in the show,
Mother's Days around the Corner. But to get Mom, what
do we all get? Mom? We got it all covered
for you. John Decker, tariffs are working. President Trump is
getting what he wanted. We'll have more on that. Of course,
(12:58):
it's Friday. That can only mean Friday with forty seven.
The point is, okay, a lot to cover in three hours.
It's a big, big show. You miss a little, you'll
miss a lot. If you miss a lot, we'll miss you.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
It's your morning show with Michael del Chno.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
He reads a little low edge this morning, isn't it.
He just asked a simple questions Friday. I mean I
got kicked out a catechism for wearing my brother's T shirt,
which is really his fault. I didn't know what a
girl getting out of a truck. It's meant hasn't had
a day off since, like last Octo. I'm still upset
Pizza Bala didn't Well, I know I was upset over
Pizza Balatio, although I was a little uncomfortable having a
(13:37):
pope with a goate, but that's just me.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
No.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
The question was asked, why do they take a name?
And I think it's it's symbolic in other words of that,
it's kind of morphed over the years in that you
know you can take the name Leo, what what did
Pope Leo the first take Leo for probably modeling something
after Leo Leo? He? Now, I don't know, and I
(14:02):
would presume that for Cardinal Privos, who I will now
call Pope Leo, he chose to be Pope Leo the
fourteenth because of his admiration for Pope Leo the thirteenth
and what he stood for the working class, everyday man.
But what Jeffrey asked specifically that I didn't have the
answer to, was is there an original list? Now it's
(14:23):
portrayed in the movie Conclave as every cardinal, deep down,
and I don't think this is true, has an aspiration
to be pope, And at some points laid in bed
at night and said, well, if I'm ever pope, I'm
taking the name, and I would take Paul. For example.
Paul is my just personally, I'm of a Paulinian theology.
(14:47):
He's my favorite of the apostles. If not Paul, then
probably John. But so they pick names like that, but
when you get to like Leo's and some of the
other ones, it's usually more about that pope. But all right,
so Red's googling his fingers off in a terrible mood.
I might add, and being very disrespectful to the host
(15:09):
as he doesn't you know, I'll remind you guys, got
a torn achilles tendon. I fell in a hole on
a golf course and reconcussed to myself there's something up
with my thyroid, which I don't have and haven't had
since I was twenty five. But I'm near every day.
Do I ever complain until just now. You're just guilted
as you don't bring any of that stuff up until
(15:29):
somebody gets testy, and then all of a sudden you
go to the well. You never get testy, but Red
has been very testy. Has Red's Tiredn't I know? I
think it's over. He's holding up the launch of of
the website. I think it's bothering him. It's tired or
is it just tired? He's tired. He's got a lot
going on. You're surrounded by a lot of alcohol. I
got news he just turned sick. Take a nip or two,
(15:52):
you need it all right. We got as older than dirt.
He would choose the name Pope four roses.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
This is Deebo Morris from our little town of Franklin, Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
My morning show is your morning show with Michael Dell Jorneo.
Hey gang, it's me Michael. You can listen to your
morning show live. Make us a part of your morning
routine or your drive to work companion on great stations
like Talk Radio ninety eight point three and fifteen ten
WLAC in Nashville, Tupelo's News and Talk one to one
(16:27):
point one and ten sixty WKMQ, and how about Talk
six fifty KSTE and Sacramento, California. Love to have you
listen live, but are grateful you're here now for the podcast.
Enjoy you know. My goal for every Friday is for
us to have fun. I mean, you just can't beat
yourself over the head an entire week. Laughter work with
(16:48):
like a medicine, and I have certainly taken several doses
this morning. I don't even know if our spotlight interview
is going to happen. There's been a lot happening, but
we did have one serious conversation off the year. He
was one percent. Now, when you do the casino websites,
they put percentages to it, so he was sixty six
to one. As you heard, are sports book analyst, A big,
(17:10):
big job from the Your Morning Sham Sports Book. When
you have a long shot like this that usually takes
like Pope John Paul the second thirteen fourteen votes, you know,
usually at first when everybody saw the smoke and we went,
oh my gosh, day two, fourth vote, it's going to
(17:35):
be one of the top five, because that's the only
way you can get there that fast. That's the unanswered question,
and maybe the most fascinating unanswered question. We'll never get
an answer to. How did somebody sixty six to one,
How did somebody with one percent let it go let
alone a metagammte which has never happened before in four
(17:56):
votes rise to the top. I don't have an answer,
So for that, perhaps the most encouraging I can say
is other than the Holy Spirit. So that's a very
interesting one. Now, everybody else, get your immaturity out of
the way, Like Corey the yard Boy, a new pope
got picked quicker than Shador Sanders. I mean, get it
(18:19):
all out of the way, all right, this is the
stuff I'm getting this morning. Good gracious, that's hurtful. And
then I set up this big, you know, because I
think this is a first of all, this is an
opportunity to be the most relatable pope in American history.
Why he's from America's gonna be that's gonna make it special.
I mean, when you think of the pope being he
(18:39):
grew up, what was he listening to WLS? Did he
watch Boso Buckets like I did? Did he do a
boogie check with John Records? Come on, you know, I mean,
believe it or not, the Pope was walking around Villanova University.
I mean, this has a lot of our head spinning.
And then Jeffrey leans at the microphone and goes, hey,
do you think he called his brother and said, hey,
(19:00):
get ma turn on the television. I am a surprise
for you. This is what I deal with off the air.
You're never gonna believe this time. And I'm the one
that got kicked out of Catechism anyway, I thought, out
of everything, this is what I wanted to share with
everybody early in the morning. Again, I'm not Catholic, and
I mean no disrespect, nothing but respect. And I am
(19:24):
a part of the Christendom. So your pope matters to me.
And it's a little strange for me because he looks
just like my friend Kurt Kohn. In fact, I could
send you both pictures and you'll freak out. Kurt works
at the Mercedes Benz dealership here in Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee,
and he looks just like Kurt. And let me tell
(19:45):
you something, Kurt is one of the kindest, godliest, wonderful
men I've ever met. So right away I have feelings
towards this pope that are really my Kurt feelings. Gotcha
towards the pope. But we're all relating to this pope.
