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Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Higher Ground

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

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Avg 1 hr 18 min
English

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October 25 · 1 hr 28 min
Novelist Min Jin Lee (‘Pachinko’) Has Something to Teach Us
“The rules of engagement have changed already.” Novelist Min Jin Lee (Pachinko) is a beacon of wit and wisdom. She returns to the show this week with American Hagwon, the long-awaited third installment in her Korean diaspora quartet. We begin with the ten-year process of writing American Hagwon (3:25), the thesis guiding the novel (4:00), and her experiences with education after immigrating from South Korea to Queens, New York (8:53). Then, Lee describes her process conducting thousands of interviews for the book (14:20), her relationship to security (18:18), and the staggering effects of media on young people (21:55). On the back-half, we talk about her years at Yale (32:58), how her legal training at Georgetown shaped her approach to fiction (44:32), and the risks of artificial intelligence (45:55). To close, Lee unpacks the dreams we defer for our families (1:10:22), her advice to “choose the important over the urgent” (1:20:07), and the premise for her next novel, Marshall Plan (1:26:30). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
October 18 · 1 hr 35 min
Jason Sudeikis (‘Ted Lasso’) Still Believes
Jason Sudeikis became a household name during his decade-long run on Saturday Night Live. Then, came his Emmy-winning turn in Ted Lasso. On the heels of the beloved series’ Season 4 finale, we discuss this latest chapter (3:30), writing new characters (6:37), and what shaped Sudeikis’ sense of humor growing up in Kansas (9:50). Then, we talk about his years on the basketball court (12:30), lessons in show business from his uncle, George Wendt of Cheers (14:30), and how he arrived at SNL in the early 2000s (24:30). In Act II, Sudeikis reflects on a piece of writing advice from Tina Fey (29:00), departing from the show in 2013 (45:00), and who he believes should succeed Lorne Michaels (49:00). Finally, in Act III, we get into where Jason ends and Ted begins (1:02:24), how his personal life informed the show’s latest chapter (1:08:39), navigating public scrutiny (1:14:35), how the series helped him through difficult moments with his mental health (1:21:52), and what it meant to return to Studio 8H as an SNL host (1:30:27). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. To learn more about Endel, visit endel.io/talkeasy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
October 11 · 1 hr 30 min
Author Michael Lewis (‘The Big Short’) Pulls Back the Curtain
“The Trump administration was betting that if they broke the law fast enough,” writes Michael Lewis, “the law would never catch up to them.” On the heels of his new book, Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, the bestselling author of Moneyball and The Big Short returns to the show. We discuss how watching Trump’s 2017 inauguration inspired The Fifth Risk, (4:30), the rise of DOGE (9:30), and Elon Musk’s mass firing of public servants (11:00). Then, Lewis unpacks the country’s growing national debt (26:00), parallels to the 2008 financial crisis (29:30), and the attack on non-partisanship in government (35:00). On the back half, we walk through his approach to profiling people (39:39), the criticism surrounding Going Infinite and his proximity to Sam Bankman-Fried (44:10) and the controversy behind The Blind Side (53:45). To close, we talk about how he approaches difficult subjects (1:07:20), finding hope in dark times (1:13:30), and writing through grief following the loss of his daughter, Dixie (1:17:00). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠⁠. Listen to the ⁠Blockers audiobook⁠. ⁠Vote for Talk Easy in the Signal Awards⁠ by October 15, 2026. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
October 4 · 1 hr 18 min
Author Isabel Allende: A Life of Storytelling
