Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Lemonada Media

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.

#23 in the Top 100 film interviews All time chart

8 Listeners

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Through the Woods with Nick Offerman

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

07/03/22 • 53 min

This holiday weekend, we’re revisiting one of our favorite talks with actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman. We begin with his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside (5:05), which was inspired by Nick’s upbringing in rural Minooka, Illinois (6:12), the writings of poet Wendell Berry (7:30), and his experiences with the late Sam Shepard at Steppenwolf Theatre (8:08).

Shortly after working with Shepard, Offerman began to find his footing—on and off the stage—as a performer, carpenter, and fight choreographer (9:35). He reflects on his galvanizing role in the film Going All the Way (15:14), the guiding principles of George Saunders (20:00), lessons from his sensei Shōzō Satō (25:26), the start of his nearly two-decade marriage with actress Megan Mullally (26:30), the phone call that changed his life (35:50), and the complicated legacy of Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation (41:45).

Then, before we go, we return to the timely (and urgent) message of his new book (46:47), a piece by Jeff Tweedy (49:50), and words by Wendell Berry (51:58).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Listeners

Back to School with Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’)

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

10/09/22 • 54 min

Today we’re joined by “Abbott Elementary” creator and star, Quinta Brunson! On the heels of its two historic wins at this year’s Emmys, we discuss the guiding principles behind its second season (6:02), its incomparable cast (9:41), and the show's personal connection to Quinta’s upbringing in West Philadelphia (14:49). Then, we unpack her earliest comedic influences (19:21), performing in improv in college (26:31), and the solace she found in Second City Chicago (29:09).

On the back-half, Quinta reflects on moving to Los Angeles at twenty-three (33:27), the feelings of alienation that followed (35:02), and the Comedy Store performance that irrevocably altered her course (36:55) and brought her to Abbott Elementary (46:56). To close, she shares her hopes for the years to come (51:00).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Listeners

What Will It Take To Change? (with Stacey Abrams)

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

05/29/22 • 54 min

To start, a reflection on the week that was. Then, we return to our conversation with Stacey Abrams. She won her Gubernatorial primary this week in Georgia, where she hopes to unseat Brian Kemp this November.

We talk about the systemic challenges that small business owners face (6:32), the impact of Georgia’s new voting laws (11:20), the threat of election subversion (14:02), what a functional democracy could look like (16:48), the lessons learned from her 2018 bid for governor (19:31), and how she plans to win in 2022 (24:23).

On the back half, Abrams reflects on growing up in the south (29:50), her earliest political ambitions (35:10), and how literature has offered a human complexity not always granted to people in politics (40:18), especially Black women in positions of power (42:17). As we leave, Stacey shares a personal story about her first visit to the governor’s mansion (46:05), the need to move past tribalism (50:42), and why she still wants to be in this fight in 2022 and beyond (52:55).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

Author and Critic Hua Hsu (The New Yorker) ‘Stays True’

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

10/08/23 • 63 min

One year ago, The New Yorker staff writer and critic Hua Hsu published his singular memoir entitled Stay True. Earlier this May, the autobiography won a Pulitzer Prize.

Upon its paperback release, Hsu joins us to discuss the epigraph that frames the book (5:30) and his nomadic upbringing (9:45) scored by mixtapes (12:23) created by his Taiwanese father (15:14). Hsu then reflects on his arrival at UC Berkeley in the mid-90s (23:09) and how he formed an unexpected bond with a schoolmate named Ken (24:20).

On the back-half, Hsu describes the horrific night that Ken’s life was taken (36:58), the aftermath of this tragedy (40:15), his attempts to make sense of the past twenty-four years in Stay True (46:20), his complicated relationship to memory (49:00) and music (58:30), and how he’s held onto hope (1:03:02) through telling this enduring story of friendship.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

Writer Sandra Cisneros Finds the Poetry of the World

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

09/27/23 • 69 min

Writer Sandra Cisneros has been making sense of the world on the page since 1984’s The House on Mango Street. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to replay our 2022 conversation with the beloved poet.

We discuss her first poetry collection in 28 years, Woman Without Shame (4:40), why she chooses to write ‘dangerous’ pieces (6:18), and the significance of her poem, “My Mother and Sex” (8:38). Then, we walk through Sandra’s coming of age between Mexico and Chicago (15:16), the sixth-grade teacher that guided her entry into art (19:39), her epiphanies on class in graduate school (23:49), the “Pilsen Barrio” that shaped her seminal novel, The House on Mango Street (29:05), and how Studs Terkel informed her lifelong approach to story (30:17).

On the back-half, we discuss the loves and losses that inspired Sandra’s early sensual poems (36:36), how she documented her power through “Neither Señorita nor Señora” (40:04), a painful period captured in “Year of my Death” (50:30), the day her mother visited her writer’s office in San Antonio (57:56), and why she still has more to say (and write) at age 67 (59:59).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

The Supreme Court Conversation We’re Not Having

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

06/19/22 • 50 min

Last month, a leaked draft opinion offered a repudiation of a 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights. The historic leak was followed by both pro-choice and pro-life protests across the country.