And then I thought, well, this is ever happened before.
The Pope's got a brother, an older brother who lives
in Florida. What would it be like to find out
(20:11):
your brother's the pope? Now the minute you become a cardinal,
I guess it's out there, but you still don't think
it's gonna happen. I was never competitive with my brothers
because I really kind of saw us all as three
survivors of a very dysfunctional childhood and we just got
out together. You know. I was blind to one brother
(20:34):
or maybe both, being a little bit competitive, and I
just didn't get any of that. There's no competitiveness here,
But if there were, it's over Robert one. He's the pope. Right,
But I thought this and I'll shut up so you
can enjoy it. I thought this was maybe one of
the most special things I heard yesterday. Here's a Cardinal
(20:55):
prevos older brother in Florida telling the story of how
he found out his brother is now Leo.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
He was lying in bed. My wife called and said,
white smoke, white smoke. So I turned the TV on
watched the whites Man. It took him almost an hour
till late and when the cardinal came out and we're
all waiting and he goes and he mentioned Roberto.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
I knew right away, and.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I just it's like, if I had not been in
bed standing up, I might have collected, because it's like
totally unexpected. You know, it's like there's the first American pope.
That was a strike against him. He's young, two strikes,
but he's got a lot of worldwide experience in his
previous poets. So when we were little kids, we used
to I used to raise Cane with my two younger
(21:40):
brothers all the time. But he was always the holy
one and I as we used to tease him, you're
going to be pope someday. You're too holy. What do
you want to be and you know, joking, ribbing, and
when he went into the seminary, it's like, oh wow, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
And then.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
A couple of years ago, when the Pope made him
a cardinal, it's like, this could happen.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Holy Cow and Holy Cow in the name of Harry Carey,
Holy Cow. As a White Sox fan, it happened that.
I just thought that was beautiful. I mean, just can
you imagine You're sitting in Florida and your younger brother, Roberto.
I didn't know Roberto. I was like Robert, Robert, and then
(22:24):
I heard Prevosts and the name rang a Bell. I
remember the name, and I scrolled quickly to the face
and it's the American second Day fourth vote. White Smoke
appears the two hundred and sixty seventh Pope, taking the
name Leo the fourteenth Coldonel Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, Illinois,
(22:45):
a Southsider by way of Villanova University. And that was
his older brother sharing where he was and what he
was doing when he heard the news America the world
has a new pope and America has its first ever pope.
All right, we started doing this. I don't know how
much of this, we're gonna be able to play I
think pretty good bit of it. But anyway, we do
(23:06):
a spotlight interview because he's normally happened later in the show.
So for you, the Platinum card listeners, we want to
give you a chance to hear it. Everybody loved the
character Tony Soprano and the series The Sopranos. The actor
behind it, James Gandolphini. He went by Jim. So when
a historian and an author writes the book Gandolphini, Jim,
(23:26):
Tony and the Life of a Legend, I think it's
time we all get introduced to the real Jim. And
so we had the pleasure of being joined by Jason Bailey,
and we told him right away we loved the title
of the book.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
He wasn't and that from what everyone I talked to
told me almost immediately, was that Jim, and that that
was what his friends knew him as was Jim. That
Jim was one hundred and eighty degrees from Tony, and
so that sort of became the entry point for me
and figuring out how to write the book. Was okay,
who was Jim? Who was Tony? What was the gulf
(23:59):
between them? And when and how how much did it
sort of expand and contract over the course of his liays.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I know, you used a lot of things research, original reporting,
then you sat down with friends and collaborators. But in
all the documentaries and things that I have seen, or
even in just interviews, that's the problem. Everybody loves Tony Soprano,
wants to meet Tony Soprano, and they meet Jim and
he is completely different. He was so laid back, he
(24:28):
so few words. There was nothing excitable about him. That's
part of the.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Legend though, isn't it It is it becomes that yes,
you know, and and on top of all of that,
the challenge for the biographer also is that he didn't
like doing interviews.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, didn't like talking about himself. So he didn't leave
me a lot to go on. You know.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I really did have to have to really probe the
memories of those who knew him, who worked with him,
and the sort of very few people he let get
close to him. You know, Steve Schirippa told me, he
said he's he was a big you know, music love
in Birkenstock wearing hippie dude, and that's just not the
image that you conjure up when you think of Tony soprano.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Oh, well, let's start with jim Italian family. I can
relate to that New Jersey, Upstate Ney or close enough.
Would you learn about the childhood of James Caandelphini that
led to the man Jim.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
The thing that's important to understand about him from the
beginning that I think informed his entire worldview was that
he came from very much a working class background. You know,
his father was born in Italy, his mother was born
here but spent her childhood in Italy, So it was
very much a son of immigrants sort of thing. They
instilled in him a really strong work ethic, and when
(25:44):
you talk about working class like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
That was the way he lived his life.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
That working class ethos informed how he treated people when
he was on set, how he treated those that he
worked with, he saw them as his collaborators, and the
sort of generosity that he exhibited throughout his life. Dre
de Matteo told me that she says that she thought
that a part of him really thought he didn't deserve
the kind of financial success that he had as a
(26:10):
working class son of immigrants, and so that was a
huge part of why he shared what he made with
everyone around him.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
That's something you hear a lot of. Jason Bailey is
the author and historian Gandolfini. Jim Tony and the Life
of a Legend is a new book. I highly recommend
you get it everywhere great books are sold. Very generous man.
I was influenced at a young age. My dad's best
friend later became my best friend before he died. And
that's the one thing I took from sam Lespiza. Generosity,
(26:38):
And that's the kind of stories you hear about Jim.
He was just just generosity. Look it up in the dictionary.
You ought to see his face and you go, tony soprano. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
No.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
The most sort of famous and accurate example of that
sort of generosity was that going into the fifth season,
there was a big salary renegotiation.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
It was all over the tablets.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
People at HBO were sort of talking smack about him
and for the demands that they were making, the increase
to his value, to his genuine value to that show.
