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What makes something tacky? This hour is a celebration of all things "tacky" with Rax King, author of the new book, "Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer." Plus, we look at why reality tv is sometimes tacky, and discuss the tackiest home décor.

GUESTS:
Rax King - Author of “Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer,” and co-host of the podcast “Low Culture Boil.” 
Brian Moylan - A writer, reality tv show recapper, and author of “The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives.”
Peter York - A journalist and author of “Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World’s Most Colorful Despots,” among other books. 

What makes something tacky? This hour is a celebration of all things "tacky" with Rax King, author of the new book, "Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer." Plus, we look at why reality tv is sometimes tacky, and discuss the tackiest home d&eacute;cor.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Rax King&nbsp;- Author of &ldquo;Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer,&rdquo; and co-host of the podcast &ldquo;Low Culture Boil.&rdquo;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Brian Moylan&nbsp;- A writer, reality tv show recapper, and author of &ldquo;The Housewives: The Real Story Behind the Real Housewives.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Peter York&nbsp;- A journalist and author of &ldquo;Dictator Style: Lifestyles of the World&rsquo;s Most Colorful Despots,&rdquo; among other books.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

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.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> 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 <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

The Colin McEnroe Show

A celebration of all things tacky and why "tackiness is joyfulness"

Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Belushi, John Candy, Rick Moranis.

Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Caddyshack, The Jerk, Ghost Busters, ¡Three Amigos!, Funny Farm, Spaceballs, Stripes.

We maybe didn’t properly appreciate it at the time, but the 1980s were one of the most fertile periods ever for screen comedies and screen comedians.

This hour, a look at the mavericks who shaped a whole comedy aesthetic and at some of the most popular movie comedies ever made.

GUESTS:
Nick de Semlyen: Editor of Empire magazine and the author of Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the ’80s Changed Hollywood Forever
Daniel Kalwhite: A standup comedian based in New Haven
Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of CONNetic Dance

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 contributed to this show, which originally aired July 11, 2019, in a different form.

Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, John Belushi, John Candy, Rick Moranis.
Animal House, The Blues Brothers, Beverly Hills Cop, Caddyshack, The Jerk, Ghost Busters, &iexcl;Three Amigos!, Funny Farm, Spaceballs, Stripes.
We maybe didn&rsquo;t properly appreciate it at the time, but the 1980s were one of the most fertile periods ever for screen comedies and screen comedians.
This hour, a look at the mavericks who shaped a whole comedy aesthetic and at some of the most popular movie comedies ever made.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Nick de Semlyen: Editor of Empire magazine and the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608980/wild-and-crazy-guys-by-nick-de-semlyen/">Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the &rsquo;80s Changed Hollywood Forever</a></li>
<li>Daniel Kalwhite: A standup comedian based in New Haven</li>
<li>Carolyn Paine: An actress, comedian, and dancer; she is founder, director, and choreographer of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.conneticdance.com/">CONNetic Dance</a></li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe contributed to this show, which originally aired July 11, 2019, in a different form.

Wild and crazy guys: A look at ’80s comedies

Gregg Phillips, the current head of the largest division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has said that he has teleported multiple times — including at least once to a Waffle House.

We checked, and it’s still true that we don’t have the technology for human teleportation.

At the same time, quantum teleportation is totally a thing!

This hour, a look at teleportation in science, philosophy, pop culture … and politics.

GUESTS:
Eden Gordon: A writer and editor; she writes the Ink Roads Substack
Tal M. Klein: A writer and musician and the chief marketing officer at Lakeside Software; he is the author of the novel The Punch Escrow
Nikki McCann Ramírez: A politics reporter at Rolling Stone
Eric Schwitzgebel: Distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside; he writes a Substack called The Splintered Mind

Music featured (in order):
Theme from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Dennis McCarthy as performed by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Once in a Lifetime – Talking Heads
Waffle House – Jonas Brothers
Beam Me Up – Pink
Uncle Walter – Ben Folds Five
Teleport – Baely

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.

