Easy Listening

The Girls Give Big Updates

Teresa and Gina both have new books out. Teresa went on the Adam Carolla Show to promote her new book, “Making It Home,” but it kind of sort of didn’t exactly come up. Gina picked Teresa up from the studio, and they had kabobs and discussed the swing and miss. They still love the Ace Man, despite his foibles. They discuss how Teresa’s book is now the top new baseball book in America, which is crazy, since it began as a few pages she read to this audience’s Patreon. Gina also recounts her awk...

Ep. 139 - Gina Looks Back at Her Time on the Adam Carolla Show

Teresa and Gina get together to talk about the latest changes to G’s employment and the exciting projects they both have on the horizon. (*Sorry for the slight hiss in the background!)  

Ep 138 - Your Boobs Don’t Stop

It’s been a minute, but Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser pick up where they left off, only there’s less of Gina these days. She details her recent breast reduction, life on the Adam Carolla Show these past few months, and updates us on step-mommyhood. Meanwhile, Teresa explains why her upcoming grief/baseball memoir has a new subtitle, and both hosts agree that “grief is really having a moment.” Just a little check in after a year or so. They missed talking to each other, and missed the Easy Li...

Easy Listening - Ep. 137 - JEW-ISH THOUGHTS ON JEWS

The only title that is more uncomfortable to say out loud than Adventures with Dead Jews, is perhaps People Love Dead Jews. These are the titles of Dara Horn’s Book and companion podcast. Speaking of uncomfortable, Dara isn’t afraid to point out all the reasons the mainstream christians love Anne Frank…but only up to the point where she was caught by the Nazis. G & T walk you through this experience.

Easy Listening - Ep. 136 - The Dark Side of Modeling: This S*it Never Gets Old

Fallen Angel is a new podcast series documenting the origin story of Victoria’s Secret. Secrets uncovered include: models have to be skinny and it leads to eating disorders! The modeling industry is filled with skeezy people! Sometimes, models are treated poorly! So, this series isn’t exactly breaking any news. It’s not solving any crimes. And yet, they couldn’t stop listening to it.

Easy Listening - Ep. 135 - Dude, Maintain!

The diet industry is a cash cow that makes billions of dollars a year promising instant results and a brand new you. We’ve all fallen prey to one cure-all or another. And some of them work…for a time anyway. The Maintenance Phase podcast promises to debunk the junk science behind health fads. And as we approach the season of overeating, shame-binging and mindless holiday grazing, it’s nice to know we’re not alone, we’re not broken, and we’re certainly not bad people.   

Easy Listening - Ep. 134 - Covid, Whiskey and Alec

This week, Teresa Strasser explains the unusual way her dad got COVID. Gina Grad shares some audio from a very intoxicated Vegas podcast episode. And both hosts discuss the ongoing conversation about the tragic accident on set involving podcaster Alec Baldwin. It’s Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasting (and podcasters!).  

Easy Listening - Ep. 133 - You Don’t Seem Like Yourself

It’s officially time for terrifying stories of body snatchers and cautionary tales about exorcisms…it IS spooky story season after all. And nobody does it better than Glynn Washington over at Snap Judgment who rolls out the red carpet for their SPOOKED episode around this time of year. But sometimes these stories don’t fit neatly into the weeks leading up to halloween. There are times when we all scare ourselves by acting like somebody else. That day is today. Gina Grad and Teresa welcome yo...

Easy Listening - Ep. 132 - Awkward Conversations, Hook Ups and Food Issues

If writing about cringy hook-ups and regrettable empty sex isn’t tricky enough, Paulina Pinsky managed to co-author one with her dad, Dr. Drew Pinsky. A triplet, Paulina remembers having the sex talk one way, her dad another. Their book, “It Doesn’t Have to Be Awkward: Dealing With Relationships, Consent, and Other Hard-to-Talk About Stuff” covers everything from how to break up, to how to deal with enemies and bullies, to what age is right for sex.

Easy Listening - Ep. 131 - All We Need is Lisa Lampanelli

As two people who despise small talk, Gina goes deep with a one-on-one interview this week with former comedian and all-around personal hero Lisa Lampanelli. The two talk about judgement, jealousy and of course Lisa’s new show, Losers With a Dream.    

