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 ...
Mar 20, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 wi...
Mar 13, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today we are joined by legendary writer Margaret Atwood! We begin with her new collection of essays, Burning Questions (4:18), which wrestle with catastrophe (4:59), growing up in the wilderness (7:05) under egalitarian parents (10:00), and how she circumvented the traditional roles for women of the 1950s (12:20). She also shares some personal stories: her first book signing event (15:40), the day she met her late husband Graeme Gibson (17:20), and the innumerable ways in which he'd shape her li...
Mar 06, 2022•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re in conversation with author, voting rights activist, and gubernatorial candidate for the state of Georgia: Stacey Abrams. To begin, we talk about the systemic challenges that small business owners face (4:26), the impact of Georgia’s new voting laws (8:38), the threat of election subversion (11:52), what a functional democracy could look like (14:40), the lessons learned from her 2018 bid for Governor (18:14), and how she plans to win in 2022 (22:12). On the back half, Abrams re...
Feb 27, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Comedian and documentary host W. Kamau Bell has built a career out of having difficult conversations. Today, he returns to the show with his latest project, the four-part docuseries We Need to Talk About Cosby . We begin with Kamau's reluctance to talk about Bill Cosby (7:35), whose legacy became something he decided to publicly grapple with (8:30) and examine chronologically through this piece (10:17). Kamau speaks on his approach to the series (13:10), the integral women who helped create it (...
Feb 23, 2022•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this special episode, educator Dr. James Whitfield tells his remarkable story. Whitfield made headlines recently after being fired as Principal of Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas. The reason? A conservative community alleged he was adding Critical Race Theory to the curriculum. (To be clear: he was not. ) But how did this happen? Whitfield begins by sharing a presentation he co-lead on diversity in our schools (5:41), an impassioned email he wrote to parents in aftermath of George F...
Feb 20, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Glory Edim, founder of Well-Read Black Girl , joins us today for a special episode! In 2015, she founded the Brooklyn-based book club and online community. Two years later, a literary festival emerged. This month, she launched Well-Read Black Girl with Glory Edim by Pushkin Industries. We begin with Glory’s daily morning journal (3:30), the mission behind her new podcast (4:28) and the “literary kickback” she hopes it becomes (5:35). As the debate over Critical Race Theory continues (7:24), she ...
Feb 16, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, the legendary Cate Blanchett joins us. To start, we unpack her femme fatale turn in Nightmare Alley (6:06), the way director Guillermo del Toro wrestles with truth and deception in the new 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 enc...
Feb 13, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we sit with legendary bandleader of The Roots, Questlove! On the heels of his directorial debut, Summer of Soul , 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 (18:0...
Feb 06, 2022•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re joined by actor and producer Tessa Thompson! To begin, we talk about Thompson’s entry point into her new film Passing (7:56), a pivotal scene starring Bill Camp (11:08), the groundbreaking work of writers Nella Larsen (13:05) and Zora Neale Hurston (15:33), and how moviemaking keeps Tessa connected to something greater (19:37). On the back half, she shares her earliest inclinations toward acting (22:20) and activism (26:43), growing up in Los Angeles to creative parents (24:17), ...
Jan 30, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ezra Klein is a columnist for The New York Times, the host of The Ezra Klein Show, and the author of Why We’re Polarized . He joins us this week to unpack the debate around school closures in the wake of Omicron (6:00), President Biden’s push to pass voting rights legislation (11:30), the GOP’s “precinct strategy” to win local elections (16:24), and what Democrats need to do ahead of the November midterms (23:00). On the back-half, Ezra reflects on his early years covering Washington (29:35), hi...
Jan 23, 2022•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re back! This week we sit with musician Alana Haim, star of the film from director Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza. Making her acting debut, Alana shares the serendipitous backstory that led to the project (6:00), the “7th grade forever theory” that helped her get inside the character of Alana Kane (13:17), a high school house party where she baked cake and fell in love (17:30), and the fortuitous afternoon she met future co-star Cooper Hoffman (23:23). In the back half, we talk about th...
