Podcast
The Colin McEnroe Show
Hosted by Connecticut Public Radio · EN
The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.
117episodes
Episodes
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The Nose looks at ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’
4d ago00:49:00Tap to summarizeSpider-Man: Brand New Day is the 38th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the 15th movie in the Multiverse Saga and the second movie in the MCU’s Phase Six. I didn’t really follow most of that, but this next bit will be a little clearer, I think: Brand New Day is the 11th theatrically-released feature-length Spider-Man movie, and it’s the eighth movie to feature Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. In any case, between this and The Odyssey, people are going back to the movies. So that’s good. And: A new study has found that people were speaking about 28% fewer words per day in 2019 than they were in 2005. And that was before COVID! So what are we losing if we aren’t using our speaking voices as much anymore? GUESTS: Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress and comedian; she’s the founder and director of CONNetic Dance and the creative producer and choreographer for The Bushnell’s Digital Institute Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Music featured (in order): oh yeah? – Steve Lacy Wolf Like Me – TV on the Radio Your Most Valuable Possession / Regrets – Ben Folds Five Talk It Over – Grayson Hugh See You On The Radio – Grayson Hugh Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Long live teh typo! The history and future of mistakes and misprints
5d ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeTypos and misprints are as old as writing and printing. This hour, we take a look at them from the "Wicked Bible" to National Park signs and your email inbox. And: the changing status of human typos in the age of AI. GUESTS: Rachel Churner: Art critic, editor, and professor. She is a co-curator with Geoff Kaplan of the exhibit “Beauties of My Style: Errata and the Printed Mistake” at Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library. She is the co-founder of no place press and currently serves as the director of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation Jeff Deck: Writer, writing coach and co-author with Benjamin D. Herson of The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time Katie Notopoulos: Senior correspondent at Business Insider who writes about technology, business, and culture Music featured (in order): The Typewriter – Leroy Anderson and “His” Orchestra Typos – The Incredible Casuals Oops!... I Did It Again – Britney Spears Apostrophe – The Doubleclicks S-E-X-X-Y – They Might Be Giants To Make a Mistake Is Human – Ella Fitzgerald Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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An Odyssey in the making: A look at the epic poem and the new movie
6d ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeHomer’s Odyssey, a 12,000-line, nearly 3,000-year-old epic poem, is one of the foundational texts of Western literature. (It’s also one of the oldest surviving sequels!) It has inspired a list of movies as varied as Stanley Kubrick‘s 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Coen brothers’ O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. But there haven’t been very many straight screen adaptations of its full story. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is just the second full-length feature film adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey ever made. It is 173 minutes long. It reportedly cost $250 million to make. And it is currently the No. 1 movie in the world, having grossed $666.7 million in just 12 days in theaters. This hour, rock star classicist and translator Emily Wilson joins us to talk Homer, Nolan, and everything in between. Plus: We impanel a full Nose to parse and dissect the movie as only the Nose can. GUESTS: James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College Emily Wilson: A classicist who has published verse translations of Homer, Seneca, Sophocles, and Euripides; her new book, Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature, is out in September, 2026, in the United States Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Music featured (in order): Disco Ulysses – Vulfpeck Tales of Brave Ulysses – Cream Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp Zeus’s Law – Ludwig Göransson Ithaca – Ludwig Göransson When I’m Home – James Blake, Travis Scott, Ludwig Göransson Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The unfolding evolution of origami
1w ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeHow do you make a 100-meter telescope that folds down to three meters so you can tuck it inside a space vehicle? How do you make a heart stent that folds out inside the human body? In each case, researchers have turned to masters of origami, the thousand-year-old art of paper folding. This hour, a look at how paper folding went from a quaint, simple hobby to an extensive form of art that can achieve hundreds of intricate folds. Plus: the ways origami is used beyond the art world, in mathematics, science, and technology. GUESTS: Erik Demaine: Professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Robert J. Lang: The author of co-author of more than 20 books on origami art and design The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired March 13, 2014.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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How nihilism can help us find meaning in this moment
1w ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeWhat would it mean if nothing matters? This hour, a look at the philosophy of nihilism, and how it shows up online and in children's books. GUESTS: Nolen Gertz: Associate Professor of Applied Philosophy at the University of Twente in the Netherlands. He is author of books including Nihilism and Nihilism and Technology Charlie Warzel: Staff writer at The Atlantic and the host of its technology podcast, "Galaxy Brain" Jon Klassen: Author and illustrator of books including I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat, The Rock From The Sky, and The Skull Music featured (in order): Caring is Creepy – The Shins I Got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ – Shirley Horn Nothing from Nothing – Billy Preston Battle of Who Could Care Less – Ben Folds Five Hurt – Johnny Cash Nothing – A Chorus Line Broadway cast The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 26, 2026.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Nose looks at ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’