Easy Listening - Ep. 130 - Reach Out and Touch Someone

G and T are recovering from Gina's big wedding weekend so they wanted to introduce the Easy Listening Main Show audience to a little bit of what goes on behind the scenes. Please enjoy this special Patreon episode. TW: Gina speaks openly about the death of a family member.       

Easy Listening - Ep. 129 - Keep it to a Minimum

Easy Listening - Ep. 128 - MY BIG FAT PODCAST WEDDING

This month, Gina will tie the knot in front of podcast luminaries -- Adam Carolla, Dr. Drew, Mark Geragos, Bald Bryan. Who will make an insultingly unenthusiastic toast? Who will pull focus from the bride? On this special wedding episode, a look back at some Adam Carolla show staff weddings.  Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, and today a podcast about the weddings of podcasters. Something old, something new, something borrowed and two Jew...

Easy Listening - Ep. 127 - WHEN THE GUEST HATES YOU

What happens when a guest you’re looking forward to meeting doesn’t think you’re so great? Sammy “The Bull” Gravano visited the Adam Carolla Show recently and seemed less than charmed by Gina. In fact, he was downright scary. Today on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, Gina and Teresa dissect Sammy’s podcast, “Our Thing” as one of the greatest shows in the mob genre and get into the in-studio dust up.

Easy Listening - Ep. 126 - LET’S GET STOIC

What are the magic words when we like life is giving us a raw deal? Enter, Courage,Temperance, Justice, and Wisdom. These are the main principles of the roman-based Stoic philosophy that some say is the way to happiness, healing and simply accepting what is. And today, author and podcaster Ryan Holiday is going to offer up a few more tools we can stick in our emotional tool shed when everything just seems like too much. Gina and Teresa welcome you to Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts.

Easy Listening - Ep. 125 - JEOPARDY HOST UNDONE BY PODCASTING

An unknown gets a huge break in show business, only to be undone by idiotic comments made on a podcast years before.  Just last week, it was the host of Jeopardy. With thousands of podcasts, if you become well-known, but have said something regrettable on a past podcast, the Internet will find it. If you were trying to be edgy but maybe some light racism and sexism popped out, that’s also gonna be bad. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome yo...

Easy Listening - Ep. 124 - They Made it Weird and We Loved It

Pete Holmes delivers a spiritual comedy sermon of a podcast called “You Made It Weird,” one of the first podcasts we covered on our show, and one of our favorites. The pandemic brought a new flavor of weirdness, “We Made It Weird,” and Pete shares the mic with his wife, Sweet Lady Val. They get silly and serious, discuss stand up, writing, creativity, meditation, the meaning of life. They get in married-couple kinds of fights, in real time, and make up with a level of kindness and care that ...

Easy Listening - Ep. 123 - Sold in America

Sex trafficking doesn’t seem like something that affects many of our lives. But when you factor in online users, that number explodes. The series, SOLD IN AMERICA, takes an extremely personal look at what it’s like to have your body sold for money and it will no doubt challenge your ideas of what is actually safe and what is actually dangerous. We’ll get into all this and more on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. GIna Grad and Teresa Strasser. welcome you to the show.    

Easy Listening - Ep. 122 - The Ruby Slipper Heist

Someone stole Dorothy’s iconic ruby red slippers from a museum in Grand Rapids, and the mysterious Hollywood shoe heist is now the subject of a new podcast docuseries, “No Place Like Home.” The shoes were missing for 13 years, and to find them means following a yellow brick road to all the reasons people continue to be obsessed with Oz, Dorothy, Judy Garland and the man behind the curtain. 

Easy Listening - Ep.121 - When Family and Career Get Toxic

Britney Spears is once again getting flooded with media attention. But this time, it’s not for her world tours or Vegas residencies. Britney is still in the thick of dealing with her conservatorship - a word that most of us never heard of.  Today, we feature TOXIC: The Britney Spears story, where the hosts dive into the nightmare that has become a reality for the one of the world’s most famous women. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. GIna Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you ...

Easy Listening Ep. - 120 - The Dave Chappelle Podcast

The Midnight Miracle was recorded during Chappelle’s legendary 2020 Summer Camp in an intimate setting at “The Shack” — a mechanic’s garage retrofitted as a clubhouse. Inside, listeners get the sense they’re sitting in on conversations among friends. Chapelle and friends -- Talib Kweli and yasiin bey.

