The Colin McEnroe Show

Christopher Nolan’s movies have grossed more than $6 billion, earned 49 Academy Award nominations, and won 18 Oscars — including seven wins this year for Oppenheimer . His Dark Knight films helped spark the comic book movie renaissance we’re still experiencing, and his seventh feature, Inception , is the highest-grossing totally original, totally standalone movie ever made. This hour — and in the...

Our lives are entrenched in secrets — the average person, apparently, keeps as many as 13 of them at any given time. They’re largely regarded as bad for us. But maybe secrets, like us, are more complex? Is there a time when a secret can be harmless, or even good? Can a secret save lives? And how many people can be involved in one before it all topples down? GUESTS: David Robert Grimes: Scientist a...

Dune: Part Two  is the third film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel. It is the  second part  of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation and the first of his  Dune  films released exclusively in theaters. It has grossed $204 million in its first week at the worldwide box office, making it the highest grossing American movie of 2024 so far.  Dune: Part Two  stars an ensemble cast that includes Timothée...

The Doobie Brothers. Christopher Cross. Steely Dan. Kenny Loggins. Toto. Michael McDonald. Ambrosia. Supertramp. (The Eagles? Uh, Michael Jackson?) Something was happening in the music world out there on the West Coast in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Something with electric pianos and slower tempos and jazz and R&B influences and hi-fi, almost crystalline production. This hour, we take a de...

This hour is all about America’s 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, who took office after President James Garfield was assassinated. We look at Arthur’s life and legacy and at what happens when someone unexpectedly takes over the highest office in the land. GUESTS:  David Edelstein:  America’s Greatest Living Film Critic. Scott S. Greenberger:  Executive editor of  Stateline , and author of  The U...

When was the last time you read a short story? This hour, we talk about why short stories are so popular in the classroom, but why adults don’t seem to read them much once they’re done with school. And we make the case for why you should. Plus, a look at the art of the short story with some masters of the craft.   You can read Rebecca Makkai’s Substack post that inspired this show here .    Here i...

This hour: lunch — from the hungry judge effect to the sad desk lunch. We’ll look at the history of our mid-day meal, talk about school lunches, and get tips for packing lunch. And we want to hear from you. Do you love lunch? Hate it? Eat the same lunch every day? Never eat lunch? Call us: 888-720-9677. GUESTS:  Megan Elias:  Historian, Director of the Food Studies Program, Associate Professor at...

Poor Things  is the eighth feature film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It is written by Tony McNamara and based on the 1992 novel  Poor Things: Episodes from the Early Life of Archibald McCandless M.D., Scottish Public Health Officer  by Alasdair Gray.  Poor Things  is a fantastical comedy that deals with some pretty dark ideas, and it’s nominated for 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best...

Everything's felt like, and been called, a "crisis" lately. This hour, we talk about the overuse of the term "crisis," and crisis fatigue. Plus, we'll talk with a crisis communicator about how to manage a crisis. And, finally, a look at the midlife crisis. GUESTS:  Eliah Bures:  Historian of modern Europe and a Senior Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies...

"The lesser of two evils" is a phrase we hear a lot during election cycles. Why is that? This hour, we look to philosophy, the polls, and forensic psychiatry to explore the meaning of this idiom. GUESTS:  Lakshya Jain:  Partner at the election analysis website  splitticket.org Julia Maskivker:  Professor of Political Theory and Political Science at Rollins College in Florida. She wrote the book  “...

Who am I? We’ve all wondered at some point. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a personality test based on Carl Jung’s psychological types, has offered many an answer. This hour, we delve into the history of the MBTI and contemporary applications of this test and explore its scientific validity. Plus, a look at a dating app that uses the 16 personality types to help people find love. GUESTS: Jessica...

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 the cold,  Cheese & Stuff , fast crocodiles, how we choose music, when Colin eats lunch … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they se...

With the Academy Awards just two weekends away, this year’s awards season is coming to a close. With that in mind, this hour we take a Nose-ish look at awards shows — awards shows as live events, as television, and as the actual doling out of artistic accolades. Plus: a brief history of the Academy Awards with Michael Schulman, the author of  Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and...

