Tag Archives: Pod Yourself A Gun

305: “Another Toothpick” with Jay Gordon

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Matt and Vince are joined by Sopranos twitter luminary and fsckd podcast host Jay Gordon (@jaydestro) to talk about one of his favorite episodes of the Sopranos, season 3 episode 5, Another Toothpick. Not only did Jay watch the episode in preparation for the show, he took notes and he’s not afraid to refer to them. Jay understands rule #1 of Pod Yourself a Gun: when you want respect from the pod, you give respect to the pod.

Like an Am/Pm on the Jersey turnpike, this episode has too much good stuff and a bunch of guidos. Carmela and Dr. Melfi finally meet face-to-face during a couples counseling session, Tony is bad in a familiar way (racism), good in an unexpected way (gives a dying man a sense of purpose), and Bobby Bacala Sr. takes Mustang Sally for one last ride with a Marb Red. On top of all that, we get Artie Buco’s disastrous friendzone-cementing dinner with Adriana. The scene is discussed at length in 2020 without a single utterance of the word simp, and someone deserves a Whitman’s Sampler for that restraint.

The star of the episode is a toss-up between Burt Young as Bobby Bacala Sr. and Artie Buco’s divorced-guy earring (he’s had it for years – he just doesn’t wear it a lot). Tell us your choice in a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts.

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303: “Fortunate Son” With Carey O’Donnell

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This week on Pod Yourself A Gun, Matt and Vince welcome television writer and co-host of the Sexy Unique Podcast Carey O’Donnell (@ecareyo) to the pod to discuss episode 3 of season 3 of the Sopranos “Fortunate Son” – an episode in which Chris gets made.

“Fortunate Son” marks the beginning of what I would consider to be the gabbagool age of the Sopranos, which is the same as a golden age but better. In this episode, Chris gets made and struggles with the increased responsibilities, Tony discovers that much of his panic attacks are meat-based, AJ struggles with feelings of being a real dumdum, and Janice straight up steals Svetlana’s prosthetic leg in order to get back musical theater records. It’s a fantastic episode in the middle of a monumental season. See, sometimes we actually LIKE the Sopranos. Oh and Chrissy robs a Jewel concert in a Scream mask. Fucking epic.

Anyway, please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and/or wherever you get your podcasts.

302: “Proshai, Livushka” With Brodie Reed

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Sopranos season three continues on Pod Yourself A Gun this week with a discussion of “Proshai, Livushka,” episode 302 and the second part of a two-episode premiere that originally aired March 4th, 2001. Our guest this week is Brodie Reed (named a “best up-and-coming comedian” by Vulture), host of the Dark Weeb and Male Gaze podcasts.

Brodie joins your regular hosts Matt Lieb from Newsbroke/AJ+ and Vince Mancini from Uproxx/FilmDrunk to discuss arguably the greatest Sopranos episode there is. In this episode (SPOILERS TO FOLLOW, DO NOT @ ME) Livia dies, we meet both Svetlana the gruff nurse and Noah Tenenbaum, Meadow’s film buff pseudo boyfriend, help AJ with his Robert Frost assignment, and try to understand Christopher’s position on fingerprints at a truly epic funeral for Livia (where Janice, against all odds, once again monopolizes the conversation). We tend to love the funny episodes and this one is surely one of the funniest.

I absolutely love this episode of the Sopranos (whaddya gonna do? …at least she didn’t suffer) and I hope you love this Pod Yourself A Gun episode just as much. Nay, twice as much. In fact if you don’t love it, maybe you should get some therapy.

As always, please leave us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts and/or wherever you get your podcasts.

301: “Mr. Ruggiero’s Neighborhood”

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We open season three of Pod Yourself A Gun discussing the season three premiere of The Sopranos. Mr. Ruggiero’s Neighborhood, the 27th episode of The Sopranos, originally premiered on March 4, 2001, as the first part of a two-part season premiere, directed by Allen Coulter and written by series creator David Chase.

In the Season Three premiere, Agent Harris and his team concoct an elaborate new plan to wiretap the Soprano home now that Pussy is singing with the fishes instead of for the feds.

This episode is a bit of a meta look at the FBI as they, essentially, watch The Sopranos. Ay, da FBI is just like us! It includes the introduction of a braless tennis instructor from Iceland and a mash-up of The Police and Henry Mancini that, curiously, seems to be the main character of the entire episode. It’s full of extremely on-the-nose music throughout.

