The Colin McEnroe Show

During his remarkable career with the Boston Red Sox, Ted Williams earned many nicknames: The Kid, The Splendid Splinter, Teddy Ballgame... but the only nickname that he ever wanted was "the greatest hitter who ever lived." And maybe he really was? He's baseball's all-time leader in on-base percentage, and he's second behind only Babe Ruth in both slugging and on-base plus slugging percentages. He's the last guy to hit .400, and that was 80 years ago. And on top of all that, he lost close to five full seasons (and three of them in the prime of his career) to serve in two different wars. This hour, a look at the man, the hitter, and the pitchman (you see what I did there) that was Ted Williams. GUESTS: Jim Baumer - A Maine-based writer and the author of Moxie: Maine in a Bottle Nick Davis - Produced and directed Ted Williams: "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived" Sam Miller - National baseball writer at ESPN Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired July 19, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fox News broadcast the first episode of Greg Gutfeld's new late-night show, Gutfeld!, earlier this month. They're betting that Gutfeld can turn his talk show format into a successful late-night comedy show for conservatives. The problem is that conservatives don't do political satire any better than liberals do opinion talk radio. Dannagal Young believes that opinion talk is political satire for the right and political satire is opinion programming for the left. They serve the same purpose; both formats are responses to a lack of trust in mainstream media. Which one appeals to each of us depends less on how "smart" we are and more on how we process information. GUEST: Dannagal Young - Professor of communication and political science at the University of Delaware and the author of Irony and Outrage: The Polarized Landscape of Fear, Outrage and Comedy in the United States 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.

At Connecticut Public, there's a smallish corner conference room thing that we think of as The Crying Room. I, personally, haven't ever seen anyone cry in there, but I've had my suspicions. In any case, where people go to cry is part of the essential geography of the modern office. On the other hand, do we even have offices anymore? And: Hemingway is a three-part PBS documentary directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. It premiered this week, and all 5½ hours are streamable now. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Gary Bimonte, owner of Pepe's Pizza in New Haven has died R.I.P. SNL writer and Square Pegs creator Anne Beatts Prince Philip, Husband of Queen Elizabeth II, Is Dead at 99The Duke of Edinburgh, who married the future queen in 1947, brought the monarchy into the 20th century, but his occasional frank comments hurt his image. What Will Happen to Friendships When We Crawl Out of Our Pandemic Hidey Holes?A year of isolation has left our lives strewn with carcasses of friendships once held sacred -- but can reopening revive them? In Computero: Hear How AI Software Wrote a 'New' Nirvana SongComputer-generated artificial tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse and Jim Morrison highlight a new project that helps bring attention to mental illness Yahoo Answers Is Ending, So Here Are 31 Of The Funniest Posts To Ever Exist ThereYahoo Answers, you will be missed. 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier' has ruined Marvel movies forever -- and that's a good thing Low-rise jeans are back. Don't panic.Millennials are terrified of the return of low-rise jeans and Y2K fashion. But what if they looked different this time around? Long-Awaited Muon Measurement Boosts Evidence for New PhysicsInitial data from the Muon g-2 experiment have excited particle physicists searching for undiscovered subatomic particles and forces An Interview With the Man Who Keeps Uploading My Feet to WikiFeet Taylor Swift Drops 'Mr. Perfectly Fine'From the Vault: Why Fans Think It's About Joe Jonas or Jake Gyllenhaal With "Mr. Perfectly Fine," Taylor Swift Got Ahead Of Her Least Original CriticsThere doesn't have to be drama. There can just be bops. Pino Palladino, pop's greatest bassist: 'I felt like a performing monkey!'One of the world's most celebrated bass players has worked with everyone from Adele to Elton John, the Who and D'Angelo. But the Welsh musician has hidden from the spotlight -- until now Why Are Furio's Shirts So Good on The Sopranos?An appreciation of the most intoxicating silk tops to hit prestige TV. An Interview With the Guy Who Yells "Mortal Kombat" in the Theme for Mortal KombatNearly three decades later, he's still got it. I Work in a Bookstore. Why Am I Still Shelving "Mein Kampf"?There are historical and scholarly reasons to preserve Hitler's manifesto -- but that doesn't mean anyone needs to own it Aaron Rodgers Could Actually Be the Next Host of Jeopardy!He has no right to be as good at this as he is. "Everyone Just Knows He's an Absolute Monster": Scott Rudin's Ex-Staffers Speak Out on Abusive BehaviorEven as other Hollywood bullies are being sidelined, the uber-producer behind 'The Social Network' and Broadway’s 'To  Kill a Mockingbird' has been given a pass for his volcanic temper. Now, former employees open up about a boss who left many traumatized: "It was a new level of unhinged." This man is looking for the friends who shipped him overseas in a crateThe book The Crate Escape details how Brian Robson's scheme almost killed him America is facing a ketchup packet shortage GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan - Artistic producer at TheaterWorks 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.