Easy Listening - Ep. 119 - WHEN GUESTS GET UNDER YOUR SKIN

What do you get when you cross a devout Jew with conservative beliefs and a formerly drug-addicted comedian who believes compassion and love can heal? Russell Brand interviewing Ben Shapiro. Ben even warns Russell mid-interview that they’re both going to upset their fan base by even talking to each other. This week on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, We explore Russell Brand’s pod and enjoy this sit down and talk about their differences. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to...

Easy Listening - Ep. 118 - Bill Cosby Conviction Unravels

Bill Cosby was released from prison after his sexual assault conviction was overturned on a technicality. It’s time to look back on a podcast we covered just after its release, “Chasing Cosby” which gives many of his victims a voice. Judge Joe Brown and Phylishia Rashad have recently chimed in on the controversy, but today we hear from the victims, and encourage you to give this series a listen. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and GIna Grad welcome you to t...

Easy Listening - Ep. 117 - Take it Back!

Admit it. You’ve said at least one thing in your life that you wish you could take back. Now, imagine having a microphone on you and having that take broadcast to thousands of people and having it live on the internet for all eternity. Most people say “no thanks” to that gamble. Sometimes you win the jackpot and other times you roll a career-ending snake-eyes. We’ll discuss these podcast controversies today on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome y...

Easy Listening - Ep. 116 - Our Favorite Podcast Scandals

It’s a new medium, but it’s hard to imagine a world without it. Almost overnight, there are literally hundreds of thousands of them, new ones every day, some say as many as a million. And in the short life of the podcast boom, there have already been a few scandals, today, we review a few of our favorites, from an untoward encounter with a cat, to some real bad DMs to a an email firing and an offensive t-shirt. This is EL, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and GIna Grad welcome you t...

Easy Listening - Ep. 115 - Looking Forward to 70

If you want a heads up about how something is about to go down, you ask someone who’s done it already. This applies to literally everything on the planet. So if we know it makes sense to ask an expert, why do so many people ignore the chance to chat with the older generation who’ve been down that road already and know where all the potholes and speed bumps are? This week on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, we feature a show that squeezes every last ounce of wisdom out of guests who ...

Easy Listening - Ep. 114 - The Truth About Navy Seals: We Can’t Handle It

The men of Seal Team 7 called their chief a psycho, a man capable of grisly crimes.  For the most part, the world of this elite fighting force was top secret. A new podcast THE LINE from APPLE TV covers the trial of a SEAL accused of war crimes and in doing so cracks open questions not only about the military, but about branding, social media and how our country is divided. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to the show!    

Easy Listening - Ep.113 - Forgive THIS!

It’s been said that holding onto a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. But sometimes that poison concoction is just so tempting...just a little swig will keep you straight. The problem is that the poison turns bitter every time.  So why do we hold onto resentments? In this episode of Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, we hear from experts to find out why we grudge and how we stop. I’m GIna Grad and I’m Teresa Strasser. Welcome to the show!    

Easy Listening - Ep. 112 - Surviving The Great Depresh

It’s now a category unto itself. Podcasts Addressing Mental Illness With a Very Light Touch. We’ve covered the Mental Illness Happy Hour, The Mental Health Comedy Podcast and this week, we added a new one to our list of faves: Depresh Mode with John Moe. Funny, relatable chat about serious depresh - and who doesn’t love an abbrev? This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. We play clips, we kibbitz. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to the show.       

Easy Listening - Ep. 111 - WE ARE COLUMBINE

On this second season of Confronting, the Wondery network is taking on Columbine High School where in 1999, 3 high school students killed 12 kids, 1 teacher and injured many more. We all know what happened. What we DON’T know is what happened to the survivors two decades after that horrific event. Confronting Columbine gives us a look inside what happened that day.  Warning - This subject matter is difficult, please take care while listening. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to the ...

Easy Listening - Ep.110 - Dying Alone With a Weird Box of S*%

What’s left after a life? Can a box of artifacts from the box of a man who died indigent tell a story that illuminates something about the human condition. IT’s not pandora’s box, it’s Matthew McGill’s and a new podcast series serves up one beautiful un-boxing. We play clips, we kibbitz - this is  easy listening, a podcast about podcasts. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to the show. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/nyregion/dying-alone-in-new-york-city.html

Easy Listening - Ep 109 - The Big Wedding Grift

Here comes the Bride … CHILLA. That’s a bridal podcast, one among many, but a good excuse for us to discuss Gina Grad’s upcoming nuptials and all the ways BIG WEDDING is trying to pick her pockets. We play clips, we kibbitz, this is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. I’m TS, and I’m GG. Welcome to the show!