While we await the Supreme Court’s decision, attorney Neal Katyal has been fighting back. Formerly the Solicitor General under the Obama Administration, Katyal joins us to discuss the historic nature of Justice Samuel Alito’s draft opinion (4:18), the ‘super precedent’ that Roe v. Wade has set (6:24), and why the Constitution is designed to protect individual rights (9:45). We also look at the states that have begun restricting abortion (16:05) and their unnerving parallels to Margret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (20:23).

After the break, Neal outlines the aftermath of Alito’s draft opinion, should it come to pass: including other rights that could be in jeopardy (26:17), the erosion of public confidence in the courts (32:58), and a restrictive reimagining of the Judicial Branch (36:13). To end, Katyal reflects on a life in the courtroom and where he still finds hope—‘even in this darkest hour’ (44:29).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

Opening Night with Artist Kehinde Wiley

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

01/29/23 • 41 min

Today, we sit with renowned artist Kehinde Wiley on the opening night of Colorful Realm, his new exhibition at Roberts Projects in Los Angeles.

At the top, Wiley walks through the Japanese influence behind his latest paintings (5:05), his upbringing in South Central Los Angeles (10:36), and the profound impact of artist Kerry James Marshall’s 1993 piece De Style (12:57). Then, he reflects on a formative MFA program at Yale (19:41), his residency at the Studio Museum under Thelma Golden (19:41) and how he began casting portrait subjects from the streets of New York City (22:42).

On the back-half, we discuss Wiley’s 2001 piece Conspicuous Fraud #1 (Eminence) (26:02), the guiding philosophy behind his work (27:48), his enduring portrait of former President Barack Obama (32:07), and what he hopes to create in years to come (34:55).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

From A Slight Change of Plans: Theranos Whistleblower Erika Cheung

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

10/05/22 • 48 min

Today, we wanted to share a special episode from A Slight Change of Plans, another podcast from Pushkin. The show is hosted by Dr. Maya Shankar, a cognitive scientist who is an expert on human behavior. It’s all about understanding who we are, and who we become, in the face of a big change. In the episode you’re about to hear, Maya sits down with Erika Cheung.

Erika is the whistleblower who worked with The Wall Street Journal to bring down the now infamous biotech company, Theranos, and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. While the experience deeply impacted her mental health, she also found herself with a greater sense of self-compassion—and cultivated a newfound resilience.

You can hear more from A Slight Change of Plans wherever you get your podcasts.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

A Tea with Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Date

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

08/18/24 • 63 min

What’s the difference between an interview and a first date? For the past decade, Amelia Dimoldenberg has been walking that fine line on her hit YouTube series, Chicken Shop Date. The premise is in the title: filmed at various chicken establishments across London, the show features a series of funny (sometimes awkward) ‘dates’ with everyone from Paul Mescal to Billie Eilish.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of her beloved series, Amelia and Sam have a cup of tea to discuss her recent sit-down with Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (5:00), her upbringing in London (7:20), and how Mary-Kate and Ashley inspired the young creative ambitions (11:10) that lead to Chicken Shop Date (17:17). We also highlight a few pivotal episodes of the show with rapper Ghetts (24:50), actor Daniel Kaluuya (32:10), and documentarian Louis Theroux (32:52).

On the back-half, we unpack Dimoldenberg’s comedy influences—from Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation to Zach Galifianakis’ Between Two Ferns (36:34), how she continues to expand her reach as an independent creator (43:00), why the ‘anti-interview’ genre has come into vogue (49:12), and what she hopes for in the decade to come (1:02:12).

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, drop us a line at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

From the Oscar Archives: Cate Blanchett

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

03/06/24 • 54 min

For over twenty-five years, Cate Blanchett has been as vital as any performer we have. In the lead-up to this Sunday's 96th annual Academy Awards, we're returning to our special talk with Cate.

To begin, we unpack her femme fatale turn in Nightmare Alley (6:06), the way director Guillermo del Toro wrestles with truth and deception in the neo-noir (9:34), the first time Blanchett understood her gift for shapeshifting (11:18), the lasting presence of her late father (14:46), an early job as a script reader that changed how she approached her craft (19:14), the challenge of getting comfortable with “being seen” (22:40), a prophetic encounter with a psychic while filming The Gift (25:46), and how becoming a parent clarified her purpose (31:58).

On the back-half, we sit her work in I’m Not There (34:52) and Manifesto (38:54), her affinity for the Eastern philosophy of imperfection (42:33), words of wisdom from dancer Martha Graham (48:00), and how she’s beginning to accept the “divine dissatisfaction” of being an artist (51:54).

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at [email protected].

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1 Listener

Show more best episodes