The Colin McEnroe Show

The one thing we knew for sure was that by the time we got to today, yesterday would be over. And it is. And we don't quite know what actually happened yet. This hour, we look at today and start to think about tomorrow... and the rest of the week... and maybe the weeks after that. GUESTS: David Folkenflik - NPR's media correspondent Michael Lynch - Professor of philosophy and director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Connecticut; the author of Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture Chris Murphy - The junior U.S. senator from Connecticut Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Colin McEnroe Show has an Election Day tradition of celebrating voters by inviting "citizen observers" from around the state to share their experience with voting. An ongoing pandemic and tensions stemming from a deeply divided electorate make this a year like no other. People nationwide are working hard to make sure their vote is counted. They're voting early, they're waiting hours in line, and some are flying "home" to vote in-person to ensure their vote is counted.  Election Day still has the power to inspire and make me hopeful that we're more united than some would have us believe.  Call us today at (888) 720-9677 with your Election Day stories. We'll take as many calls as we can.   GUESTS:  Alicia Cobb is a visual artist and art instructor in Bridgeport. Madi Csejka is a 23-year-old voter living in Orange. Susan Clinard is the owner of Clinard Sculpture Studio in Hamden. John Dlugosz works in information  technology services at Trinity College. Ben Freund is the owner and operator of Freund's Farm, and Cow Pots, in East Canaan.  Lara Herscovitch is a singer-songwriter-poet, performer, and a former CT State Troubadour. Her latest album is "Highway Philosophers." Sarah Kaufold is a choral conductor and founder and artistic director of Consonare Choral Community Michael Moschen is a world-renowned juggler, performance artist, and recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant. George Noujaim is the owner of Noujaim's Bistro in Winsted. Kate Rushin is a poet, writer, and educator. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us are approaching Election Day with a mix of excitement, hope, and fear, as we live with surging numbers of coronavirus cases, threats of civil unrest, and uncertainty over when the election will be decided -- and who will get to decide. We want to hear from you.  Call us at 888-720-9677 or 888-720-WNPR to share your hopes and concerns about Election Day and for a post-election America. GUEST: Alan Greenblatt - Senior staff writer covering politics and policy issues for Governing magazine; his work has been published in the New Republic, Vox, and American Conservative, among other publications (@alangreenblatt) 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.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (on Amazon Prime) is a sequel to 2006's Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Sacha Baron Cohen returns as the titular character. And: The Trial of the Chicago 7 (on Netflix) is Aaron Sorkin's film depiction of the 1969 trial of Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellinger, Tom Hayden, Rennie Davis, John Froines, Lee Weiner, and Bobby Seale. Here, Baron Cohen plays Hoffman. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Pioneering drummer Viola Smith has died, aged 107The original 'hep girl' played a big part in the acceptance of female musicians Jerry Jeff Walker, a Trailblazer of the Cosmic Cowboy Sound, Passes Away at 78The country icon was, as fellow musician Lucinda Williams put it, an "American treasure." Mutiny! Prince Andrew 'could be sacked' as Commodore of Britain's most famous yacht club over his links to Jeffrey Epstein -- and be replaced by Duchess of Cambridge A Glance at Daily Life Among the Caretakers of Britain's Small IslandsStationed off the coast of Britain, island wardens manage preservation of their small speck of land -- while coping with extreme weather and limited access to the mainland 15 Years On, The Lonely Legacy Of 'Shadow Of The Colossus' Time Magazine replaces its name on cover for first time in 100 yearsEditors replaced "TIME" with the word of the moment: "VOTE." This Election, David Duchovny Wants to Go on Record"Sadly, it's a little prophetic at this point," actor-musician says of his new anti-Trump song "Layin' on the Tracks" What was fun?As we adjust to the "new normal," something's missing. Beethoven Has a First NameIt's time to "fullname" all composers in classical music. F*ck Sliders An East Dallas Home's Halloween Decorations Prompt Multiple Police Visits And Now, a Sinkhole Full of Rats Hollywood's Masked Killers Want You to Know How Hard Their Job IsThe actors who played Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Leatherface discuss the misconceptions around playing Hollywood's masked bogeymen. American Accident​: All the Presidents' Movies GUESTS: Jacques Lamarre - A playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group 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.

