'Car Talk' Co-Host Tom Magliozzi Dies At 77
Source: NPR
'Car Talk' Co-Host Tom Magliozzi Dies At 77
November 03, 2014 2:31 PM ET
SCOTT NEUMAN
Tom Magliozzi, one half of the wisecracking Car Talk duo known as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers," has died after complications from Alzheimer's Disease. He was 77.
Car Talk Executive Producer Doug Berman sent this note Monday:
"I have the sad duty to report today that Tom Magliozzi, one of the hosts of Car Talk, passed away this morning due to complications of Alzheimer's Disease.
Read more: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/03/360340663/car-talk-co-host-tom-magliozzi-dies-at-77
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)That was a fun show. Both of them always making tacky jokes and laughing.
Requiescat in Pace, Tom
uhnope
(6,419 posts)I can't believe they play reruns of this show years after it stopped
csziggy
(34,136 posts)My Mom used to love watching Lawrence Welk every week on her local public TV station. Last fall I mentioned that Welk had been dead for years. Mom was shocked and wanted to know why the shows were still running. I told they were reruns and had been for decades. When I looked it up and found that they last regular show was filmed in 1982 Mom got really upset - she felt ripped off that she'd been watching the same shows for thirty years! The she got really mad when she found out Welk had died in 1992 so even the specials were over twenty years old.
I wish I had done it sooner - now when we visit she no longer insists on watching Lawrence Welk even though the same station is still running the same shows. Mom's sense of betrayal has turned her against Welk. And we don't have to suffer through those horrid shows ever again!
Prisoner_Number_Six
(15,676 posts)mahatmakanejeeves
(57,434 posts)Can't be true. I watched this, and ... this really happened?
ETA: It most certainly did: Tarkio (album)
ToxMarz
(2,166 posts)Never listened to NPR much, but started listening to podcasts when I switched to a smartphone. Listen to their podcast every week. I had no idea they were reruns!
Skidmore
(37,364 posts)with dignity.
titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)I enjoy the shows. Who cares of they are re-runs. Ever hear of the Game Show Channel or TV Land?
uhnope
(6,419 posts)that could air instead of replays of a show about cars? The live show was one thing, but to play replays years later so that boomers can chuckle? Car Talk replayed for years is a clear symptom of the weakening of the American mind and the dying of public radio
former9thward
(32,001 posts)They play the reruns because people like it.
mentalsolstice
(4,460 posts)Probably ended because of his diagnosis. And if you're familiar at all with NPR, weekends are dedicated to non-political shows like Garrison Keillor, and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me. All are good fun when stuck in a car for a long ride.
Lighten up, Francis!
MH1
(17,600 posts)and attract new listeners who then might listen to other shows.
And besides, the shows are still funny.
So, lighten the f*** up, Francis.
Retrograde
(10,136 posts)I know I'm in the minority, but I could not stand Car Talk (or Wait, Wait for that matter). The hosts may have been knowledgeable, but just not to my tastes.
uhnope
(6,419 posts)albeit indirectly
Coventina
(27,115 posts)more efficient and safer cars, driver safety, and even LGBT rights.
Quit criticizing what you know nothing about.
drynberg
(1,648 posts)NJCher
(35,663 posts)What's more progressive than logic?
As part of my teaching repertoire, I sometimes have my students listen to Frick 'n Frack to see how they solve problems. It's pretty easy to analyze because of the way they ask questions.
You'd be surprised at how many young male English students I reached with technique.
Cher
titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)Stuck up and arrogant all at the same time. The show wasn't about cars...it was about humor. The crutch was cars. Apparently you've never listened to the show. Most of it was schtick, puns, riddles, jokes, etc. Of course that is all beneath you. The only clear symptom here is douchebaggery by a DUer.
uhnope
(6,419 posts)titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)Throd
(7,208 posts)ms liberty
(8,573 posts)(and, consider the username. Just sayin'.)
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)It is not a show about cars, anyway. It is a show about relationships with cars as a premise. And it's laugh out loud, laugh your ass off hilarious. Tom and Ray reference engineering, physics, literature, as well as car and relationship advice. Even smart, progressive, politically savvy people need a few hours a week to laugh.
Car Talk has been on the air since the 1980s and has consistently been one of NPR's most popular shows, garnering tons of donations by itself. NPR might not even be NPR without Car Talk.
