The Colin McEnroe Show

Gossiping is considered a bad habit. But, when done well, it can actually have social benefits. This hour on the Colin McEnroe Show, we’ll discuss what gossip is, its benefits and drawbacks, and why we’re interested in celebrity gossip. GUESTS: Frank McAndrew - Psychology professor at Knox College Shayla Love - Senior staff writer of features at Vice  Amanda Kehrberg - Adjunct media studies faculty at Arizona State University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, a smorgasbord of disparate topics: mandates, mammoths, and merch. First, a look at the state of America’s patchwork of COVID vaccine requirements. And then: New England’s own Dunkin' has started doing limited-edition merchandise drops. Can normie coffee make itself into a lifestyle brand? Finally: Scientists are trying to genetically resurrect the woolly mammoth. “Life, uh, finds a way,” and all that. GUESTS: Debbie Kaminer - Professor of law at the CUNY Baruch College Lora Kelley - A contributor to GQ Carl Zimmer - The science columnist for The New York Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire imagery abounds in music, literature, art, and scripture. It thrives at the center of ceremony and ritual around the world. We associate fire with sentiments of passion, anger, transformation, purity, and even evil itself. Some say our fascination with fire is owed to the fact that, of all creatures, we alone possess the ability to create and control it. They say at its center, fire burns hottest. So stand back and listen close, for this hour, we journey straight to its core. It’s one heck of a hot topic, and we’re guessing it’ll spark your interest. GUESTS: Steve Pyne - Author of Moved by Fire: History’s Promethean Moment and Fire: A Brief History Eric Rabkin - Professor emeritus of English language and literature and of art & design at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Gary Snyder - Poet Christian Tryon - Assistant professor of anthropology at Harvard Charles Wright - The 50th Poet Laureate of the United States Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired January 14, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these weekly shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. A few times, we haven’t even started with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. And those shows have been fun. So we’re doing it again this week. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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, the past, present, and future of mimes. GUESTS: Doug Jones - A trained mime, contortionist, and award-winning actor known for his roles in The Shape of Water, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, Star Trek: Discovery, and more Richard Knight - Author of Mime the Gap: Techniques in Mime and Movement Shawn Wen - Author of A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired August 30, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

B. F. Skinner thought pigeons were so smart they could be used to guide missiles during World War II. He proposed a system in which pigeons would essentially pilot a missile. Skinner said pigeons could be trained to peck at a screen to adjust the trajectory of the missile toward its target. Project Pigeon was funded but never used. In 2013, New York conceptual artist Duke Reilly trained half his flock of pigeons to carry contraband cigars from Cuba to Florida and the other half to carry tiny video cameras documenting the smuggling flight of their comrades. Another group of researchers trained pigeons to reliably distinguish between the paintings of Picasso and Monet, even if they had never seen a particular painting before. This hour, everything you ever wanted to know about pigeons but were afraid to ask. GUESTS: Yoni Applebaum - A social and cultural historian Andrew Blechman - Author of Pigeons: The Fascinating Saga of the World’s Most Revered and Reviled Bird Wanda Corn - The Robert and Ruth Halperin Professor Emerita in the department of art and art history at Stanford University Patrick Skahill - Senior reporter at Connecticut Public Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired November 12, 2013.