This hour, the conversation winds around to Columbus Day, Colin’s favorite joke, textures, J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie The Apprentice, food allergies, our fundraising drives … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.

These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

This hour, the conversation winds around to Columbus Day, Colin’s favorite joke, textures, <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/2024-08-14/to-the-hobbits-celebrating-the-lord-of-the-rings-and-its-enduring-appeal">J.R.R. Tolkien</a>, the movie The Apprentice, food allergies, our fundraising drives … Anything. (Seemingly) everything.
These shows are fun for us, and they seem to be fun for you, too. So we did another one.

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

All calls: Columbus Day, textures, textiles, Tolkien, and more

For many of us, handbags are an essential part of our lives. They allow us to leave the house with everything we need, and they also can be another place to show off our status or style. This hour, we look at the evolution of the handbag. We'll talk about famous "It Bags", how handbags contributed to human development, and the impact of the Walmart "Birkin."

GUESTS: 


Nancy MacDonell: Fashion journalist and fashion historian. She writes the Wall Street Journal column "Fashion with a Past.” Her new book is Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion


Hannah Carlson: Senior Lecturer in the Apparel Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. She’s also the author of Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close


Audrey Wollen: Book critic and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The New York Review of Books and other outlets. Her article “A Unified Theory of the Handbag” recently appeared in The Yale Review


Aarushi Bhandari: An Assistant Professor of Sociology at Davidson College. Her new book isAttention and Alienation

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

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 and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on June 4, 2025.

For many of us, handbags are an essential part of our lives. They allow us to leave the house with everything we need, and they also can be another place to show off our status or style. This hour, we look at the evolution of the handbag. We'll talk about famous "It Bags", how handbags contributed to human development, and the impact of the Walmart "Birkin."
GUESTS:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>
Nancy MacDonell: Fashion journalist and fashion historian. She writes the Wall Street Journal column "Fashion with a Past.&rdquo; Her new book is <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250288738/empressesofseventhavenue/">Empresses of Seventh Avenue: World War II, New York City, and the Birth of American Fashion</a>
</li>
<li>
Hannah Carlson: Senior Lecturer in the Apparel Department at the Rhode Island School of Design. She&rsquo;s also the author of <a href="https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/hannah-carlson/pockets/9781643751542/">Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close</a>
</li>
<li>
Audrey Wollen: Book critic and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, The New York Review of Books and other outlets. Her article &ldquo;<a href="https://yalereview.org/article/audrey-wollen-theory-of-handbag">A Unified Theory of the Handbag</a>&rdquo; recently appeared in The Yale Review
</li>
<li>
Aarushi Bhandari: An Assistant Professor of Sociology at Davidson College. Her new book is <a href="https://cup.columbia.edu/book/attention-and-alienation/9780231208215/">Attention and Alienation</a>
</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://facebook.com/ColinMcShow">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/colinmcshow">Twitter</a>.
The Colin McEnroe Show&nbsp;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.
Colin McEnroe and Dylan Reyes contributed to this show, which originally aired on June 4, 2025.

From totes to Birkins, handbags hold the keys to the world (along with your wallet and phone)

Marty Supreme is the first movie written and directed by Josh Safdie without his former filmmaking partner, his brother Benny Safdie. It is a sports comedy-drama-thriller about a professional ping pong player played by Timothée Chalamet, who just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy.

And: Good Night, and Good Luck.: Live on Broadway is the recorded version of the live television broadcast of the stage version of the 2005 film mostly about the production of a live television show. Like the movie, it is written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, with Clooney this time starring as Edward R. Murrow. The play was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Actor in a Play for Clooney.

