Billboard

What does it mean for a work to be incomplete? This hour, we look at a wide span of unfinished projects, from posthumous novels to highways to nowhere.

Guests:
Alex Belth is the editor of Esquire Classic and author of the substack “Dig This with Alex Belth”
Jacob Proctor is the Gilbert and Ann Kinney New York Collector at the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art and the curator of “Best Laid Plans: Unrealized Projects from the Archives of American Art”
Ian Coss is the host of “The Big Dig” podcast from GBH News

Music featured (in order):
Our Prayer – The Beach Boys
Unfinished House – Cautious Clay
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) – The Beatles
Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
The End Has No End – The Strokes
Tea for Two – Tea for Two (1950) OST

What does it mean for a work to be incomplete? This hour, we look at a wide span of unfinished projects, from posthumous novels to highways to nowhere.
Guests:
<ul>
<li>Alex Belth&nbsp;is the editor of Esquire Classic and author of the substack &ldquo;<a href="https://alexbelth.substack.com/">Dig This with Alex Belth</a>&rdquo;</li>
<li>Jacob Proctor&nbsp;is the Gilbert and Ann Kinney New York Collector at the Smithsonian Institution&rsquo;s Archives of American Art and the curator of &ldquo;Best Laid Plans: Unrealized Projects from the Archives of American Art&rdquo;</li>
<li><a href="https://iancoss.com/about">Ian Coss</a>&nbsp;is the host of &ldquo;The Big Dig&rdquo; podcast from GBH News</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/pHghQB4-t-4">Our Prayer</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The Beach Boys</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0ARv3YXfmw">Unfinished House</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Cautious Clay</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/wNL6bd7SpDE">I Want You (She&rsquo;s So Heavy)</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The Beatles</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8P_xTBpAcY">Wichita Lineman</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Glen Campbell</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sQoX12zo-A">The End Has No End</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The Strokes</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzu-pyF7YCs">Tea for Two</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Tea for Two (1950) OST</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 unfinished projects, from literature to our roads

In April, 2010, we did a segment on the concept of the mesofact, a certain kind of data point that feels fixed even though it’s actually always slowly changing. And we’ve gone back to the idea every now and again ever since.

This hour, a look at three things about the world that changed pretty dramatically while you were thinking about other stuff.

Hey, did you know there’s a fifth ocean now? Hey, did you know that you can put hot food right into your fridge now? Hey, did you know that goldfish are actually pretty smart?

Those kinds of things.

GUESTS:
Andrea Barnes: A writer at Wirecutter covering large cleaning appliances and laundry
Liam McCabe: A writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement
Cait Newport: An associate professor at the University of Oxford, where she leads the Animal Perception and Cognition Group
Alex Tait: The Geographer at the National Geographic Society

Music featured (in order):
Things Change – Venus
It Ain’t Necessarily So – Jaimee Paul
Rock the Boat – Hues Corporation
Washing Dishes – G. Love and Special Sauce
Money for Nothing – Dire Straits
Goldfish – Fionn

In April, 2010, we did a segment on the concept of the mesofact, a certain kind of data point that feels fixed even though it&rsquo;s actually always slowly changing. And we&rsquo;ve gone back to the idea every now and again ever since.
This hour, a look at three things about the world that changed pretty dramatically while you were thinking about other stuff.
Hey, did you know there&rsquo;s a fifth ocean now? Hey, did you know that you can put hot food right into your fridge now? Hey, did you know that goldfish are actually pretty smart?
Those kinds of things.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Andrea Barnes:&nbsp;A writer at&nbsp;Wirecutter&nbsp;covering large cleaning appliances and laundry</li>
<li>Liam McCabe:&nbsp;A writer at&nbsp;Wirecutter&nbsp;covering home improvement</li>
<li>Cait Newport:&nbsp;An associate professor at the University of Oxford, where she leads the Animal Perception and Cognition Group</li>
<li>Alex Tait:&nbsp;The Geographer at the National Geographic Society</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H36FEJSKnGA">Things Change</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Venus</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxQnE6Zd7Fk">It Ain&rsquo;t Necessarily So</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Jaimee Paul</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKr9wZpjBqE">Rock the Boat</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Hues Corporation</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na5m-M6H_oQ">Washing Dishes</a>&nbsp;&ndash; G. Love and Special Sauce</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTP2RUD_cL0">Money for Nothing</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Dire Straits</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIpdwApgJS0">Goldfish</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Fionn</li>
</ul>

Even a fact has a half-life

A study shows that AI chatbots often engage in sycophantic behavior. Just like some humans. This hour, we take a look at sycophants in literature and in politics. And we talk about sycophancy and artificial intelligence.

