The Colin McEnroe Show

In 1959, Soviet geneticist Dmitri Belyaev started an ambitious experiment to study the origins of domestication: he would attempt to breed domesticated wild foxes by selecting on their behavior alone, a process he imagined our ancestors carried out with dogs thousands of years before. This hour, a look at the history and progress of this still-ongoing experiment: What can it tell us about our animal companions — and ourselves? Plus, we catch up with some domesticated fox owners and find out if foxes are good pets in real life. GUESTS: Amy and David Bassett - Founders of the Judith A. Bassett Canid Education and Conservation Center and the owners of several Russian domesticated foxes Lee Dugatkin - Author of How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog): Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution Jacob Mikanowski - Writes about science, history, and art Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 26, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Sondheim was, put simply, among the most important figures in the history of musical theater. His major works include West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. Sondheim won eight Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, an Oscar, eight Grammy Awards, a Laurence Olivier Award, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Stephen Sondheim died November 26 in Roxbury, Connecticut. He was 91. GUESTS: Steve Metcalf - Director emeritus of the University of Hartford’s Presidents’ College Alexandra Petri - Columnist for the Washington Post and the author of Nothing Is Wrong And Here Is Why Gene Seymour - A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek” Howard Sherman - Theater administrator, writer, and advocate; author of Another Day’s Begun: Thornton Wilder’s Our Town in the 21st Century Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Dylan turned 80 years old in May. His first album, 1962’s Bob Dylan, is in its 60th year on record store shelves. We’re at a point where, for most of us, there has simply never been a popular culture in which Dylan wasn’t a towering figure whose influence seems to touch, well, everything. This hour, a look at Bob Dylan at 80. GUESTS: Noah Baerman - A pianist, composer, and educator Fred Bals - Hosted the Dreamtime podcast, covering Theme Time Radio Hour with Your Host, Bob Dylan Sean Latham - Director of the Institute for Bob Dylan Studies, editor of The World of Bob Dylan, and the writer and narrator of It Ain’t Me You’re Looking For: Bob Dylan at 80 Gayle Wald - Professor of American studies at George Washington University; her most recent book is It’s Been Beautiful: Soul! and Black Power Television Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 20, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From New Kids on the Block to *NSYNC to One Direction, boy bands have been a staple of popular music for decades. This hour, a look at the history — and future — of boy bands. GUESTS: Brad Fischetti - The surviving member of LFO Aja Romano - A culture staff writer for Vox Maria Sherman - Author of Larger Than Life: A History of Boy Bands from NKOTB to BTS Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired September 1, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joni Mitchell’s album Blue turned 50 this year. It may not have the artistic sophistication of her later albums, but Mitchell’s vulnerability endeared her to fans, if not early critics unused to such intimate storytelling. That was okay with Mitchell. She said her “music is not designed to grab instantly. It’s designed to wear for a lifetime, to hold up like a fine cloth.” She was right. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Blue the third-greatest album on its 2020 list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,” a move up from No. 33 in 2017. We talk with musicians and critics about the album Blue and more. GUESTS: Peter Kaminsky - Professor of music theory at the University of Connecticut Steve Metcalf - Director emeritus of Presidents’ College at the University of Hartford Carolann Solebello - Singer-songwriter Join us on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired April 8, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, The Nose is lightning with the blam blams. First: Taylor Swift’s new 15-minute film for the new 10-minute version of her old five-minute song “All Too Well.” Swift played all of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” in front of some of the film live on Saturday night. It is now the longest song anyone has ever performed on SNL. And then: The Problem with Jon Stewart is a “late night” show that “airs” every other Thursday on AppleTV+. It marks Stewart’s return to television hosting after leaving The Daily Show in 2015. Each episode is an hour long and focuses on one issue. Four episodes are available so far. And finally: The Harder They Fall is a revisionist Western co-written and directed by the British singer-songwriter and music producer Jeymes Samuel, in his feature film debut. The movie, streamable now on Netflix, opens with title cards: “While the events of this story are fictional… These. People. Existed.” and nearly every character of any import is Black. Some other stuff that happened in the last couple weeks, give or take: Dean Stockwell, Actor Known for ‘Quantum Leap,’ ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Married to the Mob,’ Dies at 85 Ed Bullins, Leading Playwright of the Black Arts Movement, Dies at 86 He wrote not for white or middle-class audiences, but for the strivers, hustlers and quiet sufferers whose struggles he sought to capture in searing works. Rapper Young Dolph Was Killed In A Shooting In Memphis The 36-year-old rapper had survived shooting attacks in the past, incorporating his experiences into the music he released over the years. Heath Freeman, ‘NCIS’ and ‘Bones’ actor, dead at 41 Paul Rudd Is PEOPLE’s 2021 Sexiest Man Alive: ‘I’m Getting Business Cards Made’ “I’m going to lean into it hard,” the