Gregg Phillips, the current head of the largest division at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/fema-official-gragg-phillips-teleported-waffle-house-1235534828/">has said that he has teleported multiple times</a> &mdash; including at least once to a Waffle House.
We checked, and it&rsquo;s still true that we don&rsquo;t have the technology for human teleportation.
At the same time, <a href="https://www.mentalfloss.com/science/physics/is-teleportation-possible">quantum teleportation is totally a thing</a>!
This hour, a look at teleportation in science, philosophy, pop culture &hellip; and politics.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Eden Gordon: A writer and editor; she writes the&nbsp;<a href="https://inkroads.substack.com/">Ink Roads</a>&nbsp;Substack</li>
<li>Tal M. Klein: A writer and musician and the chief marketing officer at Lakeside Software; he is the author of the novel&nbsp;<a href="https://www.inkshares.com/books/the-punch-escrow">The Punch Escrow</a></li>
<li>Nikki McCann Ram&iacute;rez: A politics reporter at Rolling Stone</li>
<li>Eric Schwitzgebel: Distinguished professor of philosophy at the University of California, Riverside; he writes a Substack called&nbsp;<a href="https://eschwitz.substack.com/">The Splintered Mind</a></li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li>Theme from Star Trek:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc_0ii3SLp0">Deep Space Nine</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Dennis McCarthy as performed by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IsSpAOD6K8">Once in a Lifetime</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Talking Heads</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TasKo5HHWb4">Waffle House</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Jonas Brothers</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFYm9LKsuUo">Beam Me Up</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Pink</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWpqD3zzNpU">Uncle Walter</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ben Folds Five</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh8cYaDBC0g">Teleport</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Baely</li>
</ul>
The Colin McEnroe Show is available as a podcast on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>, <a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>, <a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Beam me up! A look at teleportation

Rope has been foundational to so much of human civilization. It's made sailing, hunting, building, and so much more, possible. This hour, we look at the history and utility and future of rope.

GUESTS:


Tim Queeney: Author of Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization, among other books


Manuel Medrano: A PhD candidate in Harvard’s History Department, who studies quipus


Tahira Reid Smith: Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Design and the Director of the REID Lab at Penn State. She is also the patented inventor of the Automatic Double Dutch Machine, and the founder of Jump Dreams, Inc.

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):


Flamingo – Kero Kero Bonito


The Last Shanty – Derina Harvey Band


Rope – Foo Fighters


Tightrope – Janelle Monae


Rope A Dope – Victor Oladipo, 2 Chainz


Double Dutch – Charity

Join the conversation on Facebook.

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!

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.

Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on October 15, 2025.

Rope has been foundational to so much of human civilization. It's made sailing, hunting, building, and so much more, possible. This hour, we look at the history and utility and future of rope.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Tim Queeney: Author of <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250346452/rope/">Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization</a>, among other books
</li>
<li>
Manuel Medrano: A PhD candidate in Harvard&rsquo;s History Department, <a href="https://medranomanuel.com/">who studies quipus</a>
</li>
<li>
Tahira Reid Smith: Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Design and the Director of the REID Lab at Penn State. She is also the patented inventor of the <a href="https://tahirareidsmith.com/">Automatic Double Dutch Machine</a>, and the founder of <a href="https://jumpdreamsinc.com/">Jump Dreams, Inc.</a>
</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY-FJvRqK0E">Flamingo</a> &ndash; Kero Kero Bonito
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugpTBrhWDss">The Last Shanty</a> &ndash; Derina Harvey Band
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbpqZT_56Ns">Rope</a> &ndash; Foo Fighters
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc">Tightrope</a> &ndash; Janelle Monae
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UdSJ-6Utcc">Rope A Dope</a> &ndash; Victor Oladipo, 2 Chainz
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpPa4e3nLyQ">Double Dutch</a> &ndash; Charity
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>.
<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/newsletters">Subscribe to The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
The Colin McEnroe Show&nbsp;is available as a podcast on&nbsp;<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-colin-mcenroe-show/id714179884">Apple Podcasts</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/0AXtqrzWounIoJyIqz003p">Spotify</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9b6b3cee-f69b-4729-a78b-181f851d80e8/the-colin-mcenroe-show">Amazon Music</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://tunein.com/podcasts/News--Politics-Podcasts/The-Colin-McEnroe-Show-p1208473/">TuneIn</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-colin-mcenroe-show-connecticut-public-lXR08dxQSM5/">Listen Notes</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode!
Our programming is made possible thanks to listeners like you. Please consider supporting this show and Connecticut Public with a donation today by visiting&nbsp;<a href="http://ctpublic.org/donate">ctpublic.org/donate</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on October 15, 2025.

A celebration of all things tacky and why "tackiness is joyfulness"

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