The Nose looks at ‘The Sheep Detectives’ and ‘Marty, Life Is Short’

The Sheep Detectives is a live-action talking animals cozy murder mystery comedy directed by Kyla Balda, whose previous movie credits are pretty much exclusively about animation. It’s based on a German-language novel, Three Bags Full, by Leonie Swann. As a PG-rated murder mystery, it’s maybe doing …

As ‘The Late Show’ ends, a look at the state of late-night comedy

Stephen Colbert’s nearly-11-year run on The Late Show comes to an end tonight. And The Late Show’s nearly-33-year run on CBS comes to an end tonight, too. This hour, as the late-night TV landscape rejiggers itself, a look at the state and future of late-night comedy. Plus: A look at the FCC’s cru…

We don't need politicians. Hélène Landemore makes the case

Do we really need politicians? What would our politics look like without them? These are some of the ideas that Yale political scientist Hélène Landemore explores in her work, including in the Connecticut Citizens’ Assembly, taking place this summer. Landemore joins us for the hour. GUEST: Hélène …

Why does "like" bother us so much?

The word "like" has been around for centuries, but it reached a new cultural prominence in the 1980s, partially thanks to Frank Zappa's song "Valley Girl." Since then, "like" has taken on a life of its own, inspiring strong emotions. This hour, we look at the meaning and evolution of "like." Plus, …

All Calls: Stop spraying your sperm-laden dust on my Subaru Outback

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 spousal knowledge, tree sperm, progressive candidates, tree sperm, hitpeople, tree sperm…

You may be wrong, but you may be right: A look at Billy Joel

Billy Joel has reportedly sold more than 160 million albums. He’s been nominated for 24 Grammy Awards (and won six of them), an Emmy, and a Tony Award (which he won). In the U.S., he’s had 33 top 40 singles and 11 top 10 albums. He’s simply one of the most popular recording artists in the history o…

The day the clowns cried: A look at ‘Circus Fire’ and the Hartford circus fire

The Hartford circus fire in 1944 was the deadliest disaster in the history of Connecticut. Our friend Jacques Lamarre (if you listen to The Nose most Fridays, you know Jacques) has written a big-deal new play about the fire and its aftermath that TheaterWorks Hartford is currently world premiering…

The intangibility of ‘good taste,' from literature to food

What does it mean to have 'good taste'? And what would it take to develop it? This hour, we talk about taste and discernment. Plus, a look at flavor and why some things taste good. GUESTS:  Henry Oliver: Writes the literary Substack “The Common Reader,” and is the author of Second Act: What Late…

All calls: deChardin will take you on a hot air balloon ride you weren’t expecting to go on

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 vertical hold, campus protests, the Catholic church, Bob’s Burgers, Luke Bronin, the fea…

What the golden age of Condé Nast can tell us about the future of magazines

Michael M. Grynbaum's book Empire of the Elite: Inside Condé Nast, the Media Dynasty That Reshaped America, traces the rise of Condé Nast's magazines. This hour Grynbaum joins us to explain how Condé Nast magazines and their editors achieved their status as cultural tastemakers, and where these mag…