The Colin McEnroe Show

Last weekend, Saturday Night Live aired a prerecorded special, "Saturday Night Live at Home." Tom Hanks hosted from his kitchen. Michael Che and Colin Jost did Weekend Update from their living rooms and by Zoom or something similar. Chris Martin covered a Bob Dylan song in front of handwritten "ENTRANCE TO TRAIN" signs. All of the late night shows are operating in some similar way right now. Jimmy Kimmel hosts from his living room and has people like Jason Bateman on by Skype or whatever. John Oliver sits at his desk in front of a mysterious white wall. Samantha Bee hosts from the woods. And: The original one-woman stage version of Fleabag just hit Amazon Prime. The Nose missed the TV show, and so now this gives us an excuse to finally get on the Fleabag bandwagon a little bit. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Brian Dennehy Dies; Tony Award-Winning Actor Was 81The versatile actor, whose career spanned more than 50 years in theater, movies and television, won two Tony Awards, including for his performance in "Death of a Salesman." Danny Goldman, voice of Brainy Smurf and 'Young Frankenstein' actor, dies at 80 Hank Steinbrenner, Yankees co-owner and eldest son of George Steinbrenner, dead at 63 Allen Garfield, character actor in 'Nashville' and 'The Conversation,' dies at 80 of coronavirus Online dating amid coronavirus: Longer conversations and a 'pivot' to video dates"She said, 'Do I have to change out of sweats?' and I said, 'Of course not, I haven't worn adult pants in weeks anyway.' " Sex Work Comes HomeMore of us are making and watching sexual performances online now. Fewer of us are paying. In 1918, as a pandemic ripped through Hartford, Babe Ruth drew big crowds at the worst possible time The Forgotten Art of AssemblyOr, Why Theatre Makers Should Stop Making How much TV should your children be watching right now? Burning Cell Towers, Out of Baseless Fear They Spread the VirusA conspiracy theory linking the spread of the coronavirus to 5G wireless technology has spurred more than 100 incidents this month, British officials said. Here's How Those Hot Jigsaw Puzzles Are MadeThe coronavirus has sent businesses racing as demand surges past levels seen at Christmas. 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire' Wants to Be a Megahit AgainABC has rolled out a celebrity edition of what was once the most popular program on television, this time helmed by Jimmy Kimmel. Can the game show become a hit again? Trump Wanted a Radio Show, but He Didn't Want to Compete With Limbaugh MLB players, team employees participating in coronavirus study Coyotes, bobcats and bears: Wildlife is reclaiming Yosemite National Park Living in Sim: We made a team of 26 Mike Trouts. It lost 50 straight games GUESTS: Carolyn Paine - An actress, comedian, and dancer; founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance Bill Yousman - Professor of Media Studies at Sacred Heart University 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.

I haven't been grocery shopping in 21 days. The last time I went, March 26, was a harrowing experience. It was before this particular grocery store, at least, had started limiting the number of customers in the building at a time, before it had made aisles one-way, before it started wiping down carts after each use and providing sanitizing wipes for customers to use. Staff and customers alike didn't seem to understand just how far six feet is, and the aisles were too narrow to afford that sort of distancing anyway. Fresh meats were in short supply, cleaning products were nowhere to be found, and canned and frozen foods were few and far between. And so I haven't been back. This hour, a look at all the things that have upended our expectations of the grocery shopping experience in the time of COVID: Can you really go two or three weeks without getting groceries? Just how nervous should you be about that trip to the grocery store? And finally: Where did all the toilet paper really go, anyway? GUESTS: Joseph G. Allen - An assistant professor of exposure and assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings Program at Harvard Marc Fisher - Senior editor at The Washington Post Robert LaBonne Jr. - President and CEO of LaBonne's Markets Ann Maloney - Food reporter and editor at The Washington Post 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.