Isabel Allende (The House of the Spirits, Paula) is one of the most widely-read authors in the world, alternating gracefully between the political and personal on the page for over forty years. We sat with Allende in Los Angeles for a special evening presented by How To Academy, beginning with her upbringing in Chile (4:45), the roots of her feminism (8:45), and her early pieces as a journalist at Paula magazine (13:15). Then, Allende recalls the 1973 military coup that eventually forced her into exile in Venezuela (17:00), the making of her debut novel (20:00), and nearly losing the manuscript in the process (27:30). On the back-half, Allende reflects on the thousands of letters she exchanged with her late mother (34:42), the loss of her daughter Paula and the book born from that grief (38:56), and the rituals that continue to shape her writing (47:00). We also talk about therapy and divorce (51:55), the questions that inspire each new book (1:05:15), finding love again at 74 (1:07:05), and the daily gratitude practice that keeps her returning to the page (1:10:30). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 27 · 1 hr 23 min
The Christiane Amanpour Interview
Christiane Amanpour is the host of CNN's award-winning flagship global program “Amanpour,” where she’s been one of the network's most trusted voices on foreign affairs since 1983. She joins us this week from New York City amid the UN General Assembly and President Trump’s continued attacks on the press. We begin with the White House ban (3:00), the President's challenges to the First Amendment (4:18), and the erosion of public trust in mainstream media (11:00). Then, we tell some of Christiane’s story: fleeing Iran during the Islamic revolution (23:55), her seminal reporting from the frontlines in Bosnia (31:17), and how she sees the role—and function—of journalism (33:53). On the back-half, Amanpour reflects on navigating family and motherhood in a high-risk career (39:45), the trauma and healing that followed years of war reporting (44:00), and modeling civil dialogue on ⁠The Ex Files⁠, a podcast she co-hosts with her ex-husband, former U.S. diplomat and Assistant Secretary of State Jamie Rubin (55:38). To close, she discusses CNN’s coverage of Israel and Gaza (58:47), the “fight of her life” for free speech (1:13:32), and why, after more than four decades, she still believes in asking questions guided by facts, holding those in power to account, bearing witness—and doing a job she continues to love (1:14:00). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 20 · 1 hr 29 min
Former Obama National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes: “It’s Time to Let the Illusions Die”
For eight years, Ben Rhodes worked as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Adviser to President Barack Obama. A decade after leaving the White House, Rhodes has become increasingly critical of the foreign policy establishment he once worked within. We begin with his recent essay Let the Illusions Die (2:48), Trump’s war in Iran (6:35), and what Rhodes took away from the Obama administration’s wars and interventions in Afghanistan and Libya (8:47). Then, we revisit his early years writing speeches for President Obama (30:35), his work during the 2008 campaign around race and identity (31:35), and the contradictions he came to see after years of working in American foreign policy (39:00). On the back-half, Rhodes reflects on the Biden administration’s handling of Gaza (42:30), why he stayed quiet despite believing in early 2023 that Biden should not seek reelection (49:25), and his views on the midterms and the future of the Democratic Party (55:00). To close, he reflects on witnessing the September 11th attacks as a college student in New York City—and the life as a fiction writer he left behind in their aftermath (1:11:50) writing his new book, All We Say (1:17:52), and what history teaches us about reforming systems that no longer work (1:22:07). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 13 · 1 hr 28 min
Can We Avoid AI Catastrophe? (with Tech Ethicist Tristan Harris)
“I get calls from people inside of some of the AI labs,” says technology ethicist Tristan Harris. “And it feels like getting a call from Robert Oppenheimer before the atomic bomb.” Harris (a former Google insider and AI expert) has spent more than a decade sounding the alarm about the effects of technology on our wellbeing. He’s currently the co-founder of Center for Humane Technology, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to align technology with humanity’s best interests. In light of Anthropic whistleblower Jacob Coxon’s recent resignation (0:45), which has since been echoed by Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Elon Musk (1:30), we wanted to represent our prescient conversation with Harris from this spring. We discuss The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist (6:30), how AI has developed