The Colin McEnroe Show

The Poet Laureate of Rock ’n’ Roll: A look at Bob Dylan

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re at a point where, for many of us, there has simply never been a popular culture in which Bob Dylan wasn’t a towering figure. And wit...

The story of book chapters, one page at a time

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we take a look at the history and evolution of chapters, and discuss how they impact our reading experiences. GUESTS:  Nicholas Dames:...

Why we’re still mesmerized by the myth of Rasputin

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the century since Russia’s “Mad Monk” was poisoned, we’ve come to believe a lot of things: he was mystical, he was evil, he...

Are we thinking about travel the wrong way?

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It feels like tourism hit a breaking point this past summer, with residents around Europe protesting visitors, new entrance and tourist fees popping u...

All calls: How our music tastes change, movie credits, red and blue states, and more

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazo...

The King: Before there was Lebron, there was Elvis

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elvis left two legacies. Musically, he pulled several American musical traditions out of the shadows, braided them together, and made them mainstream....

The power of promises, from inaugural oaths to marriage vows

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During the Inauguration in a few weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office. It's a practice that elected officials are taking p...

Alcohol is bad for us. So why have humans been drinking it for thousands of years?

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

While some people decide to abstain from alcohol for Dry January, we take a look at alcohol, and our relationship with it. Drinking alcohol has a numb...

The real lives of the Vikings

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you think of the Vikings, you probably picture a bearded man wearing a horned hat, pillaging on a Viking ship. But that's far from the whole stor...

All calls: Robot throuples, The Golden Globes, AI and music, and more

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

A look at the bullying impact of the canon and the zeitgeist

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is there some thing that EVERYBODY seems to like that you’re just not that into? Star Wars? Game of Thrones? Seinfeld? The Beach Boys? Christoph...

All Calls: Stealing punchlines, judging Colin, chaos Muppets part 2, and more

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe ...

Live from Watkinson, it’s part 2 of our 2024 holiday spectacular

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve put on a holiday special every year for the last decade. But this year, for the first time, we did it in front of a (pretty large!) audien...

From the cereal aisle to the ballot box, how groceries shape our lives

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Grocery prices were a regular talking point in this past election cycle. This hour is all about the grocery store. We talk about how items get on the ...

Our favorite jazz of 2024

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As we have every year for at least the last 11 years, to round out the year, we round up the best jazz of the year. GUESTS: Jen Allen: A pianist, com...

Our relationship with rest is changing, and it’s about time

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the midst of this holiday week, we talk about the importance of rest, and how to rest well. Plus, we'll talk about the role of rest in religion, an...

All calls: Bathroom signage, Chaos Muppets, secrets, and more

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Live from Watkinson, it’s part 1 of our 2024 holiday spectacular

21 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve put on a holiday special every year for the last decade. But this year, for the first time, we did it in front of a (pretty large!) audien...

The joy of Christmas movies, from the classics to the NFL and ‘Hot Frosty’

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

‘Tis the season for holiday movies. This hour, we look at this year's offerings from Netflix and Hallmark, discuss what makes a good holiday mov...

The legends of King Arthur and why they still matter today

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we take a look at the legends of King Arthur. We discuss their evolution and why they endure. Plus, we talk with author Lev Grossman about ...

Our hour with the late Hal Holbrook

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Samuel and Olivia Clemens and their children moved into the house they’d had built at Nook Farm in Hartford — the house that we now call t...

Who are epigraphs for?

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour: the art of the epigraph. We talk with writers about how they pick the quotes that open their books, what epigraphs can do well, how the bus...

All calls: Corniness, sappiness, Irishness, words like ‘personally,’ the Packers, and more

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’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 ...

A look at the current Irish invasion of the popular culture

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Say Nothing. Small Things Like These. Kneecap. Bad Sisters. All of Us Strangers. The Banshees of Inisherin and An Cailín Ciúin a couple ...

A look at ‘brain rot,' from TikTok to Thoreau

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Oxford University Press has named “brain rot” the word of the year for 2024. The term beat out five other finalists: “demure,”...

