
The Colin McEnroe Show
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.
Latest episodes

Jan 2, 2025 • 49min
All Calls: Stealing punchlines, judging Colin, chaos Muppets part 2, and more
This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, 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. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Dylan Reyes, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 30, 2024 • 50min
Live from Watkinson, it’s part 2 of our 2024 holiday spectacular
We’ve put on a holiday special every year for the last decade. But this year, for the first time, we did it in front of a (pretty large!) audience. On the night of December 18, Colin got 10 performers together onstage, and they rocked their way through an 18-song setlist of holiday and holiday-adjacent classics. There were nine different vocalists, three different pianists. Some of these folks had never met in person before soundcheck, but somehow it really worked! This hour, live from the Foisie Family Ampitheater at Watkinson School in Hartford, it’s part two of our annual holiday spectacular! GUESTS: Michelle Begley: Vocals and guitar, In Trine Kate Callahan: Vocals, In Trine Jim Chapdelaine: Guitar and vocals, The Shinolas Atla DeChamplain: Vocals, Atla & Matt Matt DeChamplain: Piano, Atla & Matt Lorne Entress: Drums and vocals, The Shinolas Latanya Farrell: Vocals Atticus Kelly: Piano and vocals, In Trine Steve Metcalf: Piano Cynthia Wolcott: Vocals, In Trine 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, Maegn Boone, Meg Dalton, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Megan Fitzgerald, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 30, 2024 • 48min
From the cereal aisle to the ballot box, how groceries shape our lives
Grocery prices were a regular talking point in this past election cycle. This hour is all about the grocery store. We talk about how items get on the shelves, the unique business model of Trader Joe's, and the factors that impact grocery prices. Plus, a look at the appeal of Costco. GUESTS: Benjamin Lorr: Author of The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket; his first book was Hell-Bent: Obsession, Pain, and the Search for Something Like Transcendence in Competitive Yoga Abha Bhattarai: Economics correspondent for The Washington Post Ben Ryder Howe: Contributor to The New York Times and author of My Korean Deli: Risking It All for a Convenience Store 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 September 4, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 27, 2024 • 1h 14min
Our favorite jazz of 2024
As we have every year for at least the last 11 years, to round out the year, we round up the best jazz of the year. GUESTS: Jen Allen: A pianist, composer, arranger, and educator; her most recent album is Sifting Grace Noah Baerman: A pianist, composer, and educator; his newest album, from the Noah Baerman Trio, is Live at the Side Door Gene Seymour: A film, television, and music critic 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.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 26, 2024 • 49min
Our relationship with rest is changing, and it’s about time
In the midst of this holiday week, we talk about the importance of rest, and how to rest well. Plus, we'll talk about the role of rest in religion, and look at the history of "the rest cure" in medicine. GUESTS: Alex Soojung-Kim Pang: Author of Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less, and Shorter: Work Better, Smarter, and Less—Here's How among other books Kristen Lucken: Program chair of religious studies, and lecturer in religion, sociology, and global studies at Brandeis University Alicia Puglionesi: Writer, historian, lecturer at Johns Hopkins, and author of In Whose Ruins: Power, Possession, and the Landscapes of American Empire, among other books Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 23, 2024 • 49min
All calls: Bathroom signage, Chaos Muppets, secrets, and more
This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 21, 2024 • 52min
Live from Watkinson, it’s part 1 of our 2024 holiday spectacular
We’ve put on a holiday special every year for the last decade. But this year, for the first time, we did it in front of a (pretty large!) audience. On the night of December 18, Colin got 10 performers together onstage, and they rocked their way through an 18-song setlist of holiday and holiday-adjacent classics. There were nine different vocalists, three different pianists. Some of these folks had never met in person before soundcheck, but somehow it really worked! This hour, live from the Foisie Family Ampitheater at Watkinson School in Hartford, it’s part one of our annual holiday spectacular! GUESTS: Michelle Begley: Vocals and guitar, In Trine Kate Callahan: Vocals, In Trine Jim Chapdelaine: Guitar and vocals, The Shinolas Atla DeChamplain: Vocals, Atla & Matt Matt DeChamplain: Piano, Atla & Matt Lorne Entress: Drums and vocals, The Shinolas Latanya Farrell: Vocals Atticus Kelly: Piano and vocals, In Trine Steve Metcalf: Piano Cynthia Wolcott: Vocals, In Trine 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, Maegn Boone, Meg Dalton, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Megan Fitzgerald, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 20, 2024 • 49min
The joy of Christmas movies, from the classics to the NFL and ‘Hot Frosty’
‘Tis the season for holiday movies. This hour, we look at this year's offerings from Netflix and Hallmark, discuss what makes a good holiday movie, and get some ideas for what to watch this holiday season. GUESTS: Laura Bradley: Entertainment and features reporter Amanda Hess: Critic at large for The New York Times Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 19, 2024 • 49min
The legends of King Arthur and why they still matter today
This hour, we take a look at the legends of King Arthur. We discuss their evolution and why they endure. Plus, we talk with author Lev Grossman about his new retelling of the King Arthur legend, The Bright Sword. And, a conversation with an archeologist about excavating the history of Arthurian legends. GUESTS: Lev Grossman: Bestselling author of The Magicians Trilogy. His new book is The Bright Sword Leah Tether: Professor of Medieval Literature and Publishing at Bristol University, and Vice President of the International Courtly Literature Society Win Scutt: Archeologist and Senior Properties Curator for the West of England at English Heritage, a nonprofit that cares for over 400 historic monuments Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show. The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on July 30, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 18, 2024 • 50min
Our hour with the late Hal Holbrook
Samuel and Olivia Clemens and their children moved into the house they’d had built at Nook Farm in Hartford — the house that we now call the Mark Twain House — in 1874, 150 years ago this year. To celebrate that anniversary, this hour we present a new version of our 2015 interview with the late Hal Holbrook. Holbrook was probably best known for his one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight!, which he performed for 63 years — longer than Samuel Clemens used the Mark Twain moniker. Beyond Mark Twain Tonight!, you probably know Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat in All the President’s Men. He’s in a Dirty Harry movie. He’s in a Steven Spielberg movie. He’s in Wall Street and The Firm and John Carpenter’s The Fog. He appeared on Designing Women and The West Wing and The Sopranos and Sons of Anarchy and Grey’s Anatomy. Hal Holbrook won a Tony Award. He was nominated for 12 Emmys, and he won five. And he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Into the Wild. We talked to Holbrook on the evening of February 3, 2015. He was two weeks shy of his 90th birthday — which birthday he celebrated by performing Mark Twain Tonight! at The Bushnell in Hartford. Hal Holbrook died in 2021. He was 95. GUEST: Hal Holbrook: Film, television, and stage actor 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. This interview was originally produced by Betsy Kaplan. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, parts of which originally aired February 4, 2015, and June 17, 2023, in a different form.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.