So long, Car Talk

BahamutZERO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t7cWu5imUo

Car Talk is leaving the schedule of National Public Radio, with its last regular broadcast today, Saturday, September 30th 2017. Car Talk was a car advice and humor radio show hosted by Click and Clack, the Tappet brothers (Tom and Ray Magliozzi; Tom sadly passed away in 2014), which ended production in 2012 and has been airing best-of compilation reruns since. Pour one out for this fixture of American radio for the last 40 years, brought to you by proud sponsors such as the law offices of Dewey, Cheatum and Howe, and always remember not to drive like Click's brother, and especially not like Clack's brother.

DarkPrimus

A true American institution.

Tonkka

Aw man.

NightDragon

Aww, that's sad. I used to listen to these guys all the time with my parents as a kid. Their laughter was completely infectious.

BahamutZERO

there's a complete podcast archive of some of the show on their website: https://www.cartalk.com/our-show/browse
e: or rather it looks like it's not even close to complete, oh well.

Kwoaru

Car Talk rules

It was never like appointment listening for me but whenever I was driving around on a weekend morning it was always a highlight and I'd often find myself sitting in the car long after I'd parked wherever I was going just because it was so god damn funny

There is even some car talk clips in the automobile area of the National Museum of American History!

Its a wicked bummer that saturday at 10am is gonna be filled by a news/current events show instead of the voices of these two happy boston accented guys

But their entire archive is available on the shows website so maybe I'll start listening through that, if you haven't heard an episode before you should absolutely give them a listen

Kwoaru

The finale show is just like a clip show but I sat in the car for a god damn hour and listened to it this morning, the opening story on today's show (#1739) is so good I nearly had to pull over on my trip its everything I love about listening to them

Today's episode also has clips from the times they've had their Mom on during mothers day and some of the best calls and letters they've gotten

I love the full episodes the most but the clips are still real good

BahamutZERO

Shoot it looks like it's not actually the full show archive on the site, that's too bad. Only goes back to 1987 and skips a lot of years and is clearly missing a lot of episodes within each year as well. Oh well.

exist

I always wanted to hear more actual advice and knowledge. I wish they would have goofed off less

Kwoaru

Oh dang each episode costs like a dollar, I was hoping the archive was free but I suppose it makes sense that it isn't

Well now I have an even better excuse to buy my dad some of their CD collections I guess

Fencingsax

The goofing off was 90% of the point

Javen

Aww, that's a bummer. I'm surprised they kept airing them for as long as they did after Tom died, though.

Kwoaru

Fencingsax wrote: »

The goofing off was 90% of the point

Yeah its more of a car advice themed comedy show than a comedic car advice show

But then when they did stop goofing and actually give the advice it was usually a pretty detailed answer or at the very least a solid recommendation for finding the actual problem if they weren't sure

Unless god forbid you asked them about electric breaks (also in todays show)

BahamutZERO

Javen wrote: »

Aww, that's a bummer. I'm surprised they kept airing them for as long as they did after Tom died, though.

they had stopped producing new episodes in 2012, 2 years before he passed, they were just continuing with the best-of compilation shows plan they were already doing.
I feel like Tom's health had something to do with them retiring though, since he died of alzheimer's complications.

MrMonroe

Gonna make a point of turning on the radio tomorrow morning.

MegaMan001

Man that's a shame, such a fantastic run.

There was a segment where they talked about one of the most popular questions: Why can you see those weird waves / bubbles in your rear view mirror when wearing polarized sunglasses. Neither of them had an answer even decades later?

PiptheFair

Javen wrote: »

Aww, that's a bummer. I'm surprised they kept airing them for as long as they did after Tom died, though.

it was one of their most popular shows, even in syndication

Skeith

We still have it as a podcast, at least...

edit- looks like a lot of the shows are straight up unavailable. This makes me even more salty about losing seven years worth of podcasts the last time my iTunes shat itself.

Ladai

Back when I worked for the local paper, I was the sole reporter assigned on Saturdays. During those weekend mornings, Car Talk was pretty much the only thing that got me through.

Chimera

Oh man this is almost as sad as the passing of Tom. I grew up as a kid listening to them in the car with my Dad and continued to listen to them and Garrison Keillor's PHC as long as they were on the air, even the reruns. One time when I was little my Dad took me with him to Boston and we went to Harvard Square and saw the studios. The window from the outside said "Dowe, Cheetham, & Howe" on it in gold letters which is fantastic.

Chimera

They still regularly tweet though. I really recommend checking it out, you may get into it!

https://twitter.com/cartalk/status/907699985965371392

EDIT: ....great now the OP has me listing to bluegrass again and I just can't stop. It's like I'm back living in the Ozarks all over again.

Tommy2Hands

Oh man, I am super fuckin bummed now

I just looked at the date and I guess I completely missed this

Chimera

I still think this was my favorite moment ever on the show with Tom when his wife called in to get on to him for calling her a truck.

https://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files/bestmoments/201522.mp3