I bought my first CD at that Newbury comics in 1993? Whenever Cheryl Crow came out with her big hit album.
Yeah Garage is going soon. My mom used to take me Harvard sq on saturday nights in the 90s when I was a kid. I remember those days fondly. I spent most of my 20s and now 30s in Harvard Square because of those memories. (Still in 30s but late)
Boston has changed a lot since ive lived most of my life has been here. 26 out of 38 years. Part of me is sad. Part of me realizes that this is how things grow and change for future generations. Now I consider Chicago my future because its like way way cheaper. The fact that you can get 180k studio in chicago, mind blown. Chicago, amazing city, 2-2 1/2 hours by plane. Essentially the same time it takes to get to NYC on bus.
None of my friends who rent can move. None of my friends can afford to buy a place either.
When did Beat Beer Hall close down? That was my usual go to when I lived out that way. Ended up in Harvard Sq after Boston Calling and was sad to see it gone.
I was listening to some old episodes while driving, and some of the episodes were from when they had the old phone number prior to the 888-227-8255 one.
Totally killed the vibe to not hear them fumble through different variations of the number.
Such a great show. Car Talk and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me were the soundtrack to family car rides in the early 2000s.
Favorite one: They went to MIT and a listener asked if their GPAs were 4.0. They answered yes and then started laughing. Then they let on that MIT has a 5 point GPA scale.
TIL there's actually a definite answer to which one's Click and which one's Clack.
Ray lives in my neck of the woods, he came and did a talk about engineering at my elementary school, one of my most treasured childhood memories.
hes a really nice guy! he taught with my father at university years back and we used to get lunch with both of them. they were exactly like they were on the radio, i can attest none of that was acting at all. they would always tell me their riddle of the week before it came out and i would always amaze my friends by “predicting” it.
FYI: The Best of Car Talk podcast continues to be updated regularly with old episodes that are relevant to the current date/time of year. I hope NPR keeps that feed alive forever.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-of-car-talk/id253191823
We vacationed next to the home owned by Ray and his family in Dennis, MA every summer. He is awesome and his family is so nice. My dad loved sitting on the beach at sunset and talking about cars with him.
Earlier comment on another recent post about the other brother.
https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/13v4bfd/the_sphinx_at_mt_auburn_cemetary/jm47a2i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
Listening to NPR weekend mornings was an absolute joy. Car Talk, A Prairie Home Companion and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me back-to-back-to-back never failed to cheer me up.
I love that Ray keeps chugging along long after the show ended and Tommy passed. I hope I can meet him someday.
They used to have hundreds and hundreds of back episodes available to listen to on your podcast app of choice but it looks like they're mostly all gone now.
I discovered a second podcast called Archive of the Best of Car Talk which has several hundreds of episodes. I wonder if they switched hosting providers or something?
I miss that show so much. It was the soundtrack of Saturday mornings. No matter what happened in the world that week, they were there with no agenda other than to help people and have a laugh. They just spread happiness. I am grateful for Tom and Ray.
I saw his brother at a gym rehabbing an injury. I believe he had alzheimers disease, which seemed evident. He still had a great smile on his face with an added look of mischief. Listening to those guys was a lot of fun. I borrowed a set of their shows from the library and listened to it for hours while hauling my FIL's car back here from the Midwest. It was and still is a paperweight, unfortunately. Ray, I need your help!
I remember listening to the podcast in 2005 on my iPod nano, despite being in elementary school and not really a car person, I think it was a top podcast back then
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Tom (RIP) on a couple of occasions and he couldn't have been a nicer guy. He laughed like that in person too.
I listened for years. Then it got strange that all the cars were very old. They had been splicing together old shows and pretending they were new for years. I understand that one brother had Alzheimer’s or Dementia but it still seemed sleazy. I never listened again.
If I remember correctly, they were pretty transparent about the fact that they’d be using old, unaired callers once Tom’s health started to decline. I didn’t find it sleazy, I was actually thrilled to get another couple years of that show when it could have just ended. I don’t give a shout about cars, I just loved listening to them so it’s didn’t bother be that they were suddenly dealing with 1989 Dodge Darts all the time. I can see how you could have that reaction if you missed that memo though.
I distinctly recall a caller catching the brothers in a diagnostic/ repair / model spec misstatement. They quickly said, "the caller set out to catch us being wrong, and they got us". I think that was the end of live call in questions, and they rolled out the call screeners to record the worthy calls and keep trolls off the air.
I listened every week. I never saw a memo. And I remember the news stories about then trying to explain “after the fact” why they didn’t notice the audience. So I don’t know what memo you are referring to. And they is no such thing as a 1989 Dodge Dart. It had been discontinued kn 1976 and didn’t come back until the 2000’s.
