The Colin McEnroe Show

Rope has been foundational to so much of human civilization. It's made sailing, hunting, building, and so much more, possible. This hour, we look at the history and utility and future of rope. GUESTS: Tim Queeney: Author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization , among other books Manuel Medrano: A PhD candidate in Harvard’s History Department, who studies...

Westend61/Getty Images What happens when the people reshaping our world don't believe in introspection? This hour, a look at looking inward. And, we explore the spectrum of mental imagery. GUESTS: Elizabeth Lopatto:  Senior reporter for  The Verge Maja Spener:  Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of  Introspection: First-Person A...

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 are fun for us and they seem to be fun for you. So we’re doing another one. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour. 888-720-9677. Music featured (in order): Any Old Fool  – Thee Sacred Souls What You Get &...

There's a new movie starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson called 'The Drama' that is sparking a lot of discourse around spoilers, movie marketing, and what should be revealed in advance. This hour, we offer a few spoilers about the movie in order to talk about all of that. Plus, a look at plot twists. GUESTS: Olivia Montminy:  A student at College of the Holy Cross Aisha Harris:  Critic...

Headache symptoms can strike sufferers without warning, disabling them for even days at a time. There have been nearly 4,000 years of documented headache disorders — and virtually everyone has had headaches — yet their underlying neurological cause is still unknown. This hour, a look at the long history of headaches and the current science around and treatments for headaches. Plus: hea...

On September 26, 2025, last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, One Battle After Another , a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland , hit wide release in theaters. And then 11 days later, on October 7, Pynchon published what might be his final novel, Shadow Ticket . Not a bad year for an 88-year-old writer. This hour, a look at the (maybe) reclusive Pynchon and the novels an...

What is the relationship between consciousness and the divine? How are poetry and faith connected? Why write poetry? We present an hour with Colin and poet Christian Wiman live from Yale Divinity School, where they discuss poetry, consciousness, faith, awe, and whatever else is on their minds. GUEST: Christian Wiman: Author, editor, and translator of many books including, most recently, Glimmering...

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 surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to meditation and the sounds of flowing water, people who listen to NPR but don’t donate, the rough weekend the president and vice president both had altering old movies, the...

We did our usual all-calls show earlier this week. Except that our phones didn’t work. And our computers were messed up. And there probably wasn’t any running water. But the point is, we couldn’t actually take your calls during our all-calls call-in show this week . So we decided to try again. This hour, the conversation winds around to Trump signs around the neighborhood, cheese...

A new study shows that AI chatbots often engage in sycophantic behavior. Just like some humans. This hour, we take a look at sycophants in literature and in politics. And we talk about sycophancy and artificial intelligence. GUESTS: Mark Parker:  Professor Emeritus of English at James Madison University and co-author of  Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy Virginia Heffernan:...

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 surprising and amusing. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Except the phones didn't work. Topics included dogs, Neanderthals, candy, and more. Music featured (in order): That Moon Song  &...

Rust is all around us. It’s in our cars, our homes, our infrastructure. It’s also the subject of Jonathan Waldman’s book Rust: The Longest War , which introduces us to the people who fight it. This hour, Waldman joins us. Plus: a visual artist who has found a way to incorporate rust into her work. GUESTS: Esther Solondz : A Rhode Island-based visual artist Jonathan Waldman: Autho...

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie is the fourth feature film written and directed by Matt Johnson. It is cowritten and scored by Jay McCarrol, and it is an adaptation of and spiritual sequel to the 2017 television series Nirvanna the Band the Show , which is an adaptation of and spiritual sequel to the 2007 web series Nirvana the Band the Show . Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie stars Matt J...

Henry David Thoreau is a bit of a polarizing figure. He has been both celebrated and criticized for his writing. He’s considered an inspirational figure for retreating to the woods, but mocked for his reliance on his mother during that same period. This hour, in celebration of the new PBS documentary about the writer, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, and ask what his ex...

On the morning of May 24, 2019, Jennifer Dulos dropped her kids off at New Canaan Country School. And then minutes later, she vanished. Her presumed murder quickly became a national story. This hour, Wall Street Journal columnist Rich Cohen joins us to talk about his book, Murder in the Dollhouse: The Jennifer Dulos Story . Plus: a look at our ongoing obsession with these true crime stories. GUEST...

Thousands of Americans gathered over the weekend for "No Kings" protests. So this hour, we take a look at kings around the world, from history to the present moment. Plus, why are we so interested in royalty? And, what is the role of the king in chess? GUESTS: Mauro Guillén:  Vice Dean of Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives. He is the author of books including  The Perennia...

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 surprising and amusing. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. This hour, the conversation winds around to old radio shows, "No Kings" protests, the phrase "Let's go",  The New Yorker  C...

Project Hail Mary  is the fifth movie directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It’s written by Drew Goddard and based on the Andy Weir novel. It’s the second movie adapted from a Weir novel, and the second adapted by Goddard, after  The Martian . It stars Ryan Gosling as a high school science teacher who’s tasked with … going to space basically alone and sav...

What 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 A...

This hour, we look at the spread of measles in the United States. And we talk to health and science communicators who are working to tell the story of that disease in new ways. GUESTS: Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo:  Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology Brinda Adhikari:  Award-winning executive producer, showrunner and journalist, who...

Ringo Starr. Charlie Watts. John Bonham. Hal Blaine. Moe Tucker. Dave Grohl. Lars Ulrich. Meg White. Tony Thompson. Questlove. Karen Carpenter. Sam Lay. The list goes on. This hour, a look at the backbone (and the backbeat) of rock and roll: the drummer. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine: An Emmy-winning musician and a patient advocate for people with rare cancers John Lingan: The author, most recently, of&...

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 surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to the Iran war, what to do with the old stuff of deceased parents, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Gov. Lowell Weicker, our Mary show , whether or not you can tell time by a cat’s eye...

Josephine Riesman, author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America , argues that understanding WWE can help us understand President Donald Trump and his politics. This hour, we learn about WWE and its impact on Trump, and discuss the experience and appeal of watching wrestling. GUESTS:  Josephine Riesman: Author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America Tim Kail...

How do we begin to understand the full economic, human, and environmental impacts of war? This hour we talk with someone who is doing that math. Plus, a look at the opportunity costs of spending on war. And, the costs of The American Revolution. GUESTS: Neta Crawford:  Professor of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor at The...

March Madness is here! And so the only logical thing is to get improv comedian Julia Pistell and the actual Bill Curry together to talk basketball for an hour on the radio. For the 16th* time. That may not be the only logical thing to do. It may be that that’s not a logical thing to do at all. But we’re doing it anyway. *It’s our 16th one of these, unless it isn’t. Our stor...