The Colin McEnroe Show

Are there countries where harmonica players are BIG stars? Why don't more women play it? How many different musical styles can you squeeze out of one of these things? Guests include a lot of the pros: Howard Levy, Don DeStefano and Chris DePino whose odd career arc has taken him from railroad conductor to chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party to professional harmonica player. Also, Wolfie gets an on-air harmonica lesson from these gods of the harp.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump changed his primary address from New York to Florida.  He says he'd been treated badly by political leaders. He was also booed twice last week, first at Game Five of the World Series match between the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros, this past Saturday at a UFC mixed martial arts event at Madison Square Garden.  It does hightlight how infrequently the president ventures beyond the safety of the controlled settings of his rallies.  Also this hour: Journalists at Deadspin submitted their resignations en masse last week in a revolt against the corporate mandate to "stick to sports." Lastly, President Obama objected to the prevalence of call-out culture last week during an interview about youth activism. He's being called out for his comments.  GUESTS:  Alexandra Petri - Columnist for The Washington Post, World pun champion, and the author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences (@petridishes) Bryan Curtis - Editor-at-Large for The Ringer and the co-host The Press Box  (@bryancurtis) Ernest Owens - Journalist, Writer at Large for Philadelphia Magazine and CEO of Ernest Media Empire (@MrErnestOwens) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watchmen is a limited series of comic books that became a graphic novel in 1987 and a feature film in 2009. And now it's an HBO series from Damon Lindelof that acts as a kind of sequel to the original comics, set 34 years later. And: Today is John Dankosky's last day at Connecticut Public after 25 years. There is just no denying that WNPR wouldn't be what it is -- and The Colin McEnroe Show wouldn't be at all -- if it weren't for Mr. Dankosky. The Nose tries to begin to come to terms. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: I Showed My 7-Year-Old 'Jaws' and I Regret NothingSure, horror movies can horrify children. But they can also heighten the senses and awaken the analytical mind. The Mainstream Media Is Not Playing GamesWith its new vertical Launcher, The Washington Post is the latest big outlet to dedicate resources to covering video games in a comprehensive manner. But past efforts have failed at publications like Rolling Stone and Variety -- so why is this time going to be different? Game of Thrones Creators Chose a Weird Time to Confirm They Had No Idea What They Were DoingAs David Benioff and D.B. Weiss put it during a fan panel over the weekend, during the show's early days, "Everything we could make a mistake in, we did." Kickball Umpire Sues South Carolina Mayor, Saying He Was Fired Over a CallA lawyer for the umpire is calling for the governor and the state attorney general to open a misconduct investigation into Michael A. Lockliear, the mayor of Moncks Corner. Peter Luger Used to Sizzle. Now It Sputters. G/O Media Tells Deadspin Staff in Leaked Memo: Stick to SportsSports—and sports alone—must be "the sole focus" of the website, new management said Monday in a memo obtained by The Daily Beast. Let's All Stop Mindlessly Clicking and Sharing Zombie Links Ten Years Ago, I Called Out David Letterman. This Month, We Sat Down to Talk.It's not often that you speak truth to power and power responds, "Oops, sorry," writes former Letterman writer Nell Scovell. 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' Gets Update for the #MeToo EraJohn Legend and Kelly Clarkson replaced lyrics that some considered an allusion to date rape. Gone: "Say, what's in this drink?" New: "It's your body, and your choice." GUESTS: John Dankosky - Namesake of The Dankosky Building on heartbroken Asylum Hill in Hartford Jeff Cohen - Connecticut Public Radio's news director, which Mr. Dankosky used to be Sam Hatch - Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on Sunday nights on WWUH Ned Lamont - The 89th governor of Connecticut Dannel Malloy - The 13th chancellor of the University of Maine system; was, until this January, the 88th governor of Connecticut Ralph Nader - Mr. Dankosky's neighbor, among other things Lucy Nalpathanchil - Hosts Where We Live on WNPR, which Mr. Dankosky used to do Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Chion Wolf - Our technical producer and announcer Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Tucker Ives contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year around this time, we like to take a look at just what's frightening us in the present moment. This year, we start with our present take on a past horror classic, Ridley Scott's Alien, which has its 40th anniversary this year. Plus: Ari Aster's Hereditary follow-up, Midsommar, is set at a pagan retreat in rural Sweden. As such, it's seen as a bit of a reinvigoration of the folk horror genre, which includes classics like The Wicker Man and more contemporary titles like The VVitch. Note: Today's show utterly spoils both Alien and The Wicker Man. We use audio from the final scene of The Wicker Man and the very last lines of Alien. Now, The Wicker Man came out in 1973, and Alien came out in 1979. 1973 and 1979 are 46 and 40 years ago. It's on you at this point. GUESTS: Kyle Anderson - Senior editor and film critic for Nerdist Carmen Baskauf - Produces Where We Live on WNPR Betsy Kaplan - The Colin McEnroe Show's senior producer Roger Luckhurst - Professor in modern and contemporary literature at Birkbeck, University of London; the author of BFI Film Classics: Alien Carlos Mejia - WNPR's digital producer Coach Catie Talarski - Senior director, Connecticut Public Radio Chion Wolf - Our technical producer and announcer 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.

