>Chase hates and despises Tony Soprano. It is
>in every episode of the show. And it is a big joke that so many people love
>the character. I also thinks he hates the kind of Italian American I grew
>up with.
I think this is a little off. Chase was largely drawing on his own family in the writing. There's a nice long interview in Vanity Fair that's online now where he talks a lot about the themes in the show and also about television vs. movies, which is what he wanted to do before getting into television to pay the bills. Here's an excerpt:
>The pilot script would be a highly personal
>story stitched together with bits and pieces of
>fabric from Chase's own life. "Network dramas
>have not been personal," he reflects. "I don't
>know very many writers who have been cops,
>doctors, judges, presidents, or any of thatand,
>yet, that's what everybody writes about:
>institutions. The courthouse, the schoolhouse,
>the precinct house, the White House. Even though
>it's a Mob show, The Sopranos is based on
>members of my family. It's about as personal as you can get."
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/04/sopranos200704?currentPage=2