And after a lot of sort of haggling, he finally
got a nice raise.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
The first day back.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
After he got that raise, he called each member of
the supporting cast into his trailer one by one, handed
each of them a check for thirty six thousand dollars
and said thank you for standing by me, like basically
spent the bonus on the rest of the cast because
it was more about the principle than the money. It
was more about the principle than the money. And also
it was about a negotiating power that he knew he
(27:37):
had that they didn't, and that was always the plan
with that money, you know. And again also swore all
of them to secrecy, and no one told that story.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Until after he passed.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
Like he wasn't doing it for good publicity, he wasn't
doing it for likes on Instagram. He was doing it
as an honest, genuine gesture to the people he worked with.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Here's what I love. Nobody really knows about James Gandolphini's
career prior to Tony Soprano. He almost as if he
arrived on the scene as Tony Soprano, bigger than life, perfect,
polished character, I mean, at or above anything on Goodfellows,
and that's saying a lot with Peshi. But he did
(28:19):
have a career prior to that, So take us from
that Italian hard working work ethic to how does he
end up Tony Soprano and what's to be learned in
that journey.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
First of all, he starts acting in high school on
a lark. He starts doing it to meet girls and
turns out that he just had a natural gift. I
spoke to his drama teacher and she said when he
came into that first audition, it was just very clear this.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
See I heard writers get all the girls no no,
So it gets an everything to meet the girls. How
Tony soprano of him? And then where does he go
from there?
Speaker 4 (28:53):
He goes to Rutgers University at the insistence of his
immigrant parents, the first man in his family to go
to college, and does not do anything there. They have
a wonderful theater program that he doesn't take advantage of
because he feels that a career in the arts is foolish,
is something that his working class parents won't abide. That
he has to go into a sensible line of work.
He needs to be a businessman or something. But what
(29:14):
happens is while he was at Rutgers, there was a
young woman, his girlfriend, who died in a car accident
at twenty two and it absolutely wrecked him. Her name
was lyn Jacobson, and he dedicated later one of his
Emmys to her, and he said in that speech, she
made me want to be an actor. And what he
meant by that was that was his realization that life
was too short to live your life for anyone else,
(29:37):
and that he had this dream and he was going
to pursue it.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
So he moves to New York. He lives the life
of a struggling actor.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
For many, many years off off off Broadway shows, two
man plays for twelve people in the audience, that sort
of thing, and then he lands this showcase supporting role
in True Romance from nineteen ninety three, directed by Tony
Scott and written by a then unknown writer named Quentin Tarantino. Right,
and he has this small but incredibly memorable role and
(30:06):
a couple of scenes with Patricia Arquette which are which
sort of seared themselves into the memory of anyone who
saw it. And then spent the rest of the nineties
as a character actor, as a hired gun. He'd come
in and he'd do a few scenes, usually as a
tough guy, but he would make an impression and he
would leave, and.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
That was sort of and then he became Tony Soprano
and the rest was history. Boy, if you enjoyed that interview,
and that was only half of it, you're gonna love
meeting Jim. Yeah. I know you love the character Tony Soprano.
I know you love the show The Sopranos, but there's
an equally wonderful person behind that role, James Gandolphiniump with
(30:46):
the name of Jim. You need to meet him. Get
the book Gandolphini Jim Tony The Life of a Legend.
Our spotlight interview and great work writing that by Jason Bailey.
This is your Morning Show with Michael True.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
About two weeks ago, I just started watching my DVD
collection of The Sopranos, and I forgot how much I
thoroughly enjoyed that show.
Speaker 5 (31:10):
So it's so nice to hear from the author.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Keep up to good work, buddy.
Speaker 7 (31:13):
So On a side note, Big John's son was in
a couple of episodes of The Sopranos. He said Tony
was an absolute king on the set. On Fridays he
would bring an ice cream truck in and also the
dizzy scene. When Tony was busy, he would hit on
his cigae and they would spin him around.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I didn't know Big John Sun was on soprano for
the longest time. People say, you're Italian, you got to
watch Sopranos. I didn't watch Sopranos till like about four
two and a half years ago. And I will tell
you I put it above Goodfellows. I think I put
it above The Godfather. It's just a masterpiece. It's just
the greatest. You are going to love, love, love the book.
So yes, go ahead and get it. And I would
(31:54):
like Red and Jeffrey to know if I ever have
to renegotiate with Premiere to get a raise, I will
share thirty six dollars with both of you in problem.
Oh it's thirty six. By that, I mean President Trump
is congratulating the first ever American born pope. He spoke
(32:15):
to reporters outside the White House. Already spoken to us,
and we'll see what happens. But again, to have the
book Trump the United States of America, that's a great honor.
That's a great honor. Yeah, that he looks forward to
meeting Popo Leo the fourteenth. Trump went on to say
that it will be a very meaningful moment I'm Mark Mayfield.
The First Lady, Milania Trump says the birth of a
child is a life changing event and that makes women invincible,
(32:39):
and she's encouraging mothers to prioritize their well being. Lisa
Taylor reports.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
The First Lady made the remarks during her public appearance
for a Mother's Day reception at the White House aimed
at recognizing military moms. She reflected on the birth of
her son Baron and noted the unimaginable, unpredictable concerns and
trials that she's experienced in motherhood. The First Lady previously
hosted similar her Mother's Day events throughout her husband's first
term in office.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
I'm Hesa Taylor. There is and David Dean. I and
I determined it's the second worst thing that could be
said to you. There's an old Italian expression, Oh he's
too much, she's too much. You don't want to be
too much. I always found Janine Piro too much, But
now Donald Trump, he just tapped her as the interim
US Attorney General in our nation's capital.
