The Colin McEnroe Show

We've done this show every year since 2013. We almost certainly didn't do it 2012. But we did in 2011. And there's good circumstantial evidence that we did it in 2010 too, but no actual record of that possibly inaugural episode survives. Point is: Our song of the summer show is a bit of a tradition. It's a tradition that... makes some people angry, we realize. It's a tradition that we're not sure has ever made anyone happy. And that all has to do with how we define the term. We use the Amanda Dobbins definition: Let's be clear about how this works: There is no such thing as a 'personal' song of summer. We do not anoint multiple songs of summer. There can only be one; the Song of Summer, by its very definition, is a consensus choice. It is the song that wrecks wedding dance floors. It is the song that you and your mother begrudgingly agree on (even though your mom has no idea what rhymes with 'hug me' and won't stop yelling it in public). It does not necessarily have to hit No. 1 on the charts, but it should probably be on the charts because it must be widely played. It must bring people together. It must be a shared enthusiasm. And so, our job here is to try to predict a thing that you and your mom will agree on like three months from now. Try not to get too annoyed with us. GUESTS: Abby Govindan - A standup comedian based in New York CitySam Hadelman - Host of The Sam Hadelman Show at Radio Free Brooklyn and the editor-in-chief of Cut/Break MagazineBrendan Jay Sullivan - A writer, producer, and DJ best known for his work with Lady GagaSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loves a bulldozer. In fact, we all grew up loving bulldozers, didn't we? From Benny the Bulldozer to Katy and her big snow, from all the Tonka toys to all the die cast model Caterpillars, the bulldozer is more of an icon in American popular culture than we maybe realize. But the first scholarly "biography of the bulldozer" argues that there's a darker side to the demolition and clearance that gives these big machines purpose. And then, maybe there is a certain violence inherent here too. This hour, the history of bulldozing, the future of bulldozers, and a look at heavy construction equipment as adventure destination. GUESTS: Francesca Russell Ammon - Author of Bulldozer: Demolition and Clearance of the Postwar Landscape Jason Anetsburger - Project manager for Komatsu America's Intelligent Machine Control line of bulldozers and excavators Kate McMullan - Children's book author and executive producer of the animated television series The Stinky and Dirty Show Randy Stenger - Founder and CEO of Extreme Sandbox Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Greg Hill, Alex Ingberg, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired April 21, 2016.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nat Love was born a slave, but died a free cowboy and a legend of the Old West. After the Civil War freed Love from slavery, he walked to Dodge City, Kansas, and got a job breaking horses - after he could prove that he could rope a bucking horse, climb on its back without a saddle, and ride him without falling off. He got the job. Thus began Nat's life as a cowboy. We don't typically include Black cowboys as part of the American story of the West,  even though one in four American cowboys are Black. Black cowboys are as American as baseball.  GUESTS: Zaron Burnett III is an investigative reporter and longform feature writer for MEL Magazine. He’s the host and creator of the iHeartRadio podcast “Black Cowboys” (@zaron3)  Patricia Kelly is U.S. Marine Corp Vietnam-era veteran, an African-American cowgirl, and the founder of Ebony Horsewomen. She was inducted into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in 2015. (@ebonyhorsewomen) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over just six years, from 1954 to 1960, Alfred Hitchcock made four movies -- Rear Window (1954), Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960) -- that are routinely mentioned among the very best movies ever made. It's maybe an unparalleled run in the history of cinema. And that's just those four movies. Hitchcock's filmography is full of classics: Notorious (1946), Strangers on a Train (1951), The 39 Steps (1935), The Wrong Man (1956), The Birds (1963). The list goes on. At the same time, Hitchcock's relationship with his actors has been the subject of much discussion and debate for many decades. He's said to have thought of them as "cattle" and "animated props." He's said to have sexually harassed at least one of them. At the same time as that, Hitchcock's films earned eight of his actors nine Academy Award nominations and produced many more all-time-great screen performances, from Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (1940) to Tippi Hedren in Marnie (1964) and many others. This hour: a look at the work of Alfred Hitchcock... and his actors. GUESTS: Tom Breen - Managing editor of the New Haven Independent and the host of Deep Focus on WNHH radio Dan Callahan - Author of The Camera Lies: Acting for Hitchcock Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired March 3, 2021.