Talk Easy With Sam Fragoso

Zazie Beetz is a great rising young actress, who has recently gained rightful attention for her fantastic work in the FX series "Atlanta" and her role in Joe Swanberg's Netflix anthology series "Easy." Zazie sat down with Sam to talk about her unique upbringing, speaking multiple languages, trying to make the world better for women, finding solace in not being important, and overcoming the often crippling anxiety of life. Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

He's back! W. Kamau Bell, the second ever guest on Talk Easy, makes his triumphant return to talk about this crazy election, the madness of Donald Trump, doing those crazy panels on CNN, and maintaining sanity through his family. But mostly the crazy election stuff. Buy Kamau's new comedy special, "Semi-Prominent Negro," at Kill Rock Stars: http://www.killrockstars.com/kamau/ Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

Margaret Brown is the talented documentarian behind "Never Trump," a short doc from the New York Times, about hardcore conservatives who have come out against Donald Trump. In a wide-ranging conversation, Sam and Margaret touch on everything from the state of American politics headed into this election, the power of documentary filmmaking, and finding the right balance between work and living. Watch "Never Trump" on the NYT website: http://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000004694111/never-trump-but-then-what.html Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

This week on the show, "Certain Women" director Kelly Reichardt joins Sam for a conversation about her unique and beautiful filmmaking, the loneliness of directing, the subtle sentimentality at the heart of her work, and talking to the neighbor's cat. All that, plus her early days working in a mail room, first picking up a Super8 camera, and much more. Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

This week on Talk Easy, Sam talks with hip hop artist/musician/producer extraordinaire, Ringgo Ancheta, aka @Mndsgn. In their conversation, Mndsgn shares how he landed on his distinct musical style, the elusive story behind his own origin, and the role of psychedelics in his music and his life. All that and more. Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

Multi-hyphenate jazz star Esperanza Spalding stops by Talk Easy to talk about her career, being an inconsistent person, developing that into creative energy, and the artistic value of being attentive to others. See Esperanza Spalding on tour: http://www.esperanzaspalding.com/tour/ Music for the show provided by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

Legendary documentary filmmaker Steve James joins the show to talk with Sam about his extraordinary career, his masterpiece "Hoop Dreams," his film about the late Roger Ebert, his new film, "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail," as well as his intimate approach to making films about complex subjects. UCLA's 'Kartemquin Films at 50': https://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2016/kartemquin-films-at-50 Music for the by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

This week on a special TIFF 2016 edition of Talk Easy, Sam sits down with Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips at the Toronto International Film Festival to trade friendly barbs over sushi while talking about Michael's long career in criticism, his experience taking over the reins of At the Movies, his role as a white middle-aged man in an ever more modern and diverse cultural environment. Plus, Sam shares the story of his first interaction with Phillips as a budding writer in high school. Music for the by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

This week's guest, comedian Lauren Lapkus is known to most people from her roles in 'Orange is the New Black' and 'Jurassic World', but she made her name as an outstanding impressionist and improviser, gaining attention on 'Comedy Bang Bang' and her own podcast, 'With Special Guest, Lauren Lapkus'. She's most recently featured in Netflix's sketch comedy series, 'Characters'. Lauren joins Sam for a discussion of her career, staying sane online, and just how she's able to embody so many hilarious characters in her comedy. Music for the by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

Think of any great comedy project in the last decade and Ben Schwartz probably had something to do with it. Jean-Ralphio on Parks and Recreation, Clyde on House of Lies, Rutabaga Rabitowitz on BoJack Horseman. He was even a voice consultant for BB-8 in the new Star Wars film. On the show Ben talks to Sam about his roots in the Bronx, the enduring genius of the late Gene Wilder and Harris Wittels, being a hustler in Hollywood, and the best advice his father ever gave him. Music for the by @Vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi: http://krishnabalashenoi.com/. Learn more about the show at http://talkeasypod.com

On this week's show, Sam is joined by the great and talented actress Melanie Lynskey. Hailing from New Zealand, Lynskey got her start at 15 in Peter Jackson's 'Heavenly Creatures', co-starring a young Kate Winslet. She has since gone on to play roles on everything from 'Two and a Half Men' and 'Shattered Glass' to 'Up in the Air' and 'Happy Christmas'. In the episode, Lynskey shares revealing stories from growing up in New Zealand, getting engaged to a man she only knew for three weeks, working with Charlie Sheen and Ed Norton, navigating a career as a character actress, and getting to act in a Steven Soderbergh movie. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Charlene deGuzman made waves on the internet three years when her short film, "I Forgot My Phone," which she wrote and starred in, went viral. Now she's back with a new, much bigger project, trying to fund her first feature film "Unlovable," on Kickstarter. The film—which was conceived by herself and Mark Duplass, and has the backing of Patton Oswalt—is about a young woman coping with sex and love addiction. It's an affliction deGuzman has been dealing with personally for much of her life, and in this interview she talks with Sam about her experiences in sex work, bad relationships, and finding solutions to the problem of sex and love addiction. Plus, she shares what it's like for a video to go wildly viral, and how smartphones and the internet have made life harder and better at the same time. If you'd like to help Charlene get "Unlovable" made, please head to the project's Kickstarter page and donate what you can: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/603048956/unlovable?ref=filmpress Music for the show by