Easy Listening - Ep. 108 - No Improving on the Improvement Association

If you remember where you were when you listened to the last words of the podcast S-Town, if you still don’t see how Adnan Syed could have murdered Hae Min Lee, as he was in the library talking to Asia McClain, The Improvement Association is for you. From the makers of Serial, this is another juggernaut of podcast production, talent and news gathering, and we will be breaking it down today. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad bring you Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Welcome to the show...

Easy Listening - Ep. 107 - Your Own Backyard, Crime Pod Snags Suspect

An 8 episode true crime series about the unsolved murder of a CAL POLY student back in 1996 is topping the itunes charts this week, as new developments unfold in the latest cold case warmed up by a compelling podcast. What happened to Kristin Smart may never be fully known, but all indications are that new evidence has surfaced, directly resulting from this podcast series. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts.

Easy Listening - Ep. 106 - Odd Moms and Antisemitic Kids

CARDS on the table: I avoid MOM content. Essay books, cable series, and wacky social media accounts. When it comes to podcasts, I like a getaway - not a faux-edgy look at motherhood that’s supposed to cut close to the bone because it swears. But wait - a friend suggested a mom podcast, and I was all in. I related, it didn’t feel forced and did the thing you want a podcast to do, keep you good company. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you...

Easy Listening - Ep. 105 - Mayim Bialik Breaks Down

A child star who “Blossom’d” into a respected neuroscientist then went BACK into acting to PLAY a neuroscientist on a hit TV show… It doesn’t get more meta than that!  Mayim Bialik has had a lot on her plate…and not just her Passover Seder plate. In her podcast, Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown, she dissects the myths about mental health. We’re going to dip into Bialik’s brain in this episode of Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts.  Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to the show.

Easy Listening - Ep. 104 - The Bloom is Off Danny Rose; Farrow v Allen

Before the phrase “ME TOO” or “CANCEL CULTURE” a guy was obsessed with his 7 year old daughter, then he married, essentially, his step-daughter. And people were like … okay, we don’t love this but Broadway Danny Rose is still a great movie, so … the heart wants what it wants? There’s a new podcast series, Farrow V Allen, and this week, we’re gonna discuss it, our thoughts, some clips -- the USHE -- this is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to...

Easy Listening - Ep. 103 - A Wedding and a Funeral

Like anyone who wanted to know the score of a Laker’s game while stuck in traffic, I switched over my radio dial to KNX-1070, where I heard the avuncular updates from a sportscaster who always felt like family. But to Gina Grad, he was literally family. Legendary broadcaster Steve Grad passed away last week. Today, we focus on a man that constructed his own mic as kid, spoke into one across decades in radio and TV, and lived long enough to see his daughter on the podcast stage. Welcome to t...

Easy Listening - Ep. 102 - Real Housewives and the Truthiness Brand

Bethenny Frankel believes in saying YES. She’s written books about it. She’s said yes to reality shows. She created SkinnyGirl cocktails and workout videos and recipes, but if any of us could sample even a sip of the confidence that Bethenny breathes into every venture, well, I’m not even sure how that would feel. Where we say … uh, maybe. She says YES, and now she’s said yes to being a podcast host. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and GIna Grad welcome you ...

Easy Listening - Ep. 101 - I’ve Got a Secret

Theft. Affairs. A debilitating illness. A whole other family hidden somewhere else. Some secrets are way too big to tell. Others are way too big to keep. No matter what your secret is, take some comfort in knowing we all have them. And sometimes the best thing you can do is set them free. Today’s episode of Easy Listening is all about secrets - how they start and why we keep them. And if you listen closely, you’ll probably hear us share some of our own.  I’m GG and I’m TS. Welcome to the show.

Easy Listening - Ep. 100 - Michael Barbaro Makes You Go Hmmm

We’ve cried over the injustice of a missing college student, and we’ve laughed at Leah Remini cursing. We’ve lived through being bored in the house, with help in our earbuds from all the podcasts we’ve loved.  We've even added virologists to our list of favorite podcast hosts.  Podcasts, we love you. We have loved you so hard for 100 episodes. We play clips, we kibbitz, and we share our favorites. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad. welcome you t...

