Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Today, we’re joined by director Hiro Murai! With the return of Atlanta (5:06), we discuss the homecoming of this final season (7:14), Murai’s connection to the character Earn (10:04), the influence of Hayao Miyazaki (14:09), immigrating from Tokyo to Los Angeles at age 9 (17:12), and his search for an artistic identity between these two worlds (20:38). After the break, how the Coen Brothers and Takeshi Kitano shaped his early work (22:41), including music videos (25:12) for Earl Sweatshirt (27:32), Frank Ocean (30:19), and Childish Gambino (33:08). To close, we sit with a scene from Atlanta’s season premiere (35:27), the kind of work Hiro hopes to make in the years ahead (38:37), and a mission statement from author George Saunders (44:12).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last fall, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, we turned to the work of photographer Joel Meyerowitz. In the aftermath of that fateful day, Joel spent nine months at Ground Zero, capturing images of the recovery effort and first responders—the firefighters, police officers, EMS, construction workers—who put their lives on the line and families on hold to show up for a nation in repair. Today, we revisit our special talk with four people who were there or had loved ones on the ground: Amadeo Pulley, Ivonne Sanchez, Lieutenant John Ryan, and Bianca Quintanilla. Below is a virtual companion to their stories, with corresponding time-codes bolded for clarity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Labor Day weekend we’re joined by flight attendant and AFA President Sara Nelson! To begin, we discuss the challenge of summer air travel (6:14), the union’s fight against stock buybacks (9:45), and the history of harassment and sexism in the industry (18:33). Then, we walk through Sara’s early years at United (22:35), the physical toll of being a flight attendant (26:44), and how she found her way into the labor movement (30:37). On the back half, Sara recounts 9/11 (34:42), the colleagues she lost (36:59), the United furlough that followed (45:29), and the recent boom in union petitions across the country (53:20). To close, she reads a passage from her preface of Jeremy Brecher’s Strike! (56:25).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we head to Princeton, New Jersey to sit with legendary writer Joyce Carol Oates. We begin with her daily routine, from writing to revision (6:34), the real-life events that inspired her new novel, Babysitter (9:09), and why she’s fascinated with examining violence in her work (14:06). Then, we walk through Oates’ early years: growing up on a farm (17:45), her literary influences (22:22), and the lasting relationship she formed with libraries (27:01). On the back-half, Joyce revisits a 1977 journal entry on writing (28:30), how she grapples with criticism (31:20) and her complex relationship to Twitter (33:20). To close, we sit with love (40:05), loss (43:40), and why, at age eighty-four, she continues to tell new stories (50:22).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re joined by Abbi Jacobson! We begin with her new series, A League of Their Own (5:35), the legacy of the 1992 film (10:35), her earliest comedic influences (15:05), moving to New York City post-college (21:04), falling in love with improv at UCB (25:08), the night she met Ilana Glazer (32:40), and a handful of memories creating Broad City (37:20). On the back-half, Abbi tells the story behind her book I Might Regret This (43:33), how heartbreak brought her to Los Angeles (46:22), what she hopes her sixty-year-old self looks like (50:42), and why she wants to continue making ‘inviting work’ (54:12). To close, she tells us a love story (1:03:16).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Musician Joey Bada$$ joins us today! With the release of his new album, “2000”, we discuss the evolution of his songwriting (5:07), the direction of the new record (8:59), and how Grand Puba influenced the opening track, The Baddest (10:28). Then, to better understand Joey’s present, we sit with his past: the first verse he performed (13:31), writing Waves, featured in “1999”, in his mother’s bedroom (19:15), forming Pro Era as a teenager (23:42), and the day The New York Times interviewed him in high school (33:52).   On the back-half, Joey reflects on the legacy of the late Capital Steez (37:28), how writing Survivors Guilt helped him process loss (47:34), the joys of fatherhood (56:49), the redemptive quality of Head High (1:01:22), and what, at age 27, he hopes for in the chapter ahead (1:05:03).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re joined by Lena Dunham! We start by discussing her new film, Sharp Stick (6:20), the 1970s cinema that inspired it (9:50), and how it offers a “three-way mirror” to the female experience (12:41). Then, Lena reflects on meeting Judd Apatow on the heels of Tiny Furniture (15:39), her rapid ascension following Girls (17:39), the pain and power of grappling with OCD on the show (23:11), the genius of season five’s “The Panic in Central Park” (29:35), and how she’s continued to learn from public criticisms (35:27). On the back-half, we sit with the end of Girls (43:59), the aftermath of that decade (49:57), the new creative path Lena had to forge (55:46), the prophetic presence of her father (1:00:27), the inspiration that is her mother (1:01:47), and the dreams she has for the years ahead—on the screen, and off (1:06:54).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ethan Hawke has spent three decades telling stories. His latest project, The Last Movie Stars, honors two legends that inspired him to do so: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Today, he joins us to unpack the new docuseries (9:24), starting with his introduction to Paul Newman through Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (12:13). Then, Hawke reflects on his personal history: growing up with his mother on the east coast (16:43), his on-screen debut at fifteen in Explorers with River Phoenix (20:04), the enduring legacy of Robin Williams (25:57), and how Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy transformed his career (33:01). On the back-half, we revisit a memorable scene from Before Midnight (42:28), how capturing Chet Baker in Born to Be Blue helped Hawke process loss (52:31), what he learned about longevity from director Paul Schrader (55:29) and how that definition evolved in making The Last Movie Stars (58:32). To close– we discuss the importance of family (1:02:12), Hawke’s hopes for his third act (1:04:24), and why he continues to honor The Actor’s Vow by Elia Kazan (1:07:38).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, we’re joined by comedian John Early! We begin with his excellent new special, Would It Kill You to Laugh? (6:51) and its surprising tenderness (10:03), before revisiting a satirical book club sketch written with collaborator Kate Berlant (13:41). Then, John reflects on growing up in Nashville to minister parents (19:05), discovering Toni Collette at Blockbuster (22:37), and creating a fan-site dedicated to her work (25:31). After the break, we unpack John’s distaste for ‘pompous rituals’ (33:04), the night he met Berlant (34:02), a 2019 sketch called “How Have You Been?” (42:44), a pivotal scene from Would It Kill You to Laugh? (49:52), and the letter John wrote to Toni Collette at eleven-years-old (53:23).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re joined by author and body healer, Resmaa Menakem. With the release of his new book, The Quaking of America, we discuss Black liberation (5:09), the ‘white-body supremacy’ of January 6th (7:41), the implications of America’s conservatism (20:08), why there’s a failure to communicate across the aisle (25:03), the pernicious paradigm that ‘white guilt’ creates (32:44), and what it will take for us to have an embodied, anti-racist culture (39:25). On the back half, Resmaa explains a few of the body practices from his new book (47:26), how to prepare the nervous system for somatic abolitionism (52:32) and a potential Civil War (55:32). To close, ahead of the midterms, we unpack the blurred lines between Democrats and the GOP (1:01:06), the potential consequences of our conversation (1:03:34), and, ultimately, Resmaa’s hope for liberation (1:07:10).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.