GUESTS:
Xandra Ellin: Produces The Global Story for the BBC
Shawn Murray: A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the Fantasy Filmball podcast
Irene Papoulis: Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
I Have the Touch – Peter Gabriel
Change – Tears for Fears
When I Fall In Love - Georgia Heers
How High The Moon - Georgia Heers
See You On The Radio – Grayson Hugh

Marty Supreme&nbsp;is the first movie written and directed by Josh Safdie without his former filmmaking partner, his brother Benny Safdie. It is a sports comedy-drama-thriller about a professional ping pong player played by Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet, who just won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture &mdash; Musical or Comedy.
And:&nbsp;Good Night, and Good Luck.: Live on Broadway&nbsp;is the recorded version of the live television broadcast of the stage version of the 2005 film mostly about the production of a live television show. Like the movie, it is written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov, with Clooney this time starring as Edward R. Murrow. The play was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Actor in a Play for Clooney.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Xandra Ellin:&nbsp;Produces&nbsp;The Global Story&nbsp;for the BBC</li>
<li>Shawn Murray:&nbsp;A stand-up comedian, writer, and the host of the&nbsp;Fantasy Filmball&nbsp;podcast</li>
<li>Irene Papoulis:&nbsp;Taught writing for a long time at Trinity College</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/hqCwZ0rE8Yg">I Have the Touch</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Peter Gabriel</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/-kU-jz8rVzw">Change</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Tears for Fears</li>
<li>When I Fall In Love - Georgia Heers</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAn7cSvaifw">How High The Moon</a>&nbsp;- Georgia Heers</li>
<li><a href="https://soundcloud.com/swampman-1/ill-see-you-on-the-radio">See You On The Radio</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Grayson Hugh</li>
</ul>

The Nose looks at ‘Marty Supreme’ and ‘Good Night, and Good Luck.: Live on Broadway’

Are we as a population getting dumber? How would we know if we were? This hour: stupidity. We’ll look at the history and philosophy of stupidity, and explore how it shows up in our daily lives and politics.

GUESTS:
Lane Brown: Features writer for New York Magazine, who recently wrote "A Theory of Dumb"
Stuart Jeffries: Journalist and author. His new book is A Short History of Stupidity
Shannon Mancus: Teaching Professor and Associate Department Head in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Department at the Colorado School of Mines. You can follow Dr. Shan on Instagram and Substack at “Pop Smart Media”

MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
Able Sisters – Animal Crossing New Leaf OST
Manchild – Sabrina Carpenter
Dumb All Over – Frank Zappa
Get Stupid – Aston Merrygold
How Sweet to Be an Idiot – Neil Innes
Idiot Wind – Bob Dylan

Are we as a population getting dumber? How would we know if we were? This hour: stupidity. We&rsquo;ll look at the history and philosophy of stupidity, and explore how it shows up in our daily lives and politics.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Lane Brown:&nbsp;Features writer for&nbsp;<a href="https://nymag.com/author/lane-brown/">New York</a>&nbsp;Magazine, who recently wrote "<a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/american-adult-lower-iq-scores-cognitive-decline-technology-flynn-effect.html">A Theory of Dumb</a>"</li>
<li>Stuart Jeffries:&nbsp;Journalist and author. His new book is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=a-short-history-of-stupidity--9781509563494">A Short History of Stupidity</a></li>
<li>Shannon Mancus:&nbsp;Teaching Professor and Associate Department Head in the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences Department at the Colorado School of Mines. You can follow Dr. Shan on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/popsmartmedia/">Instagram</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://popsmartmedia.substack.com/">Substack</a>&nbsp;at &ldquo;Pop Smart Media&rdquo;</li>
</ul>
MUSIC FEATURED (in order):
<ul>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/ZJZX0AzS6WA">Able Sisters</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Animal Crossing New Leaf OST</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSugSGCC12I">Manchild</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Sabrina Carpenter</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8TKiRo-W4U">Dumb All Over</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Frank Zappa</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/uIJDD1Cldgc">Get Stupid</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Aston Merrygold</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weu6RozXb78">How Sweet to Be an Idiot</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Neil Innes</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ex05XUddWMk">Idiot Wind</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Bob Dylan</li>
</ul>

All calls: Columbus Day, textures, textiles, Tolkien, and more

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