The Bard’s the thing: A show about Shakespeare

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shakespeare, it turns out, is not immune to the culture wars, the book banning, the cancel culture (despite his being dead for more than four centurie...

From can openers to ricers, a look at what’s in our kitchens

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What’s in your kitchen? With a plethora of kitchen tools available to us today, the contents of our kitchen drawers varies. But a recent survey ...

All calls: Colin's favorite song, reading, The Whalers, and more

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Suppor...

The Nose looks at ‘Lioness’ and ‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lioness is the seventh of eight TV series created by Taylor Sheridan. It’s a spy thriller starring Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Mich...

We're reading fewer books. That's not good

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we're going to take stock of what it's like to read as an adult, and discuss why some Americans, including college students, are reading fe...

From a jar to a box — How we misunderstand Pandora and her legacy

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s trial. AI. Online learning. Everything’s a “Pandora's Box." This hour, we discuss the myth and the metaphor of Pandora's Box. Plus, a lo...

The music, medicine, and mystery of humming

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Thurston Harris and Crash Test Dummies to that noise your refrigerator makes, humming sounds are all around us (especially if you’ve been to Wi...

All calls: ‘Say Nothing,’ ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas,’ the windshield phenomenon, and more

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’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 surp...

What makes a book a classic? A read of the Western canon and how it’s changing

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we look at the idea of the Western canon and those books that are considered “classics.” We talk about what’s in the canon, what isn’...

Want to really know someone? Look in their fridge

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, a look at refrigeration and how it’s shaped what we eat and how we live with Nicola Twilley, author of Frostbite: How Refrigeration Chang...

‘Though the heavens fall’: The JFK assassination in our media and culture

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed on November 22, 1963. It would be hard to argue that the modern American era, the era that we’re still...

We're still pushing the boulder on the meaning of Sisyphus

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, a look at the myth of Sisyphus, and how we invoke it today. Plus, we'll hear from a musician who has found inspiration in the story, and we...

The weird and fundamental idea that is zero

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Zero is considered by many mathematicians to maybe be humanity’s greatest achievement. This hour, a look at the strange and essential concept of the...

Why some women ‘boycott’ men, from Ancient Greece to the 4B Movement

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some women in the United States are adopting the 4B Movement from South Korea: no marriage, no childbirth, no dating, and no sex. This hour we take st...

All calls under the influence (of Novocain): Jethro Tull, making love courteously, Yeats, and more

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

An hour with Griffin Dunne

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Note: This episode contains strong language. Griffin Dunne is Jack Goodman in John Landis’ classic horror-comedy An American Werewolf in Londonand ...

Brian Reed wants you to “Question Everything” about journalism

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You probably know Brian Reed from his hit award-winning series "S-Town." Now, Brian has a new podcast, "Question Everything," where he is re-examining...

Kafka and his legacy, 100 years after his death

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Franz Kafka died 100 years ago, but his work is still very much alive today in literature classes and, surprisingly, on social media. This hour, we lo...

All calls: tables, Keri Russell, the election, and more

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’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 surp...

How algorithms shape our world, for better and for worse

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We hear about algorithms all the time, but what is an algorithm exactly? This hour, we learn about how algorithms work, a bit about their history, and...

Roommates wanted: How the people you live with impact your life

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Roommates: can't live with them, can't (afford to) live without them. They're the people who use your dishes and don't wash them. They're the people w...

OK. Well. The election is over

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As I type this, four states remain uncalled, including two battlegrounds. It could take days or longer to determine the final popular vote tally. Cont...

‘Citizen Observers’ share their voting stories from around the state

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Election Day we do a show where we ask people across Connecticut to do a simple thing: Go vote in your town before 1 p.m. Then call us between 1 an...

All calls: A cargo transportation idea, early voting, football superstition, and more

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

The Nose helps you get through this last weekend before Election Day

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Four days left. Four (4!) days until Election Day. We’re feeling the stress, the anxiety. And we’re guessing you are too. In one of our show meeti...

Does democracy have a design problem?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we talk with experts in ballot design about how to put together a ballot that's accessible to everyone, and all of the things to keep in min...