Speaker 5 (33:24):
Pierro is a former judge and district attorney in New
York Westchester County. Trump made the announcement in a post
on True Social on Thursday, after replacing Ed Martinez's nominee
earlier in the day. Martin had struggled to get the
supporting needed to be confirmed. Pierro is a longtime ally
of Trump and had been among those pushing voting conspiracy
(33:48):
theories following his twenty twenty election loss. I'm Sarah Lee Kissing.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
It was one of country music's biggest nights. And whenever
I talked country music, I talk in syllables like all
the country music DJs. Two big night for Lany Wilson
being named Entertainer of the Year for the second year
in a row at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Wilson took the top honors at the sixtieth ACM Awards
held last night in Texas. Everything's bigger there. She also
(34:18):
won Female Artist of the Year Album of the Year
for her album Whirlwind. And how About There's two great
Alan Jackson's I've met One's a pastor in Murphy's Borough,
one of the greatest men I've ever met. And Alan Jackson,
the singer getting the Lifetime Achievement Award, had the good
fortune of meeting him. What a Treasure. Congratulations to all
our winners at the ACMs. We're all in this together.
(34:39):
This is Your Morning Show with Michael Nhild Journo
Hi, I'm Michael del Jorno, and your morning show can
be heard live as it's happening five to eight am
Central and six to nine Eastern on great stations like
six twenty WJDX and Jackson, Mississippi, or Akron's News Talk
six forty w HLO and Akron, Ohio and News Radio
five seventy WDAK and Columbus, Georgia. We'd love to be
a part of your morning routine, but we're glad you're
(00:21):
here now. Enjoy the podcast, very special Mornings. I'm for
f mons and your ares. There he is carding the
applause going up.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Three, starting your morning off right.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
A new way of talk, a new way of understanding,
because we're.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
In this together. This is your morning show with Michael
gil John. I like to make clear that applause was
for Poplio the fourteenth, not me.
Speaker 4 (00:53):
How can you take something so sacred and be so
childish with you?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
I'm the one making it clear. Seven minutes after the hour,
Welcome to Friday. Thank God, its bridy Friday, Briday, the
ninth of May you have our Lord twenty twenty five.
Why a glorious day? Not just for one point four
billion Catholics with a new pope. But for this, this
(01:18):
holy Father in Tennessee, the birth of my son, Nicholas
Michael Andrew del Jorno nineteen years ago. Today, he'll make
the birthday list today. Wow. Hey, it was something to watch.
I was what was I working on?
Speaker 5 (01:36):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (01:36):
We have a new affiliate coming in Biloxi, Mississippi. Oh
cool on Monday. FLEXI not far from where I grew up, Nolins.
Not far from the casinos either. I may have been
there a few times. Okay, they may know my name
at the Treasure Bay. You may have a marker with
your name on it. But I have to do a
(01:58):
lot of production liners and stuff before launch, and so
I've been working on that. And I came out to
get something to drink, and as I look down at
my phone, and let me tell you something, when you
get something from Chris Berry or his team in Phoenix,
it's always ahead of the networks. Okay. And white smoke
(02:19):
has appeared in the Vatican City, and I thought, no way,
because I thought, for sure, you know, the first vote
is going to give you like four or five leaders.
Then that's why they do one vote. There's some other
ceremonial stuff that has to take place. That takes up
much of the first day. But you want to do
that one first initial vote just to see where everything's at,
(02:41):
and then the real canvassing begins, and so it usually
takes a second and a third vote to really get
to your two main So it's kind of like a
verdict from a jury, right, what do you expect? What
do you expect me to get such a quick verdict? Well,
I thought for sure it was going to be one
of the favorites, and so my first initial thought was
(03:04):
probably not good for Pizza Bala. Are we about to
have Peter the Roman? Are we about to have our
first from Africa? Not what wouldn't have been at first,
but an African pope an Asian pope, neither of which
would have been at first. But first was on the horizon,
wasn't it. And so then it was a little over
an hour and ten minutes between the smoke and then
(03:26):
the emerging of the cardinal And you know, in that
amount of time you just see the enthusiasm and hundreds
of thousands of people filled the square. It really is
something to watch. And Cardinal Memberti came out and here's
what he said.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I know you have obvious Gaudi, Manu, man.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
A, babe, Mosa. That's the that's the words everybody's waiting for.
We have a pope. And then you start honing in,
listening for the name and for the three or four
first names I was waiting for. I didn't get it.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
I mean I'm D. I mean I'm Dcmuma, Dominomamma, Robert, Kuma,
song de Roma e Clesie, card you know, my prey
boat stunk.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
That was when uh, everybody in the Square and around
the world began to search their programs for for who Cardinal.
When I heard Roberto, I was like, well, I got
a Roberto. And then when he came back and said
Cardinal prevost I I remember. I remember my first thought
(04:57):
being I had looked at him and completely ruled him
out for one reason American. Yeah, he's American, and boy
was I wrong. So second day, fourth vote, white smoke.
An hour later, the two hundred and sixty seventh Pope
appears and it's the first American in two thousand years
(05:20):
of the history of the Catholic Church. Chicago born. So
you know what the next thought was, My friend Beate
Cristiano starts texting Cobs are Sacksman, and I said, I
don't know he's from the south side. So I started
doing the real analytical thought, well, let's think about this.
He was born in fifty five. I was born in
sixty four, so he's nine years younger in my prime.
(05:43):
Who just passed away? By the way, chet Lemon, Bucky Dent,
Richie Allen, No Neck Williams. I'm trying to think of
all of the great Chicago White Sox at my era,
and I'm thinking, well, he'd have been about nineteen twenty.
He could have been off to Villanova. By the way,
he isn't an odd we have a pope that went
to Villanova. It's crazy, right read Do you feel that's
(06:06):
from your neck of the nape? Isn't it a little south?
A little south? But yeah, I realized my Latin is
and what he used to be. And then for those
of us, for those of you living in Tulsa where
I once lived twenty years ago, at one time he
was a priest at Casha Hall, a private school in
the Utica Square area of tuls Oklahoma. I mean, all
(06:26):
these ties are for pope, And so I started thinking, Nah,
he had to be a Cubs fan. Back then, I
mean that's Ernie Banks era. That's so Originally Wrigley Field
posts a congratulation and it just kind of starts spreading
he's a Cubs fan. He's a Cubs fan. Later it's
made clear, No, he's a Chicago White Sox fan. But
(06:50):
let's talk about the important things. Obviously, a first American
pope in two thousand years, what does that mean? What's
that influence going to be? All? Righthere? Does he stand?
