The Colin McEnroe Show

Monsters are our subconscious perversions, our twisted fears realized, but what causes their creation, and how are they made? This hour, we look at fantastical creatures, terrifying beasts, and the scariest monsters of all: humans. GUESTS: Natalie Lawrence: Historian of science and the author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings Surekha Davies: Historian of science, speaker, and monster consultant for radio, tv, and film. She writes a newsletter called “Strange and Wondrous: Notes from a Science Historian,” and is the author of books including Humans: A Monstrous History Margery Cuyler: Author of 62 children’s books including Monster Mess, Bonaparte Falls Apart, Skeleton Hiccups, and the forthcoming Stompie the Zombie 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. Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. This show originally aired on July 31, 2025.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Holmes won two Tony Awards for his musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood. His single “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)” went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. His dramedy Remember WENN was AMC’s first original scripted series. And his newest novel, Murder Your Employer, was a New York Times bestseller. This hour: Rupert Holmes. GUEST: Rupert Holmes: Playwright, composer, singer-songwriter, and author 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 April 20, 2024, in a different form.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: Occam’s razor — where the principle came from, how it impacts science, its role in medicine, and how it shapes our daily lives. GUESTS: Kurt Andersen: Co-founder of Spy magazine, the host and co-creator of Studio 360, and the author of Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire — A 500-Year History Johnjoe McFadden: Author of Life Is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe Lisa Sanders: Clinician educator in the Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency Program at the Yale School of Medicine; she writes the Diagnosis column for The New York Times Magazine 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired November 17, 2021, in a different form. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 crushes on Colin and colonoscopies, leaf blowers, Colchester and the Roman Empire, This Is a Gardening Show with Zach Galifianakis, it books and the book It, home ownership … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Valeu a Pena – Gileno Santana Waiting – Beth Orton Hang It On the Shelf – Jalen Ngonda Nothing Is Real – Destin Conrad, Terrace Martin I Like Pie, I Like Cake (Live) – Catherine Russell Live at Lincoln Center Six O’Clock News – Brennan Wedl, Waxahatchee No Springtime – Allison Russell 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. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gregg Phillips, the current head of the largest division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has said that he has teleported multiple times — including at least once to a Waffle House. We checked, and it’s still true that we don’t have the technology for human teleportation. At the same time, quantum teleportation is totally a thing! This hour, a look at teleportation in science, philosophy, pop culture … and politics. GUESTS: Eden Gordon: A writer and editor; she writes the Ink Roads Substack Tal M. Klein: A writer and musician and the chief marketing officer at Lakeside Software; he is the author of the novel The Punch Escrow Nikki McCann Ramírez: A politics reporter at Rolling Stone Eric Schwitzgebel: Distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside; he writes a Substack called The Splintered Mind Music featured (in order): Theme from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dennis McCarthy as performed by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads Waffle House – Jonas Brothers Beam Me Up – Pink Uncle Walter – Ben Folds Five Teleport – Baely 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.