BADA B STORIES

-The FBI is buggin’
-Patty Parisi is chuggin’
-Tony is thuggin’
-Meadows roommate needs a huggin’
-AJ is shruggin’
-Waterheater is fuggin’… up

TRIVIA

The actor who plays Patsy Parisi teaches math and computer science at a community college now.

“Ruggerio” is a shout out to Angelo Ruggerio, who had his house bugged by the FBI and accidentally brought down the mafia

We hope you love it, and please don’t forget to give us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. 

213: SEASON FINALE “Funhouse” with Nelini Stamp

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Hello my dear podsiglieries. The season finale of Pod Yourself A Gun season 2 is here, which means Matt and Vince watched the season finale of Sopranos season 2. Curious how that works, isn’t it? This week, Matt and Vince welcome activist and Working Families Party organizer Nelini Stamp to the virtual Bada Bing (a zoom call) to discuss the end of Big Pussy, food poisoning, and much more. Hope you enjoy and we’ll see you in season 3! GABAGOOL!

Also, please don’t forget to give us a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, and remember “our true enemy has yet to reveal himself.”

EPISODE NOTES–

S2E13 Funhouse

Premiered April 9, 2000

SYNOPSIS

In the Season Two finale, Tony has a series of ‘fever dreams’ that help to shed light on some of his problems–particularly his troubles over Big Pussy.

BADA B STORIES

-Pussy sleeps with the fishes

-Tony sick from two dishes

-Artie Defends his delicious

-Jersey sells phony minutes

-Carm wears mink from the riches

-Livia flies with her sis’s

-FBI creep cuz their vicious

-Meadow graduates high school

BADA C STORIES (AKA THE LAST 14 GODDAMN MINUTES)

-Livia gets caught

-Tony gets arrested

-Tony gets out

-Melfi gets real w Tony

-Meadow gets a degree

-Chris gets his button

-Scatino says bye

208: Full Leather Jacket, with Karl Hess

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Hey, everyone, it’s time for your favorite Sopranos podcast ever, Pod Yourself A Gun. The world’s ONLY Sopranos podcast (that’s not hosted by a former cast member nor by people who respect prestige TV). This week Vince and Matt are joined by comedian, podcaster, Cooking Channel TV show host and huge Sopranos fan Karl Hess as they discuss Sopranos season 2 episode 8 (208) “Full Leather Jacket.” AKA the most Seinfeld-ass episode of the Sopranos of all time. It’s mostly about how Richie Aprile gives Tony a jacket as a gift and Tony insults him by not wearing the jacket. Seriously, that’s like the biggest storyline in the episode. It’s bizarre and forgettable and a pleasure to talk about with Karl. Here is a bit more info on the episode.

SYNOPSIS:

“Although Richie is miffed at Tony for forcing him to build a ramp for the pizza-parlor owner he paralyzed, he decides to make a peace offering. Unhappy with their lowly status as Christopher’s lackeys, Sean and Matt decide to pledge their allegiance to Richie–through a violent, unexpected act.”

BADA B STORIES

-Richie wants to give Tony a jacket
-Meadow wants to go to Berkeley
-Carm wants a letter of rec to Georgetown for Meadow
-Matt and Shawn want respect
-Chris wants to marry Adrianna
-Tony wants Richie to build a ramp for Beansy

We hope you enjoy it! And please remember to give us a review and 5 stars on the Apple podcast app.

206: The Happy Wanderer, with Sean Keane

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Hey everyone, hope you are having a great time locked in quarantine for the foreseeable future. Luckily for you, this means you get to enjoy some more of your favorite Sopranos podcast. This week, we invited Sean Keane (Roundball Rock podcast) to watch season 2, episode 6 “The Happy Wanderer” – which is Tony’s succinct little pet name describing all the obliviously joyful people he wants to murder.

This episode introduces us to David Scatino, the father of Meadow’s friend Eric and a local sporting good store proprietor who went to high school with Tony Soprano. David uses his high school connections with Tony in order to get a seat at the “executive game” where he ends up 45 boxes of ziti in the hole. Meanwhile, Meadow and Eric are rehearsing for cabaret night at their school and Meadow desperately wants to sing a solo rather than a duet.

Other Bada B-stories include:

-Tony is taking JRs executive card game

-Tony learns he had a retarded uncle name Hercules

-Chris cheats the fish market

-Richie gets put in his place by Tony

-Janice is pulling a Livia w Richie

 

It’s a fantastic episode of the Sopranos and an even more fantastic episode of Pod Yourself A Gun.