He was appointed a cardinal obviously by Francis. Is he
in liigned with Francis? And there's a lot of question marks,
(07:11):
things like global warming probably put a check by he's
with him, not so fast on women being ordained as deacons,
and not so fast on LGBTQ. So remember what we
had said. And again, I'm a non Catholic, so I
(07:31):
feel very uncomfortable saying this. But what I would wish
for my Catholic brothers and sisters, what I wish for
the Christendom as a whole, is someone with the spirit
of Francis, the humility and spirit and love for all,
and focus on loving people and forwarding the gospel. But
(07:54):
a return to more sound doctrine, and probably less tricks politics,
if you know what I mean. And I think that's
exactly what the cardinals gave you, things that people pointed
out quickly or struck people quickly. He didn't come out
in the by the way, do we know red yet?
(08:15):
If he chose to go to the traditional cabel was
a traditional he wore the traditional guards, well, I know that.
But did he live in the traditional pope chamber as
opposed to what Francis did? I don't know that either.
We have to look. My guess is he did, and
he came out in the red full. So a return
(08:35):
to formality, even though approachable, even though personable, a return
to formality, a little return to center doctrinely, and I
think what most people think is maybe a quieter pope.
And I think when we say quieter, what we mean
(08:57):
is let's not get so politically involved. So I think,
you know, when you're splitting hairs, it's easy. I think.
I think Pope Francis offended a lot of people, taking
a strong stance and what he thought was welcoming the poor,
welcoming the immigrants, but of course in reality you're talking
(09:20):
about illegal immigrants, and in some cases rapist murderers, killers,
drug addicts, traffickers, human traffickers, drug traffickers, and so for
a lot of people in the West, we're like, well,
I notice you're in a guarded Vatican city. Easy for
you to say, why don't you take a few? I
don't think you're going to see when I say, quieter, Pope,
I think this person's going to be just as loving,
(09:45):
just as embracing, but doctrinately tightened up. And I think
quieter on very divisive political issues, and quite frankly, are
the very things Jesus didn't get tied up in Asparabbus.
So I don't know. I think you know the notion
(10:06):
I went to you know earlier, I went to bed thinking, well,
I got a pope that might be checking the cup
score just like me. Isn't that strange? And then we
find out, Nah, he's a socks the bucks a score
please he I want to play for you? Coming up
at five point thirty. His brother And again, you know,
(10:27):
Pope Leo is really Bobby, and Bobby had an older brother,
And why do you hear Bobby's older brother talk about
I mean, what would that be like? I don't know
my brother acts very proud of me for this show
going national. I don't really think much about it. He's
still my big brother. I can't I can't even live
up to his shadow, but I can't imagine what it's
(10:48):
like and way to hear the words to grow up
around Robert, you know, find him to be kind of
a you know, strange godly kid. He used to call
him Holy Robert ends up a priest, ends up a bishop,
ends up a cardinal. But I mean, I think from
(11:09):
the lens of the brother, you're watching television like the
rest of us, and there's a smoke, and then there's
a cardinal, and then you hear your name and that
your brother is the pope. That's just got to be
out of body. So the papal conclave took two days,
four votes. The cardinals voted for Roberto Francis Prevost. He
(11:32):
takes the name Pope Leo the fourteenth. The Catholic Church
as AAA Sean Deffy came out with some more specifics
about the massive investment in our country's air traffic control system,
and somebody's gonna be flying quite a bit in the
next four weeks. My first question is how quickly. Can
we get this implemented? They got it? Don't fly Frontier Airlines.
(11:52):
That's a little taste here if you need it. Actually,
our best sound of the day we cannot play for
you today, but I could get on a plane and
fly to see Adeline end up in jail. What I
saw these Antifa punk punks due to a disabled elderly
woman is the most enraging, one of the most enraging.
(12:12):
I mean, losing basic respect for elders, but the vile,
filthy words that were coming out of their mouth. I
don't know why none of those cops turned around and
arrested them, especially when they started wishing her death and dying.
I mean, I don't know what point, you know, but
they took her to her car. I can't even play
you that audio, but I do have other audio. In
(12:36):
our Sounds of the day, we do a spotlight interview
of the week, and I have chosen it for your enjoyment.
Coming up right after you hear from the Pope's brother,
and that's in about fifteen minutes later in the show,
Mother's Days around the Corner. But to get Mom, what
do we all get? Mom? We got it all covered
for you. John Decker, tariffs are working. President Trump is
getting what he wanted. We'll have more on that. Of course,
(12:58):
it's Friday. That can only mean Friday with forty seven.
The point is, okay, a lot to cover in three hours.
It's a big, big show. You miss a little, you'll
miss a lot. If you miss a lot, we'll miss you.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
It's your morning show with Michael del Chno.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
He reads a little low edge this morning, isn't it.
He just asked a simple questions Friday. I mean I
got kicked out a catechism for wearing my brother's T shirt,
which is really his fault. I didn't know what a
girl getting out of a truck. It's meant hasn't had
a day off since, like last Octo. I'm still upset
Pizza Bala didn't Well, I know I was upset over
Pizza Balatio, although I was a little uncomfortable having a
(13:37):
pope with a goate, but that's just me.
Speaker 3 (13:41):
No.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
The question was asked, why do they take a name?
And I think it's it's symbolic in other words of that,
it's kind of morphed over the years in that you
know you can take the name Leo, what what did
Pope Leo the first take Leo for probably modeling something
after Leo Leo? He? Now, I don't know, and I
(14:02):
would presume that for Cardinal Privos, who I will now
call Pope Leo, he chose to be Pope Leo the
fourteenth because of his admiration for Pope Leo the thirteenth
and what he stood for the working class, everyday man.