actor says of earning the crown. “I’m going to own this" What The Sexiest Man Alive Has Looked Like Every Year Since 1985 And What They Look Like NowSome of these are so random. Inside Ivy Getty’s Fantasy Wedding Weekend in San Francisco Big Bird got ‘vaccinated’ against COVID-19, drawing outrage from Republicans The Metaverse Is Already Here — It’s Minecraft Blocky game-worlds are decentralized, thriving, hackable, and have produced a vibrant economy Disney Plus to Launch 13 Marvel Movies in Imax Expanded Aspect Ratio Star Wars Spin-Off Rogue Squadron Delayed, Director Patty Jenkins Still Attached This West Side Story Teaser Wants To Pretend This Movie Isn’t A Musical For Some Reason America’s Dad Is Lonelier Than Ever In recent movies like Finch, Tom Hanks’ once-genial everyman doesn’t have much use for humanity. Disney+ Growth Slows, Stock Takes Big Hit Ahead Of Disney+ Day Aaron Sorkin Defends ‘Being the Ricardos’ Casting Decisions The writer-director opens up about controversies in casting Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem, the parallels between McCarthy-era Hollywood and cancel culture today, and the all-important endorsement of Lucy and Desi’s daughter. What happened to Eric Clapton? The guitar legend has long been inscrutable, but his covid turn has friends and fans puzzled like never before. ‘Party Down’ Revival Gets Starz Greenlight With Six Of Original Series’ Seven Stars Returning Jane Campion Will Never Direct a Superhero Movie: ‘I Hate Them’ Dubbing ‘A Fistful of Dollars’ to spread the Navajo language Grandma mistakenly invited a stranger to Thanksgiving. Six years later, they still celebrate the holiday together. The Internet is still swooning over their feel-good friendship GUESTS: Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford Shawn Murray - A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Nobody Asked Shawn podcast Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer, and she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. 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.

It’s a smorgaspourri of disparate topics this hour. First: Who will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2024? President Biden says he’ll run, and being that he’s supposed to still be president in 2024, that would make sense. But not everyone believes him. So then you’d have to figure Vice President Harris, right? Well, there are some questions about that theory too. And then: Why isn’t there a COVID vaccine for pets? Dogs and cats both get COVID from people. Lots of animals can. And lots of animals are getting vaccinated. Minks. Jaguars. Orangutans, otters, ferrets, lions, tigers… All getting vaccinated. So why not cats and dogs? And finally: What happened to Eric Clapton? The legendary blues guitarist and singer hadn’t released a protest song in his 56 years of recording, until last year, when he and Van Morrison started putting out songs protesting… COVID lockdowns? And now Clapton won’t play places where there are vaccine mandates, and he gives interviews to anti-vax YouTube channels. Just what is going on there, exactly? GUESTS: Emily Anthes - Science and health reporter for The New York Times Geoff Edgers - National arts reporter for The Washington Post Alex Thompson - White House correspondent for POLITICO Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Occam's razor states that "entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.” This hour is all about Occam’s razor: where the principle came from, how it impacts science, its role in medicine, and how it shapes our daily lives. GUESTS: Johnjoe McFadden - Author of “Life Is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe.” Kurt Andersen - Co-founder of Spy Magazine and he was the host and co-creator of Studio 360; his newest book is “Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America -- A Recent History.” Dr. Lisa Sanders - A Clinician Educator in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Yale School of Medicine. She is also the author of the “Diagnosis” column for “The New York Times Magazine,” and is behind the Netflix show “Diagnosis.” She was also a technical advisor for the TV show “House,” which was based on her column. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between all we know to be true and all we know to be false lies a world of woo. “Woo-woo,” to use the full term, refers to ideas considered irrational or based on extremely flimsy evidence or that appeal to mysterious occult forces or powers. But who decides what’s woo-woo, and what gets accepted into the hallowed halls of scientific truth? The easy answer is that scientists decide. But the answer becomes harder when we remember that it was scientists who once deemed the world to be flat, light to be transmitted through “aether,” and a mysterious element called “phlogiston” to be responsible for combustion. On any given day in history, one person’s science is another person’s woo-woo. This hour, we bring together both skeptics and believers in an attempt to pin down exactly what constitutes “woo-woo.” GUESTS: Stuart Hameroff - Anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Arizona known for theories on quantum consciousness Michael Shermer - Founder of The Skeptics Society and the author of The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies — How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths and The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People Jess Tomlinson - Creator of Radiant & Rise Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired September 22, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been doing these shows most weeks where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. The last few times, we haven’t even started with the suggestion of a topic that your calls might, potentially, be about. And those shows have been fun. So we’re doing that again. In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EST hour about anything at all. 888-720-9677. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.