Monsters are our subconscious perversions, our twisted fears realized, but what causes their creation, and how are they made? This hour, we look at fantastical creatures, terrifying beasts, and the scariest monsters of all: humans.

GUESTS:
Natalie Lawrence: Historian of science and the author of Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings
Surekha Davies: Historian of science, speaker, and monster consultant for radio, tv, and film. She writes a newsletter called “Strange and Wondrous: Notes from a Science Historian,” and is the author of books including Humans: A Monstrous History
Margery Cuyler: Author of 62 children’s books including Monster Mess, Bonaparte Falls Apart, Skeleton Hiccups, and the forthcoming Stompie the Zombie

Monsters are our subconscious perversions, our twisted fears realized, but what causes their creation, and how are they made? This hour, we look at fantastical creatures, terrifying beasts, and the scariest monsters of all: humans.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Natalie Lawrence:&nbsp;Historian of science and the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nataliejlawrence.com/books">Enchanted Creatures: Our Monsters and Their Meanings</a></li>
<li>Surekha Davies:&nbsp;Historian of science, speaker, and monster consultant for radio, tv, and film. She writes a newsletter called &ldquo;<a href="https://buttondown.com/surekhadavies?tag=websitehomepage">Strange and Wondrous: Notes from a Science Historian</a>,&rdquo; and is the author of books including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.surekhadavies.org/humans-a-monstrous-history">Humans: A Monstrous History</a></li>
<li>Margery Cuyler:&nbsp;Author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.margerycuyler.net/">62 children&rsquo;s books</a>&nbsp;including&nbsp;Monster Mess,&nbsp;Bonaparte Falls Apart,&nbsp;Skeleton Hiccups, and the forthcoming&nbsp;Stompie the Zombie</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

Monsters: A look at the real, the fake, and the friendly

The Secret Agent (O agento secreto) is a neo-noir political thriller written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. It’s set in Brazil in 1977, and it’s currently nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for its star, Wagner Moura.

And: Network is a satirical comedy-drama written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won four, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Peter Finch, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Faye Dunaway, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Beatrice Straight, and Best Original Screenplay for Chayefsky. It is one of just three movies that have ever won three of the four acting Oscars. Network celebrates its 50th anniversary later this year.

GUESTS:
Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast
Lindsay Lee Wallace: A writer and journalist covering culture, health, technology, bats, and anything else people will answer her questions about
Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

The Secret Agent&nbsp;(O agento secreto) is a neo-noir political thriller written and directed by Kleber Mendon&ccedil;a Filho. It&rsquo;s set in Brazil in 1977, and it&rsquo;s currently nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for its star, Wagner Moura.
And:&nbsp;Network&nbsp;is a satirical comedy-drama written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won four, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Peter Finch, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Faye Dunaway, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Beatrice Straight, and Best Original Screenplay for Chayefsky. It is one of just three movies that have ever won three of the four acting Oscars.&nbsp;Network&nbsp;celebrates its 50th anniversary later this year.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Shawn Murray:&nbsp;A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the&nbsp;Fantasy Filmball&nbsp;podcast</li>
<li>Lindsay Lee Wallace:&nbsp;A writer and journalist covering culture, health, technology, bats, and anything else people will answer her questions about</li>
<li>Bill Yousman:&nbsp;Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University</li>
</ul>

The Nose looks at ‘The Secret Agent’ and ‘Network’

This year’s Academy Awards will include the first-ever Oscar for Achievement in Casting. It’s the first new category in 25 years, since Best Animated Feature was added in 2001 (which inaugural award was won by Shrek).

Casting, though, is seen as kind of an illusive, inscrutable art form. We feel like we can separate out the writing and the editing and the costuming and the directing from a thing. But the cast kind of IS the thing a lot of the time, right? It’s kind of inextricable from the thing, it feels like.

This hour: a look at the art of casting.