But what Jeffrey asked specifically that I didn't have the
answer to, was is there an original list? Now it's
(14:23):
portrayed in the movie Conclave as every cardinal, deep down,
and I don't think this is true, has an aspiration
to be pope, And at some points laid in bed
at night and said, well, if I'm ever pope, I'm
taking the name, and I would take Paul. For example.
Paul is my just personally, I'm of a Paulinian theology.
(14:47):
He's my favorite of the apostles. If not Paul, then
probably John. But so they pick names like that, but
when you get to like Leo's and some of the
other ones, it's usually more about that pope. But all right,
so Red's googling his fingers off in a terrible mood.
I might add, and being very disrespectful to the host
(15:09):
as he doesn't you know, I'll remind you guys, got
a torn achilles tendon. I fell in a hole on
a golf course and reconcussed to myself there's something up
with my thyroid, which I don't have and haven't had
since I was twenty five. But I'm near every day.
Do I ever complain until just now. You're just guilted
as you don't bring any of that stuff up until
(15:29):
somebody gets testy, and then all of a sudden you
go to the well. You never get testy, but Red
has been very testy. Has Red's Tiredn't I know? I
think it's over. He's holding up the launch of of
the website. I think it's bothering him. It's tired or
is it just tired? He's tired. He's got a lot
going on. You're surrounded by a lot of alcohol. I
got news he just turned sick. Take a nip or two,
(15:52):
you need it all right. We got as older than dirt.
He would choose the name Pope four roses.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
This is Deebo Morris from our little town of Franklin, Tennessee.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
My morning show is your morning show with Michael Dell Jorneo.
Hey gang, it's me Michael. You can listen to your
morning show live. Make us a part of your morning
routine or your drive to work companion on great stations
like Talk Radio ninety eight point three and fifteen ten
WLAC in Nashville, Tupelo's News and Talk one to one
(16:27):
point one and ten sixty WKMQ, and how about Talk
six fifty KSTE and Sacramento, California. Love to have you
listen live, but are grateful you're here now for the podcast.
Enjoy you know. My goal for every Friday is for
us to have fun. I mean, you just can't beat
yourself over the head an entire week. Laughter work with
(16:48):
like a medicine, and I have certainly taken several doses
this morning. I don't even know if our spotlight interview
is going to happen. There's been a lot happening, but
we did have one serious conversation off the year. He
was one percent. Now, when you do the casino websites,
they put percentages to it, so he was sixty six
to one. As you heard, are sports book analyst, A big,
(17:10):
big job from the Your Morning Sham Sports Book. When
you have a long shot like this that usually takes
like Pope John Paul the second thirteen fourteen votes, you know,
usually at first when everybody saw the smoke and we went,
oh my gosh, day two, fourth vote, it's going to
(17:35):
be one of the top five, because that's the only
way you can get there that fast. That's the unanswered question,
and maybe the most fascinating unanswered question. We'll never get
an answer to. How did somebody sixty six to one,
How did somebody with one percent let it go let
alone a metagammte which has never happened before in four
(17:56):
votes rise to the top. I don't have an answer,
So for that, perhaps the most encouraging I can say
is other than the Holy Spirit. So that's a very
interesting one. Now, everybody else, get your immaturity out of
the way, Like Corey the yard Boy, a new pope
got picked quicker than Shador Sanders. I mean, get it
(18:19):
all out of the way, all right, this is the
stuff I'm getting this morning. Good gracious, that's hurtful. And
then I set up this big, you know, because I
think this is a first of all, this is an
opportunity to be the most relatable pope in American history.
Why he's from America's gonna be that's gonna make it special.
I mean, when you think of the pope being he
(18:39):
grew up, what was he listening to WLS? Did he
watch Boso Buckets like I did? Did he do a
boogie check with John Records? Come on, you know, I mean,
believe it or not, the Pope was walking around Villanova University.
I mean, this has a lot of our head spinning.
And then Jeffrey leans at the microphone and goes, hey,
do you think he called his brother and said, hey,
(19:00):
get ma turn on the television. I am a surprise
for you. This is what I deal with off the air.
You're never gonna believe this time. And I'm the one
that got kicked out of Catechism anyway, I thought, out
of everything, this is what I wanted to share with
everybody early in the morning. Again, I'm not Catholic, and
I mean no disrespect, nothing but respect. And I am
(19:24):
a part of the Christendom. So your pope matters to me.
And it's a little strange for me because he looks
just like my friend Kurt Kohn. In fact, I could
send you both pictures and you'll freak out. Kurt works
at the Mercedes Benz dealership here in Cool Springs in Franklin, Tennessee,
and he looks just like Kurt. And let me tell
(19:45):
you something, Kurt is one of the kindest, godliest, wonderful
men I've ever met. So right away I have feelings
towards this pope that are really my Kurt feelings. Gotcha
towards the pope. But we're all relating to this pope.
And then I thought, well, this is ever happened before.
The Pope's got a brother, an older brother who lives
in Florida. What would it be like to find out
(20:11):
your brother's the pope? Now the minute you become a cardinal,
I guess it's out there, but you still don't think
it's gonna happen. I was never competitive with my brothers
because I really kind of saw us all as three
survivors of a very dysfunctional childhood and we just got
out together. You know. I was blind to one brother
(20:34):
or maybe both, being a little bit competitive, and I
just didn't get any of that. There's no competitiveness here,
But if there were, it's over Robert one. He's the pope. Right,
But I thought this and I'll shut up so you
can enjoy it. I thought this was maybe one of
the most special things I heard yesterday. Here's a Cardinal
(20:55):
prevos older brother in Florida telling the story of how
he found out his brother is now Leo.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
He was lying in bed. My wife called and said,
white smoke, white smoke. So I turned the TV on
watched the whites Man. It took him almost an hour
till late and when the cardinal came out and we're
all waiting and he goes and he mentioned Roberto.
Speaker 1 (21:15):
I knew right away, and.
Speaker 3 (21:17):
I just it's like, if I had not been in
bed standing up, I might have collected, because it's like
totally unexpected. You know, it's like there's the first American pope.
