You know all the reasons Trump won, right?

Economic anxiety. Racial anxiety. The forgotten working class. The forgotten rustbelt...

But what if the real cause were something much simpler and much more pervasive: our popular culture.

This hour, a conversation with Peter Biskind, the author of The Sky Is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, and Superheroes Made America Great for Extremism.

You know all the reasons Trump won, right?
<a href="https://www.marketplace.org/2016/11/10/elections/economic-anxiety-key-some-trump-voters" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.marketplace.org/2016/11/10/elections/economic-anxiety-key-some-trump-voters">Economic anxiety</a>. <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/16/17980820/trump-obama-2016-race-racism-class-economy-2018-midterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/10/16/17980820/trump-obama-2016-race-racism-class-economy-2018-midterm">Racial anxiety</a>. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/upshot/why-trump-won-working-class-whites.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/10/upshot/why-trump-won-working-class-whites.html">The forgotten working class</a>. <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/how-rust-belt-delivered-trump-presidency-deep-dive-522091" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.newsweek.com/how-rust-belt-delivered-trump-presidency-deep-dive-522091">The forgotten rustbelt</a>...
But what if the real cause were something much simpler and much more pervasive: our popular culture.
This hour, a conversation with Peter Biskind, the author of <a href="https://thenewpress.com/books/sky-falling" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://thenewpress.com/books/sky-falling">The Sky Is Falling: How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, and Superheroes Made America Great for Extremism</a>.

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

How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, And Superheroes Made America Great For Extremism

This week’s Nose — guest hosted by the writer and noted bat expert Lindsay Lee Wallace — looks at:

Coyote vs. Acme is the fifth original, theatrically released feature film in the Looney Tunes franchise. It is based on the classic New Yorker humor piece by Ian Frazier about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over the continuing catastrophic failure of their products. The movie’s road to the big screen was, let’s say, a bit rocky, but it got there, and it’s now the No. 2 movie in the country.

And: Widow’s Bay is a comedy-horror series on Apple TV about a quaint island town off the coast of New England that may or may not be cursed. (Spoiler: It’s cursed.) Widow’s Bay has 19 nominations in 16 categories at this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

And finally: The Pitt is an HBO Max medical drama. Each episode covers one hour, basically in a real time, of a shift in the emergency department at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. The Pitt currently has 25 nominations in 15 Emmy categories, including Outstanding Drama Series.

GUESTS:
Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media
Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmballpodcast
Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College
Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

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.

Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

This week&rsquo;s Nose &mdash; guest hosted by the writer and noted bat expert Lindsay Lee Wallace &mdash; looks at:
Coyote vs. Acme is the fifth original, theatrically released feature film in the Looney Tunes franchise. It is based on the classic New Yorker humor piece by Ian Frazier about Wile E. Coyote suing the Acme Corporation over the continuing catastrophic failure of their products. The movie&rsquo;s road to the big screen was, let&rsquo;s say, a bit rocky, but it got there, and it&rsquo;s now the No. 2 movie in the country.
And: Widow&rsquo;s Bay is a comedy-horror series on Apple TV about a quaint island town off the coast of New England that may or may not be cursed. (Spoiler: It&rsquo;s cursed.) Widow&rsquo;s Bay has 19 nominations in 16 categories at this year&rsquo;s Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
And finally: The Pitt is an HBO Max medical drama. Each episode covers one hour, basically in a real time, of a shift in the emergency department at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. The Pitt currently has 25 nominations in 15 Emmy categories, including Outstanding Drama Series.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Sam Hadelman: Director of public relations at Dark Matter Media</li>
<li>Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmballpodcast</li>
<li>Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College</li>
<li>Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University</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>.
Eugene Amatruda contributed to this show.

The Nose looks at ‘Coyote vs. Acme,’ ‘Widow’s Bay’ and ‘The Pitt’

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 89-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, which originally aired on April 15th, 2026.

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 89-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&nbsp;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, which originally aired on April 15th, 2026.

Every weirdo in the world: A look at Thomas Pynchon

South Carolina. The clinic offered MMR vaccinations as the South Carolina Department of Health reported 876 cases of measles earlier in the week, most centered in Spartanburg County.

This hour, we look at the spread of measles in the United States. We also talk to health and science communicators who are working to tell the story of that disease in new ways.

GUESTS:
Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo: Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology
Brinda Adhikari: Award-winning executive producer, showrunner and journalist, who is Co-Host of the "Why Should I Trust You?" podcast
Teri Mills: Retired nurse educator, grandmother, and Board member and Vice President of Media for Grandparents for Vaccines

Music featured (in order):
Sickness – runo plum
Contagious – Ani DiFranco
Cat’s Got the Measles – The New Lost City Ramblers
Catch My Disease – Ben Lee
Soul Vaccination – Tower of Power
Grandma’s Hands – Bill Withers

South Carolina. The clinic offered MMR vaccinations as the South Carolina Department of Health reported 876 cases of measles earlier in the week, most centered in Spartanburg County.
This hour, we look at the spread of measles in the United States. We also talk to health and science communicators who are working to tell the story of that disease in new ways.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Dr. Jennifer Nuzzo:&nbsp;Director of the Pandemic Center at the Brown School of Public Health, and a Professor of Epidemiology</li>
<li>Brinda Adhikari:&nbsp;Award-winning executive producer, showrunner and journalist, who is Co-Host of the "<a href="https://www.whyshoulditrustyou.net/">Why Should I Trust You?</a>" podcast</li>
<li>Teri Mills:&nbsp;Retired nurse educator, grandmother, and Board member and Vice President of Media for&nbsp;<a href="https://grandparentsforvaccines.org/">Grandparents for Vaccines</a></li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yfFH1qT1B8">Sickness</a>&nbsp;&ndash; runo plum</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5wAJLiJjpM">Contagious</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ani DiFranco</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnwXABj8Is">Cat&rsquo;s Got the Measles</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The New Lost City Ramblers</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enhQYHxoNMY">Catch My Disease</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ben Lee</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/fY7CKdW6ioU">Soul Vaccination</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Tower of Power</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NCwB9J14sE">Grandma&rsquo;s Hands</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bill Withers</li>
</ul>

How Vampires, Zombies, Androids, And Superheroes Made America Great For Extremism

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