The Colin McEnroe Show

Whether you're a man or a woman, if you're of reproductive age, vasectomies matter to you.Are you a man who can't wait to get your vasectomy? Or does the very thought make you cringe? Are you a woman urging your man to get one?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian Wilson is, in many regards, the perfect musical artist for this moment. We need, for a dozen different reasons, the sweetness and sun of his best-known music. But what makes him more relevant is that undercurrent of melancholy which grew more and more prominent as his music grew less commercial. Who in 2017 does not identify with "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times," a song he wrote and recorded 51 years ago?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a rebroadcast of our February 17, 2016 show on hearts. February is heart awareness month.Heart disease is still the biggest killer in the United States, even though fewer people die from from heart attack and cardiac arrest than ever before.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democracy is so deeply rooted in American life that it’s hard to imagine another way of governing. But we may be living through through one of the most dangerous challenges to our democracy in a very long time.The challenge won’t be obvious. We may not even know it’s happening because little will change...The economy will still grow, unemployment will stay low, we’ll still speak freely and hold elections.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  At 8:30 pm on Thursday, September 8, 1966, NBC aired the premiere of a new series called "Star Trek". The episode was "The Man Trap." The star date was 1513.1, in case you're interested in that kind of thing.I am not interested in that kind of thing.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ira Glass -- host of This American Life, creator of Serial, professional dancer -- used our show as his prime example in "a principled defense of fun on public radio." And then he called the kind of failure that we aim for many days of each week "where you'll find the future."We want to know more about all that stuff.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been told to keep our mouths shut. We're not gonna do that.But where it gets complicated is that The Colin McEnroe Show... has a point of view. Colin has a point of view, and the show has a point of view, in a way that the public radio universe around us maybe isn't used to.And in a world where objectively bad things happen side-by-side with subjectively bad things seemingly every day, our job just got a whole bunch more complicated.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I find great joy in walking in the dead of winter along the river trail near my house. Everything leaves my mind as I watch the Canadian geese take flight, their wings flapping together as they lift and swoop over my head. I'm in awe of their beauty.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday night, U.S. District Judge James Robart ordered a nationwide stay on President Trump's week-old executive order barring refugees and immigrants from seven countries from entering the U.S.  His ruling was broad and did not rule on whether the order was constitutional.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Sneaky Pete" is a new show on Amazon Prime created by Bryan Cranston and David Shore (who created "House M.D."). Giovanni Ribisi plays a con man (whose name is not Pete, you see) who gets out of jail and moves to Trumbull, Conn., to live with Pete's grandparents (who are not his own grandparents, you see -- even though they don't know that). And then it gets more complicated from there.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you ever woken in the middle of the night, looked at the clock, and noticed that it's the same time you woke up the night before - and the night before that? How does your body know what time it is?  You're not sure but the passage of minutes makes you worry that if you don't get back to sleep, you'll be too tired in the morning to get your work done on time. You can't get back to sleep. The minutes are ticking. You feel the pressure of the clock bearing down on you. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's cold, snowy winter times like this that make us question why we choose to live in a place where snow, sleet, and wind define one-third of the year.  It's a great excuse to complain, but does it also make us stronger and better people?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The eugenics movement of the early twentieth century is a dark chapter in our nation's history. And while we may think of it as a practice we've long since abandoned, the truth is a bit more complicated.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Friday indefinitely barring Syrian refugees from entering the United States. He also suspended all refugee admissions for 120 days, and blocked citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries - Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Yemen - from entering the country for 90 days. Chaos ensued, lawsuits were filed, and people protested nationwide against Trump for the second time since his Inauguration. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