A lot of people are wondering if it's time to look at "court packing," and other court reforms, to address judiciary dysfunction that we can see playing out during this election and in the confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett.  Look at what's happening with voting rights. The Supreme Court had been asked to intervene in several state decisions that would allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be accepted in the first days after the election due to the high volume of mail-in ballots cast during a pandemic.  On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Wisconsin mail-in ballots could not be accepted after Election Day. On Wednesday, they refused to hear a fast-tracked plea from Pennsylvania Republicans looking to block a three-day extension, and refused to block rulings allowing North Carolina to extend their deadlines.  In addition, voter suppression or intimidation tactics are happening in states like Nevada, Texas, and Michigan. And one week before the election, the mail is still slow.  Lastly, states led primarily by Republicans, have been trying to pack their state supreme courts for a decade, mostly for partisan advantage.   Do we need a new amendment to the Constitution that would protect against a minority no longer accountable to the people they serve? GUESTS:  Marin K Levy is a professor of law at Duke University and author of "Packing and Unpacking State Courts," published in the William & Mary Law Review earlier this year. (@marinklevy) Ian Millhiser is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court and the Constitution. He’s the author of Injustices: The Supreme Court's History of Comforting the Comfortable and Afflicting the Afflicted. (@imillhiser) Julie Suk is a Florence Rogatz Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School and Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Liberal Studies at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her new book is We the Women: The Unstoppable Mothers of the Equal Rights Amendment (@JulieCSuk) Join the conversation on Facebook and TwitterSupport the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's our annual Halloween special! For this year, the script kind of wrote itself. We look at the way our current, actual horror is likely to affect our future fictional horror through the lens of the genre's past distinct historical eras. Plus: A new study that seems to say that horror fans were better prepared for the pandemic than the wimpy rest of us were. And: Every year on this show, for no particular reason, we look specifically at some classic horror movie that's celebrating its 40th anniversary. Two years ago, it was Halloween. Last year, it was Alien. This year, it's Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. And finally: The always-spooky staff endorsements. Note: This podcast version of the show is nearly four full minutes longer than the show as it's airing on WNPR. We couldn't fit all the good stuff into the constraints of radio, so we present to you here the show as we really wanted to make it. GUESTS: Carmen Baskauf - A producer for Where We Live on Connecticut Public Radio James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Betsy Kaplan - Our senior producer Ryan Caron King - Visuals journalist for Connecticut Public Megan McCluskey - A reporter for Time magazine Carlos Mejia - Digital audience manager for Connecticut Public David Mikics - The author of Stanley Kubrick: American Filmmaker Ali Oshinskie - A reporter covering the Naugatuck River Valley for Connecticut Public Radio Coltan Scrivner - A PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago Catie Talarski - Senior director of storytelling and radio programming for Connecticut Public 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.

We wake up to coffee from a pod, listen to music through our EarPods from our iPods, drive our Smart cars and Fiats and other increasingly pod-shaped vehicles, wash our clothes using Tide pods, and while we wait for the clothes to dry, we listen to our favorite podcast through our AirPods from our HomePod. Sound about right? What is it about pods that we're so drawn to? And why do an increasing number of our products and services all feature the word "pod" in their name? Is it possible the pod's slick, liminal aesthetic or the allure of its Pandorian promise holds some sway over our subconscious? Might Freud have something to say about its curvature or its role in nature as a place of transformation, emergence, and ultimately independence? Perhaps it's the pod's minimalism and symmetry which appeal to us as we negotiate an increasingly chaotic world. Or is it simply an efficient design suited to meet the needs of our busy lives? This hour, we speak with experts and discuss the mystery of the pod in consumer- and pop-culture. We'll also look back over recent history and explore the possibility that we are, and always have been, pod people! GUESTS: Blanka Domagalska - Lecturer at Otis College of Art and Design teaching courses on product design with expertise in art history, media and cultural theory, philosophy, and aesthetic liminality Elvina Beck - Co-founder and CEO of Podshare Kotaro Aoki - Former philosophy major at Wesleyan University Jim Knipfel - A novelist and memoirist; he wrote the feature "The Legacy of Invasion of the Body Snatchers" for Den of Geek Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired December 26, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump Administration continues to downplay the pandemic, Vice-President Mike Pence campaigns even as staff members in his inner circle test positive for SARS-CoV-2, and Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," that the Administration is no longer going to control the pandemic. Some Americans are beginning to fear a dark post-election America if the other side wins. Fear of the "other" candidate winning is felt by Biden and Trump supporters. Americans usually fear foreign threats, not each other. Does the pandemic have us on edge or is something deeper going on in America? Also this hour: The Trump Administration is counting on a vaccine by the end of the year. But approval of a vaccine may signal the beginning of a long year tracking the safety of potentially multiple vaccines in the absence of a vaccine safety office dedicated solely to leading the effort.  