Connecticut's "Second Chance Society" has reduced the number of people going into prison and better prepared offenders for a meaningful life when they get out.  We've closed prisons, repealed the death penalty, and raised the age at which young people can be tried as adults. We've added reentry programs modeled loosely on the German prison system, where incarcerated men and women raise and cook their own food, wear their own clothes, and participate in longterm therapy. Yet, too many men and women don't benefit from the changes: discrimination, inconsistent funding, and ineligibility from programs make it harder for some to succeed after prison. Today, we talk about the challenges that remain with those who know best - the formerly incarcerated.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Predictions of a paperless future go back to the 1800s. Yet, despite a dizzying array of technological alternatives to paper, those prediction have not come true. Whether we're reading, writing, or working we just can't seem to part with paper. But how long will this last? Why are we so attached to paper? We talk with experts about our longstanding love for paper.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump held a Sunday morning press conference to announce that the U.S. military conducted a targeted operation to kill ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday. The operation was successful and important but still a somber and serious event.  The almost 50-minute question and answer period that followed the president's news was political, self-aggrandizing, undignified, and may have revealed sensitive operational details.  Also this hour: we talk to an expert on how the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will will affect the global ISIS organization.  Lastly, we save time for your calls. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, The Washington Post published "The 20 defining comedy sketches of the past 20 years" covering television sketch comedy of the 2000s. It includes a lot of what you'd expect it to include: SNL's "More Cowbell" and "Black Jeopardy with Tom Hanks," Inside Amy Schumer's "Last F---able Day," Chappelle's Show's "Frontline -- Clayton Bigsby." And: For only the second time ever, The Nose has read a book. This time it's Stephen King's latest, The Institute. It's a kind of science fiction horror thriller with kids in it that harkens back to a lot of classic King. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Should We Pay to Enter Bookstores? Dennis Quaid, 65, confirms engagement to Laura Savoie, 26 Patti LuPone on getting bullied by Broadway. And why she keeps coming back. Why Are Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Having Such A Hard Time With Their Royal Life? Francis Ford Coppola agrees with Scorsese, calls Marvel movies "despicable"Plus, James Gunn once again steps up to defend superhero movies Marvel Movies Aren't Sexy Enough for Pedro Almodóvar, Says Pedro Almodóvar How Popular Is Baseball, Really? 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' Trailer Breakdown: Long Have We Waited for This 'This is natural chemistry': Behind the scenes with ESPN during the WNBA Finals Google Claims a Quantum Breakthrough That Could Change Computing The Astros Don't Deserve a World Series of DistractionHouston's response to a report about a prominent executive reveals a culture that not only values titles above all else, but condemns anyone who dares to feel differently. The Astros' actions are the story of MLB's signature event -- and no amount of winning should change that. An Interview With The Viral Chinese Stunt Drinker Who Became Our King Men, That Constant Tugging on Your Shirt? We Notice ItAs targeted by a skit on Netflix show 'I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,' the male tendency to pull on shirts has become a pop cultural pressure point Millenials are killing the Doorbell Industry by texting 'here' Coldplay use classified ads in local papers to reveal new album tracksBand reveal details of double album Sunrise and Sunset among ads for bales of hay and whitegoods The Secret Service Interviewed Eminem Over "Threatening Lyrics" About Trump And Ivanka. These Docs Prove It.Documents obtained by BuzzFeed News show the Secret Service interviewed the rapper about his Trump lyrics after an email from a TMZ staffer. Always to Ax Female Symbol From Sanitary Products Packages in Nod to Trans UsersThe decision follows calls by transgender advocates who said the company was alienating trans and gender-nonconforming customers Cult Halloween Classic Hocus Pocus getting a sequel on Disney+, Disney hopes to get original cast involved. Warner Bros Wants Michael Keaton To Return For Batman Beyond Live-Action Movie GUESTS: Chris Grosso - Writes for Fangoria and Revolver magazine, the author of three books, and the host of The Indie Spiritualist Podcast Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford Julia Pistell - Founding member of Sea Tea Improv 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.

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.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Love it or hate it, ventriloquism is hot these days. From Jeff Dunham's superstardom to three recent America's Got Talent winners, 'vents' are seeing more exposure than they have in decades. And with this attention comes new fans and practicioners from around the world. But venting wasn't always so popular. For centuries it was regarded as dark and deceptive--a practice  often associated with charlatans, witches, and people possesed. And even today, some still admit to feeling uneasy in the presence of puppets. Today we speak with historians and practicioners of ventriloquism to get an inside look at this age-old art form. We'll trace the evolution of venting from Vaudeville to its modern revival, and even get an on-air lesson by a pro!Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.