The Colin McEnroe Show

It's nice to meet you! When did you move in? How do you like it here in Connecticut after leaving the beautiful weather in Hawaii? Small talk is both the bane of our existence and essential in our existential quest to understand our place in the world. Whether you like it or hate it may depend partly on how we value speech that establishes and maintains relationships, as opposed to speech that is task-oriented or provides information. That may depend on gender. We talk to a humorist, writing teacher, meteorologist, and philosopher about small talk. And we want to hear about your small talk stories.  GUESTS: Alexandra Petri - A columnist for The Washington Post, a punning champion, and the author of A Field Guide to Awkward Silences; her new book of essays, Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why, will be published in June, 2020 Irene Papoulis - Teaches writing at Trinity College Garett Argianas - A forensic meteorologist and Connecticut Public Radio's weather forecaster Agnes Callard - Associate professor of philosophy at the University of Chicago, monthly columnist for The Point magazine, and a contributor to The New York Times 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.

Sanders won big in Nevada. Biden won big in South Carolina. Steyer and Buttigieg are out, Bloomberg is in, and Warren and Klobuchar are pulling up the rear. There will be 1,357 delegates from 14 states up for grabs on Super Tuesday. We try to make sense of it. Also this hour: Iowa and New Hampshire no longer mirror the diversity of America and should let another state lead the way. How about Connecticut? James Surowiecki makes the case. Lastly, The Lifespan of a Fact, the Broadway play based on John D'Agata's book of the same name, relays the many disagreements between a writer and his factchecker over the nature of truth. The play is at TheaterWorks through March 8. John D'Agata joins us in our studio. GUESTS: James Surowiecki - A journalist who has written about business and finance for, among others, Slate and The New Yorker; the author of The Wisdom of Crowds John D'Agata - An essayist, professor of English and director of the nonfiction writing program at the University of Iowa, and the author of several books including The Lifespan of a Fact You can 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.

Quarantine culture is coming. Maybe. So we start with a look at the coronavirus in comedy, COVID in culture, etc. And then: Knives Out is Rian Johnson's fifth feature film as writer and director. It's mostly a howcatchem in the vein of Columbo and an all-star ensemble cast murder mystery in the tradition of Agatha Christie adaptations like Murder on the Orient Express. It was nominated for three Golden Globes, including Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), and Johnson's screenplay was nominated for an Oscar. It's out on DVD/Blu-ray/4K and for rental on iTunes/Amazon/etc. this week. Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take: Late-night hosts skewer Trump for coronavirus response Late Night Awaits Mike Pence's Cure for the Coronavirus Quarantine Cooking: Finding Relief From Coronavirus Anxiety In The Kitchen It's Okay to Leave Your Headphones at HomeHow one writer learned an accidental lesson in the joys of silence Jif really wants you to stop pronouncing GIF like its peanut butter Honda Dealer Offers Deal: $900 If You Watch All the Fast & Furious Movies The Most Upsetting McDonald's Candle Scents, From 'No' to 'Dear God'McDonald's is releasing six candles that, burned together, make your home smell like a Quarter Pounder Burger King breaks the mold with new advertising campaign Emergency Backup Goalie David Ayres Has Taken NHL By Storm After Win The Invisible Man, Godzilla, King Kong: A History of the Movie Monster How to Murder Harry PotterIn "deathfic," writers of fan fiction find unexpected comfort in killing off their favorite popular characters. How to Dress Like Larry David, Casual Fashion Icon Every Harrison Ford Movie Performance, Ranked Kobe Bryant's Memorial Brought Out a Side of Michael Jordan I'd Never Seen Before 50 Years Ago Today: Ernie Sings "Rubber Ducky" In the Bathtub Finneas O'Connell Tweeted About Success And Sparked A Ton Of Drama About Privilege And Nepotism"Spoken like someone born to two actors in LA." This Artist Shows Us What Historical Figures Would Look Like If They Were Alive Today, And I Am ObsessedMarie Antoinette as a millennial? Apple Won't Let Villains Use iPhones In Movies, According to Rian Johnson Earth Can Have a New Little Moon, as a TreatAstronomers have spotted a small asteroid that's been captured by Earth's orbit. Clive Cussler, best-selling author behind Dirk Pitt adventure novels, dead at 88 The best chase sequence ever is in Wallace and Gromit in The Wrong TrousersThe original Aardman shorts are available to stream on Amazon Steven Spielberg Won't Direct 'Indiana Jones 5,' James Mangold in Talks to Replace Hank Azaria wants to "make up" for his racist voicing of Apu on "The Simpsons"Hari Kondabolu first called attention to how the portrayal perpetuated negative Indian American stereotypes ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A RIP: Konami Code Creator Kazuhisa Hashimoto Dies The Dark, Chaotic, Utterly Mesmerizing Soul of Modern CelebrityIt was only a matter of time before grabbing a few seconds of a star's life got monetized. But the result is weirder than anyone expected. My Ex-Boyfriend's New Girlfriend Is Lady GagaHow do you compare yourself with one of the most famous women in the world? Taylor Swift, Man Wax. Perm. Tint. Microblade. Glue. How eyebrows became everything David Roback, Co-Founder Of Mazzy Star And Rain Parade, Dead At 61 Why some of the best-known tunes, like 'Happy Birthday,' are the hardest to sing Jungle Cruise Boat Sinks At Walt Disney World Lady Gaga's 'Stupid Love' Is Getting a Lot of Love From Her Little Monsters Should Robots Have a Face?As automation comes to retail industries, companies are giving machines more humanlike features in order to make them liked, not feared. GUESTS: Susan Bigelow - A librarian, a columnist for CT News Junkie, and a science fiction/fantasy novelist Rich Hollant - Principal at CO:LAB, founder of Free Center, and commissioner on cultural affairs for the city of Hartford Helder Mira - Multimedia producer at Trinity College and a Cinestudio board member 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.

