Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

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A Tea with Amelia Dimoldenberg of Chicken Shop Date Aug 18, 2024

Show notes

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 sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Author Vinson Cunningham on our ‘Great Expectations’ for 2024 Aug 11, 2024

Show notes

Vinson Cunningham has been a staff writer at The New Yorker for the past eight years, covering theater, television, and politics. He joins us this week to unpack his personal debut novel Great Expectations.

At the top, we discuss the state of the US election (5:00), the emergence of the new Democratic ticket in Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (10:00), and the fickleness of internet hype (15:00). Then, Cunningham explains how his new book dovetails with his time working on Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign (19:00), his process writing fiction (30:00), and his early memories of getting involved in politics (35:30).

On the back-half, we talk about Vinson’s upbringing in the church (38:00), the role of faith in his life (47:00), and his personal feelings about divine intervention (57:00), both in politics and on the heels of a tragic personal loss (1:01:40). To close, he shares a moving piece of his review of Hamlet (1:07:00), reflects on his growth over the past year (1:15:00), and reveals why this moment for Kamala Harris gives him hope for his daughters (1:22:00).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios and Condé Nast. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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The Vision of Novelist Zadie Smith (‘The Fraud’) Aug 04, 2024

Show notes

Last fall, Zadie Smith published her prescient historical novel The Fraud. We return to our conversation with the beloved author this week, on the heels of our latest sit-down with writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

At the top, Smith details her most recent book(7:48), her instinctive writing process (13:37), and the role of projection in her work (20:08). Then, Zadie reflects on her upbringing in North West London (23:48), the art that influenced her growing up (26:42), and the media circus that followed the publication of her debut novel, White Teeth (31:28).

On the back-half, we discuss her desire to frequently reinvent herself as an artist as a writer (41:53), why she prioritized pleasure after her book On Beauty (45:24), her evolving relationship to humanism (48:06), the nuanced politics of her work (54:13), a striking passage from Intimations (1:01:56), and what she sees in this next generation of novelists (1:04:55).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner on Her ‘Long Island Compromise’ Jul 28, 2024

Show notes

Taffy Brodesser-Akner (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”) is a staff writer at The New York Times, where she covers everything from The Eras Tour to Tom Hanks.

She joins us today to unpack her new book Long Island Compromise (7:30), its central questions about wealth, trauma, and inheritance (11:58), and the real-life crime that inspired the story (12:52). Then, we dive into the process of writing a novel (15:17), a formative passage from the book (24:31), and Brodesser-Akner's memories of growing up in between Brooklyn and Long Island (29:54).

On the back-half, she describes her work as a journalist (40:14), profiling Nicki Minaj (45:38) and Bradley Cooper (45:54), how those experiences propelled her to write Fleishman Is in Trouble (46:20), her reflections while writing about Taylor Swift (54:05), and the transformational power of storytelling (1:04:07).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Tom Hanks: A Retrospective Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

Today, we're revisiting our special conversation with actor Tom Hanks.

We begin by discussing his debut novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (5:58), his nomadic upbringing across California (13:28), and the Stanley Kubrick film that made him want to be an artist (19:40). Then, we talk about his early work at the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival (24:00) and moving to Los Angeles for his television debut in Bosom Buddies (28:30), before pivoting to dramatic roles in films like Philadelphia and Forrest Gump (32:44).

On the back-half, Hanks describes the transformative, eight-year process of making Cast Away (39:00), receiving an AFI Lifetime Achievement award for his work at age forty-six (41:35), the vital performances that followed (42:40), and his insatiable desire to reflect the human experience (46:23).

To close, Hanks reflects on the kinship he found with Yankee hall of famer Joe DiMaggio (59:08), his formative friendships with actor Holland Taylor (52:30) and the late Nora Ephron (54:40), and the Cecil B. DeMille story he hopes to keep telling (55:50).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Talk Easy Presents Author Isabel Allende on ‘Wiser Than Me’ Jul 21, 2024

Show notes

This week, on the heels of our live show with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, we’re presenting a special conversation from her podcast Wiser Than Me.

The episode features award-winning author Isabel Allende (The Wind Knows My Name). They discuss motherhood, falling in love again in her seventies, an influential piece of advice by writer Elizabeth Gilbert, and how Allende remains present in her life and work.

