This week’s Nose — guest hosted by writer and journalist Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at:

PLUR1BUS is a new post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller series created by Vince Gilligan. Apple TV describes its premise like this: “The most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness.” Rhea Seehorn stars as Carol, one of the few people on the planet who weren’t part of the “Joining,” an event that turned most of humanity into a — very polite — hive mind.

And: Orwell: 2 + 2 = 5 is the new documentary from Raoul Peck. Peck’s 2017 film about James Baldwin, I Am Not Your Negro, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

GUESTS:

• Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmballpodcast
• Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project
• Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

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From fueling some of mankind's most violent events to inspiring your daughter's latest pop star obsession, mania has become an indispensable force in shaping our collective story. This hour we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed."

GUESTS:

• Daniel Durbin: Professor of Communication and Director of the Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the University of Southern California Annenberg School

• Sarah Bilston: Professor of English at Trinity College and author of the book, The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder & Obsession

• Paul Barnes: Pianist and Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

This episode is produced by Angelica Gajewski. Colin McEnroe, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 1, 2025.

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This hour, Daniel G. Lugo, the new president of Trinity College in Hartford, joins us to talk about the value of higher education, his background, the challenges of leading a college at this time, and more.

GUEST:

• Daniel G. Lugo: Trinity College’s 23rd President

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We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls, calls about anything, everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

This hour, the conversation winds around to whether less is more or better, birds, the Governor's residence, Sweden, tariffs, minimalism … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):

• How Can It Be? – Skinshape
• Juligen – Just D
• Billie Jean – Vanessa Fernandez
• Brand New Me – St. Etienne, Confidence Man
• Smells Like Teen Spirit – Paul Anka
• Cocaine Jobs – Cayden Wemple
• Waters of March – Nicole Henry

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In 2014, Colin McEnroe and the playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard recorded a live conversation at The Study in New Haven. Stoppard, whom Colin considers “quite possibly the most dizzyingly proficient writer of the English tongue (who) did not grow up speaking English,” has died at the age of 88.

In appreciation of Stoppard and his work, we’re republishing their conversation with a note from Colin.

GUEST:

• Tom Stoppard is a Czech-born playwright. His most famous works include "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" and "Every Good Boy Deserves Favor." He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1998 Academy Award winning film, "Shakespeare in Love." Over the course of his career he has written for radio, television, film and stage. He' received one Academy Award and four Tony Awards for his work.

Betsy Kaplan and Chion Wolf produced the hour.

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if you just don’t really enjoy food very much? What if you’re totally fine eating the same thing every single day? What if you think food is an inefficient way to get what you need to survive?

What if, rather than eating “food,” you just mixed a white powder (that is definitely not made of peoplebecause it’s made of soy protein isolate instead) with water and drank that in food’s place?

This hour: a look at what you might call the non-foodie movement and the “powdered food” meal replacement product that is Soylent.

GUESTS:

• Carmen Baskauf: Former producer for Where We Live on Connecticut Public Radio
• Chris Prosperi: Co-owner and chef of Metro Bis in Simsbury, Connecticut
• Maryam Siddiqi: Lifestyle editor at The Globe and Mail
• Christina Troitino: A Forbes contributor who covers the business and future of food and agriculture

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

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Colin McEnroe, Carlos Mejia, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired June 5, 2019.

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This hour: recipes.

We talk with someone who makes recipes found on gravestones, and we consider what makes an effective recipe, the history of the modern recipe, and the art of the recipe introduction.

Plus, a look at the phenomenon of pop culture cookbooks.

GUESTS:

• Dinah Bucholz: Author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook and The Unofficial Narnia Cookbook

• Rosie Grant: Posts gravestone recipes and cemetery stories on her TikTok and Instagram

• Francis Lam: Host of The Splendid Table and Editor-in-chief at Clarkson Potter

• Chandra Ram: Cookbook author and food writer

• Helen Zoe Veit: Associate Professor of History at Michigan State University

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, and Jonathan McNicol contributed to this show, which originally aired November 22, 2022.

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Snacking on snacks, savory or sweet, has become a way of life.

This hour, we sink our teeth into our snack-food obsessions.

GUESTS:

• Andrea Hernández: Founder of Snaxshot

• Julia Pistell: Freelance writer and co-founder of SeaTea Improv

• Chris Prosperi: Chef and owner of Metro Bis

• Mark Schatzker: Author of The Dorito Effect

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!

Subscribe to The Noseletter, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show, which originally aired July 25, 2022.

Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.