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The Nose Wipes Its Eyes, Blames the Fame, and Explores the Radio Dial

Credit Creative Donkey, Flickr Creative Commons

Last Sunday, we took a road trip into New York City, but before we left, I read Beth Boyle Machlan's New York Times essay about the joys she sometimes gets driving with her kids, and surrendering their collective eardrums to the serendipities of commercial radio. She learns some of their songs, they learn some of hers... Everybody gives up some of the fierce control we all maintain these days over what we call our "playlists."

The woman I live with is right in that camp. I offer to hook up my iPod so we can all hear the songs that we like. She likes to find things on the radio. Before hitting the state line, we had already picked up Jonathan Schwartz on WNYC -- talk about joy -- but these are really two different states of listening: one where you control everything, and one where you and the people sitting near you and a DJ on the radio all collaborate on musical moments.

Today on The Nose, we'll consider that, as well as crying in sports, and James Franco's take on how fame explains erratic behavior.

Questions or comments? Write below, email Colin@wnpr.org, or tweet @wnprcolin.

GUESTS:

  • Jim Chapdelaine is a musician, producer, composer, and recording engineer.
  • Carolyn Payne is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher who is also the co-founder of the contemporary ballet company CONNetic Dance.
  • Luis Figueroa is an associate professor of history at Trinity College.

Colin McEnroe is a radio host, newspaper columnist, magazine writer, author, playwright, lecturer, moderator, college instructor and occasional singer. Colin can be reached at colin@ctpublic.org.
Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public.
Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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