The Colin McEnroe Show

We reair Colin's 2016 interview with Patti Smith at the Immanuel Congregational Church in Hartford when she was in town for a Mark Twain House event. The church was filled to the rafters with a capacity crowd of 700 people who remained enraptured by her presence throughout the entire evening. If you don't know her, you may come to love her after hearing this very funny and endearing interview.  She looked back over her life as an artist, a lover of Robert Mapplethorpe, a wife and a mother, and as a person she says is a better friend in the abstract than in reality. Again, she's really funny.  GUEST: Patti Smith - Singer, songwriter, poet, and visual artist; she's released almost a dozen albums and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007; she won a National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids; her second memoir is M Train Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired November 10, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Week (or so) in Reassessing Not-Necessarily-Current Bits of Culture: Seuss enterprises pulled six mostly early Dr. Seuss books from future publication. Disney+ added content warnings to certain episodes of The Muppet Show. Amazon tweaked its app logo to look less like, uh, Hitler. Turner Classic Movies launched a new series called Reframed Classics that will, well, frame movies like Gone with the Wind and Breakfast at Tiffany's with discussions of their problematic aspects. And: Allen v. Farrow is a four-part HBO documentary series that chronicles the sexual assault allegation against Woody Allen by Dylan Farrow. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: "Degrassi" Actor Jahmil French Has Died At 29, And The Cast Is Sharing Emotional Memories Of Him"Bhandurner forever in my heart." Bunny Wailer, Reggae Pioneer With the Wailers, Dies at 73He was the last surviving original member of the group, which also featured Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Together they helped spread the music of Jamaica worldwide. Inside Joss Whedon's 'Cutting' and 'Toxic' World of 'Buffy' and 'Angel' The Marilyn Manson Reckoning From Britney Spears to Janet Jackson, the Era of the Celebrity ReappraisalMonica Lewinsky. Janet Jackson. Lindsay Lohan. Whitney Houston. We are living in an era of reappraisals. Opinion: Do we even need the Golden Globes? Rosamund Pike Says Body Was Photoshopped for Johnny English PosterThe "I Care a Lot" star said she was photoshopped on the poster for "Johnny English." The 101 Greatest Endings in Movies HistoryGood finales offer catharsis. The best deny us closure altogether. Critics Poll: 'Do the Right Thing' Named Best Film of the 1980s By Over 200 Critics, Filmmakers and Programmers E-mail Is Making Us MiserableIn an attempt to work more effectively, we've accidentally deployed an inhumane way to collaborate. First-ever space hotel slated to be operational by 2027 Disney CEO Bob Chapek Thinks Shorter Theatrical Windows May Be Here to Stay 'Soul' and 'Wolfwalkers' Lead the 2021 Annie Awards With 10 Nominations Each Reese's New Peanut Butter Cup Is (Almost) All Peanut ButterAfter decades of touting the taste of two flavors together, Hershey's will release a version without chocolate. 'Playing With Power' Tackles the Unique Enigma That Is Nintendo GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College 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.

We produced our first show on masks in the spring of 2020. It was when most of us were isolated at home to sidestep the life-threatening illness we've come to call "COVID." The show was about how rapidly masks had become a statement of political identity. The intensity of the mask battles has begun to calm as we've acclimated to the pervasiveness of masks in our lives. Like them or not, they're here to stay, and they've begun to leave a lasting imprint on our culture. This hour, we take a longer view of how these objects that cover half of our faces have changed the way we perceive ourselves, how we interact with others -- and what masks might look like in the future. GUESTS: Kim Adrian is the author of Sock, The 27th Letter of the Alphabet, and, most recently, Dear Knausgaard Henry Alford is a humorist, journalist, and author; his most recent book is And Then We Danced: A Voyage Into the Groove Mollie Ruben is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Maine Elizabeth Segran is a senior staff writer at Fast Company and the author of The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch the Rest of Your Life 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.

