The Colin McEnroe Show

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 ...

Sophocles' play Antigone was originally performed around 441 B.C.E., but the themes in the play still resonate today. This hour, we revisit the story of Antigone, and ask what it can teach us about compromise, wisdom, extremism, grief, and more.

Plus, a look at how modern productions are exploring new ways for audiences to engage with the ancient Greek tragedy.

GUESTS:

• Elizabeth Bobrick: A Visit...

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 79th Tony Awards, central casting, The Knicks, “Strike Force Five”, wildflowers, vampires, “60 Minutes”, unidentified aerial phenomenon … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These ...

The soap opera began on the radio in the 1930s, and since then it's evolved quite a bit. This hour, we take a look at soaps and soapiness, from daytime dramas to reality TV.

GUESTS:

• Charlotte Druckman: Journalist and the co-author of Love in the Afternoon, and Evening: Essays and Conversations on Soap Operas
• Mayukh Sen: Co-author of Love in the Afternoon, and Evening: Essays and Conversations on Soap Operas...

It's been over one hundred years since J. M. Barrie first told the story of Peter Pan, Wendy, and Neverland. Since then, Peter Pan has been adapted countless times, and become a constant reference point in popular culture. This hour, a look at the lasting cultural and psychological impact of Peter Pan.

GUESTS:

• Maria Tatar: Professor emerita of folklore and mythology at Harvard University; her latest...

If you listen to The Colin McEnroe Show regularly, you likely know that Colin has been influenced by two media theorists: Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman.

Postman wrote Amusing Ourselves to Death, among other books, and McLuhan is probably most famous for the phrase "The medium is the message," in addition to other influential ideas.

This hour, we look at the ideas of McLuhan and Postman, and discuss why...

This hour, we take a critical look at the role of art critics in our world. What is the status of criticism, and is it under threat?

GUESTS: 

• Naveen Kumar: Theatre critic and journalist. He is associate director of the National Critics Institute, the leading arts-writing workshop for professional journalists. He has twice served on the jury for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama

• Kathryn VanArendonk: ...

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 — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. 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 ab...

The Sheep Detectives is a live-action talking animals cozy murder mystery comedy directed by Kyla Balda, whose previous movie credits are pretty much exclusively about animation. It’s based on a German-language novel, Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann. As a PG-rated murder mystery, it’s maybe doing surprisingly well at the box office.

And: Marty, Life Is Short is a Netflix celebrity documentary about ...

Stephen Colbert’s nearly-11-year run on The Late Show comes to an end tonight. And The Late Show’s nearly-33-year run on CBS comes to an end tonight, too.

This hour, as the late-night TV landscape rejiggers itself, a look at the state and future of late-night comedy.

Plus: A look at the FCC’s crusade against ABC (and, seemingly, Jimmy Kimmel). And: the banal horror of Jimmy Fallon.

GUESTS:

Do we really need politicians? What would our politics look like without them? These are some of the ideas that Yale political scientist Hélène Landemore explores in her work, including in the Connecticut Citizens’ Assembly, taking place this summer. Landemore joins us for the hour.

GUEST:

• Hélène Landemore: Professor of Political Science at Yale University. Her new book is Politics Without Politicians: The...

The word "like" has been around for centuries, but it reached a new cultural prominence in the 1980s, partially thanks to Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl." Since then, "like" has taken on a life of its own, inspiring strong emotions. This hour, we look at the meaning and evolution of "like." Plus, how movies like the now 30-year-old Clueless have impacted our language.

GUESTS:

• Megan C. Reynolds: Form...

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 spousal knowledge, tree sperm, progressive candidates, tree sperm, hitpeople, tree sperm, sleepy bees … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

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

Billy Joel has reportedly sold more than 160 million albums. He’s been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards (and won six of them), an Emmy, and a Tony Award (which he won). In the U.S., he’s had 33 top 40 singles and 11 top 10 albums. He’s simply one of the most popular recording artists in the history of music.

But. Critics have never been terribly kind to him, and a lot of the general public hasn’t either.

This ...

The Hartford circus fire in 1944 was the deadliest disaster in the history of Connecticut.

Our friend Jacques Lamarre (if you listen to The Nose most Fridays, you know Jacques) has written a big-deal new play about the fire and its aftermath that TheaterWorks Hartford is currently world premiering.

This hour, a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at TheaterWorks about the play Circus Fire and the actual Hartford circu...

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good.

GUESTS: 

• Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack “The Common Reader,” and is the author of Second Act: What Late Bloomers Can Tell You About Reinventing Your Life. He is part of the Emerging Scholars Pr...

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 vertical hold, campus protests, the Catholic church, Bob’s Burgers, Luke Bronin, the fears of men … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

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

Michael M. Grynbaum's book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, traces the rise of Condé Nast's magazines. This hour Grynbaum joins us to explain how Condé Nast magazines and their editors achieved their status as cultural tastemakers, and where these magazines, and that industry, stand today. Plus, we hear from an editor at The Week about how that magazine is ap...

Lord of the Flies is a BBC and Netflix limited series and the first ever television adaptation of the 1954 novel by William Golding. It is written and created by Jack Thorne, who also wrote and co-created Adolescence, among a bunch of other stuff. The series features an ensemble cast of more than 30 boys, many of them making their professional acting debuts.

And: The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is a sports m...