Ira Sachs is the acclaimed director of films like 'Love is Strange' and 'Keep the Lights On'. Now he's back with the beautiful film, 'Little Men', inspired in part by his own youth. Ira sat down with Sam to talk about 'Little Men', his own upbringing in the South, coming out to his parents as a teenager, navigating a career on the indie film scene, and the difficulty of crossing different social streams. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

You probably know Kate Micucci from somewhere, whether it was her role in 'Scrubs,' or 'How I Met Your Mother,' or 'The Big Bang Theory,' or 'When in Rome,' or 'Rules of Engagement,' or countless other TV series and indie films she's appeared in. Of course, Micucci is even better known as one half of the comedy music duo "Garfunkel and Oates," which spawned a series of YouTube videos, albums, and even a TV series for IFC. Now Micucci co-stars in a new film from director Mike Birbiglia and producer Ira Glass, called 'Don't Think Twice,' about a troupe of improv comedians competing for a role on a late night sketch TV show. Kate sits down with Sam to discuss the film, how Garfunkel and Oates came to be, the difficulties of growing into adulthood, building sandcastles on the beach, the challenging task of creating and running a TV series, and getting recognized for such a wide variety of roles. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Alan Arkin has been acting in movies since the 1960s, delivering decades worth of great and memorable performances, including indelible turns in 'The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming', 'Glengarry Glen Ross', 'The In-Laws', and 'Little Miss Sunshine'. Arkin sat down with Sam for a conversation about his career, being called to the House Un-American Activities Committee, the problems with modern American filmmaking, and his fears of a Trump presidency, and his friendship with J.D. Salinger, who he now plays on 'BoJack Horseman'. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Nico Segal, aka @DonnieTrumpet, is a musician out of Chicago whose work with Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa has gained him notoriety in the worlds of hip-hop and jazz. His most recent album, 2015's 'Surf'—an album made in collaboration with a collective of artists he calls The Social Experiment, which includes Chance and others, plus contributions from artists like Erykah Badu and more—is a masterful work of musical composition and optimistic sound. Donnie sat down with Sam to chat about growing up in Chicago, picking up the trumpet—his signature instrument—going on tour with Frank Ocean, and his decision to release his own music for free instead of through a label. Find Donnie Trumpet's music on SoundCloud @donnietrumpet. Music for the show by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustrations by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Eric André is the host of the bizarre, surreal, insane 'The Eric André Show' on Adult Swim. His style of comedy can be described as erratic, insane, surreal, and, of course, utterly hilarious. André also stars in the series, 'Man Seeking Woman,' and was featured in the now-canceled 'Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23.' André stopped by Talk Easy at the end of a long day of press and gave what even he deemed, "the weirdest interview I've ever done in my life." Uncomfortable and totally out there, much like his own show, this episode encapsulates much of what André's comedy stylings reach toward: hilarity, and even beauty, in the train wreck. Music by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Alex Gibney is one of the most successful and prolific documentary filmmakers in the business. His films have covered controversial figures like Elliott Spitzer and Lance Armstrong, and topics as intense as corporate malfeasance, the Church of Scientology, and the world of hacking in his latest doc, Zero Day. Gibney sat down with Sam to talk about the common themes in his work, as well as addressing the criticisms he's received for both his possibly manipulative filmmaking techniques, as well as his incredibly prolific output. Music by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

Alissa Wilkinson, chief film critic at Christianity Today, joins Sam to talk about growing up Evangelical, being homeschooled, moving to "godless" New York and working as a film critic with a distinctly moral bent. She also discusses her new book, co-written with Robert Joustra, "How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World," as well as her work as a professor at The King's College in New York. Special thanks to Amado's at 998 Valencia for allowing us to record in their wonderful space. Purchase Alissa's book, "How to Survive the Apocalypse," on Amazon, or at your local book store. Music by Vanilla @vanilla. Original illustration by Krishna Shenoi http://krishnabalashenoi.com/.

In this special Bonus Episode of Talk Easy, we bring you more of Sam's conversation with Robert Forster, who shares some additional items from his Menu of life stories and lessons. Tales of Marlon Brando, the JFK assassination, the Ringling Brothers Circus, and elephant-watching in Africa. Enjoy.