Over just six years, from 1954 to 1960, Alfred Hitchcock made four movies -- Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960) -- that are routinely mentioned among the very best movies ever made. It's maybe an unparalleled run in the history of cinema. And that's just those four movies. Hitchcock's filmography is full of classics: Notorious (1946), Strangers on a Train (1951), The 39 Steps (1935), The Wrong Man (1956), The Birds (1963). The list goes on. At the same time, Hitchcock's relationship with his actors has been the subject of much discussion and debate for many decades. He's said to have thought of them as "cattle" and "animated props." He's said to have sexually harassed at least one of them. At the same time as that, Hitchcock's films earned eight of his actors nine Academy Award nominations and produced many more all-time-great screen performances, from Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940) to Tippi Hedren in Marnie (1964) and many others. This hour: a look at the work of Alfred Hitchcock... and his actors. GUESTS: Tom Breen - Managing editor of the New Haven Independent and the host of Deep Focus on WNHH radio Dan Callahan - Author of The Camera Lies: Acting for Hitchcock 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's a theory that ours isn't the only universe. That there are, actually, infinitely many universes. That there are, then, infinitely many yous. That there are infinitely many different yous reading infinitely many different versions of this show synopsis. That there are infinitely many universes that don't even bother to include you. Or this show synopsis. Or even reading. Also, there's a theory that The Berenstain Bears prove the theory that ours isn't the only universe. So, this hour, in this universe, a show about all that. Or (at least) one version of a show about all that. GUESTS: Amanda Gefter - A physics and cosmology writer and the author of Trespassing on Einstein’s Lawn: A Father, a Daughter, the Meaning of Nothing and the Beginning of Everything Mack Lamoureux - Night editor at Vice Canada Eugene Lim - Senior lecturer in theoretical physics at King's College London Alicia Lutes - Managing editor of The Nerdist Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Katie Glass, Cat Pastor, Chion Wolf, and Alan Yu contributed to this show, which originally aired December 8, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The theme of election fraud ran through this weekend's Conservative Political Action Conference. We talk about how "The Big Lie" is becoming a way for Republican leaders to rationalize the voter suppression measures making their way through state legislatures. Also this hour: In the short term, there seems to be a mortality gap between wealthier and poorer countries when it comes to COVID-19, with wealthier countries, such as the U.S., experiencing significantly more deaths than the least developed countries. But the long-term economic and public health toll on poorer countries could get much worse if wealthier countries don't step in to help. Lastly, what Rep. Deb Haaland's nomination to lead the Department of the Interior means to the Native American community. GUESTS: Ari Berman - A senior reporter at Mother Jones covering voting rights and the author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America Mushfiq Mobarak - Professor of economics at Yale University with concurrent appointments in the Department of Economics and in the School of Management; he’s the founder and faculty director of the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale Jenni Monet - A journalist and media critic reporting on indigenous affairs; she's the founder of the weekly newsletter Indigenously 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.

On Thursday, Hasbro announced that its Mr. Potato Head brand would drop the "Mr." in a move toward inclusiveness. But they also made clear, in a move toward not being yelled at by the internet, that the Mr. Potato Head character (and the Mrs. Potato Head character, for that matter) would continue. Also this week, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled a new design for its mail trucks. The internet yelled about that some, too. And: Nomadland is Chloé Zhao's third film as writer and director. It is nominated for four awards at this weekend's Golden Globes, including two for Zhao (Best Director and Best Screenplay) and one for Frances McDormand (Best Actress in a Motion Picture -- Drama). Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Daft Punk Break UpThe legendary dance duo has called it quits 28 years after forming in Paris Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Poet Who Nurtured the Beats, Dies at 101An unapologetic proponent of "poetry as insurgent art," he was also a publisher and the owner of the celebrated San Francisco bookstore City Lights. Kim Kardashian Broke Her Social Media Silence After Officially Filing For Divorce From Kanye WestAfter two days of radio silence, Kim returned to Instagram on Sunday night. Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' Is The New Longest-Running No. 1 Hit On The Global Chart, Beating BTS And Mariah Carey Justice League: The Shocking, Exhilarating, Heartbreaking True Story of #TheSnyderCutA demoralizing battle with Warner Bros. A devastating personal tragedy. A fan base he couldn't control. Zack Snyder tells V.F. why he quit Justice League, and why he’s returned to complete a cut that’s reached near-mythical status. Farewell Cinefex, you unlocked the magic of VFX for everyoneAfter 40 years, the legendary journal is shutting down. How Hollywood Is Beating Its Final Boss: Video Game AdaptationsWith 'Mortal Kombat,' 'Uncharted,' 'Halo,' and 'The Last of Us' leading an adaptation deluge, video game IP has finally leveled up Look upon Chuck's works, E. mighty, and Cheesepair 8 Comedians Break Down Their Favorite Stand-up Closers Ever Paramount+ TV Shows: 'The Italian Job,' 'Fatal Attraction,' and More Are Becoming Streaming Series Post Malone Covers Hootie and the Blowfish for Pokémon Day CelebrationArtist will perform his rendition at Pokémon anniversary virtual concert this Saturday 'Baseball Bugs' at 75: How a Looney Tunes classic wham-bammed America's pastime I found the Bay Area hill in Windows XP's iconic wallpaper Biden Revokes Trump-Era Executive Order On Brutalist Federal Architecture GUESTS: James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Elizabeth Keifer - Professor emerita of English at Tunxis Community College 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.

