This hour, author and film critic Alissa Wilkinson joins us to talk about Joan Didion, Hollywood, and how we make sense of our politics.

GUEST:
Alissa Wilkinson: Movie critic at The New York Times. Her latest book is We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine

This hour, author and film critic Alissa Wilkinson joins us to talk about Joan Didion, Hollywood, and how we make sense of our politics.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>Alissa Wilkinson:&nbsp;Movie critic at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/alissa-wilkinson">The New York Times</a>. Her latest book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alissawilkinson.com/didion-we-tell-ourselves-stories">We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine</a></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

Alissa Wilkinson on Joan Didion, Hollywood, and American mythmaking

On September 26, 2025, last year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, One Battle After Another, a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, hit wide release in theaters. And then 11 days later, on October 7, Pynchon published what might be his final novel, Shadow Ticket.

Not a bad year for an 88-year-old writer.

This hour, a look at the (maybe) reclusive Pynchon and the novels and stories he’s published, from Gravity’s Rainbow to Mason & Dixon and more.

Plus: a look at the two Paul Thomas Anderson movies that Pynchon’s work has inspired, Inherent Vice and One Battle After Another.

GUESTS:
David Cowart: Distinguished professor emeritus of English language and literature at the University of South Carolina and the author of a number of books, including Thomas Pynchon: The Art of Allusion and Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History
Ana Gavrilovska: A writer; you can find her work in Current Affairs, Uncut Magazine, Maggot Brain, and her Substack, Sick Sad Motherslug
Leonardo Goi: A journalist and film critic
Brian Slattery: A writer and musician

Music featured (in order):
Don Giovanni, K. 527: Overture – W.A. Mozart as performed by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe
The most referenced piece of music in Pynchon’s catalogue.
Gravity’s Angel – Laurie Anderson
The Royal Scam – Steely Dan
Mentioned in Bleeding Edge.
Run Straight Down – Warren Zevon
Zevon attributed this song to overdosing on Pynchon — the opening words are just carcinogenic chemicals.
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) – Bonzo Dog Band
Pynchon put out his own playlist for Inherent Vice. This was on it.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised – Gil Scott-Heron

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.

On September 26, 2025, last year&rsquo;s Best Picture Oscar winner, One Battle After Another, a loose adaptation of Thomas Pynchon&rsquo;s novel Vineland, hit wide release in theaters. And then 11 days later, on October 7, Pynchon published what might be his final novel, Shadow Ticket.
Not a bad year for an 88-year-old writer.
This hour, a look at the (maybe) reclusive Pynchon and the novels and stories he&rsquo;s published, from Gravity&rsquo;s Rainbow to Mason &amp; Dixon and more.
Plus: a look at the two Paul Thomas Anderson movies that Pynchon&rsquo;s work has inspired, Inherent Vice and One Battle After Another.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>David Cowart: Distinguished professor emeritus of English language and literature at the University of South Carolina and the author of a number of books, including Thomas Pynchon: The Art of Allusion and Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History</li>
<li>Ana Gavrilovska: A writer; you can find her work in Current Affairs, Uncut Magazine, Maggot Brain, and her Substack, <a href="https://motherslug.substack.com/">Sick Sad Motherslug</a></li>
<li>Leonardo Goi: A journalist and film critic</li>
<li>Brian Slattery: A writer and musician</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/9NSxOsb05LU">Don Giovanni, K. 527: Overture</a> &ndash; W.A. Mozart as performed by Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe The <a href="https://orbit.openlibhums.org/article/id/487/">most referenced</a> piece of music in Pynchon&rsquo;s catalogue.</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/59_42dpYCSY">Gravity&rsquo;s Angel</a> &ndash; Laurie Anderson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IU1ZdDfXTY">The Royal Scam</a> &ndash; Steely Dan Mentioned in Bleeding Edge.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Obp4vERunk0">Run Straight Down</a> &ndash; Warren Zevon Zevon attributed this song to overdosing on Pynchon &mdash; the opening words are just carcinogenic chemicals.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY-UQkI7V1s">Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)</a> &ndash; Bonzo Dog Band Pynchon put out his own playlist for Inherent Vice. This was on it.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZvWt29OG0s">The Revolution Will Not Be Televised</a> &ndash; Gil Scott-Heron</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.