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 8, 1966, NBC aired the premiere of a new series called Star Trek. The episode was “The Man Trap.” The star date was 1513.1, in case you’re interested in that kind of thing. I am not interested in that kind of thing. The Star Trek canon encompasses 10 television shows — 811 episodes, so far — and 13 movies. I’ve just never been into it. I tried to get into it for this show, but it didn’t work. But here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter. “Beam me up.” “Live long and prosper.” “Redshirt.” “Vulcan.” “Klingon.” The English language’s best known split infinitive. Regardless of whether or not you’re a fan of Star Trek, Star Trek is a big damn deal, with nearly boundless influence. “Star Trek is more than pop culture; it’s 20th century mythology,” according to The AV Club’s Caroline Siede. This hour, a look at some of the more than 36,000 minutes — more than 25 days — of television and movies that is Star Trek. GUESTS: Sam Hatch - Co-host of The Culture Dogs on WWUH Timothy Sandefur - Author of The Permission Society: How the Ruling Class Turns Our Freedoms Into Privileges and What We Can Do About It; he wrote an essay on the politics of Star Trek Caroline Siede - Freelance writer Linda Wetzel - Associate professor of philosophy at Georgetown University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Rebecca Castellani, Greg Hill, Chion Wolf, and Alan Yu contributed to this show, which originally aired September 8, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word “bastard” hasn’t always been meant to offend. Used simply as an indication of illegitimate birth at first, the label “bastard” didn’t bring with it shame or stigma until long after it first appeared in the Middle Ages. Today, while its original meaning has not been forgotten, its use is largely reserved for insult. Yet, ironically, the underdog status once associated with a person of illegitimate birth is now something our modern culture celebrates. From Alexander Hamilton to Game of Thrones’s Jon Snow, the bastard’s ability to rise above his or her unfortunate circumstances to achieve greatness has become something to root for. This hour, a look at the origin, evolution, and pop culture triumph of the bastard! GUESTS: Scott Andrews - Science fiction reviewer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, columnist for Winter Is Coming, and the author of The Guild Leader’s Handbook Joanne Freeman - Professor of history and American studies at Yale University and the editor of The Essential Hamilton: Letters & Other Writings Sara McDougall - Associate professor of history at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York and the author of Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800–1230 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 18, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to Vulture, TV’s white guys are in crisis, and specifically on a bunch of shows The Nose has covered: Kevin Can F**k Himself, The White Lotus, The Chair, Ted Lasso… Oh, and Jeopardy! And speaking of TV’s white guys, Seinfeld is coming to Netflix next month. Eric Deggans wonders why it hasn’t caught on with young people the way shows like The Office and Friends have. And finally: The Chair is a Netflix miniseries about the English department at fictional Pembroke University. It stars Sandra Oh, Jay Duplass, Bob Balaban, Holland Taylor, and more. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: How MLB pushed back the Atlantic League mound and pushed fed-up players to the brink of a work stoppage Lady Gaga’s Dog Walker Is Finally Ready to Talk Ryan Fischer took a bullet trying to save the pop star’s French bulldogs from being dognapped. He knows you have questions Inside the Weird World of Out-of-Office Messages ‘Jeopardy!’ Had To Clarify Its Rules Because A Very Good Champion Has A Very Annoying Answering Habit Joe Rogan, a podcasting giant who has been dismissive of vaccination, has Covid. Al Leiter, John Smoltz won’t appear at MLB Network studios after refusing vaccine After Pink criticized the parents of a 14-year-old YouTuber who was pictured in a bikini, the girl said the swimsuits aren’t sexual unless you ‘view us that way’ Who asked for this? We don’t know. But Flamin’ Hot Mountain Dew is here anyway. The People Who Make Ted Lasso Can See Your Tweets, You Know ABBA Reunite for First Time in 40 Years, Announce New Album and Digital Concert Swedish pop group finally releases singles “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down” A Dishonest Study on Dishonesty Puts a Prominent Researcher on the Hot Seat A complete timeline of how Bishop Sycamore fooled ESPN McDonald’s Mascot Grimace Is a What Now?!? Truly did not need this information in my life. GUESTS: Elizabeth Keifer - Professor emerita of English at Tunxis Community College Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 20 years since Christopher Nolan’s Memento hit theaters, his movies have grossed more than $5 billion, earned 36 Academy Award nominations, and won 11 Oscars. 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 standalone live action movie ever made. This hour, a look at the filmmaker behind Batman Begins, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Tenet, and more: Christopher Nolan. GUESTS: Kayleigh Donaldson - A pop culture writer and critic James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Tom Shone - Author of The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.