The Colin McEnroe Show

Francisco Goldman made a big choice as a young man. He chose to spend a year in Guatemala living with his uncle instead of pursuing the master’s degree he could have had from a prestigious school offering him a full scholarship. It turned out to be one of the most consequential decisions of his early life. This hour, Colin talks with Goldman about his novel Monkey Boy , a story about the leg...

The humble tambourine is the underrated, understated, unsung hero of contemporary music. This hour we shake our assumptions about this surprisingly enduring and ubiquitous instrument. GUESTS: Erin Elstner : Percussionist and Professor of Percussion at Webster University Ira Elliot : Percussionist best known as the drummer for the band Nada Surf Tim Kubart : Musician, songwriter, and performer know...

This hour we investigate the ways in which words change when they enter our discourse and how they acquire new meanings, or sometimes even lose their meanings. We look at specific examples, discuss how the internet is influencing language, and learn about how dictionaries interact with the evolving nature of words. GUESTS: Sylvia Sierra: A linguist and the author of  Millennials Talking Media: Cre...

It’s the end of an era. Apple  announced this week  that it has ended production of the last iPod-only device it was still making, the iPod Touch. Apple debuted the original iPod in October, 2001, and has sold an estimated 450 million iPods since. Existing stock of the iPod Touch is available while supplies last. And:  The Staircase  is an HBO Max miniseries based on the...

Phone ringtones went from uniform, to a million dollar industry, to the unconscious soundtrack of our lives. They’re pieces of music that are designed to get you to react. They’re sounds that often carry emotions and memories with them. But we don’t often give them much thought. This hour, the art of the ringtone. We look back at their history, investigate their rise and fall, discuss the appeal o...

Occam’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.” This hour is all about Occam’s razor: where the principle came from, how it impacts science, its role in medicine, and how it shapes our daily lives. GUESTS: Kurt Andersen: Co-founder of Spy magazine, the host and co-creator of Studio 360 , and the author of  Fantasyland: How America Went H...

This hour we look back at the history of the Supreme Court and the rules surrounding it. Plus, we discuss how the Supreme Court shares information with the public, and we talk about ideas for reforming the Court. GUESTS: Akhil Reed Amar : Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, and author of  The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760...

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour...

This week’s Nose is short. $6,950. But it is not, it’s not a problem. Our original plan for this week was to look at the final seasons of  Better Call Saul  and  Ozark . But it turns out that, among our full stable of nostrils — this is a group of more than 20 people who are, by definition, dialed into the mass market popular culture, mind you — there’s...

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has hired an advisor to review the agency. This comes as the CDC faces scrutiny for its pandemic response and communications. This hour, we ask what the CDC should, and could, look like into the future. GUESTS: Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo : The inaugural Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology. Dr....

Note:  This episode contains strong language and a number of things intended to be in bad taste. This hour, we shoot the, er, breeze with John Waters, the filmmaker, author, and artist whose œuvre of campy, raunchy films ranges from the cult classics Pink Flamingos and Polyester to the musicals Hairspray and Cry-Baby . On the occasion of his first novel, the “feel-bad romance&rdqu...

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 was the world’s greatest lover. This hour: Rasputin — the all-too-human peasant who found his way to friendship with the Romanovs, and the comical, absurd version that just won’t die. GUESTS: Douglas Smith: Historian and author of Rasput...

This hour, we’re joined by novelist Ruth Ozeki . Her latest novel is The Book of Form and Emptiness . We talk about animism, hearing voices, and how Zen Buddhism informs her writing. GUESTS: Ruth Ozeki: Novelist, filmmaker, and professor of English language and literature at Smith College The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Google Podcasts , Stitche...

This week’s Nose would come straight to your home and do it on the weekends too. This week was week three of John C. Depp II v. Amber Laura Heard , Johnny Depp’s $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard (in which she’s countersued for $100 million). It is nothing if not a sordid tale where no one looks particularly innocent. But it certainly seems like the e...

This hour, as National Poetry Month comes to a close, we celebrate the form with three contemporary poets. GUESTS: Matthew Zaprude r: Professor, poet, whose most recent collection is  Father’s Day , and author of the book  Why Poetry . Margaret Gibson : Poet laureate of Connecticut, whose most recent collection is  The Glass Globe .  Yanyi : Poet, whose most recent collec...

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, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, and ask what his example can teach us about who is remembered and celebrated. GUESTS:...

Mimes have been gesticulating their way into our hearts (or nightmares) nearly for forever. It may be that the legendary Marcel Marceau popularized the mime, but people have been communicating through movement since the very beginning. Today, characters in big-budget Hollywood movies and television shows routinely rely on pantomime techniques to create the on-screen characters we love. This hour,...

We’ve been doing these shows a lot of weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. We don’t even, anymore, start with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. We’ve had fun with these shows, and you seem to like them too. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour...

When this week’s Nose hits the sky, it’s not just a call. It’s a warning. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is the highest-grossing film of 2022 so far by a fairly wide margin. It stars Robert Pattinson in the title role, and it’s the first entry in a new Batman shared universe. Two sequels are expected and two HBO Max television series are planned. Pattinson’s Batman exi...

Humans have always been interested in the sky, and astrology has been used as a tool for people in power for a long time. During times of stress, interest in astrology increases. But why are we so interested in something that is not considered a science? This hour, a look at the history of astrology, its relationship with astronomy, and the reasons why people love it so much. GUESTS: Julie Beck: S...

The term “brainwashing” has been used throughout history by scientists, politicians, and journalists, as well as in movies and literature. This hour: a look at the history and science of brainwashing. GUESTS: Joel Dimsdale: Distinguished professor emeritus in the department of psychiatry at University of California San Diego and the author of  Dark Persuasion: A History of Brainwashing from Pavlov...

André Gregory has directed and acted in the theater for more than 50 years. He has appeared in a number of movies, including Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ , Woody Allen’s Celebrity , Brian De Palma’s The Bonfire of the Vanities , Peter Weir’s The Mosquito Coast , and many more. He has starred in three movies about the theater with the playwright, ac...

In her new book, Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth , Elizabeth Williamson investigates the conspiracy theories that arose following the shooting on December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. GUEST: Elizabeth Williamson : Author of Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy And The Battle For Truth The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Appl...

This week’s Nose will be able to tell this story at a conference wearing flip-flops. The Dropout is an eight-part Hulu Original limited series that tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. It’s based on the ABC News podcast and stars Amanda Seyfried. And Inventing Anna is a nine-part Netflix Original limited series created by Shonda Rhimes that tells the story of Anna Sorokin....

We use zippers all the time: whether on clothes, shoes, bags, tents… the list goes on. Zippers keep our belongings secure, they keep us warm, they help keep out the elements, and they make it easier to get dressed. This hour is all about the zipper. We’ll learn about its history and significance, plus the role of zippers in fashion, and why so many zippers say “YKK.” GUEST...