Easy Listening - Ep. 99 - At Some Point, Salma, We Have to Call a Crazy Person a Crazy Person

If we were to make the perfect woman, we might make her a gorgeous actress with the patience of a saint, and enough courage to fend off men who are monsters.  We make her fiercely loyal to those turned into pop culture punchlines.  This nearly perfect woman looks a lot like Salma Hayek.  We only know that because of the honest, funny interview she recently gave to Marc Maron. We get into it on this week’s Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to...

Easy Listening Ep. 98 - Sports Prodigies: ESPN Makes Us Care About Soccer

Here we are in the middle of a pandemic, and you might be asking yourself, what do I need in a new podcast? Some crime or comedy or star power? How about an in-depth look at a teenage soccer player whose name you forget if you ever knew it. But that’s precisely what you need, for reasons that I can and can’t explain. It’s a beautifully told American story, from a top notch sports writer who goes deep. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, Teresa Strasser and GIna Grad welcome you...

Easy Listening - Ep. 97 - Adam Carolla and the Trump Fixer

We are coming at you hotter than a pair of Jewish space lasers! Trump’s fixer Michael Cohen and Adam Carolla got together and something amazing happened. The conversation was part of both of their podcasts and -- they disagree. And it’s civil. And then they actually kind of agree, on lots of things. We think you will enjoy this interview. We found it highly entertaining and actually important. It’s all here on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and GIna Grad welcome yo...

Easy Listening - Ep. 96 - The Queens of Kvetch: Fran Lebowitz and Julie Klausner

If you don’t like Fran Lebowitz, we don’t want to hear it. What we do want to hear is the greatest New Yorker talking all things Manhattan during the pandemic with another great New Yorker, Julie Klausner. This is an explosion of Judaism not unlike if you wired explosives into Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dreidel.  It’s everything great about documentaries, New York City and the art and soul of the spoken word. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts.  Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome...

Easy Listening - Ep. 95 - An Apology Hotline is Sorry Not Sorry

I don’t know if apologizing to an anonymous phone line cleanses the soul, but the process does seem to appeal to a wide swath of humanity.  Today we are ringing up The Apology Line, a new podcast series from Wondry that will have you wondering about the benefits and costs of anonymity and the power of confession. We got clips with a side of kibbitz on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to the show. That was kind of rambling. I’m sorry. Forgiv...

Easy Listening - Ep. 94 - This is Why You’re Stuck

If the existence of other people’s pandemic projects makes you feel icky inside, because you know you could write that book or upload that video, but you’re stuck – you really need to hear this. The American godmother of creativity, Julie Cameron, makes a podcast appearance and something she says will certainly help you across that bridge – and get you creating!  We share our favorite podcasts of the week, served with a side of kibbitz. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad host Easy Listening!

Easy Listening - Ep. 93 - Part II Hilaria and the Baldwinitos

Hilaria Baldwin’s podcast heavily pushes her Spanish identity. Meanwhile, what do you do when one of your kids claims to be Spanish, but you know you’re not and she’s not? Hilaria’s madre had to decide whether or not to throw her daughter under EL AUTOBUS. Speaking of moms, Hilaria’s mom podcast lead us to our new favorite celebrity step mom. We’ve got all the clips with a side of kibbitz here on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you to the show!

Easy Listening - Ep. 92 - We are all Hilaria

Who hasn’t told a little white lie? It’s often harmless and leaves us looking more mysterious to folks. But when this tiny fib blossoms into a full blown scandal, you have to make a choice - do you double down, or do you come clean? This week, we discuss the controversy over Hilaria Baldwin’s made up accent and her podcast, which is pretty good. This is Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts, serving up samples of our favorite shows of the week. Gina Grad and Teresa Strasser welcome you to...

Easy Listening - Ep 91 - Ira Glass and What It’s Like to Be 25

It’s been said that Neil Diamond is the Pope of the Jews. And if that is true, it follows that Ira Glass is the Pope of podcasters, the OG, the chairman of the sound board, and the Adam from which all of us have borrowed a rib of truth and earnestness. His show just turned 25, and to celebrate, he plays clips of himself at 25. What was he like? What were we like? It’s a look back at quarter century crises on Easy Listening, a podcast about podcasts. Teresa Strasser and Gina Grad welcome you ...