The Colin McEnroe Show

Most of us know what Kafkaesque means even if we've never read a word Kafka wrote. For example, it's Kafkaesque when your smart home turns on you. It's not Kafkaesque when you wait in line for two hours at DMV and they close the line when you get to the front. (Well, it's a little Kafkaesque.) Franz Kafka, the man whose absurdly dark stories inspired the adjective of the same name, was an ascetic and introspective man. He was given to self-doubt, concerned over his health and obsessed with writing. He said his need to write "left empty all those abilities which were directed toward the joys of sex, eating, drinking, philosophical reflection, and above all music." Today, we talk about the man behind the adjective and the truly Kafkaesque trial to determine who owned his papers.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of Americans who identify as 'spiritual but not religious' is growing, especially among millennials who may not be finding what they need in the religious institutions of their parents generation. While some of the "Nones" have never affiliated with a particular religion, those who have some connection to faith yearn to find meaning they can't find in traditional churches, synagogues and mosques. We look at why people -- especially millennials -- are becoming disaffected with religion, how mainstream institutions are responding (or not) to their departure, and how others are finding that the path to religion often goes through the arts much like it did centuries ago.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re exploring the world of Barbershop Harmony; from its roots in the African American community to its influence in other genres, Barbershop is an important piece of the puzzle in the American music scene. For many, Barbershop calls to mind old people, singing old songs - but ask any Barbershopper and they’ll tell you nothing can be further from the truth. For them, there is a youthful joy, a sense of family, a love for the music and the performance in a dynamic and empowering setting. And if you let them, they’ll gladly share it with you. So sit back and enjoy the sounds of Barbershop. Hopefully, we’ll ring a few chords along the way.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, the long awaited final season of Game of Thrones launched on HBO. As more than 17 million viewers dig in for one last round, some of the Nose's most dedicated fans gather to discuss what's made this series such a hit, and what they're thinking about as the show marches toward its end. GUESTS:  Rebecca Castellani - Director of operations at We Save Music. Jim Chapdelaine - Musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer Theresa Cramer - Writer and the editor of E Content Magazine Taneisha Duggan - Producing associate at Theater Works. Jacques Lamarre - Playwright and director of client services at Buzz Engine. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.  Colin McEnroe and Betsy Kaplan contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Engineers at Ford are working hard toward a breakthrough: A car that runs on tears! Okay, maybe not, but they really should be. Why? Because people cry in cars, a lot! Whether it's a sad song playing on the radio, passing a cemetary where a loved one is buried, or simply releasing the stress of a long, hard day, the car is one of the few places that offer the privacy and intimacy necessary for a good cry. And it's not just crying that happens in cars. Awkward, sometimes difficult conversations of all manner happen in cars every day. From bad first dates, to couples breaking up, to parents talking birds and bees with their kids, cars seem somehow perfectly designed to be emotional spaces. So what is it about cars that allow us to be so vulnerable? How, while surrounded by windows on all sides, do we manage to shroud ourselves in the illusion of privacy? On today's show we talk with psychologists and self professed car-cryers to explore this very phenomenon.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It could be argued that you will never understand yourself if you don’t understand the universe. And the universe is full of both beautiful and scary things. At least once, something has come roaring out of the skies to reconfigure completely life on earth. So it might be a good idea to study the heavens. If it’s a clear night, we’ll have telescopes outdoors, but one of the many misconceptions about astronomy is that it’s entirely visual. There are blind astronomers and ways to “hear” the stars. One way or another, we’re going to blow your mind.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between November of 2016 and June of 2018, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) saw it's membership jump from 5,000 to over 40,000.  This hour we'll explore what socialism means today, and why the ideology is having a resurgence. Plus, why are more young people getting involved in the movement? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The significance of being confirmed as Connecticut's first African-American state Supreme Court chief justice last May didn't fully sink in for Richard A. Robinson until a class of mostly minority students recently showed up to the Hartford court building for a tour. Robinson came down from his office to give a presentation to the children packed in the courtroom gallery. "You would have thought Barack Obama had walked in," he recalls during our initial call leading to today's show. "You could just sense a change in the room." The class wanted to know when his portrait would be going up on the wall next to the all-white chief justices who served before him. Robinson says he believes he opened many young eyes to how bright their futures could become. Robinson's goals as the new head of the Connecticut Judicial Branch center around working toward a time when everyone who enters a courthouse's doors, regardless of their background, is confident they will receive equal justice under the law. In his spare time, he's a 4th-degree black belt in the Tang Soo Do martial arts. He's also fluent in Middle English. We talk to him about his life as chief justice and how he got there.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is country music? If you ask Billboard, it’s definitely not Lil Nas X’s viral sensation, and the number one song in America, “Old Town Road”. The song, which was also remixed with country star Billy Ray Cyrus, has country themes, vibes, and sounds country, but Billboard booted it off their country charts.  Still, Lil Nas X, Cyrus, and a big swath of the country love the song regardless of its genre and can’t stop lip-singing to it on social media. Today, The Nose hops on the “Old Town Road”. Plus, we cover the HBO series Barry. SNL alum Bill Hader co-created the series and he also stars, directs and writes the show. Hader plays Barry Berkman, a contract killer who is attempting to leave that life behind him while pursuing his new passion, acting. But he keeps killing people. This week the series was picked up for season three, so HBO definitely likes it. Today, the Nose takes on season two. Finally, we tackle Lucky Lee’s restaurant in New York.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's much more to vending machines than those tasty, preservative-laden treats temptingly lined up on display behind the glass casing. Today we take a magical voyage to find out what these snack dispensers tell us about how we live, what we value, our stresses, and our restraints. Along the way, we check in with a local author and Hartford Courant columnist who devoured one of each snack in her workplace vending machine one afternoon without being rushed to the hospital. We discuss their role in the nation's obesity epidemic, and why they rarely offer healthy eating choices. We discover the fascinatingly strange (warm corn chowder, camouflage watches), sometimes disgusting (used women's underpants) products they pump out in Japan. And we look at what they are legally not able to offer here in Connecticut. As Yale students found out, that includes emergency contraceptives. Could self-pouring beer machines be in the state's near future? What about machine serving delicious, ready-to-eat bacon?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.