Jan 16, 2022•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week one year ago, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election. For some perspective on the other side of this moment, we return to our episode with activist and educator Brittany Packnett Cunningham. We unpack the aftermath of the riots (6:46) before discussing her entry point into activism (11:00), unlearning perfectionism (19:38), grappling with imperfect allies (27:24), the consequences of using your voice (30:45), the enduring legacy...
Jan 09, 2022•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we begin the new year, we turn to writer George Saunders. He first joined us upon the release of his latest book, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain . He’s recently launched a new newsletter called "Story Club" , available on Substack. This week we’re revisiting our talk with Saunders, discussing the power of Chekhov and Tobias Wolff (8:52), regarding literature as a “fondness for life” (12:30), his summer with Steinbeck (15:00), deconstructing the (male) mythology of Hemingway (26:45), and how sta...
Jan 02, 2022•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast On our annual holiday special, we hear from the people that came on Talk Easy in 2021. To start: performer Ts Madison (4:20), CNN anchor Jake Tapper (7:25), actor Vicky Krieps (8:25), and a phone call with actor and director Julie Delpy (9:55). We also play some voicemails from visual artist Toyin Ojih Odutola (25:30), host of Death, Sex & Money Anna Sale (28:13), and actor Glynn Turman (30:20), before calling up writer George Saunders (33:20). To close the year, we hear from actor Nick Offe...
Dec 19, 2021•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we near the end of 2021, we turn to Noam Chomsky. The renowned linguist, historian, and social critic helps us unpack President Biden’s response to the Omicron variant (2:17), our distorted view of personal freedom (6:43), what the new infrastructure bill actually means for communities of color (14:32), the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict (18:01), the state of the GOP (21:23), how Critical Race Theory is a “cover-term” for Christian nationalists (24:28), and what we can actually learn from the 1930s...
Dec 12, 2021•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast At age 26, Michael Tubbs became the youngest mayor of a major city in American history. He joins us this week around the release of his breathtaking new memoir, The Deeper the Roots. Born and raised in Stockton, California, Michael offers the historical context of his city (9:42), the politics around his birth (11:15), his early experiences of homelessness (12:40), the day he met his father in prison (14:45), how he discovered just how ordinary lawmakers were (18:54), and the familial tragedy (2...
Dec 05, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Transcript available on Metacast On this holiday weekend we're revisiting a special episode with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jhumpa Lahiri (“Interpreter of Maladies”, “The Namesake”). In vivid, writerly detail Lahiri describes being raised in a family “spread out in various places” (5:05), her late mother’s recurring presence in her writing (10:20), the comfort (and pain) of being an observer (17:45), and the vibrancy she found in Rome (26:32), which inspired her new novel (written in Italian, translated in English) “Wherea...
Nov 28, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re joined by legendary singer-songwriter, Indigenous activist, and educator Buffy Sainte-Marie. She reflects on growing up to adoptive parents in Massachusetts (4:00), the value of encouraging creativity in childhood (7:12), reuniting with her Cree family at eighteen (10:37), singing for peers in college (14:36), and the alternative conflict resolution messaging behind her early 1960s protest songs (16:46). On the back-half, she discusses the performance that got her blacklisted by...
Nov 21, 2021•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we present a double feature with actors Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) and Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)! To begin, Krieps shares the story behind making Bergman Island (6:00), what it meant to work with director Mia Hansen-Løve (7:30), how she separates herself from her characters (10:30), the epiphany in Mozambique that changed her course (12:59), and a reunion with director Paul Thomas Anderson (17:10). To close, she plays an original song inspired by her character in Old (28:10). ...
Nov 14, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Transcript available on Metacast As we mark the one-year anniversary of the 2020 election, activist and educator Janaya Future Khan returns for a state of the union (3:00). We begin with the trillion dollar infrastructure bill (4:08), the looming threat of big tech in Congress (4:58), division in the Democratic party (5:28), and how we can move away from “instant coffee politics” by turning to activism (9:55). Then, we have a wide-ranging discussion around Dave Chappelle’s stand-up special (13:46), transgender representation (2...
