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.

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Friday · 50 min
A look back at more than 200 years of Frankenstein (and his monster)
There are few monsters more iconic or enduring than Frankenstein’s. From Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel to the 1931 Universal monster movie to recent adaptations from Guillermo del Toro and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Frankenstein continues to resonate with fans around the world. This hour, a look at what exactly it is that makes Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus such a lasting, terrifying work of fiction. Plus: a look at the so-called “re-animator of Bridgeport.” GUESTS: Michael Bielawa: A historian and poet and the author of several books, including Wicked New Haven and Wicked Bridgeport Sidney Perkowitz: Co-editor of Frankenstein: How a Monster Became an Icon — The Science and Enduring Allure of Mary Shelley’s Creation Eddy Von Mueller: Co-editor of Frankenstein: How a Monster Became an Icon — The Science and Enduring Allure of Mary Shelley’s Creation 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, Greg Hill, Jonathan McNicol, and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired October 31, 2017. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 50 min
From AI to student journalists, a look at election information going into the midterms
This hour: a look at where voters are getting election information, from artificial intelligence to college newspapers. Plus, are Americans stupid? GUESTS: Will Oremus: Staff writer at The Atlantic Meg Little Reilly: Managing director of the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont. Elijah Hurewitz-Ravitch: City editor at the Yale Daily News who previously covered New Haven City Hall, local politics and town-gown relations Isaac Saul is the executive editor and founder of the non-partisan, independent newsletter Tangle, which summarizes the best arguments from the right and left on the big political news of the day Music featured (in order): Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder Fish ‘n’ Chip Paper – Elvis Costello Dirty Computer – Janelle Monae, Brian Wilson Newspaper Reporter – Watermelon Slim & The Workers Jimmy Brown The Newsboy – Mac Wiseman Your Mind Is On Vacation – Van Morrison Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday · 50 min
Our healthcare system doesn't work. Is insurance reform the cure?
Healthcare, and the Affordable Care Act, is poised to play a major role in the upcoming midterm elections. But how did it get its start here in the US? And what might major healthcare reform look like nowadays? This hour, we'll explore the origins of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. Plus, a look at the state of employer-provided health insurance. GUESTS: Elisabeth Rosenthal: Senior contributing editor at KFF Health News and the author of An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. Ian Coss: Host of “The Big Dig” podcast from GBH News. Its most recent season is “Mitt & Ted, a healthcare story”. Music featured (in order): Doctor Wu – Steely Dan Pills – Bo Diddley I Need a Doctor – The Nields Rock and Roll Doctor – Little Feat Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu – Huey “Piano” Smith Don’t Let Us Get Sick – Warren Zevon Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday · 48 min
Does democracy have a design problem?
This hour we talk with experts in ballot design about how to put together a ballot that's accessible to everyone, and all of the things to keep in mind, from font size to the length of candidate's names. Plus, a look at the evolution of ballots throughout history. GUESTS: Whitney Quesenbery: Chief program officer of the Center for Civic Design Alicia Cheng: Head of Design at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and author of This is What Democracy Looked Like: A Visual History of the Printed Ballot 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. Colin McEnroe, Frankie Devevo, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on October 31, 2024. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Monday · 49 min
All Calls: I wish Byron Eddie-cucha-catcha-cama-tosta-nana-tosta-noka-samma-camma-wacky-brown was my uncle
We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to lanternflies, international travel, election monitoring, Brazil, rude tourists, healthcare costs … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Choro – Vince Guaraldi, Bola Sete DJs com Lula (Lula Lá no Funk (O Pai Tá On) / Sem Medo de Ser Feliz) – DJ Mam, Lucio K, DJ Fábio ACM, Felipe Cordeiro, Waldo Squash, Vinimax, et al. Being Honest (Acoustic) – Jamestown Revival Confused – Ensemble MidtVest, Teitur Lassen Casual Crime – Lyn Lapid Go-To Girl – Vanisha Gould As Time Goes By – Bruce Cockburn Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 23 · 49 min
The Nose looks at ‘You Can See Everything’
