Billboard

Do you share a name with someone more famous then you? Is it impossible to look yourself up on the internet? Are you the least famous "Alexa"? Then you have a “name doppelgänger”!

This hour, we explore cases of shared names, from the many Dan Sullivans dotted across Alaska to the federal “no fly list”.

GUESTS:
Laura Wattenberg: Naming expert, author of The Baby Name Wizard, and the creator of namerology.com.
Matt Viser: Staff writer at The Atlantic.
Darryl Campbell: Aviation correspondent at The Verge and author of the book “Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software”.

Music featured (in order):
You and I – Stevie Wonder
27 Jennifers – Mike Doughty
Call Me By Your Name – Sophie Castillo
3 Dan’s – Starboi Ebrima
North to Alaska – Johnny Horton
I’m Not That Guy – David Saint Val

Do you share a name with someone more famous then you? Is it impossible to look yourself up on the internet? Are you the least famous "Alexa"? Then you have a &ldquo;name doppelg&auml;nger&rdquo;!
This hour, we explore cases of shared names, from the many Dan Sullivans dotted across Alaska to the federal &ldquo;no fly list&rdquo;.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Laura Wattenberg: Naming expert, author of The Baby Name Wizard, and the creator of <a href="https://namerology.com/">namerology.com</a>.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/author/matt-viser/">Matt Viser</a>: Staff writer at The Atlantic.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.darrylcampbell.org/">Darryl Campbell</a>: Aviation correspondent at The Verge and author of the book &ldquo;Fatal Abstraction: Why the Managerial Class Loses Control of Software&rdquo;.</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrrFNVUXDQ">You and I</a> &ndash; Stevie Wonder</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nN_5kkYR6k">27 Jennifers</a> &ndash; Mike Doughty</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4_9bC6iUoA">Call Me By Your Name</a> &ndash; Sophie Castillo</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSBAKMW80NA">3 Dan&rsquo;s</a> &ndash; Starboi Ebrima</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLONWy46gIE">North to Alaska</a> &ndash; Johnny Horton</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgv_MPLl7MA">I&rsquo;m Not That Guy</a> &ndash; David Saint Val</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

The other Dan Sullivan: Name doppelgängers and cases of mistaken identity

News outlets and opinion writers have called it: The traditional dinner party is dead. But are dinner parties really so bad? Or are we just bad at hosting them?

This hour, the history of dinner parties and some advice from people who turn party-hosting into an art form.

GUESTS:


Rand Richards Cooper: Fiction writer, contributing editor at Commonweal, and the restaurant critic for the Hartford Courant


Nandita Godbole: Author of several cookbooks including Masaleydaar: Classic Indian Spice Blends; she also writes the blog Curry Cravings


Julia Skinner: Culinary historian and food writer whose work includes the book Our Fermented Lives

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, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired October 26, 2023.

News outlets and opinion writers have called it: The traditional dinner party is dead. But are dinner parties really so bad? Or are we just bad at hosting them?
This hour, the history of dinner parties and some advice from people who turn party-hosting into an art form.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Rand Richards Cooper: Fiction writer, contributing editor at Commonweal, and the restaurant critic for the Hartford Courant
</li>
<li>
Nandita Godbole: Author of several cookbooks including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.currycravingskitchen.com/masaleydaar">Masaleydaar: Classic Indian Spice Blends</a>; she also writes the blog&nbsp;<a href="https://www.currycravings.com/">Curry Cravings</a>
</li>
<li>
Julia Skinner: Culinary historian and food writer whose work includes the book&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/julia-skinner/our-fermented-lives/9781635863833/">Our Fermented Lives</a>
</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.
Join the conversation on <a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Cat Pastor contributed to this show, which originally aired October 26, 2023.

The (so-called) dying art of dinner parties

Painter Frederic E. Church was born in 1926 on Temple Street, Hartford. In the 200 years since then, his paintings have travelled the world and helped define American art. This hour, we'll speak with Victoria Johnson, author of a biography all about Church.

Plus, we’ll be joined by Betsy Kornhauser, former curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to explore Church’s current legacy.

GUESTS:


Victoria Johnson is a professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College and the author of “Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World”.


Elizabeth Kornhauser is Senior Curator and Chair of the Frederic Church Bicentennial Committee at The Olana Partnership. She is Curator Emerita at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and former Chief Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

Music featured (in order):


String Quartet No. 12, “American”: IV. Finale – Antonin Dvorak, as performed by the Cleveland Quartet


Color and Light – Sunday in the Park with George OBC


Everytime I See River – Van Morrison


When I Paint My Masterpiece – Emmylou Harris


Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell


Painter Song – Norah Jones

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 June 23, 2026.

Painter Frederic E. Church was born in 1926 on Temple Street, Hartford. In the 200 years since then, his paintings have travelled the world and helped define American art. This hour, we'll speak with Victoria Johnson, author of a biography all about Church.
Plus, we&rsquo;ll be joined by Betsy Kornhauser, former curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to explore Church&rsquo;s current legacy.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>
Victoria Johnson is a professor of urban policy and planning at Hunter College and the author of &ldquo;Glorious Country: How the Artist Frederic Church Brought the World to America and America to the World&rdquo;.
</li>
<li>
Elizabeth Kornhauser is Senior Curator and Chair of the Frederic Church Bicentennial Committee at The Olana Partnership. She is Curator Emerita at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and former Chief Curator at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
</li>
</ul>
Music featured (in order):
<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl2P4a7kM2U">String Quartet No. 12, &ldquo;American&rdquo;: IV. Finale</a> &ndash; Antonin Dvorak, as performed by the Cleveland Quartet
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdZo0ocwt3s">Color and Light</a> &ndash; Sunday in the Park with George OBC
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06IHOvFNgos">Everytime I See River</a> &ndash; Van Morrison
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA4dsEWDtZI">When I Paint My Masterpiece</a> &ndash; Emmylou Harris
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/7cBf0olE9Yc">Both Sides Now</a> &ndash; Joni Mitchell
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/c7mgVp_vL2s">Painter Song</a> &ndash; Norah Jones
</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 June 23, 2026.

Exploring the landscapes and legacy of painter Frederic Church

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 parenting, poison ivy, papal missives, lake scum, oligarchy, cerebral atrophy … 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):


Water – Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band


Click Clack Symphony – RAYE, Hans Zimmer


Dreamer’s Holiday – Champian Fulton


Coyote Summer – Aesop Rock, Blockhead, Hanni El Khatib


The Music Never Stopped – Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble


Lasso the Moon – Ashe


The Greatest Show on Earth – U2

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, Jonathan McNicol, 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 parenting, poison ivy, papal missives, lake scum, oligarchy, cerebral atrophy &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=OHtrpHnrZNg">Water</a> &ndash; Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtVcltkn3HI">Click Clack Symphony</a> &ndash; RAYE, Hans Zimmer
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/G4arPXE54L8">Dreamer&rsquo;s Holiday</a> &ndash; Champian Fulton
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/br2IbQW1BRo">Coyote Summer</a> &ndash; Aesop Rock, Blockhead, Hanni El Khatib
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/rn43a1pVCfo">The Music Never Stopped</a> &ndash; Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/dIaiiQIcVQ4">Lasso the Moon</a> &ndash; Ashe
</li>
<li>
<a href="https://youtu.be/TUuVOW7XogA">The Greatest Show on Earth</a> &ndash; U2
</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.
Colin McEnroe, Jonathan McNicol, and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show.

The other Dan Sullivan: Name doppelgängers and cases of mistaken identity

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