From fueling some of mankind's most violent events to inspiring your daughter's latest pop star obsession, mania has become an indispensable force in shaping our collective story. This hour we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed."

GUESTS: 
Daniel Durbin: Professor of Communication and Director of the Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the University of Southern California Annenberg School
Sarah Bilston: Professor of English at Trinity College and author of the forthcoming book, The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder & Obsession
Paul Barnes: Pianist and Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music

From fueling some of mankind's most violent events to inspiring your daughter's latest pop star obsession, mania has become an indispensable force in shaping our collective story. This hour we explore a centuries-long flower frenzy and modern-day fanaticism to uncover why we are so drawn to being "totally obsessed."
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Daniel Durbin:&nbsp;Professor of Communication and Director of the Institute of Sports, Media and Society at the University of Southern California Annenberg School</li>
<li>Sarah Bilston:&nbsp;Professor of English at Trinity College and author of the forthcoming book,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674272606">The Lost Orchid: A Story of Victorian Plunder &amp; Obsession</a></li>
<li>Paul Barnes:&nbsp;Pianist and Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music</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 look at cultural manias from Liszt and orchids to the Beatles and beyond

On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics.

Our plan is to turn that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks.

This hour, live from the Foisie Family Amphitheater at Watkinson, it’s part one of our annual holiday spectacular!

GUESTS:
Jim Chapdelaine: Guitar and vocals, The Shinolas
Atla DeChamplain: Vocals, Atla & Matt
Matt DeChamplain: Piano, Atla & Matt
Lorne Entress: Drums and vocals, The Shinolas
Latanya Farrell: Vocals
Jim Henry: Guitar and vocals, The Shinolas
Paul Kochanski: Bass and vocals, The Shinolas
Steve Metcalf: Piano
Molly Sayles: Drums, Atla & Matt
Tyler Sherman: Bass, Atla & Matt
Cynthia Wolcott: Vocals

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, Maegn Boone, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Megan Fitzgerald, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.

On the night of December 4, we went to Watkinson School in Hartford, put 11 performers together on the stage there, and let them rock their way through 27 holiday- and holiday-adjacent classics.
Our plan is to turn that two-hour performance into two radio shows over the two holiday weeks.
This hour, live from the Foisie Family Amphitheater at Watkinson, it&rsquo;s part one of our annual holiday spectacular!
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Jim Chapdelaine: Guitar and vocals,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lorneentress.com/theshinolas.html">The Shinolas</a></li>
<li>Atla DeChamplain: Vocals,&nbsp;<a href="https://atlaandmatt.com/">Atla &amp; Matt</a></li>
<li>Matt DeChamplain: Piano, Atla &amp; Matt</li>
<li>Lorne Entress: Drums and vocals, The Shinolas</li>
<li><a href="https://latanyafarrell.com/">Latanya Farrell</a>: Vocals</li>
<li>Jim Henry: Guitar and vocals, The Shinolas</li>
<li>Paul Kochanski: Bass and vocals, The Shinolas</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/people/steve-metcalf">Steve Metcalf</a>: Piano</li>
<li>Molly Sayles: Drums, Atla &amp; Matt</li>
<li>Tyler Sherman: Bass, Atla &amp; Matt</li>
<li>Cynthia Wolcott: Vocals</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, Maegn Boone, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Megan Fitzgerald, and Lily Tyson contributed to this show.

Live from Watkinson, it’s part 1 of our 2025 holiday spectacular

This hour is about self-checkout technology and its impacts. We'll debate its pros and cons, look at the history of self-service at grocery stores, and talk about the future of technology in stores.

Plus, we'll learn about the psychology of "weak ties," and the value of talking to strangers in places like the checkout aisle.

GUESTS: 


Christopher Andrews: Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology at Drew University, and author of The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy


Stew Leonard Jr.: President and CEO of Stew Leonard’s, a regional supermarket chain headquartered in Connecticut


Gillian Sandstrom: Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness at the University of Sussex 

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 Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on December 20, 2023.

This hour is about self-checkout technology and its impacts. We'll debate its pros and cons, look at the history of self-service at grocery stores, and talk about the future of technology in stores.
Plus, we'll learn about the psychology of "weak ties," and the value of talking to strangers in places like the checkout aisle.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Christopher Andrews: Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology at Drew University, and author of The Overworked Consumer: Self-Checkouts, Supermarkets, and the Do-It-Yourself Economy
</li>
<li>
Stew Leonard Jr.: President and CEO of Stew Leonard&rsquo;s, a regional supermarket chain headquartered in Connecticut
</li>
<li>
Gillian Sandstrom: Senior Lecturer in the Psychology of Kindness at the University of Sussex&nbsp;
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</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 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!
Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired on December 20, 2023.

Checking in on self-checkout

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 vultures and sky burials, President Trump’s post about Rob Reiner’s death, our show with Paul Winter, Colin as chicken salad, the multiverse … 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):
Hayloft – Mother Mother
Hypotheticals – Lake Street Dive
Vivid Light – Blood Orange
Christmas Eve Can Kill You – Andy Shauf, Madi Diz
Possibilities – Jen Allen
Anywhere – Ratboys
The Telephone Call – Kraftwerk

You can now watch our calls shows on Connecticut Public’s YouTube. Subscribe and get notified when we go live. Or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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, Eugene Amatruda, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

We&rsquo;ve been doing these shows where we don&rsquo;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 vultures and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_burial">sky burials</a>, President Trump&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/15/us/politics/trump-rob-reiner.html">post about Rob Reiner&rsquo;s death</a>, <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2025-11-21/a-paul-winters-tale">our show with Paul Winter</a>, Colin as chicken salad, <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2021-07-22/the-multiplicity-of-the-multiverse">the multiverse</a> &hellip; 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):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LvAiJYKoSM">Hayloft</a> &ndash; Mother Mother</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWFaKidyD70">Hypotheticals</a> &ndash; Lake Street Dive</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwJm1DgN2lI">Vivid Light</a> &ndash; Blood Orange</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE-cAW7qQW4">Christmas Eve Can Kill You</a> &ndash; Andy Shauf, Madi Diz</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuJ49gq2ImE">Possibilities</a> &ndash; Jen Allen</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYUMoL9FrIA">Anywhere</a> &ndash; Ratboys</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYhQVrXBgxU">The Telephone Call</a> &ndash; Kraftwerk</li>
</ul>
You can now watch our calls shows on&nbsp;<a href="https://youtube.com/live/aXVhw32HnJY">Connecticut Public&rsquo;s YouTube</a>. Subscribe and get notified when we go live. Or join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
The Colin McEnroe Show 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!
<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.
Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

A look at cultural manias from Liszt and orchids to the Beatles and beyond

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