HBO's new limited series "The Young Pope" gives us Jude Law as the Pope. A young one, you see. On the face of it, and in its previews and trailers and such, the show seems... ridiculous? Is maybe the right word? Or maybe it just seems sort of Twin Peaksian, but set at the Vatican. Of course, ridiculous vs. Twin Peaksian is kind of a fine -- and super important -- distinction.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has been a surge of interest in the writings of Ayn Rand in the last decade, including from Republican Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, President Donald Trump and several of his cabinet picks.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The narrative goes like this: For decades, white America has increasingly been left behind. The nation's culture and politics have steadily shifted to favor minorities and immigrants over the hard working white folk struggling to stay afloat.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, it turns out the world didn't end last week.And while it might seem like the events of the last year or so are the disease, maybe they're really just the symptoms; maybe they're really just signs of the dystopia around us.But, then: Which dystopia?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump made clear on the first day of his presidency that he intends to undermine the press. He sent Press Secretary Sean Spicer to use the power of his pulpit to deliberately deceive the public about the size of the crowd at Friday's Inauguration. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Accessibility" is a word that we maybe too quickly file away as having something to do with the disabled or something like that. But it's really about "designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life."It's about seeing the world around us as for everyone, all at once.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jerks. Jackasses. A-holes. Some people are just... the worst. Aren't they? But so: Why? And what do we do about it?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inauguration Day is here. In a few short days, President Obama will transfer what remains of his power to Donald Trump. Some are elated, others afraid.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11 was likely headed for the U.S. Capitol. Had it hit its intended target and disabled - not killed -  multiple members of Congress, we wouldn't be able to look to the Constitution for answers on how to prevent the resulting chaos. It simply doesn't address it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Damien Chazelle's big musical La La Land won a record seven awards at this year's Golden Globes. The New York Times says the movie "makes musicals matter again." Colin, on the other hand, calls it "a really terrific, creative, big budget Prius commercial." The Nose gets into it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Music can be a powerful, transformative tool in the quest for social change. Protest songs are the songs associated with a particular movement. Earlier this month, Janelle Monáe and Wondaland produced the searing protest song "Hell You Talmbout." Nearly seven minutes long, it's a tribute to a long list of black men and women lost, and has been performed alongside protesters at Black Lives Matter rallies.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jaws, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones. Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan. Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. And the list goes on.Steven Spielberg is very simply the most successful filmmaker in the history of filmmaking.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been over 160 days since Donald Trump last gave a press conference. On Wednesday, as he holds his first as President-elect, questions abound regarding the type of president he'll be.Certainly Trump's cabinet picks, promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and remarks on nuclear weapons will be among the many items asked about. But whether he gives clear, informed answers rather than the off-script, stream of consciousness he's become known for remains to be seen.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever think about the people who make sure the medicine you're taking is safe for you to take? If your like most of us, probably not. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  His followers were “impressionable voters” duped by “radical doctrines and quack remedies,” claimed The Washington Post. Now that Hitler actually had to operate within a government the “sober” politicians would “submerge” this movement, according to The New York Times and Christian Science Monitor. A “keen sense of dramatic instinct” was not enough. When it came to time to govern, his lack of “gravity” and “profundity of thought” would be exposed.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kenneth Lonergan's Manchester by the Sea just won three awards at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards (which Colin attended, because he's a big fancypants) on Tuesday night. And it's nominated for five Golden Globes, including Best Picture -- Drama. So The Nose went to see what all the fuss is about.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To say virtual reality is finally here is inaccurate -- it's been here for decades. What is finally here is the right combination of low cost, high powered computing necessary for the technology to shine. And with the stage set for a revolution in how we interact with the digital world, businesses and investors are taking notice.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  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.