From jingles to Beyoncé: How music shapes political campaigns

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we look at how political campaigns use music, from the history of political jingles to how Harris and Trump are using music in the 2024 ele...

From jelly beans to Diet Mountain Dew, how politicians eat and why it matters

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Food is an important part of the campaign trail, from tamales to McDonald's. This hour is all about how food is used in politics, including in the Whi...

All calls: Election stress, comedy vs. journalism, Declan the Dog … and stuff like that

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’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 surp...

‘Hey, boppers, keep your radio tuned tight’: A look at ‘The Warriors’

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton follow-up is here, and it’s a concept album — a musical adaptation, written with Eisa Davis, of the 1979 film The ...

The year in horror, 2024

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s our annual Halloween special, a look at the year in horror! We delve into the economic- and artistic wherewithal of the genre surrounded by a l...

Some people are considering whether it’s time to leave the United States

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some Americans are considering whether this country is a place where they want to live in the future. This hour is all about leaving the United States...

Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat on global authoritarianism and the future of democracy

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk wi...

All calls: Retirement, early voting, dragonflies, and more

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr....

‘Live from New York!’: A look at ‘Saturday Night’ and ‘SNL’

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Saturday Night Live started its 50th season in September. This hour, a look at the institution SNL has become over five decades on television. Plus: J...

George Washington is having a moment

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From Saturday Night Live to the cover of The Atlantic, George Washington is having a bit of a moment. This hour is about our first president and his l...

Is print dead or is it making a comeback?

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is print dead? Or will it make a comeback? This hour, we talk about the benefits and drawbacks of getting your news in print form. We learn about the ...

Christian nationalism, religiosity, and the 2024 election with Brad Onishi

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk wi...

All calls: Columbus Day, textures, textiles, Tolkien, and more

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, the conversation winds around to Columbus Day, Colin’s favorite joke, textures, J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie The Apprentice, food allergies,...

Playwright Jeffrey Lieber on truth, lies, memory and ‘Fever Dreams’

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jeffrey Lieber was one of the Emmy-nominated creators of the TV series Lost. He has been a showrunner on series like NCIS: New Orleans and Charmed and...

Today: Did episode on notebooks & diaries, bought kiwi fruit, had teeth cleaning

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour is all about notebooks. We'll talk about the history and evolution of notebooks, favorite examples, and celebrate the joy of writing things ...

All calls: How to find an artsy community, towns governed by oral tradition, toothpaste, and more

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Words, words, words: A look at style guides and Britishisms in American English

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, a look at words and usage and grammar and language and all that fun stuff. Have you noticed how we Americans have become “so bloody keen ...

An hour with Rupert Holmes

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rupert Holmes won two Tony Awards for his musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His single “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” went to No. 1 on the Bil...

Monologuist Josh Kornbluth wonders if our society is suffering from political dementia

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute, monologuist Josh Kornbluth started to see parallels between brain disease and, well, everything that...

From boredom to handwriting: Christine Rosen on the embodied experiences we lose to technology

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we talk with Christine Rosen about her new book, The Extinction of Experience: Being Human in a Disembodied World. We talk about how technol...

The political importance of Gen Z with journalist Rachel Janfaza

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk wi...

Author A.J. Jacobs says he “will never take elastic or democracy for granted again”

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In A.J. Jacobs’ new book, The Year of Living Constitutionally: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Constitution’s Original Meaning, he details ...

All calls: Fat Bear Week, sports, call-in shows, Mars, and more

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve been doing these shows a couple times a month where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have be...

An hour with Percival Everett

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Percival Everett is the author of 24 novels, four short story collections, and six collections of poetry. His 2001 novel Erasure was adapted as the fe...

The role of journalism in the 2024 election with writer Mark Jacob

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election. This hour, we talk wi...

The art and politics of political speechmaking

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Policy speeches, convention speeches, concession speeches, victory speeches, stump speeches. Inaugural addresses, State of the Union addresses, prime-...