Westend61/Getty Images What happens when the people reshaping our world don't believe in introspection? This hour, a look at looking inward. And, we explore the spectrum of mental imagery. GUESTS: Elizabeth Lopatto: Senior reporter for The Verge Maja Spener: Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Birmingham. She is the author of Introspection: First-Person Access in Science and Agency Reshanne Reeder: Lecturer in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Liverpool Music featured (in order): Who Knows – Daniel Caesar What Kind of Fool Am I – Sammy Davis Jr. Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson There’s No Telling – Duncan Sheik I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry – Cassandra Wilson Pretty Little Picture – Zero Mostel (Original Broadway Cast) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a new movie starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson called 'The Drama' that is sparking a lot of discourse around spoilers, movie marketing, and what should be revealed in advance. This hour, we offer a few spoilers about the movie in order to talk about all of that. Plus, a look at plot twists. GUESTS: Olivia Montminy: A student at College of the Holy Cross Aisha Harris: Critic and host of Pop Culture Happy Hour at NPR. She is author of Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture that Shapes Me James Hanley: Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College. Vera Tobin: Associate professor of Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University. She is author of Elements of Surprise: Our Mental Limits and the Satisfactions of Plot Music featured (in order): Don Giovanni, K. 527: Overture – W.A. Mozart as performed by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe Unexpected – Jonah Platt Everybody Knows – Leonard Cohen Brilliant Disguise – Melissa Black Always the Last to Know – Del Amitri If I Knew Then – Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On September 26, 2025, last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, One Battle After Another, a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, hit wide release in theaters. And then 11 days later, on October 7, Pynchon published what might be his final novel, Shadow Ticket. Not a bad year for an 88-year-old writer. This hour, a look at the (maybe) reclusive Pynchon and the novels and stories he’s published, from Gravity’s Rainbow to Mason & Dixon and more. Plus: a look at the two Paul Thomas Anderson movies that Pynchon’s work has inspired, Inherent Vice and One Battle After Another. GUESTS: David Cowart: Distinguished professor emeritus of English language and literature at the University of South Carolina and the author of a number of books, including Thomas Pynchon: The Art of Allusion and Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History Ana Gavrilovska: A writer; you can find her work in Current Affairs, Uncut Magazine, Maggot Brain, and her Substack, Sick Sad Motherslug Leonardo Goi: A journalist and film critic Brian Slattery: A writer and musician Music featured (in order): Don Giovanni, K. 527: Overture – W.A. Mozart as performed by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of EuropeThe most referenced piece of music in Pynchon’s catalogue. Gravity’s Angel – Laurie Anderson The Royal Scam – Steely DanMentioned in Bleeding Edge. Run Straight Down – Warren ZevonZevon attributed this song to overdosing on Pynchon — the opening words are just carcinogenic chemicals. Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Bonzo Dog BandPynchon put out his own playlist for Inherent Vice. This was on it. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott-Heron 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.

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 meditation and the sounds of flowing water, people who listen to NPR but don’t donate, the rough weekend the president and vice president both had altering old movies, the gender fluidity (or not) of the Statue of Liberty, the Trump-as-Jesus image the Stop & Shop voice robots (and the return of Marty), unhoused veterans, the CT Lottery voice robots … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): I’m Not Sorry – Joe Jackson Summer – Tasha Bed Stuy – Destin Conrad St. Vincent’s Hospital (Room 813) – Gabriel Kahane, Roomful of Teeth, Steven Bradshaw Vines Will Thrive – Bucko I Must Have That Man – Abbey Lincoln (Remastered 2026 / Mono) 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. Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, Meg Fitzgerald, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new study shows that AI chatbots often engage in sycophantic behavior. Just like some humans. This hour, we take a look at sycophants in literature and in politics. And we talk about sycophancy and artificial intelligence. GUESTS: Mark Parker: Professor Emeritus of English at James Madison University and co-author of Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy Virginia Heffernan: Writes a regular column for The New Republic and the Substack “Magic + Loss.” She is co-host of the podcast “Omnishambles” Malihe Alikhani: Assistant Professor at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and a resident Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution with a focus on AI policy Music featured (in order): Overture to Rigoletto – Giuseppi Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmoniker I Believe in You – Peggy Lee Don’t Cry – Seal You Fascinate Me So – Mabel Mercer What You Want To Hear – Sub-Radio Flattery – Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rust is all around us. It’s in our cars, our homes, our infrastructure. It’s also the subject of Jonathan Waldman’s book Rust: The Longest War, which introduces us to the people who fight it. This hour, Waldman joins us. Plus: a visual artist who has found a way to incorporate rust into her work. GUESTS: Esther Solondz: A Rhode Island-based visual artist Jonathan Waldman: Author of Rust 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, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired March 25, 2015.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Henry David Thoreau is a bit of a polarizing figure. He has been both celebrated and criticized for his writing. He’s considered an inspirational figure for retreating to the woods, but mocked for his reliance on his mother during that same period. This hour, in celebration of the new PBS documentary about the writer, we look at the life and legacy of Henry David Thoreau, and ask what his example can teach us about who is remembered and celebrated. GUESTS: Laura Dassow Walls: Professor emeritus of English at the University of Notre Dame and the author of Henry David Thoreau: A Life Alex Beam: Author, journalist, and contributor to The Boston Globe  Tracy Fullerton: Director of the Game Innovation Lab at the University of Southern California and the designer and director of Walden, A Game  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. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 27, 2022.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.