Oh, no, I saw and read that. I'm just wondering why you were interpreting it as an actual memo that a radio show would have somehow posted or sent out...
At the time, the producers of the show faked that it was currently being produced. Then it was revealed that the shows were faked for several years. It was a big news story. The other person made a comment about there being a memo. I called them on it.
I was at first to, but I think about it like the question that O'Brien asks in *The Things They Carry*, is the truth of a story the objective facts told just how they happened or the truth the moral or lesson it is passing along?
I often believe the latter. Good story telling needs a little artistic license.
I just went to the website and found one of their old shows. That banjo opening really takes me back. Hearing Tom and Ray again, wow, it's just like no time has passed at all.
“Write your answer on the back of a $20 bill and mail it to.." Car Talk Plaza Box 3500 Hahhvid Square Cambridge (our fair city!) MA 02338
RIP where their office was in Harvard Square. It was above Curious George store if I remember correctly (please correct me if im wrong)
Yeah, they shared an office with the venerable law firm, Dewey, Cheetham & Howe! https://charliehalloween.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-10/p1283745502-4.jpg
Fwiw the Dewey Cheetham & Howe sign still hangs in the window
I last saw Harvard Square about 18 years ago. Looking around on google street view I recognize very little.
Goodbye garage soon
WHAT??? I’m still mourning Harvard Provision Company.
I bought my first CD at that Newbury comics in 1993? Whenever Cheryl Crow came out with her big hit album. Yeah Garage is going soon. My mom used to take me Harvard sq on saturday nights in the 90s when I was a kid. I remember those days fondly. I spent most of my 20s and now 30s in Harvard Square because of those memories. (Still in 30s but late) Boston has changed a lot since ive lived most of my life has been here. 26 out of 38 years. Part of me is sad. Part of me realizes that this is how things grow and change for future generations. Now I consider Chicago my future because its like way way cheaper. The fact that you can get 180k studio in chicago, mind blown. Chicago, amazing city, 2-2 1/2 hours by plane. Essentially the same time it takes to get to NYC on bus. None of my friends who rent can move. None of my friends can afford to buy a place either.
[удалено]
Omgggg the ihop closed for all of 4 hours max. I love that one. Now they cant get staff.
When did Beat Beer Hall close down? That was my usual go to when I lived out that way. Ended up in Harvard Sq after Boston Calling and was sad to see it gone.
:(
Boston architecture over the last 20 years has big Medical Center vibes and it’s very sad.
I watched the fucking Stata Center metastasize from the cursed earth right across the street at Akamai.
I miss that place :(
That’s 1-888-227-8255 hello you’re on cah talk.
888-double two-78-2-double five
I was listening to some old episodes while driving, and some of the episodes were from when they had the old phone number prior to the 888-227-8255 one. Totally killed the vibe to not hear them fumble through different variations of the number. Such a great show. Car Talk and Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me were the soundtrack to family car rides in the early 2000s.
Same!
*02238 (It's burned into my brain and can hear it so clearly.)
Can’t believe I mistyped that! 0-(Sonja Henie’s tutu)-38
Sonja, Henie’s, tutu!!!
I loved that radio show
You mean the show brought to you by the chair of the working mothers group Arathz mussbe draggin.
Our fact checker is Dan DeFino... the official mortuary of Car Talk is the Hadley Newham funeral home...
Our Russian chauffeur is Peekup N. Dropov
Our statistician, Marge Innovera....
Our Shakespearean barista is Kofi Anon
*Picov Andropov
Ok that makes more sense
*Erasmus B. Dragon
*Draggin
[Head of Working Mother Support Group] (https://www.cartalk.com/content/staff-credits)
My fave is "director of pavlovian research, Isabelle Ringing"
“Don’t drive like my brother!” “Don’t drive like *my* brother!”
I have fond memories of listening to that show on road trips with my husband.
Favorite one: They went to MIT and a listener asked if their GPAs were 4.0. They answered yes and then started laughing. Then they let on that MIT has a 5 point GPA scale.
TIL there's actually a definite answer to which one's Click and which one's Clack. Ray lives in my neck of the woods, he came and did a talk about engineering at my elementary school, one of my most treasured childhood memories.
hes a really nice guy! he taught with my father at university years back and we used to get lunch with both of them. they were exactly like they were on the radio, i can attest none of that was acting at all. they would always tell me their riddle of the week before it came out and i would always amaze my friends by “predicting” it.
FYI: The Best of Car Talk podcast continues to be updated regularly with old episodes that are relevant to the current date/time of year. I hope NPR keeps that feed alive forever. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-of-car-talk/id253191823
Thanks!
We vacationed next to the home owned by Ray and his family in Dennis, MA every summer. He is awesome and his family is so nice. My dad loved sitting on the beach at sunset and talking about cars with him.
