The Colin McEnroe Show

From New Kids on the Block to *NSYNC to One Direction, boy bands have been a staple of popular music for decades. This hour, a look back at the history — and future — of boy bands. GUESTS: Maria Sherman - Author of Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS Aja Romano - A culture staff writer for Vox  Brad Fischetti - The surviving member of LFO  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.

“Life is a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution.” That’s the so-called “NASA definition of life.” Or there’s Russian-born geneticist Edward Trifonov’s take: Life is “self-reproduction with variations.” Or there’s “Life is an expected, collectively self-organized property of catalytic polymers.” Or “Life is a metabolic network within a boundary.” It’s said that, “There are as many definitions of life as there are people trying to define it.” And yet, none of those definitions is quite right. Science writer Carl Zimmer says that’s strange behavior for scientists: “It is as if astronomers kept coming up with new ways to define stars.” Plus: Linguist Ben Zimmer (no relation to Carl*) on what it means to be human. Or, at least, as much as we can tell about what it means to be human by looking at Dr. Fill, the artificial intelligence that won a national crossword puzzle tournament. *No relation beyond that they’re brothers, I mean. GUESTS: Ben Zimmer - A linguist, lexicographer, and the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal Carl Zimmer - The science columnist for The New York Times; his newest book is Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means To Be Alive Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 26, 2021.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. The last couple weeks, 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.