Molly McKew says the liberal world order of democratic values is unraveling. In its place, Vladimir Putin is building a new world order with the primary goal of weakening America and NATO. He's waging a quiet war of subversion rather than domination and we've been slow to catch on. Yet, we see it all around us in Americans loss of faith in its democratic institutions. Is a new Cold War what America needs? We're already in the war - whether we want it or not. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While basketball didn't take up residence in the White House in January 2009, the game nonetheless played an outsized role in forming the man who did, according to Sports Illustrated's Alexander Wolff, author of The Audacity of Hoop: Basketball and the Age of Obama.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clive James called Dick Cavett one of the great intellectuals who shaped the 20th century. Cavett combined wit with serious discussion for ninety-minutes each night as host of  The Dick Cavett Show, welcoming a staggering roster of cultural icons that spanned the worlds of art, culture, literature, music, and politics: Groucho Marx, Laurence Olivier, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Richard Burton, Orson Welles, Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Noel Coward, Salvador Dali, Ingmar Bergman, Mel Brooks, Mort Sahl, Angela Davis, Marlon Brando, Katherine Hepburn, Carol Burnett...the list goes on. Even today, no one comes close - not even Stephen Colbert.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the third year in a row, "Big Al" Anderson and Jim Chapdelaine sing some songs and tell some stories as we usher out 2016. Anyone in the WNPR newsrooom who isn't still home for the holidays will become for one day only, the Dankosky Tabernacle Choir and sing their hearts out after such a tumultuous year.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The octopus has always been the stuff of spine-tingling legend, like that of the Kraken, the many-armed sea monster believed to drag ships to the bottom of the sea after dining on the crew. Or  Gertie the Pus, the giant Pacific octopus that lives under the Narrows Bridge connecting Tacoma, Washington to Gig Harbor.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, an all-star panel of musicians and critics join the show to go through a painfully short list of the best jazz of the year. Will this year be vocalist-heavy? Any repeat winners, or any newcomers? Is there an overall sound to the year?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scientists say that the asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia four years ago was a rare event, unlikely to happen more than every 100 -200 years. But a research in the scientific journal Nature said the earth should expect and plan to get hit by Chelyabinsk-sized asteroids more often -  maybe every decade or two! And we thought the election was rough. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rogue One is the eighth live-action Star Wars movie. It's the first movie in the Star Wars anthology series, and its story happens between Star Wars Episodes III and IV, which is to say that it happens just before the very first Star Wars movie.Confused yet? That's okay. We'll explain.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody knows the Boy Scouts. They're the scouts who don't sell cookies. (That's the Girl Scouts.) But for more than a century the Boy Scouts have been an organization devoted to, in their own words, keeping boys "physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's election last month was the culmination of a venom-filled campaign that was nastier than almost any in recent memory. The mean-spirited comments tossed to voters eager to "lock her up" fell just shy of the malicious rhetoric coming from Thomas Jefferson's presidential campaign in 1796. Jefferson's hatchet-man called John Adams a "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  The way we listen to music has been changing for years: iPods replaced Walkmans, playlists replaced albums, and streaming services replaced shopping for music altogether. And as our listening habits have changed, so has the business of being a musician.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Voice of ​America is a U.S.- funded and independent source of news that airs in societies that don't have a free press. Last week, Congress decided to shift oversight from an independent board to one person chosen by the president. President Obama embraced the shift from an unwieldy part-time advisory board to a professional CEO. Do we trust Donald Trump, a man who has threatened to change libel laws to better control the U.S. press, with this responsibility?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In case you missed it, there was a major summit in Manhattan earlier this week, a meeting of the minds at Trump Tower: Kanye West went to see the President-elect.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If there's one thing we've never been good at, it's limiting ourselves. We eat too much junk food, watch too much T.V., and engage in all manner of self-indulgence. So why then, do we continue to adhere to the limitations of monogamy? If love is so grand, why not celebrate a lifestyle which encourages loving multiple partners?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electoral College.There's a pair of words you've maybe heard once or twice recently.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Felix Funicello walks into the historic Garde Arts Center in New London to prepare for his Monday night film class. He takes a moment to appreciate the splendor of the old building and consider the talented performers who have played at the Garde. He then climbs the staircase lined with movie posters from films as far back as 1926 to enter the production room at the top of the landing. That's where Felix finds not one, but two ghosts. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nancy Butler was first touched by God while listening to bible stories at the Methodist bible camp she attended when she was nine-years-old. By the end of the week, she was ready to give her life to God, first through through daily prayer and bible readings, later by founding one of the first inclusive evangelical churches that welcomed everyone regardless of sexual orientation.  God became the center of her life - but she kept it private from others. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My mom liked Moonlight. She compares it favorably to other movies she's liked like Brokeback Mountain. But she's not sure that she left the theater a different person from when she went in, that she was transformed by the movie, that it is transcendent.And so: Is it good enough to merely like a movie that the zeitgeist says is a masterpiece?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.