What's Our Podcast? with Beck Bennett & Kyle Mooney

Episode: Sam Fragoso
Original Release: October 22, 2025
Guest: Sam Fragoso (Host of "Talk Easy", journalist, filmmaker)
Podcast Theme: Beck and Kyle try to figure out what their podcast should be about, with help from their guests.

Overview: Episode Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Beck and Kyle welcome Sam Fragoso—podcaster and interviewer behind "Talk Easy"—to help them (once again) determine what their own podcast should actually be about. The conversation turns candid and meta as the three discuss the anxiety of podcasting, research, vulnerability, nostalgia, and the creative processes behind their respective work. Sam floats a new show premise centered on nostalgia, prompting a playful in-episode "pilot" where the trio riffs on their own teenage years, the nature of nostalgia itself, and even cold-calls a video game retailer.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Beck & Kyle’s Podcast “Identity Crisis”

• Opening Banter (00:05–04:39): The two gently roast each other's energy, singing their theme song and trying to shake off weekend sleep deprivation. They riff on their SNL days, friendship longevity, and what it really means to “turn it on” for the mic.
• Meta Self-Awareness (04:36–08:40): Both admit to still not knowing what the podcast is “about,” worrying whether their mix of interview, riff, and segments “works.” Kyle wonders aloud about negative audience feedback:

  “I do wonder if the audience...will ever be like, ‘You guys had nothing today.’” —Kyle (08:32)

• Role Play & Inside Jokes (13:01–16:12): They mock-up an imaginary SNL promo with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, poking fun at their promo experience on the show and Kyle’s non-inclusion.

2. Superman, SNL, & Post-Show Life (05:13–15:02)

• Beck’s Superman Role:
  Beck discusses playing Steve Lombard in the new "Superman" movie, joking about how it will change him (“I’ll be late to things now, more of a box office guy.” 06:12).
• Kyle’s SNL Musings:
  Fondly recalls nine years on SNL, feeling mysterious for not being in many promos, and facing career uncertainties in post-show life.

3. Introducing Sam Fragoso: Podcasting Insights (17:27–31:14)

• Sam’s Podcasting Background (21:33–25:56):
  Sam shares his origins in film criticism, early hustle for bylines, and shifting from Chicago to California (“I was basically the kid in Almost Famous writing emails.” 20:36). He describes his meticulous, research-intensive process for "Talk Easy," often comprising 10–30 hours of prep per guest.
• On Vulnerability & the Value of Research (29:39–30:32):
  Sam embraces Terry Gross’s advice for guests to “start over and say it better,” which enhances comfort and truthfulness (“The goal is to get to know someone, to the essence of who they are.” 29:59).

4. The Existential Podcast Pitch

• Why This Podcast? (30:50–33:39):
  Sam turns the mic, asking why Beck and Kyle chose this amorphous, premise-hopping concept. Both say its “meta, subversive” bent gave them cover to start a podcast in a saturated field, but also admit “reinventing the wheel every time does come with an amount of stress.” (32:10)
• Intention of Vulnerability:
  Kyle:

  “The ultimate version...is that we are vulnerable about ourselves as performers and as humans. That could be rather endearing.” (34:17)

• Referencing Kyle's “Awkward Interviews” & Music:
  Discussion of how sincerity and risk—like Kyle's music project—scare but also fulfill them (36:43).

5. Sam’s Show Ideas & The Birth of “Nostalgia” (41:03–43:13)

• Podcast Concept Pitches:
  • “Off Air”: A show about cut SNL sketches
  • “Nostalgia” wins out: For a pilot, they create a podcast reflecting on obsession and cultural ephemera from their respective youths, inviting Sam's expertise in youthful “old soul” fandom.

6. The Pilot: “Nostalgia”

(43:23–63:22)

• Segment: What Are You Nostalgic For? (45:48–47:00)
  • Sam admits to collecting Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, which leads to a tongue-in-cheek “Deep Yu-Gi-Oh! analysis” riff.
• Millennial Nostalgia—Cringe or Common Thread? (50:07–52:53)
  • Kyle raises the generational critique that millennials’ love of nostalgia seems “cringy” to Gen Z.

    “I feel like nostalgia...aligns with the tropes of how people refer to millennials.” —Kyle (50:27)

  • Sam agrees, but suggests it’s both universal and a defining trait of their generation.
• Personal High School Nostalgia (54:23–55:17):
  • Beck reminisces about Chicago, longboarding, and playing lacrosse; Kyle was in a hip-hop group, “second-tier” popularity.
• Segment: Ask An Expert About Old School Video Games (55:43–58:19):
  • They cold-call a real video game store, whose “expert” is not actually into retro games, much to the gang’s delight.