Find more episodes of Wiser Than Me through Lemonada Media.

To hear Julia on Talk Easy, listen here. The episode is also available to watch on YouTube. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Live from Aspen with Performer Julia Louis-Dreyfus Jul 14, 2024

Show notes

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, Veep) is a national treasure with more primetime Emmys than any performer in the history of television. Then there’s her latest decade in film: two collaborations with Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said and You Hurt My Feelings)along with a devastating turn in the heart-rending fairytale from A24, Tuesday. Her range is unparalleled, including in the role of host on her excellent, award-winning podcast, Wiser Than Me from Lemonada.

We sat with Julia as part of this year’s Aspen Ideas Festival, where we discussed her powerful new film, Tuesday (6:33), her early performances in the basement of her childhood home (15:45), a formative high school yearbook quote (16:45), landing at SNL in the 1980s (22:06) with Larry David (24:56), the legacy of Seinfeld (28:42), and where she stands on the issue of “political correctness in comedy” (31:54).

On the back-half, a celebration of her uproarious turn as Selina Meyer on Veep (36:47), a life-changing diagnosis on the heels of her historic Emmy win (40:00), and the support she received from showrunner David Mandel (42:52) and President Biden (46:23). To close, we sit with the stakes of this upcoming election (50:40), words of wisdom from Jane Fonda (52:14), and the poem “Explanation” by Julia’s father, the late Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (54:00).

You can watch this conversation on YouTube. Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach (‘The Bear’) Returns to the Kitchen Jul 07, 2024

Show notes

On the heels of his first Emmy win, actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach joins us on the show to unpack the return of The Bear.

At the top, we dive into the making of the hit series(9:22), a powerful scene with co-star Jeremy Allen White (11:20), and how Moss-Bachrach manages to keep adding layers to his portrayal of Cousin Richie (14:26). Then, he describes the mounting pressures around this new season (19:23), the day he knew he wanted to be an actor in Williamstown, Massachusetts (27:35), and the early days of his collaboration with actor Jon Bernthal (30:26).

On the back-half, Ebon reflects on a formative role as a jazz musician in Warren Leight’s play Side Man (35:34), his ideas about success and living a more balanced life (38:19), his experience playing Desi in Girls (43:33), a philosophy depicted in The Bear (47:35), and the work he hopes to continue making in years to come (50:38).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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A Post-Debate Talk with Democratic Strategist James Carville Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

“You’re never gonna forget where you were last night at 7:30,” says James Carville. “It has the potential to be that consequential.”

Carville is regarded as one the most influential (and animated) operators in the Democratic Party. He came to prominence as the chief architect behind Clinton’s 1992 Presidential campaign, and has remained one of the most incisive political analysts in the country.

He joins us this week from the Aspen Ideas Festival, the day after the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump (8:15), to discuss what he saw from each candidate (10:30), whether Biden should (or will) step aside in the months ahead (16:16), and who, theoretically, would be fit to run come August at the DNC (26:00).

On the back-half, Carville shares how he would reframe the Democrats' political strategy (33:19), the “coastal condensation” that has slipped into the bloodstream of the left (36:30), his advice on winning elections (54:00), and how he aims to inspire swing voters in purple states through the American Bridge project (59:48). To close, a scene from the 1993 documentary The War Room (1:01:57), and why his love of politics remains undiminished even after this dark week in American democracy (1:05:10).

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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How Playwright Annie Baker Made the Movie of the Summer Jun 23, 2024

Show notes

Beloved playwright Annie Baker won the Pulitzer for Drama in 2014 for her play, The Flick. A decade later, she’s releasing her directorial debut, Janet Planet, through A24.

We begin by talking about her striking first feature (7:55): the Western Massachusetts origins of the project (11:00), the mother-daughter love story at its center (13:24), how Thomas Mann’s “The Magic Mountain” shaped Baker’s understanding of time (22:55), and why she’s routinely sidestepped the slippery-slope of “confessional” autobiography in her own work (30:30).

On the back-half, we discuss Annie’s early jobs in New York before she turned to the page and the classroom (40:00), the issues of class that continue to plague contemporary theater (45:00), a formative Rainer Maria Rilke poem as read by Sam (55:50), and whether she believes art “matters” in 2024 (1:00:18)

Thoughts or future guest ideas? Email us at sf@talkeasypod.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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