Barcodes are everywhere, and they helped to shape the world we live in. This hour, we'll look at the history and impact of barcodes. Plus, we'll look at the rise of QR code menus and tickets, and talk about what we might gain and lose as we move away from physical objects to digital ones. GUESTS:  Jordan Frith:  Pearce Professor of Professional Communications at Clemson University, and author of t...

This hour, partly cloudy spies with a 50% chance of certain rain. Have you ever wondered if you really exist? Consider that you might not exist at all. In other news, get ready to gyre and gimble in the wabe — our show today is about incoherence. GUESTS:  Alex Worsnip:  Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He’s the author of  “Fitting Things Togethe...

J. Edgar Hoover served as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under eight presidents and made the FBI into the organization it is today. This hour, Beverly Gage, Yale historian and author of a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Hoover, joins us to talk about his life and legacy. Plus, a look at the status of the FBI today and the lessons we can learn from Hoover’s example. GUESTS:...

American Fiction , the feature film directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, is a comedy based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett. It is nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jefferson, Best Actor for Jeffrey Wright, and Best Supporting Actor for Sterling K. Brown. And: Criminal Record is a British crime thriller series on Apple TV+. Here’...

This hour is all about printers. We’ll talk about printer problems and why, despite our struggles, we can’t seem to quit them. And, we’ll talk with a rage room owner about the appeal of smashing printers. GUESTS:  Cory Doctorow: Science fiction author, activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and journalist. His new book, The Bezzle , is out next week Allen St. John: Multimedia Content Pr...

From pen names to online aliases, pseudonyms are all around us. This hour, we’re talking about what compels people to adopt an alternate identity when they write. Do pseudonyms liberate us? Do they make us treat each other better? Or do they stop credit from going where it’s due? GUESTS:  Carmela Ciuraru:  Author of  “Nom de Plume: A (Secret) History of Pseudonyms”  and, most recently,  “Lives of...

This hour, novelist Joyce Maynard joins us  for a second time  to talk about her latest novel, the blurring of life and fiction, and her new career running a hotel in Guatemala. GUEST: Joyce Maynard:  Novelist; her latest is  The Bird Hotel The Colin McEnroe Show  is available as a podcast on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Google Podcasts ,  Amazon Music ,  TuneIn ,  Listen Notes , or wherever you...

This hour is all about commercials. We'll look at the Super Bowl ads, and how commercials have infiltrated streaming. Plus, a look at what’s going on with those "He Gets Us" ads for Jesus. GUESTS:  Patrick Dugan: Executive creative director at Adams and Knight in Avon Suzanne Vranica: Advertising Editor for The Wall Street Journal Bob Smietana: National reporter for Religion News Service , and aut...

The Nose is off this week. In its place, and with the week coming to an end, it’s time for an hour on endings. We look at the art of the ending, wonder what makes a satisfying ending in literature and TV and music, and ponder how we know it’s time to let a thing come to an end. GUESTS: Jen Chaney: TV critic at Vulture and New York magazine and the author of  As If! The Oral History of Clueless Geo...

This hour we look at the philosophy of humanism. We survey the history and evolution of the humanist tradition, and discuss what it means to practice humanism. Plus, how humanism can help us relate to technology. GUESTS:  Sarah Bakewell :   Author of  Humanly Possible: Seven Hundred Years of Humanist Freethinking, Inquiry and Hope , among other books Greg Epstein : Author and Humanist Chaplain at...

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 coyote behavior, the asphalt on the highway, where bare feet are and are not acceptable (and, relatedly, “ Barefootin’ ”), crosswalk signals … Anything. (Seemingly) ev...

Terms that started out in the therapist’s office have moved into the public discourse. This hour we talk about therapy-speak, armchair psychology, and how greater awareness of mental health terminology and diagnoses impacts the broader conversation around mental health, for better and worse. Plus, a look at how therapists are depicted on TV and how that’s impacted their work outside the screen. GU...