The Colin McEnroe Show

New York magazine's Will Leitch has called ESPN's new documentary "O.J.: Made in America" a masterpiece, and he thinks it'll be "the only thing this country's going to be talking about" as it airs next week. The Nose has already seen it, and it's all we're going to be talking about this week.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, we do a Song of the Summer show. It always makes people angry. There is no evidence that it has ever made people happy. A lot of it has to do with the way we define the term. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

"Hamilton," the wildly popular musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda, will likely win several Tony Awards this weekend for changing the form of musical theater from what most of us perceive it to be. He uses rap lyrics that challenge what we think we know about the founding of our nation.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Between orthodoxy and cultism exists a narrow divide; a proving ground of public opinion where spirited groups vie for entry into the hallowed halls of true religion. Few are more firmly planted in this place than the Jehovah's Witnesses.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There has never been a time in the last ten presidential cycles when voters have disliked two presidential front-runners as much as they dislike Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Yes, the country is becoming increasingly polarized, but that doesn't explain why the candidates aren't well-liked by their respective parties.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Simon's 13th solo studio album, Stranger to Stranger, is out on Friday. It has apparently been gestating for going on four years, and it's full of Harry Partch's microtonal instruments like cloud chamber bowls and the chromelodeon. Dean Drummond's zoomoozophome even makes an appearance. At the same time, the album is pretty rockin' and fun.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How do we define intelligence? Where does it come from, and what roles do genetics and environment play in its development? We live in a world that values different types of intelligence subjectively -- and we watch as those values shift in accordance with changing cultural attitudes. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron Darling won a World Series. He was a Major League All-Star and a Gold Glove winner. He pitched a record-setting eleven hitless innings in an NCAA playoff game at Yale Field. He threw 2,742 and one-third professional innings over 15 professional seasons, winning 157 professional games.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Krista Tippett must know something. After all, she's been hosting a show -- originally called Speaking of Faith and now called On Being -- for about 15 years. She talks to the wisest of the wise and the sagest of the sage, about matters of existence, transcendence, and, you know, what does it all mean? What kind of universe is this anyway?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian Maria Bamford's new Netflix single-camera sitcom, "Lady Dynamite," premiered last Friday. And it's... odd. It's surreal. It's sad. It's a comedy that's very much about mental illness and loneliness and anxiety. And it's a comedy that's very much about itself too.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us have heard that our bodies need eight cups of water every day to stay healthy and hydrated. Some think that's the minimum we should drink to prevent the chronic dehydration that doesn't trigger the usual warnings of dryness, like thirst.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man who once walked on the moon, and helped America define itself as a leader in space travel is now out with a new book. It reads half as a memoir, and  half as a motivational speech to the next generation of explorers who he hopes will carry on America's legacy. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the more than six years that it's been on the air, we've never taken The Colin McEnroe Show to the Peabody Museum before. (Crazy, right?) And: In the more than six years that it's been on the air, we've never done a Colin McEnroe Show about dinosaurs before. (Crazy! Right!?)Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Governor Lowell Weicker says the Republican Party no longer embraces the ideals of prudent financial governance and social conscience that once defined them.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rio 2016 Olympics are set to start in less than three months’ time. But Brazil’s Zika outbreak is worse than we thought. And there’s ongoing political unrest. And Rio’s water supply comes with an extra helping of “trash and contamination.” What to do? Postpone the games? Move them? Both?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flash fiction goes by many names: micro-fiction, nano-fiction, short-shorts, and with the emergence of Twitter-fiction; twiction and twisters have also entered the fray. Whatever you choose to call it one thing's for sure: these pint-sized tales often punch way above their weight.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colin has a "pet" raccoon that visits his porch. The raccoon will press her tiny paw up against the outstretched palm of Colin's significant other, which rests on the indoor side of the glass. Eventually, the raccoon gets a bit of food because "she" is too cute to resist. The pleased raccoon now visits on a regular basis. Colin fears this cannot end well.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, this show comes with a trigger warning.We talk about things people eat, and some of those things are not for the squeamish. This is a conversation about disgust, and specifically, how our reflexive response of disgust may get in the way of things we probably need to think about doing.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Reporters at The Washington Post noted that Donald Trump has a history of calling reporters under the guise of phantom spokespersons named John Barron and John Miller. He uses the guise to share the wonderful things he's been up to, or depending on how you look at it, to spin his bad press into something more golden, especially his relationships with women he believes are attracted to him. