The Many Saints of Newark....prequel to the Sopranos... (2 Viewers)

Brad...
thank you very much...
I had no idea it was such a long article and how much work was involved in doing this...
I will read it...
thanks!
 
Michael,

No problem. It wasn’t too too difficult. Hope you (and others) enjoy reading the article.

Brad
 
Brad...
thanks again...
interesting view on what they tried to convey with all the subtle nuances from Gandolfini's view of declining America and the Mafia...
I look back at some scenes he referenced and others I remembered and see what they were trying to illustrate...
a good example...Tony Sopranos disgusted view driving back through New Jersey after returning from Italy...
the look on his face after returning from the beautiful Motherland to his depressing life in America...

I remember going to the Hackensack show and taking a cab from the airport route to the show...
urban blight like I had never seen...a really ugly ride...
everywhere there were large vacated brick buildings decaying from neglect...
a very depressing view of New Jersey in what appeared a declining stage...
at least on that cab ride...
once into Hackensack...things looked better...but that was a depressing first glimpse of NJ...

didn't really understand the relevance of the title to what was actually written...
I expected a more in depth explanation of the title...
"Why Every Young Person in America is Watching the Sopranos"...
seemed like he got off track with the decline of America and the Mafia...

was New Jersey really like that?
I mean a home for the Mafia?
is that true?

I especially like his detailed explanation of why the Mafia and their means of "earning" declined with the new "Corporate America"...
the advent of bank vs loan sharks...the loss of Union control...the lotto killing the "Number's business"...casinos everywhere...etc...

thanks again for posting it...
 
What part of NJ did you go through. I’m sure there are some sections like that. The farther west you go the more rural the state comes. I live in NW NJ near Morristown and it’s not like that. However, when you drive east to go into NY it’s very industrial, especially as you leave Newark Airport.
 
jazzeum said:
What part of NJ did you go through. I’m sure there are some sections like that. The farther west you go the more rural the state comes. I live in NW NJ near Morristown and it’s not like that. However, when you drive east to go into NY it’s very industrial, especially as you leave Newark Airport.
Click to expand...

I'm sure there are very scenic lush landscaped areas in NJ...
Tony Soprano's neighborhood looked upscale...^&grin

but...
I flew into Newark Airport...got on I-95 via cab...drove east to Hackensack...
and on both sides of the highway...
it looked like an abandoned industrial area that was originally built with ease to shipping lanes (I-95) in mind...
I was amazed at all the uninhabited brick buildings/factories that were closed and left to decay...
I remember thinking it was an urban eyesore of what once was maybe a thriving area...

so...again I ask...did mobsters/Mafia have a somewhat large community in NJ?

I had always understood that NY real estate is so expensive...
a lot of people have always lived in NJ and commuted to NY for work/business...
 
I can’t say I’ve seen that; things may have improved since you were here last.

As to your Mafia question I really don’t know the answer.
 
jazzeum said:
I can’t say I’ve seen that; things may have improved since you were here last.

As to your Mafia question I really don’t know the answer.
Click to expand...

yea...that was a long time ago...probably 10 years...
we had a Mafia presence in Galveston many years ago...
the Maceo family...
one of them actually shot my father...

keep you eye on your neighbor...lol...
 
mikemiller1955 said:
yea...that was a long time ago...probably 10 years...
we had a Mafia presence in Galveston many years ago...
the Maceo family...
one of them actually shot my father...

keep you eye on your neighbor...lol...
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty bad. Hope it wasn’t fatal.
 
After you mentioned the shooting I looked it up and was going to ask you if Pete Miller was your father.
 
That’s a heck of a story. The Maceos sound like something out of The Godfather. Those days are over. Your father was lucky. Did he suffer any lingering effects?
 
Brad...

the bullet went through his forearm and upper arm...
shattering the bones in each...after healing and extensive rehab...
he could never fully straighten his arm and said it totally screwed up his golf swing...
truth be told...his swing was not a thing of beauty before he got shot...

My father ended up winning a lawsuit...
Mr. Maceo died before the trail...his defense pleaded insanity saying he wasn't libel for his actions...
but somehow Mr. Maceo's home owner's insurance was held libel...a pretty big settlement...
it's considered a textbook case in law schools now...
the case was also published on the front page of the WSJ...
 

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Michael, it sort of sounds funny now but at the time I will bet it wasn’t.
 
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