Trump’s trial. AI. Online learning. Everything’s a “Pandora's Box."

This hour, we discuss the myth and the metaphor of Pandora's Box. Plus, a look at human curiosity.

GUESTS:

• Natalie Haynes: Author of six books, including the nonfiction work Pandora’s Jar, and the novels A Thousand Ships and Stone Blind. Her novel The Children of Jocasta will be re-released in October
• Maria Tatar: Professor of folklore and mythology at Harvard University. Her latest book is The Heroine with 1001 Faces
• Federico Rossano: Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California San Diego

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, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything’s felt like, and been called, a “crisis” lately.

This hour, a look at all the overuse of the term “crisis” and our collective crisis fatigue.

Plus: a crisis communicator on how to manage a crisis.

And finally, a look at the midlife crisis.

GUESTS:

• Eliah Bures: Historian of modern Europe and a senior fellow at the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Right-Wing Studies
• Barbara Bradley Hagerty: Contributing writer at The Atlantic and the author of Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife
• Molly McPherson: An expert in crisis communications and emergency management and the author of the book Indestructible: Reclaim Control and Respond with Confidence in a Media Crisis
• Christian Paz: Senior politics reporter for Vox

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, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 29, 2024.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You must have heard the term “vibe” by now, right?

We’ve heard about the vibe of the economy, the vibe of a music playlist, the vibe of a season, the vibe of a party … Plus there are vibe shifts and vibe checks.

This hour: vibes. We learn what the word really means, where it comes from, and how the internet has given it new life.

GUESTS:

• Kyle Chayka: Contributing writer for The New Yorker covering technology and culture on the Internet

• Robin James: Editor for philosophy and music at Palgrave Macmillan

• Eda Uzunlar: Freelance journalist and student at Yale University

• Ben Zimmer: Linguist, lexicographer, and the Word on the Street columnist for The Wall Street Journal

The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, 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, Taylor Doyle, Jacob Gannon, Jonathan McNicol, Cat Pastor, and Catie Talarski contributed to this show, which originally aired November 15, 2022.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we took your calls.

Topics this hour included election certification, car registration, celebrity endorsements, news radio, technology, travelling to Italy, sandwiches, and more.

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Doobie Brothers. Christopher Cross. Steely Dan. Kenny Loggins. Toto. Michael McDonald. Ambrosia. Supertramp. (The Eagles? Uh, Michael Jackson?)

Something was happening in the music world out there on the West Coast in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Something with electric pianos and slower tempos and jazz and R&B influences and hi-fi, almost crystalline production.

This hour, we take a deep dive into the smooth, soft sounds of … yacht rock.

GUESTS:

• Hollywood Steve Huey: A music critic and a cohost of the Beyond Yacht Rock and Yacht or Nyacht? podcasts
• Charly Kay: Lead and backing vocalist in the Yacht Lobsters
• David Mendelsohn: Vocalist and guitarist in the Yacht Lobsters
• Scout Raimondo: Production intern at Connecticut Public
• Gaston Raimondo: Scout’s dad
• Brian Slattery: Arts editor for the New Haven Independent and a producer at WNHH radio

This show was produced with Scout Raimondo.

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 and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired March 7, 2024.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, we look at how political campaigns use music, from the history of political jingles, to how Harris and Trump are using music in this 2024 election.

GUESTS:

• Dana Gorzelany-Mostak: Associate Professor of Music at Georgia College. She is the founder of Trax on the Trail, a website and research project that tracks and catalogs the soundscapes of US presidential elections. Her new book is Tracks on the Trail: Popular Music, Race, and the US Presidency
• Eric Kasper: Professor of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. He's the author of Don’t Stop Thinking About the Music: The Politics of Songs and Musicians in Presidential Campaigns
• Charlie Harding: Music journalist, songwriter, and producer. He is the co-creator and co-host of the podcast “Switched on Pop.” He's also an adjunct professor of music at NYU.
• Justin Patch: Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Vassar College. His new book is The Art of Populism in US Politics: Pro-Trump DIY Popular Culture

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, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barcodes are everywhere, and they helped to shape the world we live in.

This hour, a look at the history and impact of barcodes.

Plus, the rise of QR code menus and tickets and what we might gain and lose as we move away from physical objects to digital ones.

GUESTS:

• Jordan Frith: Pearce Professor of Professional Communications at Clemson University and the author of Barcode
• Bailey Sincox: Perkins-Cotsen Postdoctoral Fellow in the Princeton Society of Fellows, where she teaches and writes about early modern English literature
• Sean Willard: Menu engineer with Menu Engineers

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 and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired February 22, 2024.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going into November, we’ll be doing some shows where we talk with one guest, for the hour, who knows a lot about the election.

This hour, The New York Times’ Carlos Lozada joins us to discuss what we can learn about politics by reading. We’ll discuss Lozada’s unique lens as a reader and the state of the 2024 election.

GUEST:

• Carlos Lozada: Opinion columnist and co-host of the weekly “Matter of Opinion” podcast for The New York Times. His new book is The Washington Book: How to Read Politics and Politicians

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, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Colin McEnroe and Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.