over the past ten years (10:12), why the most powerful figures in tech are preparing for doomsday scenarios (13:15), the AI arms race underway (15:45), the ‘balance sheet of benefits’ that shapes Silicon Valley’s thinking around AGI (24:30) and the unsettling lack of control being exercised over their own nascent systems (33:55). On the back-half, we talk about Chat GPT’s role in the devastating death of teenager Adam Raine (40:30) [content warning], Tristan’s early ethical concerns about technology as a Stanford graduate working at Google (48:34), and the rewiring he attempted as part of the widely-seen 2020 documentary The Social Dilemma (53:00). To close, Harris outlines his tech safety practices to protect our future on the planet (1:08:05), top leaders’ prognostications of (p)doom at the hands of AI (1:10:43), and, as a counter, the ‘human movement’ that he believes can lead us to a narrow path toward a better future (1:17:30). Original air date: March 29, 2026 As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 6 · 1 hr 16 min
It’s Time to Give Nick Offerman (‘Parks and Recreation’) His Flowers
These days Nick Offerman appears to be one of the few remaining men who enjoys “making things rather than destroying things.” Career-best performances, best-selling books, a wooden, cedar-strip canoe built out of his Los Angeles Offerman Woodshop. Nick does what he can (and then some). He joins us this week on the heels of his double Emmy nominations to talk through his emotionally complex performance in Margo’s Got Money Troubles, its connection to his past (8:48), and the range of projects born from his tendency to keep busy (13:10). Then, we turn to the words of the late, beloved poet Wendell Berry (15:35), Offerman’s rural upbringing in Illinois (16:45), and his timely role in the crime thriller Sovereign (26:55) On the back-half, we talk about masculinity in America (30:35), Ben Shapiro’s vexing response to Offerman’s Emmy-winning turn in The Last of Us (40:52), what Parks and Recreation symbolizes to its fans, new and old (56:00), and why he believes “if you can finish your day having offered more flowers than you’ve stepped on… that’s a good goal” (1:05:40). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
September 4 · 1 hr 2 min
Play It Again: Gloria Steinem
Rest in peace to writer and activist Gloria Steinem. The trajectory of Steinem’s life and work was unparalleled. Her cultural and political impact, incalculable. We sat to discuss the life-altering procedure she had completed at age 22, why she helped create the women's liberation movement alongside Dorothy Pitman Hughes and Flo Kennedy, and how she learned to become angry—on her own behalf—about race and gender bias throughout America. Original air date: December 15, 2019 As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 30 · 1 hr 58 min
The Fall Movie Preview (with Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins of ‘The Big Picture’)
With the fall movie season upon us, who better to sit with than ⁠The Big Picture⁠ co-hosts Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins? We begin with a post-vacation check-in (2:38), the god-given gifts of Ben Affleck and Jacob Elordi (6:19), and the latest film from “influencer” Ridley Scott (7:05). Then we move on to our fall movie preview/draft, highlighting Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid (19:25), Julianne Moore in The Debut (21:39), Robert Pattinson in Primetime (26:12), and new films from directors Alejandro G. Iñárritu (32:37), David Fincher (36:24), James Gray (42:37), and Danny Boyle (58:00). Plus, two personal, familial projects in Once Upon a Time in Harlem (50:51) and The Making of Marie Antoinette (49:11). On the back-half, we talk all things The Big Picture: Sean and Amanda’s New York origin story (1:01:39), moving to Los Angeles to launch The Ringer (1:12:22), the call from Bill Simmons that brought this duo together (1:12:36), the power of the Dob Mob (1:17:44), and the ongoing race for the show’s third chair, featuring Chris Ryan (1:23:02) and Tracy Letts (1:27:30). We also discuss Sean’s Mount Rushmore of dream guests (1:30:36), the movie he’d most like to do on The Rewatchables (1:34:06), ChatGPT Ebert (1:34:34), the role of AI in film and media (1:35:33), the contemporary challenges of making good work in a “crumbling industry” (1:38:44), and why this show—and this pair—continue to work after nearly a thousand episodes (1:45:39). Subscribe to our ⁠⁠⁠YouTube channel⁠⁠⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 23 · 1 hr 18 min