Every weirdo in the world: A look at Thomas Pynchon

What is the relationship between consciousness and the divine? How are poetry and faith connected? Why write poetry? We present an hour with Colin and poet Christian Wiman live from Yale Divinity School, where they discuss poetry, consciousness, faith, awe, and whatever else is on their minds.

GUEST:


Christian Wiman: Author, editor, and translator of many books including, most recently, Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian. He is Clement-Muehl Professor of Communication Arts at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School

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, Jonathan McNicol, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Katrice Kemble, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Special thanks to Yale Divinity School and Dean Gregory Sterling, Tom Krattenmaker, Sachin Ramabhadran, Kit Heeley, and Campbell Harmon.

What is the relationship between consciousness and the divine? How are poetry and faith connected? Why write poetry? We present an hour with Colin and poet Christian Wiman live from Yale Divinity School, where they discuss poetry, consciousness, faith, awe, and whatever else is on their minds.
GUEST:
<ul>
<li>
Christian Wiman: Author, editor, and translator of many books including, most recently, <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/glimmerings-miroslav-volfchristian-wiman?variant=43822771666978">Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian</a>. He is Clement-Muehl Professor of Communication Arts at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School
</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, Maegn Boone, Jonathan McNicol, Robyn Doyon-Aitken, Katrice Kemble, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show. Special thanks to Yale Divinity School and Dean Gregory Sterling, Tom Krattenmaker, Sachin Ramabhadran, Kit Heeley, and Campbell Harmon.

An hour with poet Christian Wiman

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 meditation and the sounds of flowing water, people who listen to NPR but don’t donate, the rough weekend the president and vice president both had altering old movies, the gender fluidity (or not) of the Statue of Liberty, the Trump-as-Jesus image the Stop & Shop voice robots (and the return of Marty), unhoused veterans, the CT Lottery voice robots … 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):
I’m Not Sorry – Joe Jackson
Summer – Tasha
Bed Stuy – Destin Conrad
St. Vincent’s Hospital (Room 813) – Gabriel Kahane, Roomful of Teeth, Steven Bradshaw
Vines Will Thrive – Bucko
I Must Have That Man – Abbey Lincoln (Remastered 2026 / Mono)

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, Meg Fitzgerald, 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 meditation and the sounds of flowing water, people who listen to NPR but don&rsquo;t donate, the rough weekend the president and vice president both had altering old movies, the gender fluidity (or not) of the Statue of Liberty, the Trump-as-Jesus image the Stop &amp; Shop voice robots (and <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2026-03-09/we-take-your-calls">the return of Marty</a>), unhoused veterans, the CT Lottery voice robots &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=o3LxQx_9Px8">I&rsquo;m Not Sorry</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Joe Jackson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAP5ZGzh0D8">Summer</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Tasha</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5-QcqcMrSk">Bed Stuy</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Destin Conrad</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhCkt9eh0zE">St. Vincent&rsquo;s Hospital (Room 813)</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Gabriel Kahane, Roomful of Teeth, Steven Bradshaw</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh2OieBem5g">Vines Will Thrive</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bucko</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z8_9Jzgv_o">I Must Have That Man</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Abbey Lincoln (Remastered 2026 / Mono)</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 The Noseletter</a>, an email compendium of merriment, secrets, and ancient wisdom brought to you by The Colin McEnroe Show.
Colin McEnroe, Eugene Amatruda, Meg Fitzgerald, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

Alissa Wilkinson on Joan Didion, Hollywood, and American mythmaking

In 1 playlist(s)

The Colin McEnroe Show

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips