Josephine Riesman, author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, argues that understanding WWE can help us understand President Donald Trump and his politics. This hour, we learn about WWE and its impact on Trump, and discuss the experience and appeal of watching wrestling.

GUESTS: 


Josephine Riesman: Author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America


Tim Kail: Creator of “The Work of Wrestling” website and podcast. He is also the host and producer of “The Sarah Lawrence College Podcast”

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, Meg Dalton, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 7, 2025.

Josephine Riesman, author of Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America, argues that understanding WWE can help us understand President Donald Trump and his politics. This hour, we learn about WWE and its impact on Trump, and discuss the experience and appeal of watching wrestling.
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Josephine Riesman: Author of <a href="https://josie.zone/ringmaster">Ringmaster: Vince McMahon and the Unmaking of America</a>
</li>
<li>
Tim Kail: Creator of &ldquo;<a href="https://www.workofwrestling.com/">The Work of Wrestling</a>&rdquo; website and podcast. He is also the host and producer of &ldquo;The Sarah Lawrence College Podcast&rdquo;
</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, Meg Dalton, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on March 7, 2025.

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 WWE got a chokehold on U.S. politics

Billboard

How do we begin to understand the full economic, human, and environmental impacts of war? This hour we talk with someone who is doing that math.

Plus, a look at the opportunity costs of spending on war. And, the costs of The American Revolution.

GUESTS:
Neta Crawford: Professor of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor at The Costs of War Project. She is also author of books including The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War: Charting the Rise and Fall of U.S. Military Emissions

 
Joseph Ellis: Author of fourteen books, including the Pulitzer Prize winning Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, and National Book Award winning American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson. His newest book is The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding

Music featured (in order):
The World Is A Ghetto – War
Loose Ends – Sergio Mendes, Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch
The Groom’s Still Waiting at the Altar – Bob Dylan
When the War Came – The Decemberists
Hiway 9 – Eliza Gilkyson
Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down) – Hamilton Original Broadway Cast

How do we begin to understand the full economic, human, and environmental impacts of war? This hour we talk with someone who is doing that math.
Plus, a look at the opportunity costs of spending on war. And, the costs of The American Revolution.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Neta Crawford:&nbsp;Professor of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and Co-Founder and Strategic Advisor at The&nbsp;<a href="https://costsofwar.watson.brown.edu/">Costs of War</a>&nbsp;Project. She is also author of books including&nbsp;<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262047487/the-pentagon-climate-change-and-war/">The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War: Charting the Rise and Fall of U.S. Military Emissions</a></li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Joseph Ellis:&nbsp;Author of fourteen books, including the Pulitzer Prize winning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/46098/founding-brothers-by-joseph-j-ellis-national-book-award-winning-author-of-american-sphinx/">Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation</a>, and National Book Award winning&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/46096/american-sphinx-by-joseph-j-ellis/">American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson</a>. His newest book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/740318/the-great-contradiction-by-joseph-j-ellis/">The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding</a></li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJ4USEMH_PQ">The World Is A Ghetto</a>&nbsp;&ndash; War</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/2U20JfO2wOk">Loose Ends</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Sergio Mendes, Justin Timberlake, Pharoahe Monch</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh4c4-1Ch0E">The Groom&rsquo;s Still Waiting at the Altar</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bob Dylan</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJHOiQ2uniU">When the War Came</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The Decemberists</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WwYmPVbUJY">Hiway 9</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Eliza Gilkyson</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41qJIfzaqlM">Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Hamilton Original Broadway Cast</li>
</ul>

How do we calculate the cost of war?

March Madness is here!

And so the only logical thing is to get improv comedian Julia Pistell and the actual Bill Curry together to talk basketball for an hour on the radio. For the 16th* time.

That may not be the only logical thing to do. It may be that that’s not a logical thing to do at all.

But we’re doing it anyway.