Before the pandemic, most of us craved of a little solitude away from the hustle of life. Now, we've been  been thrust into a form of solitude far from the idleness of the lazy summer afternoon we imagined. Our minds are restless with uncertainty and fear and without the usual distractions we turn toward when being alone with ourselves becomes too painful to confront.  Today, we learn there is more to solitude than being alone. It can provide the time and space needed to silence the voices in our head. Poet Marianne Moore said, "the cure for loneliness is solitude."  GUESTS:  Stephen Batchelor is a Buddhist teacher and writer. He’s the author of several books including Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide To Awakening and most recently, The Art of Solitude. He’s the co-founder of Bodhi College.  Dr. Lucinda Mosher is a faculty associate in Interfaith Studies at the Hartford Seminary Karen Karper Fredette lived as a hermit for six years in a cabin in West Virginia. She’s the author of several books including, Consider the Ravens: On Contemporary Hermit Life. She and her husband Paul run Raven's Bread Ministries.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health experts have released multiple plans that all call for some version of the same thing. We need to conduct widespread testing, trace contacts of the infected, and quarantine those contacts, BEFORE we can ease social distancing measures.  Despite the many task forces the President Trump has formed to deal with the crisis, it's governors, former government officials, disease specialists, nonprofits, and even Apple, Google, and Bill Gates have taken charge in the absence of federal leadership.  Lastly, what role can the humanities play in a crisis? GUESTS: Dr. Alison Buttenheim is an Associate Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and an Associate Director of Penn's Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics.  Yasmeen Abutaleb reports on health policy for The Washington Post  Agnes Callard  is an associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago and a monthly columnist for The Point Magazine and a contributor to The New York Times. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've entered a moment where the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a celebrity. You can buy donuts with his face on them. A petition to make him People's Sexiest Man Alive has more than 13,000 signatures. And, yes, sales of Dr. Anthony Fauci bobblehead dolls have raised more than $100,000. At the same time, how do we find community in this time of COVID and quarantine and social distance? And then: The Plot Against America is HBO's miniseries based on Philip Roth's novel. It's an alternative history written 16 years ago -- and set 80 years ago -- with undeniable echos of our present politics. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Al Kaline, Detroit Tigers legend, dies at age 85 John Prine, Hero Of 'New' Nashville, Dies After Developing COVID-19 Symptoms Mort Drucker, Master of the Mad Caricature, Is Dead at 91His illustrations of celebrities for Mad magazine's movie and television satires inspired countless cartoonists. Actors, politicians and others knew they had made it when he drew them. Lee Fierro, 'Jaws' Actor, Dies of Coronavirus at 91 David Driskell, 88, Pivotal Champion of African-American Art, DiesAn artist himself, Professor Driskell recognized the role of black artists in the broader story of American art. He died of the coronavirus. Hal Willner, 'SNL' Staple And Acclaimed Music Producer, Has Died Thank god for the internetWhat the hell would be happening now without it? When All the Zingers Were Fit To PrintIn 1978, a mischievous band of writers that included George Plimpton and Nora Ephron teamed up to create a spoof of The New York Times. Turns out, Times journalists were among them. Rules for Using the Sidewalk During the CoronavirusGoing outside is still a joy. But we all need to do more to walk and run while social distancing. What to Stream: Forty of the Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Why Animal Crossing Is the Game for the Coronavirus MomentWith the world in the grip of a pandemic, the wildly popular game is a conveniently timed piece of whimsy, particularly for millennials. Trump order encourages US to mine the moonExecutive order says US will oppose any international effort to bar it from removing chunks of moon, Mars or elsewhere in space Radiohead to Stream Classic Concert Films on YouTube During Quarantine GUESTS: Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford 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.

My son, Simon, is a year old. His mother and his grandmother are both librarians. His father is, well, me. Simon is, predictably, obsessed with books. Back before everything changed, we'd gotten into a pretty good reading routine. Every morning before Simon went to his grandparents', we'd read a big pile of books. Every evening when I got home from work, we'd read a big pile of books. We'd read Goodnight Moon. We'd read The Little Blue Truck. We'd read Peek-a Who? and Peek-a Moo! and Peek-a Zoo! We'd read Who Hoots? and Who Hops? We'd read Dear Zoo and Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Each Peach Pear Plum and Spooky, Spooky, Little Bat and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? And then we'd probably read them all again. Now that our whole family stays home all day every day, we still do all the reading. What's lost is the routine. What's lost is any sort of limit at all. From Simon's point of view, there's nothing to stop us from reading all day every day, from when he jams me in the back with his copy of The Mixed-Up Chameleon too early in the morning until he falls asleep wearing one sock and with a clump of Cheerios somehow stuck in his diaper too late at night. If you've got smallish kids and you're staying home these days, children's literature has undoubtedly become a much larger part of your life than you'd ever bargained for. This hour, a look at what it's like reading kids' books as an adult. GUESTS: Bruce Handy - The author of Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children's Literature as an Adult Julia Pistell - Managing director of Sea Tea Improv and cohost of the Literary Disco podcast 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.