The fact that you can say the show was a "symptom of the weakening of the American mind and the dying of public radio" only shows your ignorance.
was born in 1933 and loves Car Talk reruns. He also keeps up by listening to other NPR shows. It's not a zero sum game. There are plenty of outlets for current stuff, much of which is taken up by lowest common denominator trash. A few hours of Car Talk a week is not responsible for the horrib;e state of knowledge that pervades the land.
ozone_man
(4,825 posts)And NPR has lost a lot of its progressiveness once they accepted corporate funding. But Car Talk speaks to their roots, when they were a great radio station. They (Clik and Clak) were progressives. It's one of the few things worth rerunning, and I've heard only a fraction of them anyway. The puzzles are great! Nice to listen to when on the road, or a lazy Saturday morning at home.
I think there are plenty of people who, when asked, will say that that show is the main reason they listen to NPR. I'm sure they do their polling.
zentrum
(9,865 posts)They were a brilliant team. Hope the reruns run into the next century.
It's only one hour a week. If you listen you might actually learn a thing or two. It wasn't just a comedy routine.
barbtries
(28,789 posts)love the show and rarely get to hear it.
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)I love that show.
red dog 1
(27,797 posts)and what the hell is wrong with re-runs?
uhnope
(6,419 posts)I simply can't believe that anyone wants to play reruns of a show on public radio that has stopped two years ago...I wouldn't want to hear that, even of shows I liked. It's such a lazy-minded, weak-minded thing. Like living in the past. It's like people who have given up on the world, on new things happening
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,683 posts)Didn't know he had Alzheimers.
deurbano
(2,895 posts)gvstn
(2,805 posts)I think I heard one of the last broadcasts and didn't notice anything unusual in their banter.
I had no idea the guys were that old.
RIP Tom.
MH1
(17,600 posts)In one of the obits I saw today, Ray wisecracked that maybe Tom wasn't lying when he said he couldn't remember the previous week's puzzler!
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Chakab
(1,727 posts)Great memories.
RIP
shenmue
(38,506 posts)I thought that show was really funny.
Rest in peace.
"After getting out of college, Tom went to work as an engineer.
One day, he was on his way to work when he had a near-fatal accident with a tractor-trailer. He pulled off the road and decided to do something different with his life.
"'I quit my job,' he [told graduates at a commencement speech at his] alma mater in 1999. 'I became a bum. I spent two years sitting in Harvard Square drinking coffee. I invented the concept of the do-it-yourself auto repair shop, and I met my lovely wife.'"
Doug Berman ended his message, "Please note that the Magliozzi family is asking that in lieu of flowers, friends and listeners make a donation to either the Alzheimer's Association or their favorite public radio stations in Tom's memory. It's just one more gift to us from a guy who gave so much to our network and its listeners over the decades."
Richard D
(8,754 posts). . . which if weird cause I am not all that into cars. I loved the humor though, and the quick wit. A sad day.
MannyGoldstein
(34,589 posts)He brought so much light into our world; he will be missed!
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)and it was due to water being driven into that one type when driving. A small hole drilled at the bottom let out all the water and saved me much time and aggravation.
longship
(40,416 posts)(Or is it Clack?)
Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)elias49
(4,259 posts)I always got a kick out of their sign-off...
Brother Buzz
(36,423 posts)It was totally the highlight of my visit to Harvard Square decades ago. I glanced up and started chuckling.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)Hissyspit
(45,788 posts)1995
Triana
(22,666 posts)My thoughts go out to his family and friends and other listeners who appreciated this program.
SheilaT
(23,156 posts)I knew that Ray is my age, and Tom a decade older. Around the time they announced they were ending the show, I looked up photos of them on the internets. Tom looked not well at all. I hope his passing was easy.
TexasProgresive
(12,157 posts)Did anyone ever catch their animated show?
MissDeeds
(7,499 posts)So sad. I love "Click and Clack" although I don't give a flip about cars or car repair. It was their wonderful banter and joy in the smallest, simplest thing that kept me riveted. Alzheimer's Disease is a wretched, hideous disease, robbing otherwise healthy people of their lives. Prayers and healing thoughts to the family.
RIP, Tom. You will be missed.
Gothmog
(145,176 posts)May he rest in peace
Orrex
(63,208 posts)This really makes me sad. Best wishes to his friends and family.
groundloop
(11,518 posts)I loved their show, used to listen to it while I was tinkering in my garage. They never failed to inspire me. I was saddened when the show ended, I'd heard that one of them was in poor health but didn't know any more than that.
alfredo
(60,071 posts)FourScore
(9,704 posts)They were very entertaining.
redwitch
(14,944 posts)The brothers Magliozzi truly enjoyed themselves and gave a lot of enjoyment too. RIP Tom.
KinMd
(966 posts)makes me so sad.