2w ago00:49:02Tap to summarizeBackrooms is the feature directing debut of Kane Parsons. It is written by Will Soodik and based on Parsons’ YouTube series of the same name, which was inspired by the The Backrooms creepypasta. Backrooms is A24’s highest-grossing movie to date. It is the fifth-highest-grossing independent movie ever made and the second-highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 so far. And: Obsession is the second feature film written, directed, and edited by Curry Barker. It was made for a reported $750,000, and it has grossed $443 million at the worldwide box office. It is Focus Features’ highest-grossing movie to date. It is the highest-grossing movie with a budget under $1 million ever made and the highest-grossing horror movie of 2026 so far. GUESTS: RS Benedict: A writer and bureaucrat whose fiction and non-fiction has been published in the New Haven Review, Fangoria, Current Affairs, and a bunch of other places Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast Carolyn Paine: An actress and comedian; she’s the founder and director of CONNetic Dance and the creative producer and choreographer for The Bushnell’s Digital Institute Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Poet Laureate of Rock ’n’ Roll: A look at Bob Dylan
2w ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeBob Dylan turned 85 years old in May. His first album, 1962’s Bob Dylan, is in its 65th year on record store shelves. We’re at a point where, for most of us, there has simply never been a popular culture in which Dylan wasn’t a towering figure whose influence seems to touch, well, everything. This hour, a look at Bob Dylan at 85. GUESTS: Noah Baerman: A pianist, composer, and educator Fred Bals: Hosted the Dreamtime podcast, covering Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host, Bob Dylan Sean Latham: Director of the Institute for Bob Dylan Studies, editor of The World of Bob Dylan, and the writer and narrator of It Ain’t Me You’re Looking For: Bob Dylan at 80 Gayle Wald: Professor of American studies at George Washington University; her most recent book is It’s Been Beautiful: Soul! and Black Power Television The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 20, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Fleshing out the truth about fruit, from sweetness and seasonality to the apple in Eden
2w ago00:49:00Tap to summarizeThis hour, we explore the history and economy of fruits, from the strange to the inedible. Plus, we interrogate what it means for fruits to be seasonal, and why the berries in the supermarket your supermarket aisle might be tasteless! Additionally: why do we think of the Forbidden Fruit as an apple? GUESTS: Lee Reich: Author of several gardening books, including “Fruit: From the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection” and “Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden” Evan Lentz: Commercial Fruit Production Specialist and Educator at the University of Connecticut Extension. Azzan Yadin-Israel: Professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University and the author of “Temptation Transformed: The Story of How the Forbidden Fruit Became an Apple”. Music featured (in order): No Frills Cumbia (Sensory Fruit) – Kevin MacLeod Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie – Jay at the Techniques Strawberry Fields – The Beatles Coconut – Harry Nilsson Underneath the Apple Tree – Carmen McRae Adam Lay Ybounden – The Cambridge Singers as conducted by John Ritter Garden of Eden – Celtic Woman Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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All calls: This is not your great-great-great grandfather’s Thucydides Trap
2w ago00:49:00Tap to summarizeWe’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to the war with Iran, President Trump’s July 16 primetime speech, President Trump and FIFA and the World Cup Final, Hampshire College, Lucky on Apple TV, usage of words like “proxy,” the Thucydides Trap … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Soarin’ – Ginger Root The Game of Love – Michelle Branch, New Radicals let’s go out and play – ganavya (this is very cool) Horns of a Bill – Fiona Apple I Belong to the Sky (Bright Side Mix) – Peter Gabriel Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos) – Margo Price, Joan Baez, Memphis Mariachi Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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What’s done is done ... or is it? We make the case for undoing
2w ago00:50:00Tap to summarizeCmd + Z! What kinds of things can we undo and when should we? This hour, we discuss stories of undoing: domestic and global politics in the Trump-era, a project that transformed a river’s ecology, and whether Pluto really deserved that demotion. GUESTS: Bill Curry: Lawyer and politician who has been a two-time Democratic nominee for Governor of Connecticut and a White House advisor in the administration of Bill Clinton John Magee: The Programs Supervisor for New Hampshire’s Fish and Game Department and former Fish Habitat Biologist of 19 years Alan Stern: Planetary scientist and commercial astronaut, best known as the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission to explore Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. His career in exploration spans the solar system Music featured (in order): Mistakes – Lake Street Dive I Wanna Be Around – Sammy Davis Jr. Erase/Rewind – The Cardigans Mercy Mercy Me – Marvin Gaye Into the River – Starling Arrow, Chloe Smith, Rising Appalachian Corner of the Sky – Ben Platt The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode! Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This show was produced by Amanda Adams. Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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