The Colin McEnroe Show

The FDA on Saturday authorized emergency use of a rapid and inexpensive saliva test that could increase testing capacity. It’s quick, less expensive, and doesn't need the chemical reagents that are in short supply. It's also less sensitive than PCR tests. But public health experts believe the tradeoff will save lives. We talk about that and more Covid-related news.   "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from their appointed rounds," remains the motto of the United States Postal Service, despite changes by  the new Postmaster General to slow down mail delivery, remove sorting machines, and make it more difficult for voters to receive and return mail-in ballots on time.  Free and fair elections are the bedrock of democratic principles. The postal service led our first communications revolution by forging transportation networks that spread national and international news - even to those living in the most remote areas - to encourage an informed citizenry. Isn't it worth protecting? GUESTS:  Vincent Racaniello is a professor of Microbiology & Immunology in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. He’s the host of the podcast, “This Week in Virology.” (@profvrr) Margaret Sullivan is the media columnist at the Washington Post and the author of Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy. (@sulliview) Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nose is worried about movie theaters. The pandemic has done such damage to the industry that Hollywood has started treating the U.S. as a second-run market. And now the Paramount Consent Decrees have ended. (We're not exactly sure what that means, but it's not good.) Is the future of movie theaters... Walmart drive-ins? And: She Dies Tomorrow is a horror-comedy-thriller written and directed by Amy Seimetz. It was supposed to premiere at this year's South by Southwest, which was canceled. She Dies Tomorrow is out now on video on demand platforms. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: RZA unveils new ice cream truck jingle to replace problematic 'Turkey in the Straw' Trini Lopez, Singing Star Who Mixed Musical Styles, Dies at 83His blend of American folk, Latin and rockabilly music captivated listeners worldwide. His secret: arrangements that people could dance to. He died of COVID-19. Kurt Luedtke, Newspaperman Turned Screenwriter, Dies at 80He led The Detroit Free Press at 33, then gave up journalism for Hollywood. "Absence of Malice" was one result; an Oscar for "Out of Africa" was another. The Best Movies Eligible for the 2021 Oscars Right NowFrom "The Assistant" to "Never Rarely Sometimes Always," the first half of 2020 boasts more than a few titles worthy of Oscar buzz. Alan Dershowitz claims a fictional lawyer defamed him. The implications for novelists are very real. Kelly Ripa claps back after troll criticizes her 'lack of personal grooming' Martin Scorsese Makes Apple First-Look Film & Television Deal For His Sikelia Productions Banner Yale scientists restore cellular function in 32 dead pig brainsResearchers hope the technology will further our understanding of the brain, but lawmakers may not be ready for the ethical challenges. Can You Hack the Jeopardy! Buzzer?Different schools of thought have emerged. Oh, to be a cat in a plastic container sailing around a bathtub The Shark Week SuperlativesDiscovery Channel's much-hyped annual programming package has become increasingly ahistorical and fantastical over the years. Yet, it remains popular. So, our two resident shark experts dove in to discuss the best and worst that the week has to offer. "Weird and Strange Doesn't Even Begin to Describe It": What It’s Like to Be the Phillie Phanatic Right NowA brave mascot reveals what it's like to fill the crushing emptiness of an MLB stadium. A 'Socially Distanced' Venue Held Its First Concert, And It's An Introvert's Dream As it Celebrates the Centennial of the Negro Leagues, MLB May Undo a "Major" MistakeBecause of a prejudiced decision made more than 50 years ago, the segregation-era circuits that featured Black players have never been counted among the official major leagues. For the first time, MLB is considering righting that wrong. GUESTS: James Hanley - Co-founder of Cinestudio at Trinity College Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance 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.

As President Trump talks about draining the swamp in Washington D.C., we turn our attention to actual swamps. Associated with death and decay, while also celebrated for their beauty and biodiversity, few landscapes evoke such contradictory sentiments as swamps. This hour we speak with experts about the surprising history, culture, nature, and politics associated with America's wetlands. We'll also talk with a woman who spent eight years of her life living in these inhospitable environments on a makeshift houseboat. GUESTS: Michael Grunwald - Senior writer for Politico Magazine, and Editor-at-Large of POLITICO’s new public policy site, The Agenda; author of The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise (@MikeGrunwald) Dr. Anthony Wilson - Professor of English at LaGrange College, GA; author of  Swamp: Nature and Culture, and Shadow and Shelter: The Swamp in Southern Culture Gwen Roland - Writer, and former full-time resident of the Atchafalaya river basin swamp; author of Atchafalaya Houseboat: My Years in the Louisiana Swamp, and Postmark Bayou Chene 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.