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dust is everywhere, but we rarely see it. We shed it from our skin, hair, and nails, leaving little bits of DNA wherever we roam.  More than 100 tons of cosmic dust fall to Earth each day, leaving an archive of every "geochemical" substance that has fallen - at least some of it into our homes. All of history is recorded in the dust we create: the pollution we make, the fires we start, the chemicals we use, the volcanos that erupt. Scientists can learn about the Roman Empire through the dust that has been compressed each year for thousands of years into layers of ice sheets in Greenland.  Today, we talk about the science, politics and ephemeral nature of dust. GUESTS:  Jay Owens - Geographer and research director at Pulsar Platform. She writes a newsletter about dust she calls, “Disturbances.” (@hautepop) Jolie Kerr - Cleaning expert and advice columnist for The Inventory and the host of the podcast “Ask a Clean Person.” She’s also the author of My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag...and Other Things You Can't Ask Martha. She’s the resident cleaning expert for the New York Times. (@joliekerr) Suzanne Proulx - Artist, sculpture and Assistant Professor, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.  Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show. This show first aired on January 15, 2019Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The word "bastard" hasn't always been meant to offend. Used simply as an indication of illegitimate birth at first, the label "bastard" didn't bring with it shame or stigma until long after it first appeared in the Middle Ages. Today, while its original meaning has not been forgotten, its use is largely reserved for insult. Yet, ironically, the underdog status once associated with a person of illegitimate birth is now something our modern culture celebrates. From Alexander Hamilton to Game of Thrones's Jon Snow, the bastard's ability to rise above his or her unfortunate circumstances to achieve greatness has become something to root for. This hour, a look at the origin, evolution, and pop culture triumph of the bastard! GUESTS: Scott Andrews - Science fiction reviewer for The Philadelphia Enquirer, columnist for Winter Is Coming, and the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook Joanne Freeman - Professor of history and American studies at Yale University and the editor of The Essential Hamilton: Letters & Other Writings Sara McDougall - Associate professor of history at John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York and the author of Royal Bastards: The Birth of Illegitimacy, 800-1230 Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Betsy Kaplan, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 18, 2017.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Beavers build sophisticated dams and deep-water ponds that slow erosion of riverbanks, create cooler deep-water pools for temperature-sensitive plant and fish species, and increase the water table, a big deal for Western states coping with drought. And they're social animals who have mates, kits, and an active social life.  But centuries-old myths and fables about the beaver have led to their destruction and prevented us from recognizing their charms and value to the ecosystem. We fear them, dislike them, and use them for all the wrong reasons, like killing them for their pelts. Let's celebrate the beaver! GUESTS: Jim Robbins - freelance journalist based in Montana and a frequent contributor to the New York Times. He’s the author of several books including, “The Man Who Planted Trees: Lost Groves, Champion Trees, and An Urge To Save the Planet.” Rachel Poliquin - freelance writer and curator. She’s the author of “The Breathless Zoo: Taxidermy and the Cultures of Longing,” and “Beaver,” for the Reaktion Books’ Animal Series. Heidi Perryman - child psychologist and the founder of Worth-A-Dam Sherri Tippie - the top live-trapper of Beaver in North America. She rescues beaver in Colorado and rehabilitates and relocates them to areas where there ponds are needed. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian Lopez is a high school kid from East Vale, California. He had planned a high school kid's birthday party at some fire pits for last weekend. But then the TikTok flyer for the party went viral, thousands of people showed up to two different locations, and the whole thing has been described as a "zombie apocalypse" of "17 to 19 year olds." And: Hacks is a half-hour sitcom from HBO Max. It stars Jean Smart as a late-career Vegas comedian, and it's written and created by three people who wrote for Broad City on Comedy Central. