Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

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Nobel Laureate Maria Ressa Fights for the Protection of Journalists Dec 03, 2023

Show notes

Nobel Peace Prize-winner Maria Ressa has spent the past decade advocating for the protection of journalists. Today, we return to our urgent conversation with the trailblazing author and activist.

We begin by unpacking the fragmenting effects of social media (6:08), how the internet gave power to authoritarian regimes around the globe (8:49), and Ressa’s five years uncovering those operations (9:20). Then, we walk through her early years: moving from the Philippines to suburban New Jersey at age ten (14:08), three lessons from childhood (16:52), and her discoveries at Princeton (22:10).

On the back-half, we discuss Ressa’s serendipitous entry to the newsroom (32:18), why she founded Rappler in 2012 (35:12), and her critical reportage on President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war (36:52), which led to her arrest by the Filipino government in 2019 (41:22). Now, she’s charted this fight in her book, How to Stand Up to a Dictator (47:12). To close, we unpack her continuous pursuit of the truth (50:03), her recognition as a 2021 Nobel Laureate (52:37), and an ode to a lifelong friend (56:11).

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Actor and Director Benny Safdie Does It All Nov 26, 2023

Show notes

Throughout his fifteen-year moviemaking career, director and actor Benny Safdie has been drawn to naturalism and first-time performers. Fittingly, his recent collaboration with comedian Nathan Fielder (“Nathan for You”) was a perfect match.

Benny joins us today to discuss their satirical black comedy series The Curse(9:10), the timely premise that inspired the show (13:35), and Safdie’s history of capturing real-life personalities on film (15:58). Then, he describes his early connection to the 1979 movie Kramer v Kramer (19:00), a New York encounter with photographer Robert Frank (23:18), and how directors Robert Bresson and Frederick Wiseman opened his eyes to the possibilities of street casting (26:05).

On the back-half, we dive into Benny’s co-directing work alongside his brother, Josh Safdie (29:55), a heartbreaking scene from their debut feature Daddy Longlegs (34:30), and the projects that followed: Good Time (40:00), Lenny Cooke (42:45), and Uncut Gems (55:00). To close, Safdie talks about why he worked as a boom operator while directing (48:15), his recent pivot to acting (52:35), and his full circle moment of playing an astrophysicist in Oppenheimer (1:00:40).

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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The Futurist Vision of Actor and Filmmaker Brit Marling Nov 19, 2023

Show notes

For more than a decade, actor and writer Brit Marling has made futuristic work that reveals truths about our disquieting present. Her latest endeavor, A Murder At the End of the World, is no exception.

We recently sat with Marling in front of a live audience as part of this year’s On Air Fest LA Annex, where we discussed her excellent new show on FX (8:34), the role artificial intelligence may play in the future of filmmaking (14:26), and where she first fell in love with science fiction (20:35). Then, Brit reflects on her winding path at Goldman Sachs and Georgetown (23:40), where she met longtime collaborators Zal Batmanglij and Mike Cahill (25:25) that would eventually result in films like Another Earth and Sound of My Voice (36:18).

On the back-half, we speak on the power of collective action (41:30), the public outcry that followed the cancellation of The OA (45:15), the state of Hollywood (51:12), and why Brit was inspired to direct (57:00) upon finding a passage from the late Polish auteur, Krzysztof Kieślowski (57:35).

You can listen to our 2019 conversation with Marling here.

For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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The Ziwe Interview Nov 12, 2023

Show notes

Writer and comedian Ziwe has made a career out of conducting charged and satirical interviews. She joins us this week to discuss her debut essay collection, Black Friend(5:45), the backstory behind her essay WikiFeet (10:19), her early affinity for broadcast news (13:06), the influence of satirists Jonathan Swift and Stephen Colbert (15:10), and her early, formative experiences working in comedy (35:05).

On the back-half, Ziwe reflects on the making of her YouTube series Baited (38:06), a memorable episode with Aparna Nancherla (41:30), her pandemic pivot to IG live (43:30), and the Showtime variety show that followed (46:30). To close, a philosophy on art-making from Ira Glass (50:40) and what Ziwe hopes for in her next chapter (56:15).

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Marina Abramović Creates Art from Pain Nov 05, 2023

Show notes

Marina Abramović is a pioneer in the field of performance art, using her body as both the subject and the medium. Today, we return to our special conversation with the legendary performer from her New York City apartment. To follow along with the works discussed, visit our guided, virtual exhibit at talkeasypod.com/marina-abramovic.

