News and Reviews

'Don't Drive Like My Brother': Tom Magliozzi's Biggest Hits

By Roberto Scalese and Shan Wang

Tom Magliozzi, one of public radio'southward nearly love hosts, died on Monday at age 77 due to complications from Alzheimer's. Forth with his brother Ray, he hosted "Car Talk,'' a weekend programming mainstay on NPR stations across the country.

When the show debuted in 1977, it featured quirky humor, digressive fashion, and incredibly deep noesis of motorcar repair, bringing something new to the often staid and buttoned-downward style of most other public radio programming.

Evident throughout Car Talk'due south history is just how much the brothers enjoyed their work.

In 1974, Tom and Ray opened up a do-information technology-yourself auto shop chosen Hacker's Haven in Cambridge, but "felt so sorry for most of these DIY wrecks'' that they ended up doing most of the work themselves. The DIY shop transformed into the Good News Garage, where Ray still works today. The brothers left a note on the site most the Garage's transformation over the past forty years:

"We besides have the latest test equipment and in the last few years we've embraced the 20th century by accepting credit cards and keeping computerized records. Getting our mugs onto Facebook and Twitter means we've even dipped our toes into the 21st century.

"Alas, we have not, as of yet, opened a Swiss banking company account. (That honesty thing has been a bit of a hinderance.) But, we have nearly 40 years of satisfied customers and take maintained a great staff.''

Car Talk launched on WBUR to stiff ratings, but in a 2005 Boston Earth article, the brothers joked that they were paid pennies ($100 each, per testify) by WBUR's then-Full general Managing director Jane Christo.

Ray: "Jane kept sending our tapes to Washington.''

Tom: "Aye, unfortunately they were to the State Department to have us deported.''

Tom and Ray called themselves "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers'' after the machine mechanic's term for the sound a malfunctioning valve makes. In a 1988 interview with The Boston Globe magazine, they said the nickname was also a nod to "Clif and Claf,'' who hosted a Boston sports radio show the brothers listened to in the 1970s. The 2 MIT engineering science grads — Tom in 1958, and Ray in 1973 — always poked fun only never lorded their expertiseover their listeners.

They concluded their testify the way well-nigh other radio shows exercise, past list central staff and coiffure members. But this was "Car Talk,'' where everything was done a piddling differently. The end credits swelled with the names and titles of ficticious staffers, like their Russian chauffeur "Pikov Andropov,'' client care representative "Haywood Jabuzzoff,'' and most famously, their law business firm, "Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe.''

The brothers founded their "Dewey, Cheetham & Howe'' corporation in 1989. Yous can visit the existent third-floor corporate offices of DC&H, in a higher place the Curious George store in the heart of Harvard Square, according to the Car Talk website.

In the summer of 1998, Tom and Ray were inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. According to The Boston World, their cheeky response to being honored was equally follows:

"That's not bad! Customers at our garage are going to exist really impressed now that they're beingness ripped off by hall of famers.''

In 1999, the brothers delivered the commencement address at MIT. Their memorable speech communication — which ran twice every bit long every bit scheduled — was chock total of the brand of "Click and Ballyhoo'' humor their listeners had come to know and honey:

Ray: "At present, my brother and I, L. Ron Magliozzi, are going to help you to achieve nirvana. We're going to help you to become non smarter. Smarter is no good. That's the wrong direction. Yous have spent the final 4, five, or 6 years of your life working on the wrong direction. You are sliding downwards, equally Tom Lehrer says, sliding down the razor blade of life. You are sliding down the happiness curve. You must finish this from happening and y'all must go in the other direction and nosotros are here to help yous. And, as you know, there is a process for reaching nirvana and we are going to give information technology to you now. Information technology is this: You must repeat the mantra. And the mantra, which happens to be emblazoned on our flag, which stands here — none of you morons volition be able to read information technology because it's in Latin.''

Ray: "It says: Not impediti ratione cogitatonis.''

Tom: "Which, of course, ways: Unencumbered by the thought process.''

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In 2012, Automobile Talk ended its storied 25-twelvemonth run. The brothers announced the finish of an era via a ways that didn't exist when they started their show.

"It's time to terminate and scent the cappuccino,'' the brothers said.

"The proficient news is that, despite our general incompetence, we actually remembered to hitting the "record'' button every calendar week for the last 25 years…So nosotros accept more than ane,200 programs nosotros're going to dig into starting this autumn, and the serial volition continue.''

Tom and Ray both ended the show with the aforementioned sign-off: "Don't drive like my blood brother.'' Merely millions of listeners were just happy to be forth for the ride.

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