Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso is a weekly series of intimate conversations with artists, activists, and politicians. Where people sound like people. Hosted by Sam Fragoso. New episodes every Sunday.

  • 1 hour 9 minutes
    What Can Be, Burdened By What Has Been (with Astead Herndon of NYT)

    It’s been a week. To help us through it, we’ve enlisted The New York Times political reporter Astead Herndon.

    We start with election night 2024 versus election night 2016 (6:35), what Astead discovered about the electorate reporting across the U.S. on his podcast The Run-Up (9:25), and how insider Democrats arrived at a second Biden run in 2023 (13:30). Then, we discuss politicians’ “lowercase racist” assumptions about Black and Latino voters (16:02), Herndon’s telling one on one interview with Vice President Harris (22:52), and the pervasive, nationwide sentiments that led to Donald Trump’s re-election (32:24).

    On the back-half: where the Harris campaign fell short in its messaging to voters (38:48), the rise of the “podcast election” (44:48), a revealing window into the Biden administration (47:35), how quickly “good intentions” can turn power corrupted (53:01), and why the Democratic party must remake itself (1:00:55) as we begin to move forward from this election (1:06:00).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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    10 November 2024, 9:00 am
  • 1 hour 44 seconds
    Ta-Nehisi Coates (‘The Message’) is Live in Los Angeles

    On the heels of his latest book The Message, author Ta-Nehisi Coates joins Sam for a conversation in Los Angeles.

    At the top, we discuss how his Atlantic piece The Case for Reparations guided these three new essays (6:10), Coates’ early education growing up in West Baltimore (14:57), and his powerful dispatches from South Carolina (22:00) and the Middle East (29:30).

    On the back-half, Coates unpacks why he believes the mainstream media prioritizes “factual complexity over self-evident morality” (37:47), his advocacy for Palestinian journalists (39:20), and his reflections about the U.S. election (47:28). To close, a formative passage from James Baldwin's The Lost Generation (52:38) and a story about love and writing (57:45).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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    3 November 2024, 8:50 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Actor and Director Anna Kendrick: Life Imitates Art

    Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) has been a fixture in Hollywood for the past fifteen years. She joins us this week to discuss Woman of the Hour, her directorial debut and most revealing project to date.

    At the top, we dive into the film’s true crime story (7:00), its examination of gender politics in the 1970s (19:29), and the personal Hollywood experiences Anna embedded into this project (22:00). Then, Kendrick reflects on her early years as a child actor: commuting from Portland, Maine into New York City for work (25:40), receiving a Tony nomination at twelve (29:50), and moving to Los Angeles at seventeen (35:10).

    On the back-half, Anna unpacks the “dissociative” process of directing a film (38:25), the mentorship she received from actor and collaborator Jake Johnson (45:00), and the dangers of workaholism (47:19). To close, she shares a passage from her memoir Scrappy Little Nobody (57:20) and describes the work she hopes to make in years to come (1:00:00).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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    27 October 2024, 8:11 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    This Conversation with Author Jason Reynolds is a Gift

    For the past decade, Jason Reynolds has become an inspiring voice in the literary world. He’s a New York Times bestselling author and as of this month, a 2024 MacArthur fellow.

    Reynolds sits with us today to share his latest YA novel Twenty-Four Seconds from Now… (7:45), why he was interested in writing a story about boyhood and masculinity (12:05), and an early passage from the book (15:52) that captures the distinct rhythm of his writing (17:59). Then, we talk about the story structure of this new novel (19:00), how Queen Latifah’s Black Reign introduced him to poetry (21:45), and how his early memories of writing (27:45) and a singular high school teacher (35:17) saved his life.

    On the back-half, Reynolds describes a meaningful post-college job at rag & bone (46:02), what he’s seen in the education system post-pandemic (59:30), his hope for the next generation (1:02:30), and his lifelong mission to embolden students to see the value in their own narratives (1:14:23).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

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    20 October 2024, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 25 minutes
    Wesley Morris Returns with ‘The Wonder of Stevie’

    Today, culture critic Wesley Morris (The New York Times) returns to Talk Easy for a conversation about The Wonder of Stevie, his new podcast with the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions.

    At the top, Wesley unpacks Stevie Wonder’s legendary five-album run from 1972-1976, his recent “battleground states” tour in the run up to the election, and how his relationship to Stevie’s music has evolved in the process of making this limited series.

    To listen to The Wonder of Stevie, stream here or wherever you get your podcasts. 

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    16 October 2024, 8:35 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    Director Jason Reitman’s Love Letter to ‘Saturday Night’

    Since his directorial debut in 2006, Jason Reitman has made the kind of films they say Hollywood doesn’t make anymore.

    Today, we sit to discuss his latest project Saturday Night (9:09), the influence of 1970s movies like Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate (12:46), and the details Reitman and his co-writer Gil Kenan collected from dozens of interviews leading up to production (17:45). Then, Jason describes the dynamic between Lorne Michaels and his father, the late director Ivan Reitman (21:55), his formative years at the movie theater (25:50), and the filmmakers that shaped his early work: Alexander Payne, Kevin Smith, Spike Jonze, and Richard Linklater (31:03).

