The Colin McEnroe Show

People in several states came together last weekend to protest against stay-at-home orders. Their actions followed President Trump tweets of support to "liberate" their states and start reopening the economy. Dr. David Grew makes the case that resuming "normal" business activity in the absence of testing and credible messaging will do more economic harm than good.  Also this hour: What would President Selina Meyer do in a pandemic? How about Logan Roy? We talk to Frank Rich, the Executive Producer of HBO's VEEP and Succession. Could even they do a better job?   Lastly, we talk trash with an essential worker.  GUESTS:  Dr. David Grew is a radiation oncologist, co-chair of the Cancer Committee at St. Francis Hospital, and a public health messenger. You can find him on Instagram @davidgrew. Frank Rich is Writer-at-Large for New York magazine and Executive Producer for the HBO series, VEEP and Succession. (@frankrichny) Mike Paine is the president of Paine's Incorporated.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fiona Apple's new album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, is currently the best-reviewed album, um, ever, according to Metacritic. Bon Iver has a new benefit single out that seems to have been written specifically for the present moment. Norah Jones has a new tune. Bob Dylan has kind of randomly put out two new songs, one of which charted in the U.K. despite being very nearly 17 minutes long. And then, here's a trivia question: There are five artists who have charted singles in the Top 40 in each of the last four decades, Michael Jackson, Madonna, U2, Kenny G... and who's the fifth? Would you believe it's this guy? Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Paul Schrader Does Not Have Much Hope for the Future of Movies Randall Beach: Small CT theaters in a new fight for survival MLB might not be back to normal until 2023So says one high-ranking executive. Plus, other thoughts about what might happen with baseball in 2020. A 2020 Minor League Baseball Season Grows More And More Unlikely The Wire Forever: David Simon on the Quarantine Favorite and His Equally Pissed-Off New Show, The Plot Against America Social-distancing detecting 'pandemic drones' dumped over privacy concerns Craving the Roar of a Crowd? Online Reruns of Concerts, Sports Provide Solace for SomeWith gatherings at theaters and arenas banned, videos of prepandemic events have become a source of humanity; 'That's what people are yearning for' Put on your sad clown face: The Gathering Of The Juggalos has been canceled A Seaside Irish Village Adopts Matt DamonBut don't you dare ask what it's like living under lockdown with Matt O'Damon. Ben Affleck won't let face mask stop him from smoking GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - A music writer for the Red Hook Star Revue Eric Danton - A reporter and critic 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 Noah Baerman Resonance Ensemble's The Rock & the Redemption is a jazz concept album of sorts that recasts the Sisyphus myth around the heroism of perseverance and persistence. Keyboardist and composer Noah Baerman joins us for the hour. To purchase The Rock & the Redemption (including the full-length concert video), visit Noah Baerman's Bandcamp. All proceeds from the album go to Claire's Continuum, an initiative of Resonant Motion, Inc., to commission socially conscious musical and interdisciplinary work by first-time collaborators. GUEST: Noah Baerman - Jazz pianist and composer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired August 31, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In March, President Trump blamed our global pandemic on China. When that didn't work, he blamed the World Health Organization (WHO) for not responding quickly enough to the virus. When that didn't work, he blamed governors for not getting their own supplies. Now, he says immigrants will take away American jobs. The Bible defines a scapegoat as one of two kid goats. One goat was sacrificed and the living “scapegoat” was supposed to absorb the sins of the community and carry them into the wilderness. Is that what's happening here? Are the president's scapegoats supposed to carry away the sins of Mr. Trump? Also this hour: Politics and our human need for a scapegoat has defined the way we name diseases almost as much as the goal of accurately describing a threat to public health.  And, the story of one of our earliest scapegoats, the sin-eater.  GUESTS: Graeme Wood is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters With the Islamic State (@gcaw) Lili Loofbourow writes about culture, gender, and politics for Slate (@Millicentsomer) Laura Spinney is a science journalist and author who has been published in National Geographic, Nature and The Economist, among others. Her latest book is Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World.  (@lfspinney)   Thomas Lynch is a poet and author of five collections of poems and four books of essays, including The Sin-Eater: A Breviary. His latest book of essays is The Deposition: New and Selected Essays On Being and Ceasing To Be. He has been a funeral director since 1974. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That headline is just a direct quote from James Poniewozik's Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America. I was torn between that line from the book and this one: Donald Trump is not a person. Poniewozik's take is that "Donald Trump" is really a character that Donald Trump has been playing on television since at least the early 1980s. "Television has entertained America, television has ensorcelled America, and with the election of Donald J. Trump, television has conquered America," Poniewozik writes. Audience of One is a cultural history of television and a television history of Donald Trump. Poniewozik joins us for the hour. GUEST: James Poniewozik - Chief television critic for The New York Times and the author of Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired October 24, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One can't help but wonder if the President understands that getting through this pandemic will not be a quick sprint.  On Thursday, the Trump Administration announced guidelines for states to begin reopening the economy, with a goal to begin by May 1. On Friday, the President personally encouraged protesters in Michigan, Minnesota, and Virginia, to "liberate" their states from onerous social-distancing guidelines imposed by their Democratic governors.  On Saturday, protesters from other states joined the fray.  Social distancing seems to be flattening the curve but we haven’t yet turned a corner. The U.S. averaged 30,000 new cases of Covid-19 during the five days leading up to Friday, April 17.  Yet, there’s a good chance the Trump Administration will encourage a partial reopening before we’ve significantly increased testing or set up the infrastructure needed to trace the contacts of the infected.   How do we continue in the shadow of Coronavirus?  We want to hear from you. Call us at (888)-720-9677 or (888)-720-WNPR. What have you learned you can live without? How has your life changed?  What do you envision life will be like this time next year? GUEST: Ed Yong covers science for The Atlantic. He’s that author of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander Way of Life (@edyong209) Martha Gulati is the Chief of Cardiology and Physician Executive Director, Banner Health Institute, at the University of Arizona-Phoenix. She is the Editor-in-Chief of CardioSmart, a patient education website by the American College of Cardiology. @DrMarthaGulati Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, Saturday Night Live aired a prerecorded special, "Saturday Night Live at Home." Tom Hanks hosted from his kitchen. Michael Che and Colin Jost did Weekend Update from their living rooms and by Zoom or something similar. Chris Martin covered a Bob Dylan song in front of handwritten "ENTRANCE TO TRAIN" signs. All of the late night shows are operating in some similar way right now. Jimmy Kimmel hosts from his living room and has people like Jason Bateman on by Skype or whatever. John Oliver sits at his desk in front of a mysterious white wall. Samantha Bee hosts from the woods. And: The original one-woman stage version of Fleabag just hit Amazon Prime. The Nose missed the TV show, and so now this gives us an excuse to finally get on the Fleabag bandwagon a little bit. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Brian Dennehy Dies; Tony Award-Winning Actor Was 81The versatile actor, whose career spanned more than 50 years in theater, movies and television, won two Tony Awards, including for his performance in "Death of a Salesman." Danny Goldman, voice of Brainy Smurf and 'Young Frankenstein' actor, dies at 80 Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees co-owner and eldest son of George Steinbrenner, dead at 63 Allen Garfield, character actor in 'Nashville' and 'The Conversation,' dies at 80 of coronavirus Online dating amid coronavirus: Longer conversations and a 'pivot' to video dates"She said, 'Do I have to change out of sweats?' and I said, 'Of course not, I haven't worn adult pants in weeks anyway.' " Sex Work Comes HomeMore of us are making and watching sexual performances online now. Fewer of us are paying. In 1918, as a pandemic ripped through Hartford, Babe Ruth drew big crowds at the worst possible time The Forgotten Art of AssemblyOr, Why Theatre Makers Should Stop Making How much TV should your children be watching right now? Burning Cell Towers, Out of Baseless Fear They Spread the VirusA conspiracy theory linking the spread of the coronavirus to 5G wireless technology has spurred more than 100 incidents this month, British officials said. Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are MadeThe coronavirus has sent businesses racing as demand surges past levels seen at Christmas. 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Wants to Be a Megahit AgainABC has rolled out a celebrity edition of what was once the most popular program on television, this time helmed by Jimmy Kimmel. Can the game show become a hit again? Trump Wanted a Radio Show, but He Didn't Want to Compete With Limbaugh MLB players, team employees participating in coronavirus study Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park Living in Sim: We made a team of 26 Mike Trouts. It lost 50 straight games GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance 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.