"Unencumbered by the thought process"
dhill926
(16,337 posts)And of course, thought it a perfect descriptor of republicans
Feral Child
(2,086 posts)Peacetrain
(22,875 posts)RIP Tom..
uhnope
(6,419 posts)roguevalley
(40,656 posts)titaniumsalute
(4,742 posts)If you don't like it. Obviously millions still do (as that is still their ratings cume.) As do I. Grow a life.
mentalsolstice
(4,460 posts)uncle ray
(3,156 posts)they always ask for your favorite shows when you pledge money.
3catwoman3
(23,975 posts)My husband and I were longtime faithful listeners. I know next to nothing about cars, but it didn't matter. Their humor, their wonderfully huge and sophisticated vocabularies, and the hysterical list of all their "staff members" at the end of the show (Pikov Andropov is my favorite) made it a delight from start to finish. Our local NPR station still airs re-runs.
I also loved Ray's pronunciation of "Taw-mee."
Thanks, Tommy for years of laughs.
Odin2005
(53,521 posts)geardaddy
(24,926 posts)Throd
(7,208 posts)BlueStreak
(8,377 posts)Xyzse
(8,217 posts)That really sucks...
If Garrison Keillor goes, I would be inconsolable.
Skink
(10,122 posts)turbo_satan
(372 posts)I have no basis for this other than pure intuition: he seemed like a really great guy. It's so sad to think that his wonderful mind and wit were ravaged by this terrible disease. Have a safe journey, Tom.
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)maindawg
(1,151 posts)I hope they keep playing the show forever. I learned that when your wife wants you to do housework, do it half assed and she wont want you to do house work anymore. It worked.
Hulk
(6,699 posts)He'll be sorely missed, but he brought YEARS of sunshine into peoples' lives with his wit and charm. I wish his family my deepest condolences. I would be proud to leave such a legacy as this man did.
Leith
(7,809 posts)They were great to listen to because of their wit and they cared about their listeners. I loved the parts when they revisited people they gave advice to: sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.
It was a stroke of genius to include them in the movie Cars as Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze.
Don't drive like my brother.
OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)RIP, Tom Magliozzi.
ReRe
(10,597 posts)Will share the news with my family. We have all listened to that show for so long and got such a kick out of it. Especially their little quiz question. Condolences to the family! Did anyone hear the episode when they had their Mom on with them (around Mother's Day?) They got their sense of humor from her! It was such a great show. Seems like I even remember a show on PBS about them. Again, RIP Tom.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)to the Picabu ICU.
Or maybe the Save the Skeet Foundation.
sybylla
(8,509 posts)Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I've never seen my polling place be any busier that it is this morning. They're really very efficient, too. Despite the mob, we got through the line in a couple of minutes.
sybylla
(8,509 posts)At least since recall and redistricting. Very hard to get the Dems here to get out and work neighborhoods.
My only hope is that the ads have reached deep into the county and motivated voters. I will be going to my polls at 4pm, so we'll see what turnout looks like then. Though low turnout here probably bodes as well as high turnout in your barrens.
secondvariety
(1,245 posts)One of the best shows on radio. Both brothers were MIT grads.
Ikonoklast
(23,973 posts)Thanks for many a year of entertainment, Tom. You will be missed by a devoted listener.
And remember, don't drive like my brother!
alfredo
(60,071 posts)Blue Owl
(50,356 posts)Thank you Tom for all the laughs and for teaching us how to love car repairs!
GeorgeGist
(25,320 posts)bvf
(6,604 posts)Still catch Car Talk reruns whenever I can. Hilarious show.
One of my favorite pieces involved a note from a listener who wrote to say that if you take apart and reassemble a VW carburetor enough times, eventually you'll have two of them. Never heard Click and Clack crack up harder.
Peace, Tom.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)Man I guess I didn't even realize the shows were not live each week. Jeez these guys are almost like family.
GoCubsGo
(32,080 posts)adirondacker
(2,921 posts)locks
(2,012 posts)for the joy and good information they brought to so many of us every Saturday morning. He was sharp and funny and gracious to all the callers until the last show before it was ended. We need more people on TV and radio like the Car Guys to lighten our days.
lordsummerisle
(4,651 posts)I squandered many perfectly good hours listening to them...
chelsea0011
(10,115 posts)Android3.14
(5,402 posts)I was unaware Tom had Alzheimer's. It makes for tough choices.
KinMd
(966 posts)Brainstormy
(2,380 posts)but always thought the show was funny and the "Tappet" brothers seemed like really nice guys.
littlewolf
(3,813 posts)Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)itself much on the show. As a mechanic, I found the show not only entertaining, but challenging as well.