Let us pray — A salute to our favorite mantis

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This year, local students lobbied Connecticut lawmakers to change our state insect, which is currently the praying mantis. This hour, we are focused o...

All calls: Colin says you don't want to meet him, hummus, robins, and more

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows...

A look at the bullying impact of the canon and the zeitgeist

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is there some thing that EVERYBODY seems to like that you’re just not that into? Star Wars? Game of Thrones? Seinfeld? The Beach Boys? Christopher N...

I'm having writer's block writing this headline about writer's block

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has likely experienced some form of writer's block in their lives — when you sit down to write and the words just won't come. This hour we ...

A conversation with Don Winslow about love, money, murder, and why free food tastes better

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling author Don Winslow joins us to discuss his new novel, City in Ruins, which he says is the last of his career. GUEST:  Don Winslow: Best...

Are we thinking about travel the wrong way?

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It feels like tourism hit a breaking point this summer, with residents around Europe protesting visitors, new entrance and tourist fees popping up at ...

All calls: Shrews, praying mantises, the power of Taylor Swift, and more

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Listen live Monday at 1 p.m. We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls h...

‘Riding the line between art and pulp’: A look at cult classic cinema

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If I say “cult classic,” what do you think of? Probably an underground movie that built up an intense following over time, like The Rocky Horror P...

Inside the confusing, time-sucking, unequal world of taxes

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How did taxes, this quintessentially frustrating thing, come to be so frustrating? And must it be so? This hour, we’re learning about why taxes are ...

‘Never be the same’: 23 years in the shadow of 9/11

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It has been 23 years since the sunny late summer Tuesday morning that changed basically everything. This hour, a look back at September 11, 2001, and ...

A look at our ‘toxic love story’ with plastic

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Plastic is everywhere in our world, and scientists are increasingly discovering the negative health and environmental impacts of the material. This ho...

How to be wrong

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We all strive to be right about things — we do our research, we listen to people who seem smarter than us, we make compelling arguments over dinner ...

The Nose looks at ‘Chimp Crazy’ and the right way to load your dishwasher

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chimp Crazy is a four-part HBO docuseries that “explores the captivating, often unfathomable, and secretive world of raising chimpanzees.” It is ...

From the cereal aisle to the ballot box, how groceries shape our lives

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Grocery prices are becoming a regular talking point in this election cycle. This hour is all about the grocery store. We talk about how items get on t...

A look at one of our most forgotten presidents: Chester A. Arthur

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour is all about America’s 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, who took office after President James Garfield was assassinated. We look at Arth...

All calls: Bird identification, The World's Fair, third places, and more

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour we took your calls about bird identification, the DNC, the World's Fair, third places, synchronicity, and more. Join the conversation on Fa...

25 years later, a look at the movies and TV of 1999

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Being John Malkovich, The Blair Witch Project, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Eyes Wide Shut, Family Guy, Fig...

From a jar to a box — How we misunderstand Pandora and her legacy

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s trial. AI. Online learning. Everything’s a “Pandora's Box." This hour, we discuss the myth and the metaphor of Pandora's Box. Plus, a lo...

We’re having crisis fatigue

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everything’s felt like, and been called, a “crisis” lately. This hour, a look at all the overuse of the term “crisis” and our collective cri...

It’s a vibe! A look at what makes a vibe a vibe

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You must have heard the term “vibe” by now, right? We’ve heard about the vibe of the economy, the vibe of a music playlist, the vibe of a season...

All calls: Celebrity endorsements, car registration, a sandwich, and more

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we took your calls. Topics this hour included election certification, car registration, celebrity endorsements, news radio, technology, tra...

‘If the wind is right’: A deep dive into the smooth sounds of yacht rock

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Doobie Brothers. Christopher Cross. Steely Dan. Kenny Loggins. Toto. Michael McDonald. Ambrosia. Supertramp. (The Eagles? Uh, Michael Jackson?) So...

From jingles to Beyoncé: How music shapes political campaigns

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This hour, we look at how political campaigns use music, from the history of political jingles, to how Harris and Trump are using music in this 2024 e...