That was a strike against him. He's young, two strikes,
but he's got a lot of worldwide experience in his
previous poets. So when we were little kids, we used
to I used to raise Cane with my two younger
(21:40):
brothers all the time. But he was always the holy
one and I as we used to tease him, you're
going to be pope someday. You're too holy. What do
you want to be and you know, joking, ribbing, and
when he went into the seminary, it's like, oh wow, okay.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
And then.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
A couple of years ago, when the Pope made him
a cardinal, it's like, this could happen.
Speaker 1 (22:04):
Holy Cow and Holy Cow in the name of Harry Carey,
Holy Cow. As a White Sox fan, it happened that.
I just thought that was beautiful. I mean, just can
you imagine You're sitting in Florida and your younger brother, Roberto.
I didn't know Roberto. I was like Robert, Robert, and then
(22:24):
I heard Prevosts and the name rang a Bell. I
remember the name, and I scrolled quickly to the face
and it's the American second Day fourth vote. White Smoke
appears the two hundred and sixty seventh Pope, taking the
name Leo the fourteenth Coldonel Robert Francis Prevost of Chicago, Illinois,
(22:45):
a Southsider by way of Villanova University. And that was
his older brother sharing where he was and what he
was doing when he heard the news America the world
has a new pope and America has its first ever pope.
All right, we started doing this. I don't know how
much of this, we're gonna be able to play I
think pretty good bit of it. But anyway, we do
(23:06):
a spotlight interview because he's normally happened later in the show.
So for you, the Platinum card listeners, we want to
give you a chance to hear it. Everybody loved the
character Tony Soprano and the series The Sopranos. The actor
behind it, James Gandolphini. He went by Jim. So when
a historian and an author writes the book Gandolphini, Jim,
(23:26):
Tony and the Life of a Legend, I think it's
time we all get introduced to the real Jim. And
so we had the pleasure of being joined by Jason Bailey,
and we told him right away we loved the title
of the book.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
He wasn't and that from what everyone I talked to
told me almost immediately, was that Jim, and that that
was what his friends knew him as was Jim. That
Jim was one hundred and eighty degrees from Tony, and
so that sort of became the entry point for me
and figuring out how to write the book. Was okay,
who was Jim? Who was Tony? What was the gulf
(23:59):
between them? And when and how how much did it
sort of expand and contract over the course of his liays.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
I know, you used a lot of things research, original reporting,
then you sat down with friends and collaborators. But in
all the documentaries and things that I have seen, or
even in just interviews, that's the problem. Everybody loves Tony Soprano,
wants to meet Tony Soprano, and they meet Jim and
he is completely different. He was so laid back, he
(24:28):
so few words. There was nothing excitable about him. That's
part of the.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Legend though, isn't it It is it becomes that yes,
you know, and and on top of all of that,
the challenge for the biographer also is that he didn't
like doing interviews.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
Yeah, didn't like talking about himself. So he didn't leave
me a lot to go on. You know.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
I really did have to have to really probe the
memories of those who knew him, who worked with him,
and the sort of very few people he let get
close to him. You know, Steve Schirippa told me, he
said he's he was a big you know, music love
in Birkenstock wearing hippie dude, and that's just not the
image that you conjure up when you think of Tony soprano.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
Oh, well, let's start with jim Italian family. I can
relate to that New Jersey, Upstate Ney or close enough.
Would you learn about the childhood of James Caandelphini that
led to the man Jim.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
The thing that's important to understand about him from the
beginning that I think informed his entire worldview was that
he came from very much a working class background. You know,
his father was born in Italy, his mother was born
here but spent her childhood in Italy, So it was
very much a son of immigrants sort of thing. They
instilled in him a really strong work ethic, and when
(25:44):
you talk about working class like.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
That was the way he lived his life.
Speaker 4 (25:49):
That working class ethos informed how he treated people when
he was on set, how he treated those that he
worked with, he saw them as his collaborators, and the
sort of generosity that he exhibited throughout his life. Dre
de Matteo told me that she says that she thought
that a part of him really thought he didn't deserve
the kind of financial success that he had as a
(26:10):
working class son of immigrants, and so that was a
huge part of why he shared what he made with
everyone around him.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
That's something you hear a lot of. Jason Bailey is
the author and historian Gandolfini. Jim Tony and the Life
of a Legend is a new book. I highly recommend
you get it everywhere great books are sold. Very generous man.
I was influenced at a young age. My dad's best
friend later became my best friend before he died. And
that's the one thing I took from sam Lespiza. Generosity,
(26:38):
And that's the kind of stories you hear about Jim.
He was just just generosity. Look it up in the dictionary.
You ought to see his face and you go, tony soprano. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:48):
No.
Speaker 4 (26:49):
The most sort of famous and accurate example of that
sort of generosity was that going into the fifth season,
there was a big salary renegotiation.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
It was all over the tablets.
Speaker 4 (27:00):
People at HBO were sort of talking smack about him
and for the demands that they were making, the increase
to his value, to his genuine value to that show.
And after a lot of sort of haggling, he finally
got a nice raise.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
The first day back.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
After he got that raise, he called each member of
the supporting cast into his trailer one by one, handed
each of them a check for thirty six thousand dollars
and said thank you for standing by me, like basically
spent the bonus on the rest of the cast because
it was more about the principle than the money. It
was more about the principle than the money. And also
it was about a negotiating power that he knew he
(27:37):
had that they didn't, and that was always the plan
with that money, you know. And again also swore all
of them to secrecy, and no one told that story.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
Until after he passed.
Speaker 4 (27:49):
Like he wasn't doing it for good publicity, he wasn't
doing it for likes on Instagram. He was doing it
as an honest, genuine gesture to the people he worked with.