Secession is in the air. Britain withdrew from the European Union, Scotland wants out of the UK, 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 is 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. On today's show 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, George Mason University as well as Senior Editor at The American Spectator,and a columnist for the New York Post; author of American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup Marcus Ruiz Evans - Co-Founder of the Yes California movement, the largest and most widely-known community of activists who believe that California should be an independent country; author of California’s Next Century Erica Frankenberg - Professor of Education and Demography in the College of Education at the Penn State University, focusing on racial desegregation and inequality in K-12 schools; co-author of several books including Educational Delusions?: Why Choice Can Deepen Inequality and How to Make Schools Fair Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of the characteristics we associate with hotels - the welcoming yet alienating effect they have on our psyches - we absorbed from the artists, musicians, and filmmakers who have long been fascinated with the relationship between our physical travels and our spiritual journeys. Hotels like Mariott and Hilton are jumping into the microhotel market that up to now, has been dominated ro by small operators like Arlo,  YOTEL, and Pod, for the past decade. But millennial demand for more communal spaces, smaller rooms, and lower cost is forcing the big chains to freshen up their brand and drop their costs.    Today, a look at hotels.  GUESTS:  Hannah Sampson is a staff writer at The Washington Post where she reports on travel news.  Suzanne Joinson is British author and a senior lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Chichester in West Sussex, England. She’s the author of A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar and The Photographer’s Wife. She is a contributor to The New York Times.  Leo Mazow is the Cochrane curator of American Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the author of Edward Hopper and the American Hotel Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent Senate trial for President Trump's impeachment riveted the nation, but little consensus could be reached about the facts of the case or the outcome. Additionally, many in Congress knew how they would vote before the trial began.  The strong convictions that every member of the Senate brought to the trial - minus Senator Mitt Romney - didn't waver after the facts were presented.  You've probably noticed that we’re living in a know-it-all society. We tend to think we’re always right (meaning everyone else is wrong) at the expense of everyone else’s opinions. Is this part of the reason we’re not getting along so well as a society? Also this hour: one man’s quest to be the smartest man in the world. GUESTS: Michael Lynch - Professor of Philosophy and director of the Humanities Institute at UConn and director of the New England Humanities Consortium. He’s the author of several books, most recently, Know-It-All Society: Truth and Arrogance in Political Culture A.J. Jacobs - Contributor to Esquire magazine and The New York Times. He’s the author of four NYT bestsellers, including The Know-It-All: One Man’s humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bernie Sanders won a decisive victory in last week's Nevada caucuses after effectively tying with Pete Buttigieg in the less diverse states of Iowa and New Hampshire. Is he the candidate that can beat President Trump? Or the one who will lead the Democratic Party down the road to ruin? It depends on who you talk to.  Also this hour: More than 70,000 people have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, a novel form of coronavirus, since the first cases were confirmed in Wuhan, China, at the end of December. Significant outbreaks in multiple countries in the recent days have led health officials to worry that the virus is on the brink of becoming a pandemic. Lastly, the brazen sign stealing scandal that tainted the Houston Astros' World Series win in 2017, and near-win in 2019, is part of a bigger pattern of cheating in sports that is a symptom of something we see throughout our culture: crime pays. The lack of accountability in sports and culture has led to brazen cheating at the expense of fair play and a collective moral compass.  GUESTS: Edward-Isaac Dovere - Staff writer at The Atlantic and host of The Ticket podcast Lena Sun - National health reporter for The Washington Post Michael Baumann - Covers sports, culture, and politics for The Ringer and hosts The Ringer MLB Show 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.

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.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been over 40 years since former President Richard Nixon resigned the presidency over Watergate. But, the story of Watergate is almost impossible to tell. It's too big and too murky. It's full of files that were burned and a tape that was erased. It's full of characters named McCord and Magruder and Mitchell, who are hard to keep track of. With each passing year, it becomes more of an inert thing and less of a breathing, wriggling, writhing creature.  And yet, Watergate survives in what we call Memes, ideas that stay alive and spread. Take something like, "It's not the crime, it's the cover-up."  That one originated with Watergate, but it has been slapped on everybody from Martha Stewart to Chris Christie.    Today, over 40 years from the date of Richard Nixon's resignation, we'll talk about all the ways the story stayed alive in our collective memory and all the ways it died.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nyctophiliacs rejoice! The color you know and love (black) is now blacker than ever before.  And nevermind that black is not technically a color. The point is that as you were traipsing through graveyards and reveling under the night sky, scientists were busy inventing two new shades which are so dark they'd make Wednesday Adams reach for a flashlight. But while Vanta black and Black 3.2 are undoubtedly achievements to be celebrated, they did not come without controversy. Indeed, the feud over who could use the blackest substance on Earth soon had the tempers of some artists running red hot. Can a color even be owned? As it turns out, yes! On Today's show we speak with a historian of the color black as well as the creator of one of these remarkable new shades. We'll also speak with a scientist on the other end of the color-creating spectrum about a brand new ultra-white that'll soon be brightening our lives in strange new ways.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.