... about the only thing on NPR good enough to make it without a government subsidy ...
Posted on 06/10/2012 5:38:26 AM PDT by Zakeet
It's the end of the road for "Car Talk." After 35 years on the air, Click and Clack have run out of gas, and will stop taping new shows this fall.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi have hosted NPR's most popular show for decades, but the brothers say it's "time to stop and smell the cappuccino."
The mechanic brothers started their auto advice show in Boston in 1977, and have been dishing out car tips and jokes every Saturday morning on NPR since 1987.
"We've managed to avoid getting thrown off NPR for 25 years, giving tens of thousands of wrong answers and had a hell of a time every week talking to callers," Ray said.
The Magliozzis created a niche for themselves on the radio that didn't exist before -- combining call-in comedy and cars -- and showed that public talk radio didn't have to be stuffy. It proved to be a working formula, and "Car Talk" is now on 660 stations across the country, with some 3.3 million listeners a week.
Ray, 63, and Tom, 74, answer questions from listeners about cars, and so much more, with their signature humor and Boston accents, cementing their status as unlikely comic icons.
[Snip]
A goodbye message on their website, titled "Time to Get Even Lazier," says despite a personal mantra of "Don't be afraid of work, make work afraid of you," they've decided they can't commit to the show any longer.
"My brother has always been 'work-averse,'" Ray said. "Now, apparently even the one hour a week is killing him."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
... about the only thing on NPR good enough to make it without a government subsidy ...
Dang. Guess I’ll have to find some chores to do on Saturday morning, or not!
I used to listen to them some a few years ago.
Sam’s Garage is something I get more out of. Now WVOC only runs one hour. It used to be 2 or 3 but there always seems to be a new real estate or elder care local program. I’m not saying those aren’t important but there seems to be a new one on a regular basis.
She doesn't like the Three Stooges or Marx Brothers either.
I never miss the show. Must be a guy thing.
And yet they never tried.
After all, why should they?
I thought NPR people believe that all citizens, not just New Yorkers, shouldn’t have cars and must rely on public transportation instead.
Did these guys talk mainly about Volvos & Prius’s?
No. They would also talk about VW’s and Saab’s..
They where funny, but mainly wrong as they seem to admit ;)
It was too normal a program to have on NPR anyway. Seemed out of place. /s
When I was at Johnny D’s, they came to a Riders in the Sky show. Riders had them onstage doing some comedy bits with them, and just before the brothers left the stage, Riders gave them an allegedly collectible tape of theirs. Wheen they got back to their table, one of them yelled out, “Hey, this is a Bee Gees tape!”
I never tuned into them on purpose, but would always run across them on the radio while doing weekend errands. One thing that always shined through the radio is these guys love life and are full of good humor and laughter. They’d always put a smile on your face. You can even tell in their accompanying photo.
Love Car Talk AND The Marx Bros. Not the Stooges. I’ll watch them. I do think they’re, The Stooges, are strictly a guy show. Can’t live without the former two. Don’t know what I’m gonna do without the Car Guys.
The Car Guys sort of apologize to NPR during station breaks for ysing their air time. They’re Iralian motorheads from Mass. Both educated at MIT, as well.
Check them out on your local NPR station today, they come on on Sat am and repeat on Sunday.
You’re missing out.
for ysing their air time. They’re Iralian motorheads from Mass
using; Italian
Phooey
This weeks PUZZLER:
Cop Stop Conundrum
RAY: The inspiration for this puzzler came from Jeff Jacovelli from Cyberspace, Montana.
A fellow is driving his car and gets pulled over by a cop. The cop says, “I happened to notice as you were driving by that your inspection sticker expired six months ago. I’m going to have to give you a ticket.”
The fellow replies, “You’re not going to believe this, but this is the first time that the car has been driven in seven months. You see, I was let go from my last job and while the security people were escorting me from the building I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my hip. I’ve had a pretty rough go of it, what with the surgery, the steel pins and the rehab. I’ve been home all these months. I haven’t gotten the inspection sticker because it expired while I was convalescing.
“Just yesterday I got a job offer, and I’m heading for an interview tomorrow. But I figured I better go get my inspection sticker because I knew it had expired.”
The cop seems to be buying this whole story. He says, “I do feel pretty bad for you. That’s a sad story, and I hope you get the job. But I’m going to have to see your driver’s license to make sure that that hasn’t expired.”
The fellow opens the door to the car, undoes the seatbelt, gets out and reaches for his wallet to get his driver’s license.
The cop says, “I’ll definitely need to see that license because I’m writing you a ticket.”
The car had been driven during the period of time that the fellow said it hadn’t been driven.
What did the cop see?
Think you know? Drop Ray a note!
I didn’t realize Tom was that old.
It’s a fun show, and half the time they’re not even talking about cars.
My favorite line was from the days before the politically correct emasculation of everything. Some guy had an old F100 with a six volt system and wanted to convert to a twelve volt setup. They told him to put in a 12v battey and alternator and change anything that caught fire.
PING!!
I always liked it when they veered into higher math, like trying to figure out the volume of a gas tank, and stuff. I work on Saturdays so I’d listen. The credits at the end of the show are a hoot as well.
A parent called in to ask about the comparative safety of placing a child/car seat in the center versus near the door in the back of the car.
The guys answer that the center is definitely safer.
The parent asks, ok, what if I have two kids?
The guys hesitate for a second and than both say, oh, then you put your favorite one in the middle.
But that wouldn't explain how the cop knew the car was driven during the period of time the driver said it wasn't. All I can think of is that the car probably wouldn't even start if it wasn't driven for seven months - you would need a jump start, if not a new battery. Also, the tire pressure would be low.
This is the only show I listen to on NPR. Sad to see them go.
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