  • “To be clear, that expert doesn’t play video games.” —Beck (57:53)

• Are We Nostalgic Because We're Broken? (58:44–62:40)
  • Extended riff on whether their obsession with nostalgia is linked to childhood happiness, divorce, or simply “old soul” tendencies.
  • Kyle links his love for 80s-90s cartoons to family stability pre-divorce. Sam, whose parents separated before he was 1, is still nostalgic, so maybe the theory doesn't hold (“So maybe that disproves this theory...” —Kyle, 61:42).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Podcast Confusion:
  • “We still haven’t figured out...the endgame.” —Kyle (04:36)
  • “It’s fun to just riff...But sometimes the riffing is going to be whoa, and other times can be like, whoa.” —Kyle (08:25)
• On SNL Promos:
  • “They kept me hidden from the promo stuff...Maybe they wanted to keep you mysterious. Protect your brand.” —Beck (14:28–14:37)
• On Research (Sam):
  • “You have as much time as you can, and the time is five days...then you have to let it go.” (26:39)
  • “The main thing I say, which you guys can totally steal...I tell every guest, if you start saying something and you don’t love how you’re saying it, just go back and say it the way you want to say it.” (29:18)
• On Vulnerability:
  • “The ultimate version of the show is if the audience can see they are struggling or figure something out; that could be rather endearing.” —Kyle (34:17)
• On Generational Nostalgia:
  • “There are components of millennials and their nostalgia that is cringy.” —Kyle (51:33)
  • “Does our love for nostalgia mean we’re broken?” —Beck (58:44)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:05–04:39] — Beck & Kyle Banter, Theme Song
• [05:13–15:02] — Superman Talk, SNL Memories, Career Talk
• [17:27–31:14] — Sam Joins, Podcasting/Research, SNL vs. Interview Shows
• [32:10] — Admitting Podcast Premise is Stressful
• [34:17] — On Vulnerable Podcasting
• [41:03–43:13] — Sam Pitches “Nostalgia” as New Show Concept
• [43:23–63:22] — “Nostalgia” Podcast Pilot Segment
  • [45:48] — What Are You Nostalgic For?
  • [55:43] — Ask an Expert (Old School Video Games)
  • [58:44] — Are We Broken Because We're Nostalgic?
• [64:08–end] — Reflections, Meta-Deconstruction, Goodbyes

Tone & Language

Throughout, the tone is leisurely, self-deprecating, and sincerely silly:

• They oscillate between honest musings (“Are we broken?”), light roast (“Your artist statement was so nice, in the meanest way”), and quick-sketch absurdity (SNL promos, the nostalgic “donkey song”).
• Sam matches their wit but adds practical advice on research, vulnerability, and audience connection.

Episode Takeaways

• Self-aware Experimentation: Beck and Kyle are leaning into not knowing, turning podcast uncertainty into a recurring bit that allows for vulnerability and experimentation.
• The Power of Research (and Sincerity): Sam's advice points towards preparation as an act of respect for guests, and being OK with “taking a do-over” as essential to good radio.
• Nostalgia, with a Wink: Their pilot for a nostalgia podcast has fun with high school and millennial clichés, but also interrogates why looking back matters.
• A Podcast in Search of Itself: Each episode’s “meta” arc is as much about personal evolution as it is about comic riffing.

For listeners or curious newcomers, this episode offers a layered, inside-out look at podcast-making, creative anxiety, and why so many of us care so much about the shows, toys, and feelings of our youth.

Notable Quotes With Speaker & Timestamp

• Kyle on "not riffing":

  “Sometimes the riffing is going to be whoa, and other times can be like, whoa.” (08:25)

• Sam on research:

  “The main thing I say, which you guys can totally steal...I tell every guest, if you start saying something and you don’t love how you’re saying it, just go back and say it the way you want to say it.” (29:18)

• Beck on podcast meta-premise:

  “On some level, it’s like a larger existential podcast—we don’t know what we’re doing.” (34:00)

• Kyle on what makes the show work:

  “The ultimate version...is that we are vulnerable about ourselves as performers and as humans.” (34:17)

• Beck (wryly, on nostalgia):

  “I’m just loving every moment. I’m doing the podcast with my man because I know about the divorce stuff and I feel bad for him.” (60:39)

Outro

Listen to "What's Our Podcast?" for a delightful, sometimes aimless, but always self-aware take on creativity, friendship, and why no one outgrows the things they loved growing up. Check out Sam Fragoso’s “Talk Easy” for a dose of careful, research-driven interview craft.