The Colin McEnroe Show

Connecticut Public
  • 4.4 (213)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE
  • UPDATED DAILY

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

  1. George Orwell saw it coming

    15H AGO

    George Orwell saw it coming

    George Orwell's novels 1984 and Animal Farm feel especially prescient in this moment, as surveillance technologies continue to expand, and history and language are weaponized. We take a look at the life and literature of George Orwell. And ask: what does the term "Orwellian" really mean? GUESTS: Laura Beers: Professor of History at American University, and the author of Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the Twenty-First Century D. J. Taylor: Writer, critic, and author of many books, including Orwell: The New Life and Who is Big Brother? A Reader's Guide to George Orwell Sandra Newman: Author of Julia: A Novel, among other books Music featured (in order): Welles Raises Kane (I. Overture) – Bernard Herrmann, as conducted by himself, leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) – Eurythmics One Brick – Aesop Rock Keep the Aspidistra Flying – Ivan Waters and the Citadel Piggies – The Beatles 1984 – Anais Mitchell Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    50 min
  2. Monsters: A look at the real, the fake, and the friendly

    1D AGO

    Monsters: A look at the real, the fake, and the friendly

    Monsters are our subconscious perversions, our twisted fears realized, but what causes their creation, and how are they made? This hour, we look at fantastical creatures, terrifying beasts, and the scariest monsters of all: humans. GUESTS: Natalie Lawrence: Historian of science and the author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings Surekha Davies: Historian of science, speaker, and monster consultant for radio, tv, and film. She writes a newsletter called “Strange and Wondrous: Notes from a Science Historian,” and is the author of books including Humans: A Monstrous History Margery Cuyler: Author of 62 children’s books including Monster Mess, Bonaparte Falls Apart, Skeleton Hiccups, and the forthcoming Stompie the Zombie The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook. Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. This show originally aired on July 31, 2025. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    50 min
  3. All calls: ‘I’ll never call while eating a hamburger again’

    2D AGO

    All calls: ‘I’ll never call while eating a hamburger again’

    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 spiders, seashells and 86ing, a possible $70 million Rothko, Cinco de Mayo, Texas (and Hawaii) as its own country … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Sunflower Waltz – Duved Dunayevsky, Susanne Ortner, Molly Reeves, Zach Valentine Side Slider – Isaia Huron Bando – Angelique Kidjo, Pharrell Williams, Quavo White Roses – Fetty Wap (feat. Divinity & Ymanie) This Can’t Be Love – Jaimee Paul Meat Machines – The Claypool Lennon Delirium Che sarà terra e sarà mare – Tosca Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    49 min
  4. An hour with Rupert Holmes

    5D AGO

    An hour with Rupert Holmes

    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 Billboard Hot 100. His dramedy Remember WENN was AMC’s first original scripted series. And his newest novel, Murder Your Employer, was a New York Times bestseller. This hour: Rupert Holmes. GUEST: Rupert Holmes: Playwright, composer, singer-songwriter, and author The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired April 20, 2024, in a different form. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min
  5. O Romeo (and Juliet): The lasting appeal of Shakespeare’s tragedy

    6D AGO

    O Romeo (and Juliet): The lasting appeal of Shakespeare’s tragedy

    Shakespeare’s tragedy about two star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, has appealed to audiences for centuries. It’s been adapted countless times for stage and screen. This hour, we talk with experts exploring the play and its legacy, from The Hartford Stage on the set of their recent adaptation. GUESTS:  David Sterling Brown: Associate professor of English at Trinity College; he is the author of Shakespeare’s White Others and a development associate and scholar in residence for the American Globe Center, and he is on the curatorial team for Claudia Rankine’s The Racial Imaginary Institute Melia Bensussen: Hartford Stage’s artistic director Carman Lacivita: Actor who played Friar Laurence in Hartford Stage’s production of Romeo and Juliet; he is a recipient of the Bayfield Award — given to the best performance of Shakespeare in the New York Metropolitan Area If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook. Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Megan Fitzgerald, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 6, 2025. Thank you to the staff and volunteers at the Hartford Stage, including Lucas Clopton, Wesley McCabe-Schroeder, Lindsay Abrams, Zoe Golub-Sass, Jennifer Levine, Todd Brandt, and the volunteer ushers. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    43 min
  6. Occam’s razor makes the case for simplicity in a complex world

    APR 29

    Occam’s razor makes the case for simplicity in a complex world

    Occam’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.” This hour: 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 Haywire — A 500-Year History Johnjoe McFadden: Author of Life Is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe Lisa Sanders: Clinician educator in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Yale School of Medicine; she writes the Diagnosis column for The New York Times Magazine The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 Colin McEnroe Show. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 17, 2021, in a different form. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min
  7. Beverly Gage's road trip through American history

    APR 28

    Beverly Gage's road trip through American history

    To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, historian Beverly Gage took a road trip around the country to visit over three hundred historic sites. Those travels are documented in her new book, This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip through U.S. History. Gage joins us this hour to reflect on what she learned about the country, and what's ahead on this anniversary year. GUEST: Beverly Gage: The John Lewis Gaddis Professor of History at Yale University. She is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century. Her new book is This Land is Your Land: A Road Trip through U.S. History Music featured (in order): Road Song – Wes Montgomery This Land Is Your Land – Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings Birmingham – Randy Newman Song About America – Olive Klug America – Simon and Garfunkel I See America – Joy Oladokun Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    42 min
  8. All Calls: Rome is kind of like a lasagna

    APR 27

    All Calls: Rome is kind of like a lasagna

    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 crushes on Colin and colonoscopies, leaf blowers, Colchester and the Roman Empire, This Is a Gardening Show with Zach Galifianakis, it books and the book It, home ownership … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Valeu a Pena – Gileno Santana Waiting – Beth Orton Hang It On the Shelf – Jalen Ngonda Nothing Is Real – Destin Conrad, Terrace Martin I Like Pie, I Like Cake (Live) – Catherine Russell Live at Lincoln Center Six O’Clock News – Brennan Wedl, Waxahatchee No Springtime – Allison Russell The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, 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 Colin McEnroe Show. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 min
See All (1.8K)

4.4
out of 5
213 Ratings

About

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

Information

More From Connecticut Public

You Might Also Like