Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

Matthew McConaughey just keeps livin. In his new memoir, Greenlights, you hear how. Through the trials and tribulations, speed-bumps and roadblocks, the Oscar-winning actor has remained unwaveringly optimistic and full-hearted. Today he joins us to share selected scenes from his life, on-screen and off. We start with the whirlwind year of 1992 (3:15) before moving into lessons learned from the late Joel Schumacher (13:02) and his idol, Paul Newman (18:07)...

Our conversation with Fran Lebowitz is now available on vinyl! Visit www.talkeasypod.com/shop for more info. Fran is the author of books like Metropolitan Life (1978) and Social Studies (1981). She is also a renowned public speaker, performing across the country in auditoriums and lecture halls. That was, until, the pandemic. In the absence of modern technology—she doesn’t have a cellphone, computer, etc.—there were no virtual events for Fran...

In collaboration with The AIDS Memorial, we present this special episode of Talk Easy. Five stories of love, loss, and remembrance from those impacted by the AIDS epidemic. We thank Aaron (2:36), James (19:45), Kelly (49:19), Jeff (1:05:39), and Theresa (1:39:13) for having the courage to share parts of their lives with us. (Warning: this episode contains intermittently graphic and severe language.) 

Activist, social-justice educator, and Black Lives Matter co-founder Janaya Future Khan joins us in conversation this week. We discuss the therapeutic value of boxing (10:40), the racial biases embedded into modern technology (15:24), the danger of political nihilism (23:33), how activism is “the work of being alive” (27:45), and why we need to rewrite generational scripts (39:54), especially as Defund the Police receives pushback (54:56)...

Our annual holiday special is here! To celebrate, we've released some special Talk Easy-themed mugs, available in navy and cream. Visit www.talkeasypod.com/shop for more info. Today on part 1 of our special, we hear from guests that came on Talk Easy over the past 10 months. Jelani Cobb of The New Yorker (4:35), poet Morgan Parker (6:40), director Cat Solen (25:00), TV titan Norman Lear (27:24), actress Juliette Lewis (39:00), and performer Tituss Burgess (41:12)...

As we say goodbye to 2020, we turn to our guests from this historic year. After some year-end reflections from Sam, we hear from performer Alison Pill (4:35), comedian Hasan Minhaj (9:15), activist Dolores Huerta (29:00), broadcaster Brooke Gladstone (33:28), filmmaker Terence Nance (59:00), documentarians Bill & Turner Ross (1:00:00), and the legendary Holland Taylor (1:02:04).