Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

This Mother’s Day, a special talk with actor Minnie Driver. On the heels of her debut essay collection Managing Expectations, she discusses the role of luck (3:40), her bifurcated upbringing (5:12) and how it shaped her view of motherhood (11:28). As we walk through the 1970s, Minnie describes discovering acting in boarding school (12:00), her proclivity for running away (13:02), the story of her performance (16:05), the aftermath of Circle of Friends (21:16), an unnerving series of commercial auditions in her 20s (21:16) and what they taught her about misogyny in Hollywood (30:32). On the back-half, she tells a tender story from the making of Good Will Hunting (35:06), the media pressure she faced following the film (40:40), finding refuge in songwriting (43:10), and how having her son, Henry, changed her course (46:20). To close, we sit with her mother’s final days (54:10) and how she defines love at age 52 (57:52).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, legendary actor and comedian Bill Hader! We discuss the return of Barry (4:57), the thematic evolution of the series (7:02), and how it draws from films like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas (10:36). Then, Bill reflects on growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma (13:16), the influence of his late grandfather (17:04), his path from community college to his early PA jobs in Hollywood (18:25), landing on Saturday Night Live (21:36), the weekly pressure of the show (26:07), and how he made it through by collaborating with John Mulaney (29:51).   On the back-half, Bill shares a piece of advice from Jeff Bridges (35:14), how Barry came to be (37:27), the personal connection he has with the show (40:07), the enduring power of movies (47:52), and how, after some detours, he’s finally where he’s supposed to be (49:57).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, our guest is poet Rupi Kaur. Ahead of her international tour (4:44), we sat to discuss her childhood in Canada (13:05), how she processes trauma through writing (22:13), her college photo series on menstruation that went viral (23:33), and the self-published poetry collection (milk & honey) that followed (29:20). In the aftermath of this unexpected attention, Rupi speaks candidly on the emotional toll of the last decade (30:43) and how she reckons with her critics today (32:35), before reading a poem written in response to their harassment (41:09). On the back-half, Rupi describes her powerful connection to her heritage (42:41), understanding her mother’s sacrifices (43:15), which she recounts in Broken English (45:52), and the ways in which her work has evolved (54:08). To close, she performs two personal pieces from home body (56:17) and shares why she’s ready to get back on the stage, doing what she loves to do (58:43).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today we’re revisiting a favorite conversation with poet and author Ocean Vuong, following the release of his new book, Time Is a Mother. He first joined us in June of 2021. We discuss reckoning with one’s work from a distance (6:18), why he wrote his autobiographical novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (7:40), the cage of American masculinity (12:10), how he’s stayed the course, creatively, amidst oppressive systems (19:56), and what it means to be a first-generation writer (23:53). On the back-half, we wrestle with the grief of his mother’s passing and the tragic shootings in Atlanta (29:40), along with the collective uncertainty of the year (44:48). Before we leave, a tribute to his late mother (51:42).See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we’re joined by musician and founding member of The Internet, Syd! With the release of her new solo record, Broken Hearts Club (3:15), we discuss the origin of the album (5:45), how she healed in the process of making it (10:32), her evolution from engineer to singer-songwriter (11:50), the salad days of Odd Future (15:37), the depression that followed (20:25), and how she found her voice on the other side (31:00).After the break, Syd talks about performing through her stage fright (32:22), reckoning with Odd Future’s hyper-masculinity (35:20), the media’s outsized expectations for queer artists (38:02), actualizing her mother’s musical dreams (44:34), a full circle moment with Erykah Badu (50:00), and what she hopes for in the decade to come (50:48). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Film historian Karina Longworth is the host of You Must Remember This, a podcast exploring the forgotten histories of Hollywood’s first century. This week she joins us to discuss her new series, “Erotic 80s” (4:48), the seismic shift created by films like Last Tango in Paris and Deep Throat (7:58), the way in which these movies sold a distorted view of “female sexual liberation” (11:58), and how the cultural perception of these X-rated pictures evolved as the public learned of the abusive conditions in which they were made (12:50). As the 1980s took hold, Karina outlines how Hollywood capitalized on sex in the movies (16:50), making a film like American Gigolo (18:00), which transformed Richard Gere into a “distracting” sex symbol (22:09) and lead to “MTV aesthetic” in films like Flashdance and Risky Business (24:28). On the back-half, we wrestle with the legacy of director Adrian Lyne’s work (28:00), the way cinema has drifted away from the center of culture (31:57), why Karina continues to make You Must Remember This (40:50), and a refrain she shares with 1930s actress, Kay Francis (42:53). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anita Hill, a pioneering lawyer and author known for her landmark testimony in the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings, discusses her new podcast, Getting Even. She shares her reflections on the hostile environment she faced during her testimony and the ongoing structural barriers to justice for survivors of sexual harassment. Anita emphasizes the importance of systemic change over mere personnel swaps. She also highlights the significance of Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination and draws inspiration from her mother's legacy, concluding with a powerful poem of hope.

To celebrate Oscar Sunday, we’re returning to our talk with legendary bandleader of The Roots and director of Summer of Soul, Questlove!We discuss his winding road to making the documentary: from a trip to Japan (9:00) to a cold pitch backstage at The Tonight Show (10:30) to releasing the film last year (12:30). He also explains the cultural significance of the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 (15:39), the indescribable warmth of analogue sound (17:11), and why B.B. King's Why I Sing the Blues endures (18:03).Then, in the spirit of Summer of Soul, we dive into the musical past of Questlove: listening to Sly & the Family Stone in the bathtub at age six (19:56), Stevie Wonder and Curtis Mayfield at age 2, performing in a traveling band with his parents (23:35), before eventually creating The Roots (28:35).With distance, Questlove reflects on the group's European excursion (34:34), the infamous Philadelphia jam sessions that placed The Roots in a larger, cultural context (39:30), how his definition of success has evolved with age (41:17), and the profound final words of his manager Richard Nichols (44:12). To close, we sit with the words of Nina Simone (48:43) and how they've inspired Questlove to preserve and restore the history of Black music for future generations (51:36).To submit a question, comment, or reflection for our mailbag episode, write us at mail@talkeasypod.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marina Abramović is a pioneer in the field of performance art, using her body as both the subject and the medium. This week, we sit with the legendary performer in her New York City apartment. To follow along with the works discussed, visit our guided, virtual exhibit at www.talkeasypod.com/abramovic.We start with her relationship to Ukraine (8:00), creating art out of hardship (12:42), a Rainer Rilke poem that shaped her childhood (15:39), and the curiosity that propels her forward (23:00) in the face of sexist attacks from the press (29:15).On the back-half, Marina reflects on her groundbreaking work in Rhythm 0 (34:45), her tolerance for pain (39:50), the deep-seated influence of her mother (40:12), finding happiness at age 75 (45:27), how her seminal piece, The Artist Is Present, lives on (49:10), and what it means to be still, together (53:37). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we head to New York City to sit with the legendary David Byrne (Talking Heads). We discuss how he’s processed the pandemic (3:29), finding creativity in unlikely places (4:23), the evolution of his Broadway show ‘American Utopia’ (5:22), the influence of poet William Blake (7:26), his gift for collaboration (10:16), and the power of the song, Glass Concrete & Stone (15:30). On the back-half, David opens up about his pivot from New Wave to Latin music (18:34), getting comfortable with creating on his own terms (21:25), and why he turned to performance as a response to being neurodivergent (29:48). He also reflects on his relationship to the Talking Heads at age 69 (34:54), the cross generational impact of his art (36:36), the unique interpretations of American Utopia (38:25), and how he “found the world” through making music (41:45). Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.