Speaker 1 (27:57):
Here's what I love. Nobody really knows about James Gandolphini's
career prior to Tony Soprano. He almost as if he
arrived on the scene as Tony Soprano, bigger than life, perfect,
polished character, I mean, at or above anything on Goodfellows,
and that's saying a lot with Peshi. But he did
(28:19):
have a career prior to that, So take us from
that Italian hard working work ethic to how does he
end up Tony Soprano and what's to be learned in
that journey.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
First of all, he starts acting in high school on
a lark. He starts doing it to meet girls and
turns out that he just had a natural gift. I
spoke to his drama teacher and she said when he
came into that first audition, it was just very clear this.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
See I heard writers get all the girls no no,
So it gets an everything to meet the girls. How
Tony soprano of him? And then where does he go
from there?
Speaker 4 (28:53):
He goes to Rutgers University at the insistence of his
immigrant parents, the first man in his family to go
to college, and does not do anything there. They have
a wonderful theater program that he doesn't take advantage of
because he feels that a career in the arts is foolish,
is something that his working class parents won't abide. That
he has to go into a sensible line of work.
He needs to be a businessman or something. But what
(29:14):
happens is while he was at Rutgers, there was a
young woman, his girlfriend, who died in a car accident
at twenty two and it absolutely wrecked him. Her name
was lyn Jacobson, and he dedicated later one of his
Emmys to her, and he said in that speech, she
made me want to be an actor. And what he
meant by that was that was his realization that life
was too short to live your life for anyone else,
(29:37):
and that he had this dream and he was going
to pursue it.
Speaker 1 (29:39):
So he moves to New York. He lives the life
of a struggling actor.
Speaker 4 (29:42):
For many, many years off off off Broadway shows, two
man plays for twelve people in the audience, that sort
of thing, and then he lands this showcase supporting role
in True Romance from nineteen ninety three, directed by Tony
Scott and written by a then unknown writer named Quentin Tarantino. Right,
and he has this small but incredibly memorable role and
(30:06):
a couple of scenes with Patricia Arquette which are which
sort of seared themselves into the memory of anyone who
saw it. And then spent the rest of the nineties
as a character actor, as a hired gun. He'd come
in and he'd do a few scenes, usually as a
tough guy, but he would make an impression and he
would leave, and.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
That was sort of and then he became Tony Soprano
and the rest was history. Boy, if you enjoyed that interview,
and that was only half of it, you're gonna love
meeting Jim. Yeah. I know you love the character Tony Soprano.
I know you love the show The Sopranos, but there's
an equally wonderful person behind that role, James Gandolphiniump with
(30:46):
the name of Jim. You need to meet him. Get
the book Gandolphini Jim Tony The Life of a Legend.
Our spotlight interview and great work writing that by Jason Bailey.
This is your Morning Show with Michael True.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
About two weeks ago, I just started watching my DVD
collection of The Sopranos, and I forgot how much I
thoroughly enjoyed that show.
Speaker 5 (31:10):
So it's so nice to hear from the author.
Speaker 1 (31:12):
Keep up to good work, buddy.
Speaker 7 (31:13):
So On a side note, Big John's son was in
a couple of episodes of The Sopranos. He said Tony
was an absolute king on the set. On Fridays he
would bring an ice cream truck in and also the
dizzy scene. When Tony was busy, he would hit on
his cigae and they would spin him around.
Speaker 1 (31:33):
I didn't know Big John Sun was on soprano for
the longest time. People say, you're Italian, you got to
watch Sopranos. I didn't watch Sopranos till like about four
two and a half years ago. And I will tell
you I put it above Goodfellows. I think I put
it above The Godfather. It's just a masterpiece. It's just
the greatest. You are going to love, love, love the book.
So yes, go ahead and get it. And I would
(31:54):
like Red and Jeffrey to know if I ever have
to renegotiate with Premiere to get a raise, I will
share thirty six dollars with both of you in problem.
Oh it's thirty six. By that, I mean President Trump
is congratulating the first ever American born pope. He spoke
(32:15):
to reporters outside the White House. Already spoken to us,
and we'll see what happens. But again, to have the
book Trump the United States of America, that's a great honor.
That's a great honor. Yeah, that he looks forward to
meeting Popo Leo the fourteenth. Trump went on to say
that it will be a very meaningful moment I'm Mark Mayfield.
The First Lady, Milania Trump says the birth of a
child is a life changing event and that makes women invincible,
(32:39):
and she's encouraging mothers to prioritize their well being. Lisa
Taylor reports.
Speaker 6 (32:43):
The First Lady made the remarks during her public appearance
for a Mother's Day reception at the White House aimed
at recognizing military moms. She reflected on the birth of
her son Baron and noted the unimaginable, unpredictable concerns and
trials that she's experienced in motherhood. The First Lady previously
hosted similar her Mother's Day events throughout her husband's first
term in office.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
I'm Hesa Taylor. There is and David Dean. I and
I determined it's the second worst thing that could be
said to you. There's an old Italian expression, Oh he's
too much, she's too much. You don't want to be
too much. I always found Janine Piro too much, But
now Donald Trump, he just tapped her as the interim
US Attorney General in our nation's capital.
Speaker 5 (33:24):
Pierro is a former judge and district attorney in New
York Westchester County. Trump made the announcement in a post
on True Social on Thursday, after replacing Ed Martinez's nominee
earlier in the day. Martin had struggled to get the
supporting needed to be confirmed. Pierro is a longtime ally
of Trump and had been among those pushing voting conspiracy
(33:48):
theories following his twenty twenty election loss. I'm Sarah Lee Kissing.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
It was one of country music's biggest nights. And whenever
I talked country music, I talk in syllables like all
the country music DJs. Two big night for Lany Wilson
being named Entertainer of the Year for the second year
in a row at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Wilson took the top honors at the sixtieth ACM Awards
held last night in Texas. Everything's bigger there. She also
(34:18):
won Female Artist of the Year Album of the Year
for her album Whirlwind. And how About There's two great
Alan Jackson's I've met One's a pastor in Murphy's Borough,
one of the greatest men I've ever met. And Alan Jackson,
the singer getting the Lifetime Achievement Award, had the good
fortune of meeting him. What a Treasure. Congratulations to all
our winners at the ACMs. We're all in this together.
(34:39):
This is Your Morning Show with Michael Nhild Journo
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