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Friday, "Captain America: Civil War" debuted in theaters. It is the inaugural film in 2016's summer movie season. It's also the third Captain America picture. And people are calling it The Avengers 2.5. It is the first movie in Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, of which it is the thirteenth film. Some people are choosing sides, declaring allegiance to one "team" or another. Some people just want to know if Bucky got his plums.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wilhelm Reich was a once promising psychoanalyst and scientist under the guidance of Freud in pre-World War II Europe. He promoted "sexual revolution" to support his belief that sexual repression was linked to the bodily and societal ills of neurosis and fascism.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Rieff isn't against the lessons of remembrance, but he believes it shouldn't be the only morally-sanctioned option. Forgetting may be the better choice.David Rieff isn't against the lessons of remembrance, but he believes it shouldn't be the only morally-sanctioned option. Forgetting may be the better choice.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rather than me ham-handedly trying to summarize Stephen Metcalf's Slate cover story, "Donald Trump, Baby Boomer," read his thesis below.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does it mean to say that someone, or something, is ugly? For a label that gets tossed around so often, its meaning is hard to pin down. Perhaps that's because, throughout history and around the world, our notions of ugliness have shifted considerably.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This hour, the Nose does its best to tackle four full topics.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's easy to see how this year's polarized political climate has split conservatives, but how has it affected conservative talk radio? Those that listen can tell you: The once unified voices of these daytime talkers are beginning to show signs of a deep divide.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is not so well known, as it should be, that this federal gem [John Adams], this apostle of the parsons of Connecticut, is not only a repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, and an unprincipled oppressor, but that he is, in private life, one of the most egregious fools upon the continent. It is not so well known, as it should be, that this federal gem [John Adams], this apostle of the parsons of Connecticut, is not only a repulsive pedant, a gross hypocrite, and an unprincipled oppressor, but that he is, in private life, one of the most egregious fools upon the continent. He went on to "enquire by what species of madness America submitted to accept, as her president, a person without abilities, and without virtues."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During Connecticut's 2014 gubernatorial election, Republican candidate Tom Foley chose a failing paper mill in Sprague as the "stage" upon which he'd blame the Malloy administration's economic policies on the mill's demise. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a kind of idiocy about the way the White House Correspondents Dinner is, conceptually, a Feast of Fools with a comedian as Lord of Misrule, a night when decorum is suspended, comedy rules, etc. And then D.C. never goes all-in. The crowd doesn’t laugh, and then there’s this post-mortem in which interested parties pull organs out of the comedy set and weigh them on political scales and try to make something out of them. The whole city should sign a disarmament pact or just stop doing this thing.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We plan to spend upwards of half of this hour unpacking Beyonce's new visual album, Lemonade. And we will barely have gotten the wrapper off by the time we're done.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tragedy of the Commons follows the theory that people can't be trusted to take care of common property without degrading it or taking more than their fair share of resources. This idea was popularized by William Forster Lloyd, who published a pamphlet in 1833 using cow herders to prove that people couldn't be trusted to share our common resources wisely. He believed property should be owned privately.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From scientists to fiction writers, conspiracy theorists to theologians, aliens have captured the imagination of us all. But as we ponder the possibilities, let us pause to ask ourselves why. Why do these yet-to-be-found creatures from space occupy such a central role in the musings of so many? And should their existence be confirmed, what will it mean for us on Earth? While none can say for sure, there's certainly no shortage of ideas. From a peaceful first contact to doomsday scenarios of all sorts, the possibilities are endless. This hour, we speak with a scientist, a science fiction writer and a professor of theology about their thoughts on "E.T." GUESTS: Paul Davies - Regent Professor of physics at Arizona State University, where he directs the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science; author of The Fifth Miracle: The Search for the Origin and Meaning of Life Lee Billings - Editor at Scientific American and author of Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars Brian Trent - Award winning science fiction writer and lecturer from Waterbury, including for Analog, COSMOS, and Fantasy and Science Fiction; author of Rahotep Celia Deane-Drummond - Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University, and author of Wonder and Wisdom: Conversations in Science, Spirituality, and Theology MUSIC: “Two Little Men In A Flying Saucer”by Ella Fitzgerald “Starman” by David Bowie “Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft”by The Carpenters Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Primary Day in Connecticut and I'm excited about it.For the first time in a long time, Connecticut voters feel they have a say in which candidate moves on to the general election in November, most of whom spent time speaking to voters in Connecticut this weekend.