In ‘The Good Place’ with D’Arcy Carden
From “The Good Place” and “Barry” to “A League of Their Own” and “The Five-Star Weekend,” D’Arcy Carden has become one of the most recognizable and beloved performers on television. We sit to discuss her Bay Area upbringing (6:33), moving to New York to pursue acting (16:05), and finding her community in long-form improv at UCB (21:08). Then, she reflects on the day jobs that kept her afloat—including babysitting Bill Hader’s kids (24:53), watching friends around her begin to break through (29:54), and what kept her from submitting an application for SNL (35:08). On the back-half, Carden revisits “The Good Place” audition that changed her life (42:49), the pressure she felt on set (51:34), and an enduring piece of advice from her co-star Ted Danson (56:48). To close, we talk about the joy and heartbreak of “A League of Their Own” (58:37), the future of Hollywood (1:01:50), and why, after reaching her wildest dreams, she hopes to keep acting forever (1:10:08). Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 16 · 1 hr 5 min
Novelist Colson Whitehead’s New York State of Mind
Novelist Colson Whitehead is one of only a handful of writers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice—first for The Underground Railroad in 2017, and again for The Nickel Boys in 2020. He joins us on the heels of his latest novel, Cool Machine, the final installment of his acclaimed Harlem trilogy. We begin with his decision to close out the world of furniture dealer Ray Carney (3:00), why Whitehead felt compelled to keep returning to 125th and Morningside (7:30), and the artistic influences that shaped him as a teenager (14:15). Then, we walk through the personal scenes chronicled in Sag Harbor (15:15), the horror movies that eventually led to Zone One (17:38), and how his latest protagonist’s story unfolds alongside a New York City perpetually destroying and reinventing itself (21:48). On the back-half, Whitehead reflects on finding his voice as a young writer (31:30), why he “had no choice” but to write his debut novel, The Intuitionist (38:20), and teaching at Princeton alongside the late Toni Morrison (41:05). To close, we discuss the uncertain future of reading (44:55), the specter of AI (48:35), Zohran Mamdani’s first eight months as mayor (51:50), his love letter and elegy to the city after September 11 (55:00), and why, after more than a dozen books, writing still makes him feel a little more whole (1:03:00). Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 9 · 1 hr 13 min
The ‘Past Lives’ of Actor Greta Lee
What if it’s true that good things come to those who wait? For Greta Lee, the success of Past Lives came after twenty years of working and finding her way as an actor. Her latest, leading turns come in The Last House and Late Fame. We begin with Late Fame (4:12) and her larger-than-life character, inspired in part by artists like Isabella Rossellini, Marlene Dietrich, and Liza Minnelli (6:37). Then, Lee reflects on her upbringing as the daughter of Korean immigrants (12:20), translating for her parents at an early age (13:10), the sacrifices made by her doctor father and artist mother (16:05), and the high school experience that first made her question where she belonged (22:37). On the back-half, we walk through Lee’s lean years in New York (29:35), the restaurant job that kept her afloat (32:00), and the rejection and financial stress of trying to make a living as an actor (34:55). Then, we talk about how motherhood changed her relationship to identity and representation (41:12), before returning to the miracle of Past Lives (52:10)—from her first days on set to the film’s emotional Sundance premiere (57:20), her mother’s profound connection to the story (1:03:45), and what Greta has learned about finally owning her own story (1:08:20). The Last House is now available to stream on Netflix. Late Fame is in theaters, expanding nationally on August 14th. Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
August 2 · 1 hr 24 min
Samin Nosrat (‘Salt Fat Acid Heat’) Cooks These ‘Good Things’ at Home