Joni Mitchell's album Blue turns 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 and associate department head of undergraduate studies at the University of Connecticut Steve Metcalf - A journalist, music critic, pianist, and composer, and director emeritus of Presidents' College at the University of Hartford Carolann Solebello - A singer-songwriter, a founding member of the Americana trio Red Molly, and a member of the Jack Hardy Songwriters Exchange; she tours with the folk quartet No Fuss and Feathers Join us 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.

Elvis left two legacies. Musically, he pulled several American musical traditions out of the shadows, braided them together, and made them mainstream. Personally, he created a far darker template for the way a musical celebrity could be devoured by the very fame he avidly sought. Recorded live in front of an audience -- long before the pandemic hit -- as part of Colin's Freshly Squeezed series at Watkinson School, an hour about the artist who defined the birth of rock and roll and was the genre's first superstar. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - Guitar and vocals Latanya Farrell - Vocals Steve Metcalf - Piano and vocals Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This show originally aired February 20, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

humor = tragedy + time OK, but then the logical next question is: How much time? If it's OK, at this point, to joke about, say, The Spanish Inquisition... what about, for instance, the Holocaust? Or AIDS? September 11th? The #MeToo movement? ...Derek Chauvin? There's a line there somewhere, right? Or are some topics just never going to be funny? GUESTS: Mike Bent - Teaches writing in the Comedic Arts program at Emerson College, and he’s a performing comedian and magician Shawn Murray - A stand up comedian and writer and a host of Fantasy Filmball Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer Ferne Pearlstein - A documentary filmmaker who directed The Last Laugh Caleb Warren - Assistant professor of marketing at the University of Arizona Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Catie Talarski, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired February 21, 2018.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We'll be taking your calls during this hour -- and during more of our Monday shows moving forward. We'll still invite guests when we think it's important. Otherwise, we want to talk to you. Call us today at 888-720-9677 between 1 and 2 p.m. EDT. I'm not sure what you want to talk about today, but consider this: Nicholas Kristof, opinion writer for The New York Times, complained that "America Is Not Made for People Who Pee." It's great that President Biden wants to rebuild highways, fix aging schools, and upgrade our electrical grid, but what about public toilets? Have you had to search for a public toilet, especially during the pandemic? If so, you're not alone. Talk to you soon. 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.