205: Big Girls Don’t Cry, With Rafael Shimunov

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Hot off “Commendatori” last week, in which the gang traveled to Italy, the show introduced Furio, and we were treated to arguably the best Paulie Walnuts episode of the show, this week brings us an incredible Christopher episode.

In “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” originally aired February 13, 2000, Chris Moltisante has been signed up (by his girlfriend, Adriana) for a class called “acting for writers,” in which the teacher immediately informs the class that “the actor is an instrument for conveying ideas.”

As funny as Paulie in Italy was, Christopher in acting class might be even funnier, whether it’s crushing at improv, expanding his range with James Dean, or getting offended by the mere sight of one of his classmates’ dumb faces (could you blame him? Mitch from Hartsdale is the worst). Is David Chase better at making fun of therapy or at making fun of the arts? Meanwhile, Furio has come to America, Big Pussy has been passed over, and Richie Aprile has moved into Tony’s mom’s house with his sister, Janice. Once again, this is one of my favorite episodes and it ends with an all-time great tracking shot scene of Furio unleashing strangely humorous ultra-violence.

To help us discuss it all, we have this week’s guest, Rafael Shimunov, from JFREJ (Jews for Racial and Economic Justice) and The Jewish Vote. I hope he loves our dumb theme song! As always, you can email us at Frotcast@Gmail.com, leave us a voicemail at (+1) 415 275 0030, and support the show by becoming a patron at Patreon.com/Frotcast.

204: Commendatori, With Drew Magary Formerly Of Deadspin

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And we’re back! Pod Yourself A Gun: A Sopranos Podcast has returned from our self-imposed hiatus to discuss episode four of season two (204), “Commendatori.” Or, as it’s known in It’s Always Sunny naming convention, “The Gang Goes To Italy.”

Joining us for this episode is columnist/writer/author Drew Magary, formerly of Deadspin, currently of GenMag and Vice. Drew was a semi-regular guest on our other podcast, the FilmDrunk Frotcast, though this is the first time we’ve had him on since his brain exploded and he almost died, and since his company got bought by private equity ghouls and the entire staff quit in protest.

2019 was an eventful year for Drew! But mostly he’s just here to discuss “Commendatori,” one of my personal favorite episodes of Sopranos. Reportedly this episode was one of David Chase’s least favorite (even though he wrote it) and in fact it was the first (and only) episode Chase brought up in this 2019 interview when asked if there were any episodes he wishes he could do over. Apparently he thought Sofia Milos was too sexy as the mob boss.

Whatever the case, I love this episode (I made an entire dish based on it for this cooking challenge), partly because the episode is peak Pauly Walnuts. Here he’s been basing basically his entire life and persona on this idea of coming from Italy and being Italian and then he finally goes there and the food is weird and the people are kind of rude and everyone thinks he’s a dumb asshole.

When he sees the old man on the waterfront and says, “Commendatori, buongiorno!” and the old man asks “Are you with NATO? You cut our ski lift cable,” (in Italian, which Pauly can’t really understand) it’s one of the best moments in the entire series.

It’s also the first time we meet Furio, and it opens with a car jacking scene in which the actor who plays the annoying rich kid went on to write Pan and Wonder Woman.

As always, if you like the show, leave us a review, and maybe even throw us a few bucks on Patreon. If you don’t, well, va fongool.

Pod Yourself A Gun 14: Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist’s Office

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In episode 14, season one of The Sopranos is over and season 2 begins!

“Season Two opens with the aftermath of the federal crackdown: Junior’s in jail, Melfi refuses to see Tony, Christopher’s expanding into new business ventures, Pussy is still missing…and Tony’s adjusting to life as the new boss. To complicate matters even more, Tony’s free-spirited sister Janice arrives to take care of Livia.”

In “Guy Walks Into A Psychiatrist’s Office,” which originally premiered January 16th, 2000, sees Tony making nice with Big Pussy, Christopher running a pump and dump scheme while getting deeper into heroin, and the first appearance of Aida Turturro as Tony’s sister Janice, one of the all-time great TV characters and very triggering according to Matt. I think we all know at least one Janice.

It’s also the first time we meet Matt Bevilaqua, played by Lillo Brancato Jr., previously of A Bronx Tale, who would go on to do eight years in prison for his part in a botched burglary during which an off-duty police officer was killed. That’s pretty dark, but the important thing to remember is that this episode is full of important trivia, some of which we remember. Give it a listen or va fongool.