*It’s our 16th one of these, unless it isn’t. Our story is that we’ve done this every year since 2010 except for 2020 — which is to say, every year our show has been on that there actually was a March Madness tourney. And we’re pretty sure our story is true. One of those years, the show was actually about birds. But so what?

GUESTS:
Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry
Mike Pesca: Hosts the independent daily podcast The Gist
Julia Pistell: A founding member of Sea Tea Improv, among a number of other things
Elizabeth Davis: The 12th president of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina

Music featured (in order):
D-Code – Dust Devil
This Happy Madness – Frank Sinatra (ft. Antônio Carlos Jobim)
I Wish I Could Go Back To College – Avenue Q
The Paladins Song – Furman University Fight Song
Ballad of Paladin – Johnny Western
I Wish (Radio Edit) – Skee-Lo
Basketball – Kurtis Blow

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.

March Madness is here!
And so the only logical thing is to get improv comedian Julia Pistell and the actual Bill Curry together to talk basketball for an hour on the radio. For the 16th* time.
That may not be the only logical thing to do. It may be that that&rsquo;s not a logical thing to do at all.
But we&rsquo;re doing it anyway.
*It&rsquo;s our 16th one of these, unless it isn&rsquo;t. Our story is that we&rsquo;ve done this every year since 2010 except for 2020 &mdash; which is to say, every year our show has been on that there actually was a March Madness tourney. And we&rsquo;re pretty sure our story is true. One of those years, the show was actually <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2012-03-16/the-beak-electing-a-new-connecticut-state-bird-march-madness-style">about birds</a>. But so what?
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Bill Curry: Playing the part of Bill Curry</li>
<li>Mike Pesca: Hosts the independent daily podcast The Gist</li>
<li>Julia Pistell: A founding member of Sea Tea Improv, among a number of other things</li>
<li>Elizabeth Davis: The 12th president of Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/enjV3AR5Wag">D-Code</a> &ndash; Dust Devil</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmrwvFJltnI">This Happy Madness</a> &ndash; Frank Sinatra (ft. Ant&ocirc;nio Carlos Jobim)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMJ9D3lSrDg">I Wish I Could Go Back To College</a> &ndash; Avenue Q</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/F_OYb970_-M">The Paladins Song</a> &ndash; Furman University Fight Song</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/q-Av1LM3tDE">Ballad of Paladin</a> &ndash; Johnny Western</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmXZOI7cM0M">I Wish (Radio Edit)</a> &ndash; Skee-Lo</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_shxzlTRK44">Basketball</a> &ndash; Kurtis Blow</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.

March Madness 2026

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. So we did another one.

This hour, the conversation winds around to America 250, Oasis, bird songs, the SAVE Act, Trump, natural lawns … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

Music Featured (in order):
bite my tongue – wilt
won’t make it out alive – Nicole Zuraitis, Larry Goldings
Just Say You Want Me – Lo Steele
Teach Me Tonight – Ledisi
I Do, I Do – Dua Saleh
Penny In The Lake – Ratboys
We Made It – Sammy Rae and the Friends ft. CELISSE

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. So we did another one.
This hour, the conversation winds around to America 250, Oasis, bird songs, the SAVE Act, Trump, natural lawns &hellip; Anything. (Seemingly) everything.
Music Featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8zHC0a-Gg4">bite my tongue</a>&nbsp;&ndash; wilt <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bwHoMqgs6U">won&rsquo;t make it out alive</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Nicole Zuraitis, Larry Goldings</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-FfRGDA-c">Just Say You Want Me</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Lo Steele</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T04WO9HYSq4">Teach Me Tonight</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ledisi</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G3zyKKM_Ss">I Do, I Do</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Dua Saleh</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX5adLHQobY">Penny In The Lake</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ratboys</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LA69DiqAtw">We Made It</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Sammy Rae and the Friends ft. CELISSE</li>
</ul>

How WWE got a chokehold on U.S. politics

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