Nov 07, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast With the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm , Jeff Garlin is back on the show! Our talk with the Chicago-born comedian opens with a song (4:16) and a spirited exchange over cancel culture (8:10). Then, Garlin shares his excitement around returning to comedy clubs (19:53), his philosophy on dreams (24:30), the night he lost his virginity to a heckler (29:16), how he found love in the pandemic (32:10), and why he’s seeing his work on “Curb” in a new light (35:40). Before we go, Jeff walks us through t...
Oct 31, 2021•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Actor, author, and woodworker Nick Offerman joins us in the studio! We begin with his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play (5:05), which was inspired by Nick’s upbringing in rural Minooka, Illinois (6:12), the writings of poet Wendell Berry (7:30), and his experiences with the late Sam Shepard at Steppenwolf Theatre (8:08). Shortly after working with Shepard, Offerman began to find his footing—on and off the stage—as a performer, carpenter, and fight choreographer (9:35). He reflects o...
Oct 24, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we have a soulful (and long overdue) conversation around climate change and the restorative power of nature with Pulitzer-prize winning author Richard Powers. We begin by defining the thematic through-line between The Overstory and Bewilderment (5:06), the eco trauma articulated in each text (9:10), how we may redefine hope in 2021 (16:08), and what the pandemic may teach us about the looming climate crisis (26:18). Powers also details the ecological shortcomings of capitalism (29:00),...
Oct 17, 2021•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast Upon the release of her new film Lamb, we sit with actor Noomi Rapace. We begin with how she explained the project to her son (4:24), after two decades of fearless performances (6:18) ignited by her breakout role in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (17:24). As we reflect on the pandemic, she describes a feeling of stillness (20:09) that emerged after Lamb—a counter to the years of “running” during Prometheus, Sherlock Holmes, and The Drop (23:02). As we leave, we revisit an early interview clip (...
Oct 10, 2021•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the past 50 years, Nikki Giovanni has been one of our preeminent poets. She joins this week, reflecting on how her childhood led to a life of writing (4:28), the enduring impact of a televised conversation with James Baldwin (11:40), the story behind her famous poem, “I Married My Mother” (16:30), and why she doesn't believe in role models (21:43). On the back-half, we work our way to the present, as Nikki shares her experience of visiting the African American Museum (27:15), the evolution o...
Oct 03, 2021•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast For nearly four decades, artist Julie Delpy has been creating in front of the camera and behind it. She joins us this week to discuss her emotional investment in the work (4:05), the seed of truth that formed her new Netflix series, On The Verge (7:29), and how her views on parenting informed the show (8:57). Growing in Paris with two actor parents (11:18), Delpy reflects on entering the movie business at fourteen (12:59), navigating an industry of misogyny and predation (14:53), and why she beg...
Sep 26, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Toyin Ojih Odutola is one of our finest visual artists working today. Her art has been featured in the Whitney, MOMA, and the Smithsonian. She joins us, in studio, on the heels of her revelatory monograph, Toyin Ojih Odutola: The UmuEze Amara Clan and the House of Obafemi. Accompanied by a virtual gallery (see link below), Toyin tells her story: coming to America from Nigeria at age five (6:44), why she started drawing (10:02), a formative trip to her homeland at age sixteen (12:50), the challen...
Sep 19, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 sit with four people who were there on the ground: Amadeo Pulley, Ivonne Sanchez, Lieutenant John Ryan,...
Sep 11, 2021•2 hr 36 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re revisiting a favorite of ours with American actress and playwright, Holland Taylor. She’s best known for her television roles on The Practice and Hollywood, and films like Legally Blonde, Romancing the Stone, and The Truman Show. You can see her latest performance in The Chair, now available on Netflix. She walks us through her storied career, from her days as a playpen baby (7:39) to the college experience that solidified her choice to place career ahead of motherhood (12:30). ...
Sep 05, 2021•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
