“The Sopranos”’ Michael Imperioli Wrote a Novel That Sounds Like Lou Reed Fanfiction

The Perfume Burned His Eyes is a coming-of-age story about a teen boy who befriends Reed in the 1970s
Michael Imperioli Lou Reed
Michael Imperioli (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic), Lou Reed (Waring Abbott/Getty Images)

Michael Imperioli—a writer, director, and actor arguably best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti on “The Sopranos”—is releasing a coming-of-age novel where Lou Reed is one of the main characters. The Perfume Burned His Eyes is a first-person narrative that follows a teenage boy growing up in the late 1970s in New York City. After losing his father and grandfather, the protagonist Matthew moves from Queens to Manhattan with his mother; Lou Reed happens to be his neighbor, and the two develop a close friendship.

“The artistic-shamanic rocker eventually becomes an unorthodox father figure to Matthew,” the book’s description reads. Imperioli’s literary debut is available April 3 and features a blurb of approval from Joyce Carol Oates.

A book of unreleased poetry by Reed is also coming next month. Read “Embrace and Repel: Lou Reed's Chart History” on the Pitch.