Don’t forget The Horseshoe Road Inn, where their guests stayed. I always got a chuckle out of that - because I live on ….. Horseshoe Road. Really. 🤗
> The Horseshoe Road Inn ...oh my god how did I never pick up on that
Earlier comment on another recent post about the other brother. https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/13v4bfd/the_sphinx_at_mt_auburn_cemetary/jm47a2i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1&context=3
Listening to NPR weekend mornings was an absolute joy. Car Talk, A Prairie Home Companion and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me back-to-back-to-back never failed to cheer me up. I love that Ray keeps chugging along long after the show ended and Tommy passed. I hope I can meet him someday.
Man, I miss Live From Here/A Prairie Home Companion. Chris Thile was a great host.
Yes! Fun and relaxing to listen to.
They used to have hundreds and hundreds of back episodes available to listen to on your podcast app of choice but it looks like they're mostly all gone now.
I discovered a second podcast called Archive of the Best of Car Talk which has several hundreds of episodes. I wonder if they switched hosting providers or something?
The WBUR app has Car Talk and they rotate a different one in every 3 days. It’s wonderful.
Youtube has a bunch
I miss that show so much. It was the soundtrack of Saturday mornings. No matter what happened in the world that week, they were there with no agenda other than to help people and have a laugh. They just spread happiness. I am grateful for Tom and Ray.
Road Kill Cafe Menu included my favorite: *The Chicken That Didn't Cross The Road* https://www.cartalk.com/radio/letter/road-kill-cafe-menu
Their garage (Good News Garage) is still open in Cambridgeport. A friend of mine takes his car there for maintenance. They’re fantastic!
Good News Garage is a fantastic mechanic - have relied on them for years before I moved outta town.
Man I grew up in middle of nowhere PA (live here now) and my mom and I used to listen to Car Talk every week together. I loved that show
I miss Tom and Ray.
I saw his brother at a gym rehabbing an injury. I believe he had alzheimers disease, which seemed evident. He still had a great smile on his face with an added look of mischief. Listening to those guys was a lot of fun. I borrowed a set of their shows from the library and listened to it for hours while hauling my FIL's car back here from the Midwest. It was and still is a paperweight, unfortunately. Ray, I need your help!
He did, unfortunately
Woah. Nice
I remember listening to the podcast in 2005 on my iPod nano, despite being in elementary school and not really a car person, I think it was a top podcast back then
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Tom (RIP) on a couple of occasions and he couldn't have been a nicer guy. He laughed like that in person too.
[удалено]
Let's see you get bombed on PBR and do what he does
I listened for years. Then it got strange that all the cars were very old. They had been splicing together old shows and pretending they were new for years. I understand that one brother had Alzheimer’s or Dementia but it still seemed sleazy. I never listened again.
If I remember correctly, they were pretty transparent about the fact that they’d be using old, unaired callers once Tom’s health started to decline. I didn’t find it sleazy, I was actually thrilled to get another couple years of that show when it could have just ended. I don’t give a shout about cars, I just loved listening to them so it’s didn’t bother be that they were suddenly dealing with 1989 Dodge Darts all the time. I can see how you could have that reaction if you missed that memo though.
I distinctly recall a caller catching the brothers in a diagnostic/ repair / model spec misstatement. They quickly said, "the caller set out to catch us being wrong, and they got us". I think that was the end of live call in questions, and they rolled out the call screeners to record the worthy calls and keep trolls off the air.
I listened every week. I never saw a memo. And I remember the news stories about then trying to explain “after the fact” why they didn’t notice the audience. So I don’t know what memo you are referring to. And they is no such thing as a 1989 Dodge Dart. It had been discontinued kn 1976 and didn’t come back until the 2000’s.
> I never saw a memo. Well, it was a radio show...
The other responder mentioned a memo.
Where would you have expected to see an actual, physical memo?
You are not paying attention. The OTHER person said there was a memo. I didn’t.
Oh, no, I saw and read that. I'm just wondering why you were interpreting it as an actual memo that a radio show would have somehow posted or sent out...
At the time, the producers of the show faked that it was currently being produced. Then it was revealed that the shows were faked for several years. It was a big news story. The other person made a comment about there being a memo. I called them on it.
You sure got 'em.
The day I realized the laughing was edited in post I died a little inside. Still love that show
I refuse to believe this is true. I was already devastated enough when I found the “Planet Earth” sounds are largely edited.
I was at first to, but I think about it like the question that O'Brien asks in *The Things They Carry*, is the truth of a story the objective facts told just how they happened or the truth the moral or lesson it is passing along? I often believe the latter. Good story telling needs a little artistic license.
One of the few things my dad and I could genuinely talk about and enjoy with each other.
I just went to the website and found one of their old shows. That banjo opening really takes me back. Hearing Tom and Ray again, wow, it's just like no time has passed at all.