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The effect of a declining middle class is everywhere -- the medically uninsured or underinsured, the heroin epidemic, declining life expectancy for middle-aged white men, flat wages, weakened unions -- the list goes on and on.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His Royal Badness died yesterday. He was 57.This hour, an appreciation of Prince.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everybody loves a bulldozer. In fact, we all grew up loving bulldozers, didn't we? From "Benny the Bulldozer" to Katy and her big snow, from all the Tonka toys to all the die cast model Caterpillars, the bulldozer is more of an icon in American popular culture than we maybe realize.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petry wrote a column a few years ago asking if poetry was still vital enough to change anything. Poets and poetry lovers reacted strongly, sending recommendations to enlighten her and encourage her to "get out more." Petry says that column haunts her more than anything she’s ever written, enough to follow it up with a defense - and an olive branch.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most cities would be thrilled to have a major or minor-league sports franchise come to town. It will bring crowds and new business and prosperity, right? Colin talks with panelists about the benefits, history, and costs of professional sports in Hartford.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year's presidential race is exposing the vast disconnect between candidates and voters,  the inadequacy of the two-party system, and the overall breakdown of our political system.  Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last weekend, the new Starz series "The Girlfriend Experience" premiered on cable and dropped in its entirety online. The always grumpy Richard Brody called it "an artistic as well as an epistemological disaster," but he blamed all of that directly on "the rigid format of serial television."Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you like spoilers? Hate them? Whether it involves sports, television, books or movies, has a spoiler ruined something for you? Enhanced it? Do you practice spoiler etiquette?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

History and literature are filled with their antics. From the Renaissance's Triboulet to Shakespeare's Feste from "Twelfth Night," jesters and fools have delighted us for centuries with their subversive humor and quick wit. But while comedy was their brand, there existed hardships for these characters as well.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard to improve on the poet, Rilke, who wrote, "Love consists of this, that two solitudes meet, protect, and greet each other." But did Rilke have to deal with Angry Birds and Snap Chat? Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump was considered untouchable on his way to winning the nomination to represent the Republican Party in the 2016 election -- until establishment forces let go an unrelenting assault on his candidacy.Now there's talk of revolution at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer, where the votes of superdelegates, or party loyalists, get the last word on who moves forward. The Trump campaign is warning against it.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

And after 15 seasons and 555 episodes and more than 345 Billboard chart toppers, "American Idol" is done with us. Love it or hate it, the show changed the American television business, the American reality television business, the American music business. It gave us Jennifer Hudson and Kelly Clarkson and Ryan Seacrest. And it gave us Taylor Hicks and William Hung. And Ryan Seacrest. We unpack the whole thing, the good and the bad.Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Yale and New Haven Humanism Week in New Haven, and so we thought: Hey, wait. Just what the heck is a humanism exactly anyway?And so then we thought: And what about, uh, agnosticism? Unitarianism? Universalism? Unitarian Universalism? Maybe even atheism?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Placebo treatments have been making people feel better for a long time. They've been working since long before Franz Mesmer was run out of 18th-century Vienna for "mesmerizing" a young pianist into regaining her eyesight, after all hope for a medical cure had been lost.  Doctors have long dismissed the placebo effect as inferior to conventional medical treatments that sometimes fail where placebo works well, including in surgical procedures like arthroscopy, a popular procedure that relieves the pain of arthritic knees. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As golf season begins again there are some troubling signs for the sport's future. The game of presidents past and country-clubbers around the nation is in fast decline according to analysts.  With a decrease in participation,  television ratings,  equipment sales, rounds played and courses being built, are we seeing the end of golf?Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The polling industry is in transition. Fewer people consider it their civic duty to participate -- less than ten percent today compared to 80 percent two decades ago -- and pollsters haven't yet figured out how to effectively capture public opinion using cell phones and online surveys. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I get that it's stupid April Fools' Day, and so you can't trust anything you see on the stupid Internet. Except for the Trump quotes. The Trump quotes are just as legitimate today as they are on all the other days.But so let me just make it clear right now that I'm totally serious when I say that on this edition of The Nose we talk about...Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.