"It is the rare person who doesn't own a pair of sweatpants." I am, it turns out, that rare person. Sweatpants are just too warm, is my take. But I do own a number of pairs of cotton pajama pants. They're my sweatpants proxy. Back before the pandemic became the central preoccupation of our existence, back when we made our radio show in, ya know, a radio studio, I would always get a little dressed up on my show days. I'd wear a jacket. Or a tie. Or a jacket and a tie. Now that we're all working from home all the time, I spend the great majority of my work hours in pajama pants and stocking feet and a bathrobe. But when it comes time for one of my shows -- like this one, for instance -- I change out of my PJ pants into jeans or chinos. That's what "a little dressed up" means these days: putting real pants on. (Or even "hard pants," as they're now known.) For we are living in the age of sweatpants. Question is: Are we ever going back? Or should we go back right now and start dressing like grownups again? What if we got, like, some fancy pants sweatpants? Would that be grown up enough? This hour, from The Bad Ideas Dept.: a show about sweatpants. GUESTS: Tim Chan - Lifestyle and market editor at Rolling Stone Rebecca Jennings - A reporter covering pop and internet culture at The Goods by Vox Rachel Tashjian - Style writer for GQ Adam Tschorn - Deputy fashion editor at the Los Angeles Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired May 6, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been 25 years since Bob Ross died and 26 years since his The Joy of Painting went off the air. But there are 52 episodes of the show available to stream on Netflix. Bob Ross and Chill is a thing. The 403 full episodes available on YouTube have accumulated something approaching 250 million views. And last summer, The New York Times did a big Bob Ross investigation. This hour: a look at the undying force for permed hair and puffy little clouds and happy little trees that is Bob Ross. Plus: Could we do a show about Bob Ross without also talking Thomas Kinkade? No we could not. And so no we do not. GUESTS: Nathan Badley - Cohost of the Nothing But a Bob Thang podcast Alexis Boylan - Associate professor of art history at UConn and the editor of Thomas Kinkade, The Artist in the Mall Justin Croft - Cohost of the Nothing But a Bob Thang podcast Emily Rhyne - Cinematographer at The New York Times Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired September 26, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As of this weekend, the number of people in the U.S. infected with SARS-CoV-2 topped five million, just sixteen days after passing the four million mark on July 23. This weekend's motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota portends that those numbers will continue to rise.  Three potential vaccines against the virus have entered phase III clinical trials, in which safety and effectiveness is tested on thousands of healthy people.  This stage can take months or years depending on how quickly researchers can detect a difference between the two groups, but some doctors believe that we'll have a vaccine sooner than later. Are we expecting too much from a vaccine? And, what about the expanding group of people afraid to trust any vaccine developed at "warp speed"?  Is it time for another lockdown to get things under control until a vaccine is ready? Also this hour: Sending troops into U.S. cities and the recent changes at the U.S. Postal Service are two recent examples of what writer Adam Gopnik sees as an emboldened and authoritarian right encroaching on democratic premises. Meanwhile, he says the rage of an out-of-power left makes liberalism look indifferent. Incremental reform is not enough.  GUESTS: Tim Schacker is an infectious disease physician and vice dean for research at the University of Minnesota Medical School   Adam Gopnik is an author and a staff writer for The New Yorker. The paperback edition of his most recent book, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventures of Liberalism, was published in July. He is also a lyricist and libretto writer. With composer David Shire, he wrote the book and lyrics for the musical comedy TABLE, produced in 2016 at the Long Wharf Theater 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.