So celebrities and their giant water bottles: It's a thing, I guess. And then there's the ABC Carpet couches email thread. Plus: Netflix's dwindling, dying DVD library. And then: Godzilla vs. Kong is the fourth movie in Legendary's MonsterVerse. It's a direct sequel to both Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), and it's the 12th King Kong movie and the 36th Godzilla movie, overall. Godzilla vs. Kong's theatrical opening (both internationally and domestically) has been the largest of any movie's during the pandemic. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Lil Nas X, Clapback ChampThe rapper's new single, video and sneaker were merely the prelude to a brilliantly orchestrated main event: a virtuosic performance on Twitter. Unpacking Chet Hanks' Complex 'White Boy Summer' TaxonomyHe calls out prejudicial beliefs against anyone from a different background than you, while encouraging his viewers to "keep suck-a-duckin." G. Gordon Liddy, undercover operative convicted in Watergate scandal, dies at 90 'Game of Thrones' Play in the Works for Broadway, Will Revive Iconic CharactersGeorge R.R. Martin is developing a live stage spectacular for Broadway, West End and Australia that will bring fan-favorites like Ned Stark and Jaime Lannister back to life while dramatizing a legendary event in Westeros history Volkswagen of America lied about rebranding to 'Voltswagen'From the company that brought you Dieselgate... The Timeless Fantasy of Stanley Tucci Eating Italian FoodIn CNN's culinary travel series, Italy is beautiful and the food of Italy is beautiful. Not insignificantly, Tucci is beautiful, too. Comic-Con Unveils Fall Dates For In-Person Convention; Confab Returns To San Diego For First Time Since 2019 I Like That The Boat Is StuckIt's bad that the boat is stuck. It's bad for lots of people and for lots of reasons. I know that. Please don't think that me liking the stuck boat is an ideological stance. This is not an opinion I have about boats, or about canals, or about things generally being stuck. How "A Drive Into Deep Left Field by Castellanos" Became the Perfect Meme for These Strange TimesThe infamous on-air apology derailed by a Nick Castellanos home run has found life beyond Weird Baseball Twitter -- and it may be here to stay A new energy drink will debut in New Haven. It was developed by 3 Yale students. I Am Obsessed With Anthony Hopkins' Truly Bizarre Social Media PresenceI love him? Nickelodeon Removes SpongeBob Panty-Raid Episode for Being Too Horny for Kids GUESTS: Rebecca Castellani - Handles social media marketing and event planning for Quiet Corner Communications Sam Hatch - Co-hosts The Culture Dogs on Sunday nights on WWUH 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.

John Dunton started the first advice column in 1690. He called it the Athenian Mercury. John, a bookseller, and his four "experts" wanted to answer "all the most Nice and Curious Questions proposed by the Ingenious of Either Sex." One person wondered why they would trouble themselves "and the world with answering so many silly questions." But it was a hit. People have always been drawn to advice columns. They're a public forum for private thoughts; they're communal, yet anonymous; they reveal human strength, yet vulnerability. Despite their popularity, until recently, most readers in the recent decades have been white women. That's changing. Are you an advice junkie? Join us. GUESTS: Jamie Fisher - A writer and researcher with The New York Times Danny M. Lavery - Slate's Dear Prudence, co-founder of The Toast, and the author of Texts From Jane Eyre, The Merry Spinster, and Something That May Shock and Discredit You Christine Pride - A writer, book editor, and content consultant; her advice column, Race Matters, is on A Cup of Jo, and her debut novel, We Are Not Like Them, is available for preorder 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.

Did you get enough sleep last night? If you're like most Americans, probably not. You might feel pretty good after six hours of sleep and a strong cup of coffee, but the physical and mental toll of sleep deprivation is high. We become more impulsive and less mentally agile, and we make more mistakes. Long term, lack of sleep (six hours or less per night) can mess with mood, hormones, and immune systems, and it can increase our risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There are lots of things we can't control that keep us up too late, such as crying babies and shift work. But there are lots of things we can control, like how much caffeine we consume and whether we take our phone to bed. But somewhere along the way, our culture made less sleep a matter of personal virtue and moral judgement. Even naps are frowned upon for all but the youngest and the oldest among us. GUESTS: Maria Konnikova - A journalist, professional poker player, and the author of The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How To Think Like Sherlock Holmes Dan McNally - A doctor with the Sleep Disorders Center at UConn Health Todd Pitock - Journalist Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired March 18, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.