The Colin McEnroe Show

Last Thursday, Elon Musk unveiled Tesla's Cybertruck and Sacha Baron Cohen gave the keynote address at an Anti-Defamation League summit. Both performances have drawn mixed reactions. And: The Mandalorian is the big, new, original, launch title for Disney's new streaming service, Disney+. It's a half(ish)-hour western set in the Star Wars universe, and three episodes have dropped so far.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you ever drive across the country, you’ll notice there is a surprising amount of World’s Largest attractions. West Virginia has the world’s largest teapot, California has the world’s largest yo-yo and Arkansas, for whatever reason, has the world’s largest Spinach can. This hour we talk to the man who brought the world’s tallest Uncle Sam to Danbury, Connecticut.  We also speak with the only person in history who claims to have built two full-size replicas of Stonehenge, and a cartoonist that is very well-traveled. Lastly, we speak to someone who is the attraction. He's gone viral for knitting sweaters of roadside attractions, then taking selfies in front of them. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper demanded the resignation of Navy Secretary Richard Spencer on Sunday. Esper said he had lost confidence in Spencer. Esper's action follows Spencer publicly disagreeing with President Trump over the military's decision to demote one of three war criminals the president pardoned against military advice. What are the consequences of presidential interference in the military code of justice? Also this hour: Students from Yale and Harvard protested during Saturday's Yale-Harvard football game in New Haven, to call on both universities to divest their investments in fossil fuels. About 350 additional fans joined them on the field to the sounds of John Denver. Sam Waterston was there too. Lastly, a group of student body senators at the University of Florida initiated impeachment proceedings against their student body president for using student fees to promote a political agenda. He specifically wanted to pay Donald Trump Jr. to speak on campus.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Irishman is Martin Scorsese's first gangster movie in thirteen years. It's his first feature-length film with Robert De Niro in 24 years and his first with Harvey Keitel in 31 years. It's Joe Pesci's first onscreen performance since 2010 and just his third since 1998. It's the first time any combination of Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and/or Harvey Keitel has ever worked together, and it's the first time Scorsese has ever directed Pacino. The Irishman is also Scorsese's first film for Netflix. As such, a number of theater chains in our area are boycotting the picture. But some aren't -- and it'll be streaming right to a Netflix machine near you as of November 27, just in time for the long holiday weekend. And: The French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin died more than 116 years ago. Is it time to cancel him?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ralph Nader's niece died when Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 max 8 jet crashed in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, in March 2019.  Since that day, her family has been trying to prove that Boeing put profits before public safety when they failed to ground the plane when they recognized the danger it posed.  There is a poignancy in the notion that this family has to fight this battle against corporate greed and deregulation. It's been the fight of their lives.  Now, the fight is more personal.  Also this hour: Myles Garrett, a defensive end for the Cleveland Browns, was suspended indefinitely for attacking another player on the field. He likes poetry, astrophysics and paleontology. He's the least likely guy to exhibit violence. Why did he do it and what can we learn from it? Lastly, a long-lost Stradivarius comes home. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Outlaw is a natural leader. He's been a key figure in helping to lower New Haven's homicide rate over the last decade. He's a strategist and an organizer who can size up a situation quickly. He can defuse a threatening situation with his charisma and charm. He can run a business.  As a street outreach worker in New Haven, he uses all the same skills today that he used when he co-ran New Haven's largest cocaine gang in the 1980's.  He spent twenty years behind bars, surviving some of the most dangerous prisons in America. For the last decade, he's been giving back to the community he once harmed. William takes responsibility for his crimes.  He also recognizes that people make decisions within the framework of the opportunities and experiences available to them. The difference between William and an Ivy-educated CEO may be that William grew up in a public housing project steeped in a culture of violence and poverty.  William is still running a gang --  but using the same skills for a very different outcome.  