    On the back-half, we talk about Reitman’s debut film Thank You For Smoking (39:06), the collaborators that shaped Juno (42:50), his personal connection to Up in the Air (43:10), and lessons from making Young Adult (49:43) and Labor Day (51:08). To close, a story about fatherhood (53:00) and the joy of directing (58:58).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    13 October 2024, 8:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    Francis Ford Coppola Stays in the Picture

    Director Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t just want to make movies. He wants to change them. This was true in 1969 when he co-founded Zoetrope Studios with George Lucas, and it remains true today at age 85.

    We begin with the historical context of his modern-day Roman epic fable Megalopolis (9:40), his decades-long process developing the film (12:18), and the inspiration he’s taken from Georges Méliès (22:25) and Jacques Tati (24:59). Then, Coppola reflects on the origin of how he became ‘Francis Ford Coppola’ (29:27), the irrepressible spirit he forged in childhood (32:34), and where he sees himself in films like The Godfather (38:29), Apocalypse Now (41:48), and Gardens of Stone (42:17).

    On the back-half, we unpack the parallels between the titular city of Megalopolis and Zoetrope Studios (50:19), his capacity to keep dreaming, even in the face of financial ruin (53:46), where he believes America is headed in 2025 (54:29), and the lasting memory of his late wife, Eleanor (1:03:25).

    Watch this conversation on YouTube.

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    6 October 2024, 8:18 am
  • 1 hour 5 minutes
    The Joaquin Phoenix Interview

    Joaquin Phoenix is one of the greatest actors of his generation. For three decades, he’s moved seamlessly between auteur-driven films (Her, The Master) and box-office sensations (Gladiator, Joker). 

    We sit today for a rare, long-form conversation with Phoenix, starting with his latest film, Joker: Folie à Deux (9:10), his free-wheeling collaborations with director Todd Phillips (11:32), and the nomadic upbringing that marked his early years (15:00). Then, he reflects on his childhood television debut in Hill Street Blues (22:27), the brilliance of Robert De Niro (27:53), and his formative performances in To Die For and Parenthood (34:45).

    On the back-half, we discuss how the polarizing mockumentary, I’m Still Here (47:15), inspired his singular collaborations with directors Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson, James Gray, and Lynne Ramsay (51:30). We also talk about the evolution of his acting process (52:47), the impassioned Oscars speech he delivered accepting Best Actor for Joker (58:15), and whether he’ll ever turn in what he believes is a ‘great’ performance (1:02:40).

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    29 September 2024, 8:21 am
  • 57 minutes 7 seconds
    Why Myha’la (‘Industry’) is Playing the Long Game

    For actor Myha’la, the role of a lifetime arrived less than a year out of college. “Lightning struck,” she says, “and in so many ways I have been preparing my entire life to be here.” In this case ‘here’ is Industry’s Harper Stern, a fiercely ambitious New Yorker who has come to London to join Pierpont, a prestigious financial investment bank.

    With the season finale of HBO’s breakout hit approaching, we sat down with Myha'la to discuss all things Industry (4:42): how the evolution of Harper can be charted by her changing hairstyles (8:05), her recent pivot into “ethical investing” (10:45), and the Gen-Z qualities she best embodies (14:04). We also discuss the actor’s first experiences singing and dancing (16:00), her time as front-woman of a Christian Rock band (20:30), and a formative experience at her Catholic high school (23:01).

    On the back half, Myha’la reflects on her years at Carnegie Mellon (34:55), her views around “method acting” (39:30), the first day on the set of Industry (42:55), the personal investment she’s made in Harper Stern (48:00), a humbling performance never far from mind (53:50), and the ‘picture’ she’d like to paint as an artist in the years ahead (56:50).

    This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios and Pushkin Industries. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    25 September 2024, 8:35 am
  • 54 minutes 23 seconds
    Actor Ken Leung (‘Industry’) Enters a New Season

    For the past couple decades, actor Ken Leung has played scene-stealing characters in films like Rush Hour, Keeping the Faith, and A.I. Or, prestige TV shows like Lost and The Sopranos.

    Today, he joins us to discuss his spectacular turn in HBO’s Industry (7:30), how he created his character in baseball-bat-wielding manager Eric Tao (9:55), and his Brooklyn upbringing to a family of Chinese immigrants (17:35). Then, he shares how he found his footing as an actor (23:30), a memory of his late younger brother, Kevin (29:27), and why he views each film and TV set as a ‘spiritual space’ (30:56).

    On the back-half, we walk through Leung’s work on The Sopranos (32:30), his present-day collaboration with actor Myha’la (37:45), the arc of this latest season of Industry (44:15), the state of representation in Hollywood (48:06), and why he feels at peace in this moment (53:00).

    Clips courtesy of HBO. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    22 September 2024, 11:04 am
  • 56 minutes 50 seconds
    Abbi Jacobson Interviews Sam

    To commemorate his 30th birthday, Abbi Jacobson interviews Sam!

    They talk about Sam's early days in journalism (8:00), his Almost Famous-like experience as a teenage film critic (10:30), making Talk Easy and how the show evolved post-pandemic (13:15), and the email from the late Roger Ebert that changed his life (22:30).

    On the back-end, they discuss Abbi’s annual birthday questions (28:00), why Sam’s episode with filmmaker Werner Herzog has stayed with her (31:57), and how he approaches asking hard questions on Talk Easy (36:43). To close, a passage from Sam's debut episode with Don Cheadle (45:28) and a philosophy captured in his short film Sebastian (53:20).

    Listen to our first conversation with Abbi Jacobson from 2022.

    Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at [email protected].

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    15 September 2024, 8:00 am
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