Your sex life doesn't have to suffer just because you're cooped up at home every day. Researchers say that sex is a healthy way to calm the anxiety of pandemic, even if you live alone. Virtual dating, masturbation, and coronavirus-related porn are more popular than ever. Some sex researchers think our desire for sex in the middle of a pandemic is one way we cope with the prospect of our own mortality. But not everyone reacts in the same way. Some lose their desire for sex, especially when you pile on added stressors like losing a job, having kids home from school, or working in a higher-risk job. Also this hour: How will coronavirus change the way we think about touching others? We take a look at sex, dating, and relationships in the shadow of coronavirus. GUESTS: Justin Lehmiller - A research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, the founder and editor of the Sex and Psychology blog, and the author of Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life Lisa Bonos- Writes about dating and relationships for the Washington Post Amy Weissfeld - A somatic sex educator and masturbation coach Cathrine Jansson-Boyd - A consumer psychologist at Anglia Ruskin University Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Catie Talarski, Gene Amatruda, TJ Coppola, and Joe Coss contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ocean Vuong emigrated to Hartford from Vietnam when he was two years old. His family brought with them the trauma of an American-led war that ravaged their people and their culture. How do they retain their culture and assimilate into one that doesn't want them? His family struggled in a Hartford very different from the city that many of us experience. It's a place that still exists in the shadows. Ocean’s family is a snapshot into a bigger and more pervasive picture of the problems in America that many choose to hide -- the toll of low-wage work, poverty, drugs, violence, and the erasure of histories and ways of living life that don't fit neatly into the American myth. Ocean's first novel, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, is an American story, albeit one about the failure of America. This is an excerpt. GUEST: Ocean Vuong - A poet and the author of the novel On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired July 17, 2019.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pandemic is making us reflect on what we value as people and a country. We don't yet know how much COVID-19 will change life as we knew it before the pandemic. We do know that it must change. We're learning to respect each other's space. The internet is becoming a kinder place. And we shouldn't accept political leaders who can't lead. GUESTS: Gia Kourlas - Dance critic for The New York Times Tanya Basu - Senior reporter for MIT Technology Review covering the intersection of technology and humans Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe, Cat Pastor, Gene Amatruda, Joe Coss, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The novel coronavirus has started to take its toll on figures from our popular culture. Adam Schlesinger, who founded Fountains of Wayne and wrote songs for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend among other things, died on Wednesday. The great playwright Terrence McNally died last week. The list goes on: songwriter Alan Merrill, country music star Joe Diffie, fashion designer Jenny Polanco, college basketball star Dave Edwards, actor Mark Blum, soccer star Lorenzo Sanz. And it seems like the jazz community has been especially vulnerable: guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, pianists Ellis Marsalis and Mike Longo, and trumpeter Wallace Roney have all died. And then: Dave is an FXX comedy series that tells a fictionalized version of the rise of rapper Lil Dicky, and John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch is a Netflix children's special that Mulaney made "on purpose." Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: 'Lean On Me,' 'Lovely Day' singer Bill Withers dies at 81 The Stupidest [...] Movies Guaranteed To Make You Laugh During This CatastropheWho needs a plot right now? Let’s just slap some jokes in our faces instead You Can Watch the First 8 Minutes of 'Sonic the Hedgehog' Online Now April fools' day is canceled, you monstersDon't you dare, brands Joe Buck: Stop Sending Me Your Sex Tapes ... I'm Not Gonna Narrate Them!!! Llandudno marauders: the herd of goats running riot through a Welsh townTaking advantage of the town’s deserted streets because of the coronavirus lockdown, the goats have been branded vandals for munching through gardens Companies Avoid Advertising Next to Coronavirus NewsThe name of the virus overtakes 'Trump' as the keyword blocked by the most brands, a problem for digital news publishers New York is one of the world's great cities for the arts -- but the damage from the pandemic is proving to be catastrophic Ina Garten Made A Giant Cocktail For Herself At 9:30 A.M. And Now She's My Quaranqueen Tom Perrotta's 'The Leftovers' imagined 2 percent of the population disappearing. That could be our reality. Shudder Subscriptions Are Surging During the Coronavirus Pandemic HBO's #StayHomeBoxOffice Campaign Is Offering Hundreds of Hours of Programming for Free Uranus blasted a gas bubble 22,000 times bigger than EarthIt happened back in 1986 -- but it could happen again. GUESTS: Stosh Mikita - A stand-up comedian and writer based in New Haven Mercy Quaye - Founder and principal consultant for The Narrative Project and a columnist with Hearst Connecticut Media Group Brian Slattery - Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio 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.