Ghostwriting evokes an image of the writer who toils away in obscurity, secretly penning books credited to another. In reality, ghostwriters are just good at turning someone's undeveloped vision into a story that others want to read. Their services are in demand from people wanting help writing everything from celebrity memoirs to Instagram captions and online dating profiles. Self-publishing is on the rise as our fixation on the solitary author and the stigma of ghostwriting recedes. Even rap and hip hop artists are getting on board. This hour, we pull back the curtain on ghostwriting. GUESTS: Lisa Dickey - A book collaborator and the ghostwriter for 20 books, nine of which became New York Times bestsellers; she's the author of Bears in the Streets: Three Journeys Across a Changing Russia and a storyteller on stage, appearing at The Moth's GrandSLAM, among other shows Dan Gerstein - The founder and CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters; he was a speechwriter and communications director for former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman, and he has been a contributing columnist to several publications including Forbes and Politico Khaiim the RapOet (also known as Self Suffice) - Performs internationally, is co-host of the SoundMinds podcast, and leads Make It Full Time, career coaching for professional artists; his use of hip Hop to educate was awarded by President Obama and recognized by The New York Times and NPR, among others 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.

Thornton Wilder's Our Town debuted more than 80 years ago. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and, over the decades since, it has continuously been one of the most produced of American plays. It is known for its spare set -- just some chairs and tables, perhaps some ladders -- and lack of props and sometimes even costumes. It's known for its metatheatricality and its Stage Manager character, who addresses the audience directly and rarely participates in the action of the play, as much as there really is any. It is known as old-fashioned, sentimental, nostalgic and, simultaneously, obviously and intentionally not old-fashioned, sentimental, and nostalgic. This hour, a look at perhaps the quintessential American play: Our Town. GUESTS: Howard Sherman - The author of Another Day's Begun: Thornton Wilder's Our Town in the 21st Century Kate Powers - A stage director and the founder of The Redeeming Time Project; in 2013, she directed a production of Our Town at Sing Sing Correctional Facility 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 octopus has always been the stuff of spine-tingling legend, like that of the kraken, the many-armed sea monster believed to drag ships to the bottom of the sea after dining on the crew. Or Gertie the Pus, the giant Pacific octopus that lives under the Narrows Bridge connecting Tacoma, Washington, to Gig Harbor. In reality, the octopus is more benign but equally fascinating. Did you know the octopus has two-thirds of its brain neurons distributed throughout its eight arms? Or that the severed arm of an octopus can walk independently toward a food source and move it to where its mouth should be? The octopus was the only invertebrate included in The Cambridge Decision of Consciousness, a 2012 declaration by scientists expressing consensus on animal consciousness. But what does consciousness mean in an octopus and how does it drive the relationships Sy Montgomery and Dr. David Schell have with these alien beings? Scientists wonder if humans can even begin to understand the intellect and mystery of the octopus. So, should we be eating octopus? GUESTS: Sy Montgomery - The author of nearly 20 books for adults and children, including The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness David Scheel - A marine biologist and behavioral ecologist at Alaska Pacific University; he has a forthcoming book on the behavioral ecology of marine animals Silvia Killingsworth - Managing editor at The New Yorker Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired August 26, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.