The Colin McEnroe Show

Why do we dance? The answer is more complicated than you might think. Dancing has served a multitude of functions for various cultures throughout history, and there is even evidence to suggest that we, as a species, are biologically hard-wired to dance.

Whether it’s for social, spiritual, or even psychological reasons (yes, dance therapy is a thing), humans have been dancing since the very beginning.

This hour, a look at all ...

Revenge is as old as humanity itself. And new research shows that revenge functions in our brains like a type of addiction. This hour a look at revenge in politics, literature, and everyday life — and what it would mean if we treated revenge differently.

GUESTS:

• James Kimmel Jr.: Lawyer, author, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine, and the Founder and Co-Director of the Yale Col...

Food is an important part of the campaign trail, from tamales to McDonald's. This hour is all about how food is used in politics, including in the White House. Plus, the delicious return of the election cake.

GUESTS: 

• Alex Prud'homme: Journalist and author of several books, including Dinner with the President: Food, Politics, and a History of Breaking Bread at the White House. He also co-wrote M...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation winds around to daylight saving time ending, Weapons and horror movies in general, the first Millennial saint, A House of Dynamite, our towels episode … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and the...

A House of Dynamite is an apocalyptic political thriller directed by Kathryn Bigelow. It is Bigelow’s first movie in eight years, since Detroit in 2017. It stars an ensemble cast led by Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, and many more.

And: Task is a seven-part HBO limited series created by Brad Ingelsby. It is the second TV series created by Ingelsby, after Mare of Easttown...

There are few monsters more iconic or enduring than Frankenstein’s.

From Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel to the 1931 Universal monster movie to Guillermo del Toro’s current adaptation to next year’s Bride of Frankenstein remake, Frankenstein continues to resonate with fans around the world.

This hour, a look at what exactly it is that makes Frankenstein such a lasting, terrifying work of fiction.

Plus: a look at t...

One of the most mysterious texts in the world lives here in Connecticut. The Medieval Voynich Manuscript is at the Beinecke Library at Yale University. Scholars have been trying for over a century to decipher it. This hour, we look at the Voynich and at other examples of mysterious manuscripts from around the world.

GUESTS:

• Lisa Fagin Davis: Professor of Practice in Manuscript Studies at the Simmons University School of Libra...

This hour, a look at the path to sainthood and how it’s changed over time.

Plus: the local example of the Rev. Michael McGivney.

GUESTS:

• Teresa Berger: Professor of Liturgical Studies and Catholic Theology at Yale Divinity School

• Joseph Laycock: Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Texas State University and author of The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Cath...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one.

In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about whatever you want to talk about. 888-720-9677.

Plus, now you can watch our calls shows YouTube! Come say (nice) things to us...

Guest host comedian Shawn Murray returns! This week’s Nose looks at:

Mr. Scorsese is a five-part, more-than-four-hour documentary series about the life and work of the director of Goodfellas and Taxi Driver and The Departed (and many more). It’s directed by Rebecca Miller and streaming on Apple TV.

And: No Other Land won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It covers the destruction of a Palesti...

B. F. Skinner thought pigeons were so smart they could be used to guide missiles during World War II. He proposed a system in which pigeons would essentially pilot a missile. Skinner said pigeons could be trained to peck at a screen to adjust the trajectory of the missile toward its target. Project Pigeon was funded but never used.

In 2013, New York conceptual artist Duke Reilly trained half his flock of pigeons to carry contraband...

Greek writer Herodotus "invented" history by turning away from myth to a new kind of writing. And although he wrote his Histories nearly 2,500 years ago, local author and classicist Emily Katz Anhalt argues that his example and prose are more relevant than ever. This hour, we look at what we can learn from Herodotus and the ancient Greek myths.

GUEST:

• Emily Katz Anhalt: Professor of Classics at Sarah Lawrence College. She is ...

The microphone makes everything we do on the radio possible. This hour we celebrate the invention and look at the role of microphones in music. Plus hot mics, mic drops, and more.

GUESTS: 

• Susan Rogers: Multi-platinum record producer, cognitive neuroscientist, professor at Berklee College of Music and co-author of the book This is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You

• Azi...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation winds around to the “No Kings” protests, Star Wars merchandise, the labor market, Gilmore Girls, yacht rock … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. ...

Rope is an interesting movie in Alfred Hitchcock’s œuvre. It’s his first color picture. It’s one of 13 movies he made based on plays, and it’s one of four movies he made that are set basically entirely in single locations (along with Lifeboat, Dial M for Murder, and Rear Window).

But of the four single-location pictures, Rope is the only one that Hitchcock made to really seem like a filmed play. It unf...

Women scientists and inventors have been making ground-breaking discoveries since Agnodice pretended to be a man in order to become the first female anatomist in ancient Greece.

Yet, women's scientific contributions have historically been hidden in the footnotes of the work men claimed as their own.

Women scientists are banding together to call out bias and give credit where it’s due— one Wikipedia page at a time. This ...

Rope has been foundational to so much of human civilization. It's made sailing, hunting, building, and so much more, possible. This hour, we look at the history and utility and future of rope.

GUESTS:

• Tim Queeney: Author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization, among other books
• Manuel Medrano: A PhD candidate in Harvard’s History Department, who studies quipus
• Tahi...

This hour is all about notebooks. We'll talk about the history and evolution of notebooks, favorite examples, and celebrate the joy of writing things down. Plus, a look at the Notes App.

GUESTS: 

• Roland Allen: Book publisher and author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper

• Charley Locke: Journalist, and contributing writer to The New York Times Magazine, who wrote “Keep Your No...

We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing.

This hour, the conversation — with our old friend Chion Wolf at the helm this time! — winds around to family shorthand, tech bros, bunkers, bodies, adventures… Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to...