Note: This episode contains spoilers for You Can See Everything. You Can See Everything is a three-hour experimental documentary (quasi-documentary?) directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim. It is Fielder’s feature directing debut and the second feature directed by Oppenheim that premiered the weekend of September 5, 2026 (the first was Primetime). It ostensibly follows Elizabeth Holmes and her partner, Billy Evans, in the last days before Holmes reported to federal prison in May, 2023, to serve her 135-month sentence for her convictions on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. It opened in limited theatrical release last weekend and grossed $15.6 million. It is the second-best opening weekend for a documentary in history (after Fahrenheit 9/11 in 2004). You Can See Everything expands to a wide theatrical release in the U.S. today. GUESTS: David Edelstein: America’s Greatest Living Film Critic Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian and writer, and he claims to be the rightful heir to the Murray’s Hair Pomade fortune Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and a noted chiropterology journalist, among other things Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 22 · 50 min
The (so-called) dying art of dinner parties
News outlets and opinion writers have called it: The traditional dinner party is dead. But are dinner parties really so bad? Or are we just bad at hosting them? This hour, the history of dinner parties and some advice from people who turn party-hosting into an art form. GUESTS: Rand Richards Cooper: Fiction writer, contributing editor at Commonweal, and the restaurant critic for the Hartford Courant Nandita Godbole: Author of several cookbooks including Masaleydaar: Classic Indian Spice Blends; she also writes the blog Curry Cravings Julia Skinner: Culinary historian and food writer whose work includes the book Our Fermented Lives 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 October 26, 2023. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 21 · 50 min
The other Dan Sullivan: Name doppelgängers and cases of mistaken identity
Do you share a name with someone more famous then you? Is it impossible to look yourself up on the internet? Are you the least famous "Alexa"? Then you have a “name doppelgänger”! This hour, we explore cases of shared names, from the many Dan Sullivans dotted across Alaska to the federal “no fly list”. GUESTS: Laura Wattenberg: Naming expert, author of The Baby Name Wizard, and the creator of namerology.com. Matt Viser: Staff writer at The Atlantic. Darryl Campbell: Aviation correspondent at The Verge and author of the book “Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software”. Music featured (in order): You and I – Stevie Wonder 27 Jennifers – Mike Doughty Call Me By Your Name – Sophie Castillo 3 Dan’s – Starboi Ebrima North to Alaska – Johnny Horton I’m Not That Guy – David Saint Val Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 20 · 49 min
Exploring the landscapes and legacy of painter Frederic Church
Painter Frederic E. Church was born in 1926 on Temple Street, Hartford. In the 200 years since then, his paintings have travelled the world and helped define American art. This hour, we'll speak with Victoria Johnson, author of a biography all about Church. Plus, we’ll be joined by Betsy Kornhauser, former curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to explore Church’s current legacy. GUESTS: Victoria Johnson is a professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College and the author of “Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World”. Elizabeth Kornhauser is Senior Curator and Chair of the Frederic Church Bicentennial Committee at The Olana Partnership. She is Curator Emerita at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and former Chief Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Music featured (in order): String Quartet No. 12, “American”: IV. Finale – Antonin Dvorak, as performed by the Cleveland Quartet Color and Light – Sunday in the Park with George OBC Everytime I See River – Van Morrison When I Paint My Masterpiece – Emmylou Harris Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell Painter Song – Norah Jones 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 Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on June 23, 2026. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 19 · 50 min
All Calls: Euell Gibbons wrote "Ozymandias" –– everybody knows that
We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to parenting, poison ivy, papal missives, lake scum, oligarchy, cerebral atrophy … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Water – Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band Click Clack Symphony – RAYE, Hans Zimmer Dreamer’s Holiday – Champian Fulton Coyote Summer – Aesop Rock, Blockhead, Hanni El Khatib The Music Never Stopped – Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble Lasso the Moon – Ashe The Greatest Show on Earth – U2 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 16 · 40 min
The Nose looks at ‘The Social Reckoning’ and ‘War’
The Social Reckoning is the fourth movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. It’s his follow-up to The Social Network, and it stars Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Bill Burr, with Jeremy Strong this time playing Mark Zuckerberg. And: War is a legal drama anthology series created by George Kay, who also created Hijack and Lupin, among other things. Its first season covers a high-stakes celebrity divorce, and it stars Dominic West, Sienna Miller, Pip Torrens, Nick Mohammed, Celia Imrie, and more. GUESTS: Mercy Quaye: Founder and president of The Narrative Project Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and a noted chiropterology journalist, among other things Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Music featured (in order): In the Hall of the Mountain King (from The Social Network) – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross Why Are You on Facebook? – Van Morrison The Sharing Song – Jack Johnson oh baby (edit) – LCD Soundsystem The End – Nancy Sinatra See You On The Radio – Grayson Hugh Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 15 · 42 min