I haven't been grocery shopping in 21 days. The last time I went, March 26, was a harrowing experience. It was before this particular grocery store, at least, had started limiting the number of customers in the building at a time, before it had made aisles one-way, before it started wiping down carts after each use and providing sanitizing wipes for customers to use. Staff and customers alike didn't seem to understand just how far six feet is, and the aisles were too narrow to afford that sort of distancing anyway. Fresh meats were in short supply, cleaning products were nowhere to be found, and canned and frozen foods were few and far between. And so I haven't been back. This hour, a look at all the things that have upended our expectations of the grocery shopping experience in the time of COVID: Can you really go two or three weeks without getting groceries? Just how nervous should you be about that trip to the grocery store? And finally: Where did all the toilet paper really go, anyway? GUESTS: Joseph G. Allen - An assistant professor of exposure and assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard Marc Fisher - Senior editor at The Washington Post Robert LaBonne Jr. - President and CEO of LaBonne's Markets Ann Maloney - Food reporter and editor at The Washington Post 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.

Before the pandemic, most of us craved of a little solitude away from the hustle of life. Now, we've been  been thrust into a form of solitude far from the idleness of the lazy summer afternoon we imagined. Our minds are restless with uncertainty and fear and without the usual distractions we turn toward when being alone with ourselves becomes too painful to confront.  Today, we learn there is more to solitude than being alone. It can provide the time and space needed to silence the voices in our head. Poet Marianne Moore said, "the cure for loneliness is solitude."  GUESTS:  Stephen Batchelor is a Buddhist teacher and writer. He’s the author of several books including Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide To Awakening and most recently, The Art of Solitude. He’s the co-founder of Bodhi College.  Dr. Lucinda Mosher is a faculty associate in Interfaith Studies at the Hartford Seminary Karen Karper Fredette lived as a hermit for six years in a cabin in West Virginia. She’s the author of several books including, Consider the Ravens: On Contemporary Hermit Life. She and her husband Paul run Raven's Bread Ministries.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health experts have released multiple plans that all call for some version of the same thing. We need to conduct widespread testing, trace contacts of the infected, and quarantine those contacts, BEFORE we can ease social distancing measures.  Despite the many task forces the President Trump has formed to deal with the crisis, it's governors, former government officials, disease specialists, nonprofits, and even Apple, Google, and Bill Gates have taken charge in the absence of federal leadership.  Lastly, what role can the humanities play in a crisis? GUESTS: Dr. Alison Buttenheim is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and an Associate Director of Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics.  Yasmeen Abutaleb reports on health policy for The Washington Post  Agnes Callard  is an associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and a monthly columnist for The Point Magazine and a contributor to The New York Times. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.