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Eric Carle, Author of 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar,' Dies at 91A self-described "picture writer," he wrote and illustrated more than 70 books for young children, selling more than 170 million copies. Samuel E. Wright, The Voice Behind The Beloved "Little Mermaid" Character Sebastian, Has DiedThe actor was also nominated for two Tony awards for his performances in The Tap Dance Kid and The Lion King. 'Simpsons' writer (opinion): Why I love to make fun of Connecticut How Girls5Eva Is Making Up for 30 Rock's PastThe Tina Fey-verse has finally outgrown Liz Lemon. This Was the Week That Movie Studios Finally Lost Control of the IndustryIn a world where the theatrical release is an option, not a necessity, movie studios are no longer in charge of Hollywood. Fresh Off A Viral Library Gig, The Linda Lindas Get A Record Deal The Whole Parade: On the Incomparable Career of Nicolas Cage Johnny Knoxville's Last RodeoAs he prepares to release his final Jackass film, the stuntman takes stock of a surprisingly long, hilariously painful, and unusually influential career. J.J. Abrams Reflects on 'Star Wars' and When It's Critical to Have a Plan"I do think that there's nothing more important than knowing where you're going." Broadway's Tony Awards, Delayed by Pandemic, Set for SeptemberMost of the prizes will be announced on the Paramount+ streaming service, followed by a starry concert celebrating Broadway on CBS television. James Bond, Meet Jeff Bezos: Amazon Makes $8.45 Billion Deal for MGMMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer, while diminished, commanded a premium price, with Amazon seeking to bolster its crucial Prime membership offering. Streaming TV Costs Add Up as Americans Add More Services Vanessa Redgrave no longer set to appear in Kevin Spacey filmActor had been linked to her husband Franco Nero's Italian drama, set to be Spacey's comeback after sexual misconduct accusations New York's Hyphenated HistoryIn Pardis Mahdavi's new book Hyphen, she explores the way hyphenation became not only a copyediting quirk but a complex issue of identity, assimilation, and xenophobia amid anti-immigration movements at the turn of the twentieth century. In the excerpt below, Mahdavi gives the little-known history of New York's hyphenation debate. The Mesmerizing Pull of Plastic Surgery VideosProcedures used to be done in secret, but in the post-Kardashian world, transparency is just part of the process. GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer, and she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Francisco Goldman made a big choice as a young man. He chose to spend a year in Guatemala living with his uncle instead of pursuing the master’s degree he could have had from a prestigious school offering him a full scholarship. It turned out to be one of the most consequential decisions of his early life. This hour, Colin talks with Goldman about his new novel, Monkey Boy, a story about the legacy of violence on a family and much more, including how his decision to go to Guatemala has shaped his life. GUEST: Francisco Goldman - Author of seven books; his most recent is the novel Monkey Boy Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Life is a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution." That's the so-called "NASA definition of life." Or there's Russian-born geneticist Edward Trifonov's take: Life is "self-reproduction with variations." Or there's "Life is an expected, collectively self-organized property of catalytic polymers." Or "Life is a metabolic network within a boundary." It's said that, "There are as many definitions of life as there are people trying to define it." And yet, none of those definitions is quite right. Science writer Carl Zimmer says that's strange behavior for scientists: "It is as if astronomers kept coming up with new ways to define stars." Plus: Linguist Ben Zimmer (no relation to Carl*) on what it means to be human. Or, at least, as much as we can tell about what it means to be human by looking at Dr. Fill, the artificial intelligence that just won a national crossword puzzle tournament. *No relation beyond that they're brothers, I mean. GUESTS: Ben Zimmer - A linguist, lexicographer, and the language columnist for The Wall Street Journal Carl Zimmer - The science columnist for The New York Times; his new book is Life's Edge: The Search for What It Means To Be Alive Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.