Many people hold Green Day’s landmark 1994 album Dookie near and dear to their little punk hearts. The late James Gandolfini of The Sopranos, as it turns out, may have been the biggest Dookie fan of them all.
Last week, after a fan online asked Sopranos co-star Michael Imperioli what kind of music Gandolfini enjoyed, Imperioli had one clear answer: Green Day. “[Gandolfini] would play the vinyl of Dookie in his trailer at work. Totally serious,” he shared. “No joke. He loved Green Day.”
There’s more. After the news broke, Imperioli reached out to Stereogum and shared more tales of Gandolfini’s love for Dookie. According to him, his late co-star went as far to name his dog and email address after the album.
“Gandolfini would also sing ‘Basket Case’ and make up his own lyrics about HBO and the writers and producers of The Sopranos,” Imperioli added. “Usually when he was feeling overworked and overexposed, and his lyrics would reflect that. Some of the more musical crew members would add a verse or two. Great fun.”
Gandolfini sadly passed away in 2013, but his memory—and passion for Green Day’s Dookie—will forever carry on.
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