The Colin McEnroe Show

Marching bands are now a staple at halftimes. But why? This hour, we discuss the art of the marching band. We’ll talk about all of the work that goes into coordinating them, and the evolution of marching band music and competitions. Plus, a look at the history of halftime. GUESTS:  Justin McManus: Director of Athletic Bands at the University of Connecticut Dylan Reyes: Occasional board operator fo...

Back before radio stations (ours included) started re-airing daytime programs during the night as a default, nighttime airwaves were a place for experimentation, confessions, and wondering that wouldn't be welcome in the light of day.    “Why don’t we try that?” said we!   On June 20th, Colin McEnroe, a team of intrepid radio producers and engineers, and one very generous security guard stayed in...

It's becoming easier every day to pay for things without cash. You can pay with your credit card, your phone, an app, or even your palm. So how does the move away from cash change how we think about our money? This hour, we look at our changing attitudes towards money, and what we gain and lose as we use less cash. Plus, we'll look at the history and future of ATMs. GUESTS:  Jay Zagorsky: Clinical...

Remote controls date all the way back to the 1800s, but they only entered most households in the 1950s or later. What impact did this have on how we watch television, and how we use other devices in our homes? This hour we look at the history and the impact of the remote control, and discuss what the remote control of the future will look like. And we'll take a look at buttons, and how they shape...

Back before radio stations (ours included) started re-airing daytime programs during the night as a default, nighttime airwaves were a place for experimentation, confessions, and wondering that wouldn't be welcome in the light of day. “Why don’t we try that?” said we! On June 20, Colin McEnroe, a team of intrepid radio producers and engineers, and one very generous security guard stayed in the off...

The Nose is off this week. In its place, a look at how we imagine extraterrestrial life. What do you picture when you picture aliens? Is it like E.T.? Or little green men? Or an alien from Star Trek ? This hour: how we imagine extraterrestrial life and how those visions are shaped by our TV and movies and more. GUESTS: Jaime Green: Freelance writer, editor, writing teacher, and the author of  The...

News outlets and opinion writers have called it: The traditional dinner party is dead. But are dinner parties really so bad? Or are we just bad at hosting them? This hour, the history of dinner parties and some advice from people who turn party-hosting into an art form. GUESTS: Rand Richards Cooper: Fiction writer, contributing editor at Commonweal , and the restaurant critic for the Hartford Cour...

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 been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to favorite TV theme songs ; the Ham Primus House in Guilford, Connecticut; the upcoming Poor People’s March ; the upcoming presidential debates; the upcoming Deadpool &a...

In Yascha Mounk’s new book, he “traces the origin of a set of ideas about identity and social justice that is rapidly transforming America — and explains why it will fail to accomplish its noble goals.” This hour, Mounk joins us to talk about the future of democracy and The Identity Trap: A Story of Ideas and Power in Our Time . GUEST: Yascha Mounk: Professor of the practice of international affai...

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 centuries). So, fine.  Cancel Shakespeare , then, one argument goes. Because here’s the thing: Shakespeare’s plays and poems  ARE dirty and smutty and gory  — and that’s a big part of what makes them so great. And: Earlier this year, the romantic comedy  Any...

Just in time for your summer vacation, an hour about beach reads. We look at how the term came to be, get some beach read recommendations, and even hear a case  against  reading on the beach. GUESTS:  Meghan Hayden:  Owner of  River Bend Bookshop , which has locations in Glastonbury and West Hartford, Connecticut Andrew Limbong:  Reporter for NPR’s Culture Desk and Host of NPR's  Book of the Day  ...

We’ve done a version of this show every year since 2013 . And we did it in 2011 . We probably even did one in 2010. (We just can’t prove it.) So it’s a bit of a tradition. It’s a tradition that … makes some people angry, we realize. And that has a lot to do with how we define the term “song of the summer.” We use the Amanda Dobbins definition : Let’s be clear about how this works: There is no such...

With the first presidential debate just two weeks away, an hour on the art and science of the presidential debate. We look at the evolution of debates through history, question whether or not they matter to the election, and even learn about the art of the political putdown. GUESTS:  Kathryn Cramer Brownell:  Associate Professor of History at Purdue University. She is author of  Showbiz Politics:...

"These boots are made for walking…" but instead, they sit by the door while you watch TV. This hour: Why is it often so hard to get walking? And what can our footsteps tell us about ourselves and the world? GUESTS: Jeff Speck:  City planner and author of the book  “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time” Liam Satchell:  Senior lecturer in Psychology at the University of W...

Godzilla Minus One  ( Gojira -1.0 ) is the 37th movie in the Godzilla franchise, the 33rd Godzilla movie from Toho Studios, and the fifth movie in the franchise’s  Reiwa era . It has grossed more than $150 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla movie. It is the first Godzilla movie ever nominated for an Academy Award, which it won, for Best Visual Eff...

Last month, Florida and Alabama became the first U.S. states to ban the sale and manufacture of lab-grown meat. The plant-based meat company Impossible Foods announced a shift from green to red packaging, in an apparent rejection of the company’s  “woke” reputation  that  angered some Cracker Barrel customers . This hour: how did meatless meat join the culture wars? GUESTS:  Matt Reynolds:  Senior...

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 feature film  American Fiction , which was nominated this year for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Everett has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His newest novel,  James , reimagines...

We've recently discovered, thanks to TikTok, that many more people are thinking about the Roman Empire than you might expect... including the host of this radio show. This hour, we talk about why people think about the Roman Empire, and we talk with the preeminent scholar of the Roman Empire, Mary Beard, about all the things you could think about if you wanted to think about the Roman Empire. GUES...

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 ,  Google Podcasts ,  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 Coli...

Illeana Douglas’ new book is Connecticut in the Movies: From Dream Houses to Dark Suburbia . It isn’t just an encyclopedia of appearances by and references to Connecticut in movies. But rather, it’s a history and theory of “Connecticut movies,” something close to a genre unto itself with its own set of signs and meanings. This hour, Illeana Douglas and David Edelstein join us to take a Not Necessa...

A wealthy prince needs your help (via a wire transfer) to unfreeze his fortunes. He’ll reward you handsomely. While you’re sending him the money, listen to this show about scam emails.   We'll talk about the surprising history and future of scam emails and what you can do to protect yourself. Plus: a conversation with an author who got caught up in an infamous email scam.   GUESTS: Arun Vishwanath...

What can we learn about ourselves from what we sit on? This hour, the history of chairs, their impact on our lifestyle and health, and what’s in store for their future. Plus, we celebrate the joy of a well-designed chair, talk with a chair maker, and discuss some of our favorite examples. GUESTS: Galen Cranz: Professor emerita of architecture at the University of California at Berkeley, a founding...

In 2018, Emily Wilson became internationally known for her translation of Homer’s The Odyssey , which was called “a revelation” and “a cultural landmark.” This hour, Wilson joins us to talk about her translation of Homer’s other great surviving work, The Iliad . GUEST:  Emily Wilson: Professor in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Her new translation of Homer’s...

Challengers  is the eighth feature film directed by Luca Guadagnino. It’s a romantic sports drama tennis movie thriller kind of thing that stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist as the three points of a love triangle. It opened at No. 1 at the domestic box office, making it Zendaya’s second No. 1 movie of 2024 (after  Dune: Part Two ). And:  Spacey Unmasked  is a two-part Investigation Disco...

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 who apparently have a huge influence on your career choice and drinking habits. This hour, we're getting to know them better!   GUESTS:  Ken Jennings: Colin’s college roommate Kelli María Korducki: Journalist who writes about work and the family Bruce...