GUESTS:  Yascha Mounk is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Persuasion, an associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, and a contributing editor at The Atlantic. His latest book is "The People Vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is In Danger and How To Save It." @yascha_mounk   Carl Zimmer is the author of thirteen books about science. His next book, “Life’s Edge: The Search For What It Means To Be Alive,” will be published in March 2021. He writes the "Matter" column for The New York Times, and is an adjunct professor at Yale. (@carlzimmer) Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has come to The Nose's attention that you can rent an entire movie theater out for just $99 and have yourself a slightly less pandemic-panicky moviegoing experience. Which got us thinking about, just, going to the movies. Remember going to the movies? And then: "Which of the Hollywood Chrises is the worst Hollywood Chris?" is a question the internet has been grappling with recently. As with all things internet, there's now a bit of a controversy. And: David Byrne's American Utopia is Spike Lee's HBO movie version of Byrne's American Utopia Broadway show, which is a theater version of Byrne's American Utopia tour, which Byrne did in support of his album, American Utopia. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: A Disturbing Twinkie That Has, So Far, Defied Science Alan Arkin on Hollywood success: 'I was miserable pretty much all of the time'In his mid-30s, the actor was living the dream, but was far from happy. As he publishes his memoir Out of My Mind, he talks about turning his life around -- and the disgraced guru he pinned his hopes on Last Week Tonight - The John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant is Here! Mike 'Doc' Emrick retiring from legendary NHL broadcasting career Actor Jeff Bridges Tweets That He Has Been Diagnosed With Lymphoma The Pandemic Lessons From MLB's Surprisingly Successful Season COVID-19 Pauses Production On Joe Rogan's Podcast The Outfield Frontman Tony Lewis Dead at 62 Tom Lehrer Is Releasing His Lyrics and Music Into the Public Domain Apple Launches 'Apple Music TV,' a 24-Hour Music Video Livestream Keith Jarrett Confronts a Future Without the PianoThe pathbreaking musician reveals the health issues that make it unlikely he will ever again perform in public. 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' won't air on ABC this year, moves to Apple TV+The popular Halloween special, which premiered on CBS in 1966, will instead air on demand on AppleTV+ for free from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. NASA To Make Major Announcement Of 'Exciting News' About The MoonFlying observatory that made new discovery is able to 'pick up phenomenon impossible to see with visible light', space agency notes The 50 Best Movie and TV Show Twists of All TimeFrom 'Fight Club' to 'Game of Thrones,' from 'The Sixth Sense' to 'Lost,' nothing hits quite as hard as a shocking reveal Rethinking Appropriation and Wokeness in Pop MusicOver the last decade, the language and aesthetics of social justice have become the social currency of the music industry (and pop culture at large), ultimately yielding the myth that representation solves everything. This is one story of how we got there, and where we carefully go from here. Artist In Residence Creates Portraits Of Reform At The District Attorney's Office AOC's debut Twitch stream is one of the biggest everAnd she's genuinely pretty good at Among Us Scientists have found a rare half-male, half-female songbird GUESTS: Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at TheaterWorks Bill Yousman - Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Secession is in the air. Britain withdrew from the European Union, Scotland wants out of the U.K., Catalonia from Spain, and, wait for it, California from the U.S. Yes, the days of our country's states being united may soon come to an end. In fact, not only is California home to active secessionist and separatist movements, but so are Texas, Washington, Hawaii, Alaska, Vermont, and several other states. And with the degree to which our nation seems divided, one wonders if this isn't long overdue. This hour, we speak with legal experts and advocates about the growing calls for secession both here and abroad. Would nations be better off if they allowed their citizens to secede, forming smaller, more like-minded sovereign territories? Would the citizens be better off? And, to be quite frank, would any of this even be legal? GUESTS: Francis H. Buckley - Foundation professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, senior editor at The American Spectator, and the author of American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup Marcus Ruiz Evans - Co-founder of the Yes California movement and author of California's Next Century Erica Frankenberg - Professor of education and demography in the College of Education at Penn State University and co-author of several books including Educational Delusions?: Why Choice Can Deepen Inequality and How to Make Schools Fair Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 27, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.