There is a longstanding tendency among tech CEOs to be sort of performatively photographed with bare feet. Also: It’s gross. And: Washington Post humorist Gene Weingarten got himself into a bit of trouble this week for saying that Indian cuisine is based entirely on one spice. And and: Pumpkin spice lattes are back. Already. (Also: It’s 90 degrees outside.) And finally: Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is, well, a documentary film about Anthony Bourdain. It’s available as a $20 rental right now, and it’ll hit HBO Max and air on CNN in the future. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Don Everly, Older Brother in Groundbreaking Rock Duo, Dies at 84 The Everly Brothers, Don and Phil, were the most successful rock act to emerge from Nashville in the 1950s, rivaling Elvis Presley for radio airplay. Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones’ Drummer and Inimitable Backbone, Dead at 80 Rock & roll legend “passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier [Tuesday] surrounded by his family,” according to publicist ‘Never Call Me Your Drummer Again’ The full story of the time Charlie Watts punched Mick Jagger, excerpted from Sympathy for the Drummer. Man Photographed As A Baby On ‘Nevermind’ Cover Sues Nirvana For Sexual Exploitation OnlyFans Is Reversing Its Ban On Adult Content, But Sex Workers Say It’s Already Cost Them Followers And Money “Every single dime that company has made has revolved around porn whether they want to admit it or not … I think it’s hilarious now watching them try to pick up the pieces from a vase they threw at the wall.” 25 Tweets That Prove No One Was Emotionally Prepared For The “Spider-Man: No Way Home” Trailer The Karate Kid Stage Musical To Wax On In A Pre-Broadway Run In 2022 Sean Penn still has more to say He’s supposed to be talking about his new movie. But there’s so much else. Tom Hanks Sells 4 Vehicles From His Collection His marquee item in the auction, an Airstream trailer bought in the “Sleepless in Seattle” era, brought in over $200,000. Looking Back On 15 Years Of ‘Idiocracy,’ One The Most Memorable And Sadly Relevant Comedies Of The 21st Century Parents Are Not Okay We’re not even at a breaking point anymore. We’re broken. Even Billy Joel Mocked ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire.’ I Loved It. As a 4-year-old, our critic couldn’t get enough of this manic 1989 hit, a crash course in U.S. history. Now the song lives on in parodies and memes. Ted Lasso Is a Perfect Show If You Hate Laughing This “balm for the soul” is supposed to be a comedy? Tom Cruise Performed 13,000 Motorbike Jumps To Prep For A Mission: Impossible 7 Stunt He’s No Longer Host. But Mike Richards Is Still Running ‘Jeopardy!’ Defying a backlash over sexist and crude comments, a top Sony TV executive told the show’s staff that the studio stood behind Mr. Richards as the executive producer. GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Co-founder of Quiet Corner Communications and a freelance writer Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project 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.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently released a report detailing the latest scientific understanding about climate change. This hour, we learn about what’s included in that report. And, we’ll discuss some climate solutions, including carbon capture, oysters, and granting rights to rivers and lakes. GUESTS: Rebecca Leber - Climate reporter at Vox David Bercovici - The co-director of the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture and a professor in Yale’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Danielle Bissett - Director of Restoration for the Billion Oyster Project Kelsey Leonard - Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo, a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Waters, Climate, and Sustainability, and a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Profanity used to be about someone swearing insincerely to God. Then the Reformation came along and made profanity about sex and the body. Today, our most unspeakable words are are slurs against other groups at a time when Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and cancel culture are driving our cultural narrative. This hour: the past, present, and future of profanity. GUEST: John McWhorter - Author of Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter — Then, Now, and Forever and host of Slate’s Lexicon Valley podcast Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 13, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, a potpourri of topics. First, some new thinking around dental cavities — are they really an oral microbiome problem? And, as we endure another record-setting fire season, scientists are wondering, does Smokey Bear need a makeover? Finally, what happens if we look at Earth as an exoplanet? GUESTS: Jaime Green - Associate editor of Future Tense Maggie Koerth - Senior science writer for FiveThirtyEight Jennifer Oldham - Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter 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. This week, we aren’t even starting with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. 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 Gene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose had planned to discuss all the scandals around Jeopardy! executive-producer-turned-incoming-host Mike Richards. But then he quit this morning, so The Nose discusses that instead. And: Larry David (the real guy, not the TV character — as much as those are two different things) went off on Alan Dershowitz in a Martha’s Vineyard grocery store. And finally: FBOY Island is HBO Max’s first reality TV dating show. It’s not the sort of thing The Nose would normally cover, which is exactly why The Nose is covering it. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Chuck Close, Artist of Outsized Reality, Dies at 81 He found success with his large-scale Photorealist portraits, becoming one of the leading artists of his generation. Late in life he faced allegations of sexual harassment. Sean Lock Dies: ‘8 Out Of 10 Cats’ Comedian Was 58; Tributes From Ricky Gervais, Bill Bailey, David Baddiel & More Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse By Bob Dylan Britney Spears Is Under Investigation For Battery After A Dispute With A Staff Member No one was injured in the alleged altercation between Spears and a member of her staff. New pictures show Wally the Walrus relaxing on a small boat in Crookhaven Wally the walrus is set to get a ‘floating couch’ in an effort to prevent him from sinking more boats. Carrie Underwood Faced Backlash Online After She Liked An Anti-Mask Video On Twitter Mr. McFeely’s son, a real-life mail carrier, to deliver in Daniel Tiger’s neighborhood Why Country Music Was (Finally) Ready to Come Out “It was like, ‘I can be comfortable and out and gay, or I can do country music, but I definitely can’t do both,’” says one artist. Now that dichotomy appears to be falling apart The Coen Brother If Ethan Coen is done making movies with his brother Joel, what might that mean for projects from each Coen Brother going forward? OnlyFans Says It Will Ban Sexually Explicit Content The new policy takes effect Oct. 1. GUESTS: Xandra Ellin - Associate producer at Pineapple Street Media, and she writes the On the Media newsletter Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Cat Pastor - Assistant radio operations manager at Connecticut Public Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are thought to be about 17 quadrillion flies alive on Earth at any one time. That’s 17 million for every living human. They’re predators and parasites and pests, but they’re pollinators too. They help us solve crimes, heal wounds, and understand genetics and evolution. And they literally help at least one artist paint his paintings. Also this hour: A look at David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly on the week of its 35th anniversary. GUESTS: Jonathan Balcombe - Author of Super Fly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects John Knuth - An artist; his work is part of Reunion, A Group Exhibition at Hollis Taggart in Southport, Conn., showing until September 4 Gale Ridge - Associate scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Jacob Trussel - Author of The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The Twilight Zone; his latest piece for Film School Rejects is “Only Jeff Goldblum Could Make Us Fall in Love with ‘The Fly.’” Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.