A (Paul) Winter’s Tale
This hour, we’re joined in studio by seven-time Grammy Award-winning local musician Paul Winter. Winter is known for his annual solstice concerts and his “earth music," which features music from around the world, as well as the sounds of animals like wolves, whales, or wood thrushes. You can find details about his Winter Solstice Celebrations around New England here. GUEST: Paul Winter: Saxophonist, composer, and bandleader of the Paul Winter Consort 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, Dylan Reyes, and Isaac Moss contributed to this show, which originally aired on November 21, 2025. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 14 · 42 min
A look at the quiet power of the Schuyler sisters, Eliza and Angelica
You may know the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Elizabeth (and Peggy!), from Hamilton. But the musical just scratches the surface of their fascinating lives. This hour, Amanda Vaill joins us to talk about her new book, Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution. GUEST: Amanda Vaill: Author, journalist and screenwriter. Her newest book is Pride and Pleasure: The Schuyler Sisters in an Age of Revolution MUSIC FEATURED (in order): Symphonie en ré (Presto) – André-Modeste Grétry The Schuyler Sisters – Hamilton Burn – Hamilton Helpless – Hamilton Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story – Hamilton 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. Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired December 17, 2025. Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting ctpublic.org/donate. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 13 · 42 min
Exploring our “gerontocracy” with Samuel Moyn
Samuel Moyn joins us to talk about how older people are hoarding political power and resources, what that means for all of us, and how we could forge a new path with better representation for people of all ages. GUESTS: Samuel Moyn: Kent Professor of Law and History at Yale University. His latest book is Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth — and What to Do About It Music featured (in order): End Of The Line – The Traveling Wilburys Old Folks Boogie – Little Feat It Was a Very Good Year – Frank Sinatra Ballad of the Sad Young Men – Shirley Bassey When You Are Old – Gretchen Peters NEW BLOOD – ZAYDE WOLF Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 12 · 42 min
All calls: Custom Hobo is the name of my fashion line
We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to oil prices, land acknowledgements, cybernetic limbs, blank checks, talking to strangers … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Save Your Love For Me – Steven Feifke Big Band, Alita Moses My Life Story of Love – Steve Wonder Proof of Love – Lau Noah, Michael League Hear Me Now – Wynonna, Iron & Wine Champagne – Remi Wolf Feels Like Forever – Evangeline, Vulfmon TOGIAIM – Joy Oladokun 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, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 9 · 50 min
The Nose looks at ‘Tony’ and ‘Ted Lasso: Season Four’
This hour, The Nose looks at two current bits of pop culture with men’s names that start with the letter T: Tony is the fifth movie co-written and directed by Matt Johnson and the second released commercially this year. It is kind of vaguely a biopic, coming-of-age dramedy about Anthony Bourdain. It stars Dominic Sessa, Emilia Jones, Stavros Halkias, Leo Woodall, and Antonio Banderas. And: The fourth season of Ted Lasso just ended this week. It is a reboot/refresh/restart of the Apple TV sports dramedy that originally ran for three seasons from 2020 to 2023. The Season Four premiere was the biggest launch for an Apple TV series. GUESTS: Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian and writer who claims to be the rightful heir to the Murray’s Hair Pomade fortune Carolyn Paine: An actress and comedian; she’s the founder and director of CONNetic Dance and the creative producer and choreographer for The Bushnell’s Digital Institute Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College Gene Seymour: A “writer, professional spectator, pop-culture maven, and jazz geek,” and he writes the That Gene Seymour Substack Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University Music featured (in order): The Parting Glass – boygenius, Ye Vagabonds Magic Mountain – Eric Burton and War Brain – The Action Kansas City – The New Basement Tapes Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) – The Specials See You On The Radio – Grayson Hugh Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 8 · 50 min
‘Thou mayest’: A look at ‘East of Eden’