GUESTS: Charles Barber - Writer in residence at Wesleyan University and a lecturer in psychiatry at Yale. He’s the author of three books, most recently Citizen Outlaw: One Man’s Journey from Gangleader to Peacekeeper William Juneboy Outlaw III- Co-directs the Connecticut Violence Interruption Project, which seeks to reduce youth violence in New Haven. He’s also Senior Community Advocate at Good Will where he helps formerly incarcerated people reenter the community. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are more than 800 miles of Blue-Blazed Hiking Trails in Connecticut. Today we're doing our show from one of them.  Hiking those trails, you can pass an old Tory hideout from the American revolution and, not terribly far away, the sprawling home owned by Mike Tyson and 50 Cent. There are things out in the woods that might surprise you, and one of the guys walking down the trail to visit us today is our state archeologist, who's still uncovering the mysteries of Connecticut distant past. But we're also going to talk about the ecosystem of the trails and woods and about their newest unwelcome visitor, the emerald ash borer. We also hope to provides lots of good hiking tips and a few warnings about what to watch out for. So put on some [smack] bug spray and join us out in the woods.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump's former National Security Advisor John Bolton is a pretty interesting figure in the whole impeachment inquiry, right? On the one hand, he's a pretty high-level official who is said to have characterized the whole Ukraine affair as a "drug deal." On the other hand, he's so far refused to testify at the same time as he's making it clear he's got lots of relevant information. On the other other hand,  And: Carrie Saxon Perry was the mayor of Hartford from 1987 to 1993, and she was the first black woman elected mayor of any major New England city. She died almost a year ago, "under a cloak of silence and no public notice." And finally: After their storied careers at UConn, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird went on to play in the WNBA and overseas. The new season of ESPN's 30 for 30 Podcasts tells the story of their time in Russia playing for an owner with ties to the Russian mob and the KGB.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The news comes fast in the world of the canceled these days. Louis CK is back out on tour. President Obama has a "very boomer view" of the whole thing. The New York Times reports on teens' takes. Meanwhile, some celebrities, rather than getting themselves canceled, are getting themselves arrested. Jane Fonda, for instance. And Sam Waterston. And Ted Danson. And: Bong Joon Ho's genre-defying new movie, Parasite, won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and it's being called "a nearly perfect film" and "the best movie of the year." Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Emmys alter rules to combat America's crippling EGOT epidemic A same-sex love scene was cut from a movie on Delta flights. So was the word 'lesbian.' Radio Host Claims 'Boomer' Is the 'N-Word of Ageism,' Internet Immediately Responds with 'OK Boomer' 'Death Stranding' Is the Best Video Game Movie Ever MadeGuillermo del Toro, Mads Mikkelsen, Margaret Qualley, and Norman Reedus star in a video game that doubles as one of the year's best cinematic experiences. Facebook is now F A C E B O O K Martin Scorsese: I Said Marvel Movies Aren't Cinema. Let Me Explain.Cinema is an art form that brings you the unexpected. In superhero movies, nothing is at risk, a director says. Netflix and Theater Chains Feud Over 'Irishman' Seth Meyers's Netflix Special Features a Handy Button to Skip the Trump Jokes James Dean, who died in 1955, just landed a new movie role, thanks to CGIDirectors say he was the 'perfect' actor to play the role It's Time to Take Down the Mona LisaLeonardo's painting is a security hazard, an educational obstacle and not even a satisfying bucket-list item. It's time the Louvre moved it out of the way. GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Music writer for the Red Hook Star Revue Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen Wednesday at 1:00 pm Eugene O'Neill doesn't get enough credit. His plays are a form of therapy. O'Neill forces us to watch the raw pain of our human condition, the disillusionment and existential fear that we push into the background. O'Neill's plays are dark but there's a catharsis in confronting our deepest fears and illusions.  Who is the man behind the works and what can they teach us about ourselves and this current cultural moment.  GUESTS:  Robert Dowling - Professor of English at Central CT State University, author of Eugene O’Neill: A Life in Four Acts, and President of the Eugene O’Neill Society. Howard Fishman - frequent contributor to The New Yorker, performer, and composer. Jeanie Hackett - actor, director, author, and artist-in-charge at The Workroom. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter Colin McEnroe and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show.  Jared Todd produced this show. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.