GUESTS:


Mark Parker: Professor Emeritus of English at James Madison University and co-author of Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy


Virginia Heffernan: Writes a regular column for The New Republic and the Substack “Magic + Loss.” She is co-host of the podcast “Omnishambles”


Malihe Alikhani: Assistant Professor at Northeastern University’s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and a resident Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution with a focus on AI policy

Music featured (in order):


Overture to Rigoletto – Giuseppi Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmoniker


I Believe in You – Peggy Lee


Don’t Cry – Seal


You Fascinate Me So – Mabel Mercer


What You Want To Hear – Sub-Radio


Flattery – Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer

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 April 8, 2026.

A study shows that AI chatbots often engage in sycophantic behavior. Just like some humans. This hour, we take a look at sycophants in literature and in politics. And we talk about sycophancy and artificial intelligence.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Mark Parker: Professor Emeritus of English at James Madison University and co-author of <a href="https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/5030/">Sucking Up: A Brief Consideration of Sycophancy</a>
</li>
<li>
Virginia Heffernan: Writes a regular column for <a href="https://newrepublic.com/authors/virginia-heffernan">The New Republic</a> and the Substack &ldquo;<a href="https://virginiaheffernan.substack.com/">Magic + Loss</a>.&rdquo; She is co-host of the podcast &ldquo;<a href="https://virginiaheffernan.substack.com/podcast">Omnishambles</a>&rdquo;
</li>
<li>
Malihe Alikhani: Assistant Professor at Northeastern University&rsquo;s Khoury College of Computer Sciences, and a resident Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution with a focus on AI policy
</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE7UPz66MQY">Overture to Rigoletto</a> &ndash; Giuseppi Verdi, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmoniker
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt93_qGMntY">I Believe in You</a> &ndash; Peggy Lee
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_geeaWHt5zk">Don&rsquo;t Cry</a> &ndash; Seal
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGjWEsmfOOo">You Fascinate Me So</a> &ndash; Mabel Mercer
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVe4qEowsrQ">What You Want To Hear</a> &ndash; Sub-Radio
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1hsks6lv1I">Flattery</a> &ndash; Rosemary Clooney, Jose Ferrer
</li>
</ul>
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&nbsp;The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by&nbsp;The Colin McEnroe Show.
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on April 8, 2026.

Sycophancy: From Shakespeare to AI

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 — calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we’re doing another one.

In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about whatever you want to talk about. 888-720-9677.‌

Music featured (in order):
Light the Way – Leon Bridges
47th Street – Lalah Hathaway, J. Ivy
Twiggy – Remi Wolf
Sweet Surrender – Halie Loren
Inspira – Lauren Henderson, Sullivan Fortner
Back in Love – Suki Waterhouse
Reminder – Margaret Glaspy

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 &mdash; calls about grammar, gardening, long-distance dialing, autotune. Anything. Everything.
These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we&rsquo;re doing another one.
In other words: Give us a call during the 1 p.m. EDT hour about&nbsp;whatever you want to talk about.&nbsp;<a href="tel:8887209677">888-720-9677</a>.&zwnj;
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/cBQYANdjiP8">Light the Way</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Leon Bridges</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/1st8sAyYuCc">47th Street</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Lalah Hathaway, J. Ivy</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLXa1087N48">Twiggy</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Remi Wolf</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLNH9cu8xGM">Sweet Surrender</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Halie Loren</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uGgPbOnUu8">Inspira</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Lauren Henderson, Sullivan Fortner</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jLwEFJT0So">Back in Love</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Suki Waterhouse</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Koy5CJS1C10">Reminder</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Margaret Glaspy</li>
</ul>

A look at unfinished projects, from literature to our roads

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