413 episodes

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

Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso Pushkin

    • Society & Culture

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

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Comedian Ramy Youssef Returns with ‘More Feelings’

    Comedian Ramy Youssef Returns with ‘More Feelings’

    This weekend, comedian Ramy Youssef released a powerful and personal new HBO special, More Feelings.

    To commemorate the one-year anniversary of our first talk, we begin with a phone call with Ramy (5:35). Then, we dive into our talk from 2023, discussing the third season of his Hulu show Ramy (32:59), a timely scene from the show (35:46), and the questions that shaped it (39:37). Then, we walk through his coming of age as a first-generation Egyptian-American in New Jersey (42:28), his early forays into film (47:07), and the sketch inspired by his life-altering Bell’s palsy diagnosis (48:25).

    On the back-half, we discuss Youssef's television debut in the sitcom See Dad Run (59:00), how he found his “essence” as a performer (1:00:54), and the politics of his stand-up comedy (1:03:50). To close, he describes the influences behind Ramy, from The Carmichael Show to Curb Your Enthusiasm (1:08:25), a philosophy that guides his work (1:14:58), and the future of the series (1:21:36).

    For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 1 hr 23 min
    Pushkin Hosts Celebrate World Happiness Day

    Pushkin Hosts Celebrate World Happiness Day

    The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell talks about the benefits of the misery of running in a Canadian winter. Dr. Maya Shankar from A Slight Change of Plans talks about quieting her mental chatter. And Cautionary Tales host Tim Harford surprises everyone with the happiness lessons to be learned from a colonoscopy.

    Hear more of The Happiness Lab HERE.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 48 min
    How Do We Think About the 2024 Election?

    How Do We Think About the 2024 Election?

    Writer Evan Osnos (The New Yorker, CNN) has been interviewing Joe Biden on and off for the past decade. He recently profiled the 46th President ahead of his State of the Union, offering a rare (and revealing) portrait of the elder statesman from Pennsylvania. 

    In act one, we outline the state and stakes of the 2024 election (7:20), Biden’s demeanor “behind closed doors” (12:07), the accomplishments (15:42) and failures (21:00) of his first term, and what’s changed since his initial pitch to be a ‘transitional candidate’ (26:31).

    In act two, we turn to the twice-impeached, four-time criminal indictee, and presumptive GOP nominee for president, Donald Trump: his symbolic campaign announcement in Waco, Texas (32:40), the ‘combat mentality’ at the center of his bid for reelection (35:54), and the authoritarian vision (38:00) he has for America, come 2025 (39:25).

    In act three, a speed-round of pressing questions you may have about the 2024 election (54:27), an attempt to wrestle with Biden’s psychology (1:03:08), and, to close, a timely passage from Osnos’ stunning book Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury (1:12:18).

    For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 1 hr 14 min
    Oscar Sunday with Composer Ludwig Göransson (‘Oppenheimer’)

    Oscar Sunday with Composer Ludwig Göransson (‘Oppenheimer’)

    To celebrate Oscar Sunday, we're returning to our talk with Oppenheimer composer Ludwig Göransson!

    To begin, Göransson describes the collaborative process with director Christopher Nolan (6:48), the instrument at the heart of the film (9:30) and its hauntingly beautiful theme (11:06). Then, we walk through Ludwig’s instinctive approach to making music (13:07), his coming of age in Sweden (15:20), and the influence of Metallica and Danny Elfman (18:51).

    On the back-half, Ludwig reflects on his early years in Los Angeles (24:56), finding kinship with director Ryan Coogler (27:55) and polymath Donald Glover (34:53), and how he slowly began to understand his voice (38:21). To close, he shares how his process has evolved from Black Panther to Oppenheimer (42:30), the potential impact of AI on the music industry (44:58), and what he hopes for in the years ahead (49:15).

    For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 59 min
    From the Oscar Archives: Cate Blanchett

    From the Oscar Archives: Cate Blanchett

    For over twenty-five years, Cate Blanchett has been as vital as any performer we have. In the lead-up to this Sunday's 96th annual Academy Awards, we're returning to our special talk with Cate.

    To begin, we unpack her femme fatale turn in Nightmare Alley (6:06), the way director Guillermo del Toro wrestles with truth and deception in the neo-noir (9:34), the first time Blanchett understood her gift for shapeshifting (11:18), the lasting presence of her late father (14:46), an early job as a script reader that changed how she approached her craft (19:14), the challenge of getting comfortable with “being seen” (22:40), a prophetic encounter with a psychic while filming The Gift (25:46), and how becoming a parent clarified her purpose (31:58).

    On the back-half, we sit her work in I’m Not There (34:52) and Manifesto (38:54), her affinity for the Eastern philosophy of imperfection (42:33), words of wisdom from dancer Martha Graham (48:00), and how she’s beginning to accept the “divine dissatisfaction” of being an artist (51:54).

    For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. 
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 54 min
    Dispatches from a Gaza Hospital (with Dr. Seema Jilani)

    Dispatches from a Gaza Hospital (with Dr. Seema Jilani)

    As we enter month six of the Israel-Hamas war, a dispatch from Dr. Seema Jilani. She’s provided critical aid in the West Bank for nearly two decades, and recently returned from Gaza working with the IRC (the International Rescue Committee) to offer humanitarian support and medical assistance.

    At the top, we discuss her latest trip to the region (10:40), the devastating conditions she witnessed (14:46), and the details of her rescue efforts at Al-Aqsa Hospital (16:34). Then, she describes the decision-making process of her colleges on the ground (20:28), how medical supplies are dwindling (28:39), and the subsequent consequences of those shortages on children (34:46).

    On the back-half, Dr. Jilani underscores the importance of how doctors communicate with the media (40:36), how she views her responsibility as a physician (44:34), what she hopes comes out of the recent protest by U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell (45:55), and, to close, she reads a passage from poet Audre Lorde (55:02).

    For questions, comments, or to join our mailing list, reach me at sf@talkeasypod.com. This conversation was recorded at Spotify Studios in Los Angeles and Circle Music Group in Houston.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 56 min

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