GUESTS:
Mellini Kantayya: An actor and writer and the author of Actor. Writer. Whatever. (essays on my rise to the top of the bottom of the entertainment industry)
John Frank Levey: A four-time Emmy Award-winning casting director and the author of Right for the Role: Breakdowns, Breakups and Breakthroughs from 35 Years of Casting Iconic TV Shows
Connor Ratliff: An actor, writer, and comedian and the creator and host of Dead Eyes
Michael Schulman: A staff writer at The New Yorker and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
Overture – The Producers
Climbing Uphill – Anna Kendrick
Everybody Plays the Fool – the Main Ingredient
Audition – Jethro Tull
Broadway Baby – Ethel Shutta
Everything’s Coming Up Roses – Bernadette Peters

This year&rsquo;s Academy Awards will include the first-ever Oscar for Achievement in Casting. It&rsquo;s the first new category in 25 years, since Best Animated Feature was added in 2001 (which inaugural award was won by&nbsp;Shrek).
Casting, though, is seen as kind of an illusive, inscrutable art form. We feel like we can separate out the writing and the editing and the costuming and the directing from a thing. But the cast kind of IS the thing a lot of the time, right? It&rsquo;s kind of inextricable from the thing, it feels like.
This hour: a look at the art of casting.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Mellini Kantayya:&nbsp;An actor and writer and the author of&nbsp;Actor. Writer. Whatever. (essays on my rise to the top of the bottom of the entertainment industry)</li>
<li>John Frank Levey:&nbsp;A four-time Emmy Award-winning casting director and the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.johnfranklevey.com/book">Right for the Role: Breakdowns, Breakups and Breakthroughs from 35 Years of Casting Iconic TV Shows</a></li>
<li>Connor Ratliff:&nbsp;An actor, writer, and comedian and the creator and host of&nbsp;<a href="https://headgum.com/dead-eyes">Dead Eyes</a></li>
<li>Michael Schulman:&nbsp;A staff writer at&nbsp;The New Yorker&nbsp;and the author of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/oscar-wars-michael-schulman">Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears</a></li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KMlX0tS9go">Overture</a>&nbsp;&ndash; The Producers</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUve0ruUxBw">Climbing Uphill</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Anna Kendrick</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iexgm7khofc">Everybody Plays the Fool</a>&nbsp;&ndash; the Main Ingredient</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/kLGXjuMpKyQ">Audition &ndash; Jethro Tull</a></li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/x9DtfZIoboA">Broadway Baby</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Ethel Shutta</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIakJq_b_vE">Everything&rsquo;s Coming Up Roses</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bernadette Peters</li>
</ul>

A look at the art of casting

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 sneezing, the state of the union address, losers and losing, consciousness, Michael Pollan, local radio, possible conflict with Iran, the A.I. Brad Pitt fighting Tom Cruise video … 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):
Don’t Let The World Pass You By – Jean-Luc Ponty
S’posin’ – Champian Fulton, Bria Skonberg
Easy to Love – Jordan Rakei, Tom McFarland
Beat Yourself Up – Charlie Puth
Hard to Say – Chris Morrissey, Norah Jones
Oh Qué Será? – Willie Colon
We’re Still Here – Alan Doyle

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 sneezing, the state of the union address,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/arts-and-culture/2021-04-30/a-long-look-at-losing-and-lovable-and-loathsome-losers">losers and losing</a>, consciousness, Michael Pollan, local radio, possible conflict with Iran, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/movies/tom-cruise-brad-pitt-artificial-intelligence-seedance.html">A.I. Brad Pitt fighting Tom Cruise video</a>&nbsp;&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=SXWSdErCajg">Don&rsquo;t Let The World Pass You By</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Jean-Luc Ponty</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_eihzrlAKU">S&rsquo;posin&rsquo;</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Champian Fulton, Bria Skonberg</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBFx2JpiiBI">Easy to Love</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Jordan Rakei, Tom McFarland</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tmW_JSXHII">Beat Yourself Up</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Charlie Puth</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SevOOzFAtjk">Hard to Say</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Chris Morrissey, Norah Jones</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/FQweWAOKt0g">Oh Qu&eacute; Ser&aacute;?</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Willie Colon</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UmqpBwKUk4">We&rsquo;re Still Here</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Alan Doyle</li>
</ul>

Monsters: A look at the real, the fake, and the friendly

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