We start with her healing installation in Ukraine (7:45), creating art out of hardship (12:24), a Rainer Rilke poem that shaped her childhood (15:23), and the curiosity that propels her forward (23:42) in the face of sexist attacks from the press (28:59).

On the back-half, Marina reflects on her groundbreaking work in Rhythm 0 (33:39), her tolerance for pain (38:39), the deep-seated influence of her mother (39:47), finding happiness at age 75 (45:20), how her seminal piece, The Artist Is Present, lives on (47:56), and what it means to be still, together (52:30).

For thoughts, reflections, and guest suggestions, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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The Rise and Fall of Crypto Billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried (with Writer Michael Lewis) Oct 29, 2023

Show notes

Upon taking a walk with crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried, writer Michael Lewis had a sense that there might be a story here. In the intervening two years, that story has taken a series of twists and turns, resulting in Lewis’ new book Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon.

At the top, we walk through the latest events in Bankman-Fried’s Manhattan trial (7:27), the subject at the center of this winding story (12:06), and why Lewis was first interested in observing him (17:50). Then, he unpacks Bankman-Fried’s belief in effective altruism (20:00), his probabilistic approach to trading (23:50), and how his Stanford law professor parents shaped his thinking (27:36).

On the back-half, we discuss the ten-day period of FTX’s collapse (38:00), the scene in the Bahamas as Bankman-Fried filed for bankruptcy (47:10), and why Lewis felt a kinship with Sam’s parents in that moment (50:32). To close, Michael reflects on his own journalistic tendencies (55:10) and how he managed to write this book in the aftermath of great personal tragedy (1:06:50).

For thoughts, reflections, and guest suggestions, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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Singer-Songwriter Weyes Blood Gives Us ‘Something to Believe’ Oct 22, 2023

Show notes

Singer-songwriter Weyes Blood is one of the most inventive musicians working today. One year ago, she released her prescient album And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow.

On the heels of her whirlwind tour (4:00), she joins us this week to talk about her post-pandemic anthem “It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody” (10:04), her religious upbringing (13:22), the formative punk shows she attended as a teenager (20:17), and the influence of artists like Nico and Sonic Youth (25:18).

On the back-half, Natalie reflects on her nomadic young adulthood (31:00), how she forged her path in the music industry (33:42), the apocalyptic feelings embedded in her album Titanic Rising (42:29), the inspiration of director Stanley Kubrick (49:32), and why she still holds onto hope through these turbulent times (57:50).

For thoughts, reflections, and guest suggestions, drop me a line at sf@talkeasypod.com.

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A Human Conversation with Writer George Saunders Oct 15, 2023

Show notes

Last fall, George Saunders published Liberation Day, his first short-story collection in nine years. This week, we return to our conversation with the beloved author.

At the top, we discuss his process creating the book (3:40), the influence of Chekhov and Gogol (4:56), and a timely passage on democracy from “Love Letter” (8:35). Then, we unpack how he builds stories (13:30), a guiding philosophy from our first talk (14:58), and an excerpt from the titular story, “Liberation Day” (21:30).

On the back-half, we talk about the power of revision through “Elliott Spencer” (27:40), the seeds of the book’s moving final story, “My House” (36:34), the ‘failures in compassion’ it reveals (40:50), Saunders’ enduring relationship with his wife (45:08), and how he hopes to continue surprising himself as a writer, at 63 (48:40).

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Author and Critic Hua Hsu (The New Yorker) ‘Stays True’ Oct 08, 2023

Show notes

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.

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The Transformations of Novelist Zadie Smith Oct 01, 2023

Show notes

Novelist Zadie Smith is one of the most acclaimed and beloved writers of her generation. Editor David Remnick has called her “a blessing not merely to The New Yorker but to language itself.” Author George Saunders has praised Smith’s work for its “heart and moral ambition.” I, too, think she’s quite good.

And so today we’re joined by Smith to discuss her prescient historical novel The Fraud (8:20), her instinctive writing process (14:06), and the role of projection in her work (20:30). Then, Zadie reflects on her upbringing in North West London (24:12), the art that influenced her growing up (27:15), and the media circus that followed the publication of her debut novel, White Teeth (33:45).

On the back-half, we discuss her desire to frequently reinvent herself as an artist as a writer (41:55), why she prioritized pleasure after her book On Beauty (45:17), the nuanced politics of her work (49:04), her evolving relationship to humanism (48:15), a striking passage from Intimations (54:00), and what she sees in this next generation of novelists (1:04:45).

This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios.

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