The Colin McEnroe Show
Connecticut Public Radio
The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Dec 28, 2015 • 49min
The Sharing Economy: From Idle Assets to Billion-Dollar Businesses
It goes by many names: the sharing economy, the collaborative economy, the peer economy, just to name a few. Whatever you want to call it, one thing's for sure: this new way of doing business -- where idle assets equal big profits, and the hard-earned currency of trust comes through user reviews -- is changing the economic landscape of our country.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 24, 2015 • 50min
Why Coincidences Happen: The Psychology and Mathematics Behind Rare Events
Coincidences happen to everyon, wwhether it's hearing a song you've been thinking about all day on the radio, or running into an old acquaintance whose name recently came up in conversation. For events so seemingly unlikely, coincidences certainly have a way of happening quite often. And now, after much study, psychologists and mathematicians think they know why.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 22, 2015 • 49min
Technological Unemployment: The Facts, Fears, and Future
To the list of things you can't avoid -- death and taxes -- we now add losing your job to a machine. A worry typically reserved for those in manufacturing, automation in the workplace is now a reality of nearly all occupations, and it's only getting worse... or is it?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 22, 2015 • 49min
A Look Back at the Best Jazz of 2015
It's a yearly tradition: Jazz critic Gene Seymour releases his list of the best jazz albums of the year, and musicians Jen Allen and Noah Baerman gather 'round the table with their own picks. If you're buying a last-minute gift for a finger-poppin' hep cat, this episode will solve your problem.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 21, 2015 • 49min
Wrapping Up 2015 With "Big Al" Anderson and Jim Chapdelaine
For the second year, we welcome singer/songwriter extraordinaire "Big Al" Anderson and Emmy Award-winning producer and musician Jim Chapdelaine in studio for songs and stories.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 18, 2015 • 50min
The Force Is With The Nose
Fans are flocking to J.J. Abrams's "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in droves. The film is set to break box office records. It drew $14.1 million in Europe when it opened this week, and is expected to post world record sales of $600 million this opening weekend. Is there anyone out there who doesn't love "Star Wars"? You might be surprised. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 17, 2015 • 49min
Vin Baker's Journey from Basketball to Barista
Vin Baker was an Olympic basketball player and four-time NBA All Star. The journey from University of Hartford to professional basketball got him rich quick, but it was a lifestyle he couldn't keep up with. Baker's struggle with alcoholism is well-documented, as is the fact he blew through $100 million. He lost his home and restaurant.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 16, 2015 • 50min
The Problem of Evil
For most shows, I’d use these first paragraphs to explain why we’ve chosen to spend an hour on its particular topic. I’d remind you of events in the news. I’d site a publication date. I’d point out a trend that we’ve maybe noticed that you maybe haven’t.For today’s show, for instance, I could type a list of towns here — international towns, domestic towns, Connecticut towns — and you’d recognize them all as spots on a map that share a wound, as place names that represent a raw, unhealed sore in our shared memory.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 14, 2015 • 49min
What About Bill? Author Robert Schnakenberg Discusses Actor Bill Murray
Bill Murray has been involved with some of our favorite movies of all time: Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Moonrise Kingdom. He doesn't like managers or agents and rumor has it, once agreed to play Garfield because he thought it was a Coen Brothers film.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 13, 2015 • 50min
The Scramble: Serial, SCOTUS, and Jesus
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether the University of Texas at Austin can consider race when deciding who can come to their school. It's the second time the high court will decide this case. But like the rest of the country, the court is having a hard time talking about race without shouting at each other. Justice Scalia is making what some say are racist comments.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