The Federal Communications Commission requires that The Nose cover each and every new Taylor Swift release*. Folklore is Swift's seventh number-one album, and it's become, in just two weeks, the highest-selling album of 2020 so far. But rather than just spending a segment talking about the album... We came across a term that's new to us: cottagecore. Folklore is, apparently, cottagecore. We're not entirely convinced that cottagecore is a thing, but we're covering it anyway, and we'll get to Folklore that way. And: When You Finish Saving the World is an audiobook/podcast/radio play/thing written by and co-directed by and starring Jesse Eisenberg. It's a five-hour, three-act, three-monologue, audio-only Audible original that also stars Kaitlyn Dever and Finn Wolfhard as the wife and son of Eisenberg's character, respectively. *No, it doesn't. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Will White People Forget About George Floyd?A parable embedded in The Maltese Falcon offers a cautionary tale. The Reconciliation Must Be TelevisedWhat is the next step as America confronts its racism? A broadcast spectacle, our critic writes, that could look like court, a telethon, therapy, an Oprah show -- and more. Wilford Brimley, 'Cocoon' Star and Quaker Oats Pitchman, Is Dead at 85 The Mind Behind Japan's Legendary Batmanga, Jiro Kuwata, Has Passed Away The End of the Fictional CopTelevision and film helped naturalize police violence. Noir offers a way out. Brad Garrett, Lea Thompson declare Ellen staff mistreatment "common knowledge" Hollywood Is Finally Admitting That the U.S. Is a Lost CauseThe country's sluggish pandemic response has forced movie studios to release big movies, such as Christopher Nolan's Tenet, abroad first -- a highly unusual move for the industry. Netflix is rolling out video speed controls Zelda recipe appears in serious novel by serious author after rushed Google searchA bad day for literature, a great day for Polygon's SEO GUESTS: Lucy Gellman - Editor of The Arts Paper and host of WNHH radio's Kitchen Sync Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jimmy Webb was possibly the most successful songwriter of the 1960s and 1970s. Classics like "Galveston," "Wichita Lineman," "Up, Up, and Away," and "MacArthur Park" were recorded by hundreds of artists from Glen Campbell to Donna Summer. Webb wrote the songs that others made famous. Our team made the trek to Glen Cove, New York, in the summer of 2019 to meet Jimmy Webb and his wife, Laura Savini, at a recording studio near their home.  Our adventure was well worth the trip. What we took home from our day were the sweet remains of time spent with friends, great music, and a spectacular sunset.  For the first time in Colin McEnroe Show history, we decided to create two shows from our time with Jimmy Webb. Today, we bring you part two of our two-hour show with Jimmy Webb. Listen to Part One.  GUEST:  Jimmy Webb - Songwriter, pianist, composer, storyteller. He's won Grammy Awards for his music, lyrics and orchestration. His songs include "Galveston," "Wichita Lineman," and "MacArthur Park." He's the author of Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting and his 2017 memoir, The Cake and the Rain. His latest album is Slipcover.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Nyro's most famous compositions -- "Stoned Soul Picnic," "Stoney End," "When I Die," "Wedding Bell Blues," "Eli's Coming" -- are jewels of mainstream music, and her covers of songs like "Jimmy Mack" and "Gonna Take a Miracle" are legendary. But she was uncomfortable under the spotlight and withdrew from it to become the Belle of Danbury. This hour: a night of singing, reflecting, and celebrating recorded in front of a live audience on January 29, 2020, as part of Colin's Freshly Squeezed series at Watkinson School. GUESTS: Jim Chapdelaine - Guitar and vocals Latanya Farrell - Vocals and tambourine Steve Metcalf - Piano and vocals Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. This show originally aired February 21, 2020.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're reairing this show from September, 2019, when our team traveled to Glen Cove, New York, to interview legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb.  We waited a long time for this interview and it was worth every minute of the wait. It was a special day. We broke bread together, met kind people, and enjoyed a day of music and stories from Jimmy Webb's decades of making music.  The day was not without adversity. A flat tire forced us to miss our ferry back home to Connecticut (and our dinner). We were hungry and tired. But none of that mattered when the late ferry pulled into Bridgeport against a spectacular sunset of orange, red, and purple. We would never have seen it had the day gone as planned.   A lot has changed in America since that day last September. But not our human need for music and kinship.  We made two shows from our time with Jimmy Webb. There was too much music not to share all of it. This is part one. You can hear part two on Thursday, August 6.  GUEST: Jimmy Webb - Songwriter, pianist, composer, storyteller. He’s won Grammy Awards for his music, lyrics, and orchestration. His songs include “Galveston,” “Wichita Lineman,” and “MacArthur Park.” He’s the author of Tunesmith: Inside the Art of Songwriting and his 2017 memoir, The Cake and the Rain. His latest album is Slipcover. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.