Nine years ago, cook and writer Samin Nosrat created a kitchen staple with Salt Fat Acid Heat: a New York Times bestseller that later became a hit Netflix series. Last fall, Nosrat returned with Good Things, a collection of personal recipes straight from her dining table. Today, we revisit that candid conversation, where we discussed the influences that shaped the book (8:30), the ephemerality (and pleasure) of produce (9:30), her complicated San Diego childhood growing up with Iranian parents (17:30), the high expectations placed before her (22:40), and how she eventually found her way to Chez Panisse in Berkeley (32:00). On the back-half, Samin talked about her salad days working in restaurants (46:00), grand openings and closings (42:30), the origins of Salt Fat Acid Heat (47:00), what The Bear gets right about cooking (1:00:25), and how she thinks about time (1:03:00) and ritual (1:07:40). Original air date: September 7, 2025 Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. This episode was recorded at Spotify Studios. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 26 · 1 hr 17 min
Comedian Mary Beth Barone’s Brilliant ‘Galaxy Brain’
Two years ago Mary Beth Barone considered quitting stand-up comedy. Thankfully (for us) these were always “empty threats.” The kinds you make when you’re working and waiting for your break, or, in her case, a Netflix special. She joins us this week on the precipice of her (excellent) streaming debut, “Galaxy Brain”, to talk about her intended audience in 2026 (5:32), the concept behind the special’s title (6:35), playing the algorithm (8:15), and the enduring influence of national treasure Lucille Ball (13:15). We also dive into her Connecticut upbringing (14:46), growing up on SNL in the ‘90s (15:15), her early, funny work (18:13), and the jokes jotted down in a gold Kate Spade notebook (26:27) before the first night she got on stage at an UCB open mic (27:08). On the back half, Mary Beth shares the decade in comedy that followed: finding her voice as a performer (28:42), the unexpected role Interstellar played in her path (30:24), being inspired by the web-to-TV pipeline of shows like “Insecure” and “Broad City” (32:58), her “Thought Provoking” material “too frank and graphic” for some publications (34:22), the “parasocial relationship” she has with her audience (38:25), and arc of “the female comedian” (42:08). We also talk auditioning for SNL alongside Caleb Hearon (46:14), trying to galvanize the hot community into participating in electoral politics (52:56), the newest season of the “Ride” podcast, buoyed by the Baronies, and co-hosted by Benito Skinner on Dear Media (54:40), the challenges of making work in the age of comment sections and subreddits (58:10), the publication of her candid, deeply moving Grub Street Diet diary (1:00:32), the ways in which 2025 “broke” her (1:04:00), how she’s putting the pieces back together slowly in 2026 (1:08:22), home movies (1:10:39), and a vision from her late Grandmother Barone that proved, rather improbably, prophetic (1:14:18). Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 19 · 1 hr 18 min
Actor Timothy Olyphant (‘Justified’) is Riding High
Timothy Olyphant has made a career out of masking the effort behind his effortless performances. He joins us on the heels of his recent turns in Lucky and The Five-Star Weekend. We talk about performing opposite Anya Taylor-Joy (3:53), his upbringing in Modesto, California (7:00), and the years he spent swimming competitively at USC before trading in the fine arts for acting (14:30). Then, Timothy reflects on moving to New York to study at the legendary William Esper Studio (18:38), what actor Holly Hunter taught him about keeping a presence of mind on set (26:00), and the creative freedom he found working with showrunner David Milch on Deadwood (34:34). On the back-half, Olyphant discusses the collaborative spirit behind Justified with Walton Goggins (39:00), getting caught in the midst of real gunfire at the set of Justified: City Primeval in Chicago (49:00), acting alongside Leonardo DiCaprio (53:00), David Fincher’s famously meticulous process (56:10), and what he envisions for his next chapter (1:07:15). Subscribe to our ⁠YouTube channel⁠. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 12 · 1 hr 32 min
The Gilded Presidency of Donald Trump with NYT Reporter Maggie Haberman (‘Regime Change’)