John Steinbeck considered East of Eden to be his magnum opus. And it’s now thought of as one of the great American novels. Netflix’s new seven-part limited series adaptation is created by and co-written by Zoe Kazan. Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the classic big-screen adaptation starring James Dean. This hour, a look at Steinbeck’s epic novel, the original movie, and the new series adaptation of East of Eden. GUESTS: Joel Baden: Professor of Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast Susan Shillinglaw: Professor emerita of English at San Jose State University, where she was director of the University’s Center for Steinbeck Studies for 18 years; she was also director of the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas from 2015 to 2018 Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and journalist whose latest work includes the cover stories for the four most recent issues of Bat Conservation International’s Bats magazine Music featured (in order): East of Eden (Main Title) – Leonard Rosenman as performed by the London Sinfonietta under the direction of John Adams Cain and Abel – Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra Steinbeck in the Oblivion – Klint Kratzer Salinas – Laura Marling Outside of Eden – Jesca Hoop, Kate Stables, Justis Adam Lay Ybounden – The Cambridge Singers under the direction of John Ritter Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 7 · 50 min
Keeping it brief: A celebration of short stories
When was the last time you read a short story? This hour, we talk about why short stories are so popular in the classroom, but why adults don’t seem to read them much once they’re done with school. And we make the case for why you should. Plus, a look at the art of the short story with some masters of the craft. You can read Rebecca Makkai’s Substack post that inspired this show here. Here is the story that is discussed in the final segment, “How I Became a Vet” by Rivka Galchen. As part of this show we asked each of our guests to recommend a short story, a collection, or an author. Here are those recommendations: Rebecca Makkai: “The Dinner Party” by Joshua Ferris George Saunders: “The Stone Boy” by Gina Berriault, “The Conventional Wisdom” by Stanley Elkin Deborah Treisman: Liberation Day by George Saunders, After the Funeral by Tessa Hadley, “The Haunting of Hajji Hotak” by Jamil Jan Kochai Amy Bloom: “The Dead” by James Joyce, stories by Edward P. Jones, essays by Samantha Irby Irene Papoulis: “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” by ZZ Packer Brian Slattery: “Hell is the Absence of God” by Ted Chiang Colin McEnroe: “The Hole on the Corner” and “What’s the Name of That Town?” by R.A. Lafferty GUESTS: Rebecca Makkai: Author of the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-finalist The Great Believers, among other books; her newest book is I Have Some Questions For You, and she is artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago George Saunders: Author of many books including Liberation Day, A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, and Lincoln in the Bardo Deborah Treisman: Fiction editor for The New Yorker and the host of their Fiction Podcast Amy Bloom: Author whose most recent book is Blunt Instrument Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College Brian Slattery: Freelance writer and editor 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 Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 7, 2023. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 6 · 49 min
All calls: Teach your praying mantises to attack Amazon drones
We’ve been doing these shows where we don’t book any guests, where we fill the hour with your calls. And your calls have been interesting and surprising and amusing. This hour, the conversation winds around to the Connecticut gubernatorial election, nostalgia, praying mantises, heavy metal, healthcare … Anything. (Seemingly) everything. These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one. Music featured (in order): Sympathy – LUCA Oh Love – Kingfishr Skim a Stone – This Is the Kit Someone You Love – Tiny Habits How Come – Charlotte Dos Santos Season of the Witch – Alanis Morissette Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 5 · 50 min
Listen and you shall hear the lore and legend of Paul Revere
What do you know about silversmith Paul Revere besides that he borrowed a horse to warn American colonists that the British troops were coming? If Revere had help, why is he the only rider taught in History classes throughout America? We talk with Kostya Kennedy about his book, ‘The Ride,’ and learn the story behind a man—and an act on horseback—that was, “deeper and richer than previously assumed.” Plus, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow scholar Christoph Irmscher joins with an appreciation of Longfellow’s famous poem, ‘Paul Revere’s Ride.' And we learn what it's like to retrace Revere's route from journalist, Jenna Russell. GUESTS: Kostya Kennedy: Author of ‘The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night that Saved America’ Christoph Irmscher: Distinguished Professor of English at Indiana University. He is a 2026 Guggenheim Fellow and the author of The Poetics of Natural History and Longfellow Redux Jenna Russell: New England bureau chief for The New York Times. Jenna documented her drive of Paul Revere's route, which took twice as long in Boston traffic. Music featured (in order): William Tell Overture (Finale) – Gioachino Rossini, as conducted by Myung-whun Chung and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra Paul Revere – Johnny Cash Ride Your Pony – Paul Revere and the Raiders One If By Land – Paul Burch The British Are Coming – Weezer Paul Revere – Louis Prima, Keely Smith 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. Colin McEnroe, Lily Tyson and Dylan Reyes contributed to this episode, which originally aired on May 7, 2026. Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donate See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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