
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

Feb 27, 2025 • 50min
The romance of the north
It's cold, snowy winters like this that make us question why we choose to live in a place where snow, sleet, and wind define one-third of the year. It's a great excuse to complain, but does it also make us stronger and better people? This hour, we'll explore the idea of "northmanship." We'll talk about what it means to be from the north and to be inspired by the north. Is there a connection that we make to truth and beauty? Are we obsessed with it because it's slowly disappearing? GUESTS: Michael Robinson: Author, Department of Humanities Chair and Professor of History at University of Hartford. He hosts a podcast called "Time to Eat the Dogs" Luanne Rice: Author of more than 30 novels, including 22 consecutive New York Times best sellers Mary Ehrlander: Professor Emeritus of History at University of Alaska, Fairbanks Halla Oskarsdottir: Icelandic journalist, columnist and book 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. Julia Pistell and Chion Wolf contributed to this program, which originally aired March 5, 2015. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 26, 2025 • 50min
A show about how we pick the music for shows
You may notice that we curate our music rather carefully, the music we use going in and out of segments. This hour, a look at how we do that, what our standards are, and how we make those choices about music. GUEST: Robyn Doyon-Aitken: Deputy director of audio storytelling and talk shows at Connecticut Public 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.

Feb 25, 2025 • 49min
All calls: Pinball, voting with your dollars, winter, model trains, and more
This hour we took your calls about anything you wanted to talk about. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 24, 2025 • 49min
Beyond woods and roads: The life and poetry of Robert Frost
You have probably encountered poet Robert Frost through his famous poems “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” or “The Road Not Taken.” But how much do you know about the man behind the poetry and the rest of his poems? This hour, we learn about the life and poetry of Robert Frost and discover how he's helped to inspire other poets. You can hear Adam Plunkett talk about his new book on Monday, February 24, at 7 p.m. EST at The University of Saint Joseph. GUESTS: Adam Plunkett: Literary critic and author of Love and Need: The Life of Robert Frost’s Poetry Sydney Lea: Former Poet Laureate of Vermont and a recipient of Vermont’s highest artistic distinction, The Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts; he is the author of 16 poetry collections, seven collections of personal essays, and two novels 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, Dylan Reyes, and Kathy Wang contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 21, 2025 • 49min
‘Live from New York!’ A look at ‘Saturday Night’ and ‘SNL’
This past weekend, Saturday Night Live celebrated its 50th anniversary with a concert and a special. This hour, a look at the institution SNL has become over five decades on television. Plus, a look at Jason Reitman’s movie, Saturday Night, which tells (a version of) the story of SNL’s inception in 1975. GUESTS: Dave Itzkoff: A journalist and writer and the author of four books; his most recent is Robin Maureen Lee Lenker: A senior writer at Entertainment Weekly and the author of the novel It Happened One Fight Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast 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 on October 18, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 20, 2025 • 49min
One man’s bureaucracy is another’s “deep state”
President Trump and his new administration have been dismantling the U.S. government's administrative state, what they call the "deep state." This hour, we take a look at what government bureaucrats do, the impact of Trump's actions, and how the reality of the administrative state differs from the rhetoric surrounding it. Plus, we'll hear from the longtime congressional staffer who popularized the term "deep state" about how it's being used. And, a look at cultural depictions of the bureaucracy. GUESTS: Cristina Rodríguez: Professor of Law at Yale Law School Mike Lofgren: Worked in Congress for twenty-eight years. He is the author of The Party is Over: How Republicans Went Crazy, Democrats Became Useless, and the Middle Class Got Shafted, as well as The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government Jennifer Szalai: Nonfiction book critic for The New York Times 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 Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 19, 2025 • 49min
Shell we talk about eggs?
What else besides an egg can give us human life, culinary delight, life-saving vaccines, jarping, the Clowns International Egg Registry, and a satisfying bit of schadenfreude, all wrapped in one small package? Making a great omelet is the tip of the eggshell for the versatility of the egg. This hour, a hard-boiled look at the ubiquitous, yet overlooked egg. GUESTS: John Portmann: Taught moral philosophy and ethics at the University of Virginia for several decades; he’s the author of When Bad Things Happen To Other People Chris Prosperi: Chef and co-owner of Metro Bis in Simsbury, Connecticut, and a former recipe columnist for the Hartford Courant Lizzie Stark: The author of Egg: A Dozen Ovatures 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! 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, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, Dylan Reyes, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, which originally aired April 27, 2023.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 18, 2025 • 49min
All calls: Reacting to Trump's presidency, football, the genius of younger generations, and more
This hour we take your calls about anything you want to talk about. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 17, 2025 • 49min
A look at one of our most forgotten presidents: Chester A. Arthur
This hour is all about America’s 21st president, Chester A. Arthur, who took office after President James Garfield was assassinated. We look at Arthur’s life and legacy and at what happens when someone unexpectedly takes over the highest office in the land. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Scott S. Greenberger: Executive editor of Stateline and the author of The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur Victoria Sample: Historic sites section chief for the state of Vermont 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. 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 Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired March 6, 2024.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 14, 2025 • 50min
Should theaters have to tell us the real movie start times?
State Sen. Martin Looney has proposed a bill in the Connecticut legislature that would require movie theaters to publish the actual start times of movies, rather than the time all the commercials and trailers and ads for concessions start. This hour, a Nose-ish look at, well, that bill and the effects it would have on movie theaters and moviegoing. Plus: the art and history of movie trailers, themselves. GUESTS: Allan Arkush: A contributor to Trailers from Hell; he worked in the trailers department for Roger Corman Stephen Garrett: Founder of Jump Cut James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Sam Hatch: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH Martin Looney: President pro tempore of the Connecticut Senate and the state senator serving Hamden and New Haven Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Kevin O’Toole: Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on WWUH Lindsay Lee Wallace: Writes about culture, health care and health equity, and other stuff, too 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, Betsy Kaplan, Cat Pastor, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, parts of which originally aired July 2, 2014, in a different form.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.