All that glitters is not gold. Maggie Haberman is a White House correspondent for The New York Times who’s been covering Donald Trump for nearly three decades. Her extraordinary level of access in and around the Oval Office has resulted in two best-sellers, including the book of the summer, Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump. The new book, co-written with her Times colleague Jonathan Swan, chronicles the first year of Trump’s 2nd term: how the current Trump administration differs from the first (5:05), the “rotating cast of characters” that orbits the Oval Office (9:40), the president’s obsession with gold and interior decorating (13:15), and what his insatiable appetite for risk has meant for the country–and people–who delivered him back to the White House (28:25) . We also discuss the tentative release of the Epstein files (22:03), the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine (33:15), and how Trump’s health is like “a black box” inside the administration (41:00). On the back-half, Haberman unpacks the early influence of her father, fellow Times journalist Clyde Haberman (47:00), finding her footing at New York tabloids (55:20), how her career took a left turn after Trump’s victory in 2016 (1:01:35), the “access journalism” critiques she’s received in recent years (1:04:33), and why she prefers to make journalistic assessments of the President rather than psychological ones (1:10:40). To close, she talks about interviewing Trump this past spring (1:13:09), a shocking exchange around power inside the Oval Office (1:14:30), and her commitment to covering this chapter of American history until we turn the page (1:30:20). Subscribe to our YouTube channel. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
July 5 · 1 hr 12 min
Danny McBride’s Delusions of Grandeur
From Kenny Powers (“Eastbound & Down”) to Jesse Gemstone (“The Righteous Gemstones”), Danny McBride has created some of the most vain, quintessentially American portraits of male dysfunction in recent memory. His debut short-story collection, Thrilling Tales of Modern Men, is an ode to the overconfident yet woefully insecure characters that have defined his work for the past two decades. We begin with the origins of Danny’s new book (3:38), his mother’s church puppet shows that first inspired him to write (11:00), and a formative movie theater memory that (may or may not have) foreshadowed his parents’ divorce (16:00). Then, we walk through the lifelong creative partnerships he formed at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (20:00), the odd jobs he held before breaking through in Hollywood (25:00), and the substitute teaching stint that inspired Eastbound & Down (35:00). On the back-half, McBride reflects on making The Foot Fist Way (38:00), Tropic Thunder (44:10), This Is the End (45:38), and the cult classic Your Highness (50:00). We also discuss the significance of Kenny Powers in the Trump era (1:02:00), returning to Charleston (1:05:00), the impact of Danny’s late friend and collaborator Ben Best (1:02:00) and his vision for the post-Gemstones chapter ahead (1:10:00). Subscribe to our YouTube channel. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
June 28 · 1 hr 9 min
A New Generation Has Arrived in LA Politics. Is Nithya Raman Ready to Lead It?
Councilmember Nithya Raman says she’s running for mayor “to make LA affordable for everyone.” She joins us this week in her first extended sit-down since edging out Spencer Pratt in the recent mayoral primary. We begin with Raman’s decision to challenge an incumbent mayor she once endorsed in Karen Bass (2:47), the state of Los Angeles after years of overlapping crises (6:50), and why she believes the city needs a greater sense of urgency in addressing housing affordability (9:47) and homelessness (16:11) in order to restore public trust in local government (25:00). Then, she reflects on immigrating to the United States from India as a child (29:44), the unique opportunities this country afforded her (33:08), and a formative experience that led to a life of activism and politics (41:28). To close, Nithya explains how she would have handled the LA fires of 2025 (45:43), what she believes the city needs to do to safeguard against future climate disasters (46:12), her evolving views on the LAPD and their role in addressing homelessness (53:54), and why she believes this sprawling city is still worth fighting for (1:07:33). Subscribe to our YouTube channel. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
June 21 · 59 min
Father’s Day with Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks is one of the defining actors of the last half-century. Today, we return to one of our favorite conversations with the beloved performer and writer. 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). Original air date: July 9, 2023 Subscribe to our new YouTube channel. As always, our email: talkeasypod@gmail.com. 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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