The Power Glide is in D, now.
a kennedy
(29,658 posts)If I was feeling sad or depresses or just down for whatever reason.....I'd have them on on a Saturday, and within 10 minutes I'd be laughing and completely forget what was making me sad or depressed or angry. They just had a gift that made you feel better by just the sound of their voices. Still listen to them....really enjoy them, and feel terrible Tom has moved on....... RIP and know you made a ton of days better for me by just being there EVERY Saturday.
BlueJazz
(25,348 posts)Coventina
(27,115 posts)Very sad day for us, but I hope he's having a good laugh in the great Beyond....
FailureToCommunicate
(14,014 posts)Magliozzi.
Their wonderful radio show always brings laugh out loud good times (yes even the recent re-runs) to so many fans.
The world is a little less bright and a little less funny today
RIP to both Toms.
Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)Life is just so damn unfair.
choie
(4,111 posts)I thought this was one of Anthony Weiner's funnier moments on the floor of the congress regarding the possible defunding of NPR:
IcyPeas
(21,866 posts)missingthebigdog
(1,233 posts)Botany
(70,501 posts)..... and life was good.
Long May You Run Tommy
packman
(16,296 posts)didn't need that news today. Sad day, gave us a lot of laughs. Loved that wheel they spun when they didn't know the answer and it always seemed to land on, "Change the filters" or such.
mentalsolstice
(4,460 posts)We were both fans. Many times Click and Clack made a boring trip down the interstate fun and entertaining. Peace to Tom and Ray and their family!
2naSalit
(86,586 posts)The brothers were also musicians and apparently played well enough to be in this picture:
I always enjoyed their show, even the re-runs. Apparently Ray says that he's agreed to have the reuns continue in Tom's honor.
I started missing them the day they announced their retirement. I'd heard that Tom wasn't up to doing the broadcasts at that point.
red dog 1
(27,797 posts)The guy playing guitar on the far left looks a lot like Tommy Smothers...could that be him?
2naSalit
(86,586 posts)the Magliozzi and Smothers brothers together.
Actually, I thought the lead in music was David Grisman, but...
I'll have to look that up.
red dog 1
(27,797 posts)It's a song called "Dawggy Mountain Breakdown", written & performed by David Grisman
I knew that both Tom & Ray were musicians; and i guess I just assumed that the music was their band.
I also didn't know that Dick Smothers played a musical instrument.
(I've never seen 4 musicians on a stage with 2 of them playing stand-up bass before)
mrsadm
(1,198 posts)He gave us all so much laughter and happiness!.......
sendero
(28,552 posts).... Car Talk and the Magliozzis. It's sad that Tom is gone.
Recursion
(56,582 posts)His voice was part of my Saturdays for a long, long time...
Ohio Joe
(21,755 posts)RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)I am sure that you are making folks giggle wherever you are now.
niyad
(113,293 posts)I used to enjoy listening to their program. they made things understandable for everyone. I knew the program had ended, did not know of his diagnosis.
wishing peace and comfort for all his loved ones and friends.
Ron Obvious
(6,261 posts)I'm really sad to hear this. I know nothing about cars and care even less, but no matter how low I felt at the beginning of the show, I always felt better at the end.
I remember when they had their mother on the show. She had the exact same laugh as Tom did. Really cracked me up.
RIP Tom, and don't drive like your brother...
Iwillnevergiveup
(9,298 posts)about people who don't like animals, especially dogs and cats: there's something wrong with them.
Same goes for the Tappett Brothers. So wonderfully warm and funny, and obviously enjoyed being in each other's company. A sad, sad day for their family and friends and untold numbers of devoted fans.
Warpy
(111,255 posts)I had no idea it was early Alzheimer's.
I hope his passing was gentle and without fear. He will be missed.
Gloria
(17,663 posts)The show only went into reruns for the last couple of years, right? That was sure fast??
Ilsa
(61,695 posts)Their laughter was infectious. And they had a weird thing about callers named Diane, didn't they?
Condolences to their family and millions of listeners.
loudsue
(14,087 posts)after Tom got alzheimer's. Condolences to the entire family, and all of Tom's fan's. I always loved their show, and their relationship to one another.
OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)I've been enjoying Car Talk for almost 25 years. Find Tom and Ray absolutely hilarious. Tom's laughter was so infectious. There won't be another like him.
irisblue
(32,972 posts)they used to describe him as the pork chop boy (paraphrased) the story was they had to tie a porkchop around his neck to get the dog to play with him. When I worked 12 hour shifts, I loved their time kill central webpage and the boss key. RIP Tom.
Tracer
(2,769 posts)I used to listen to that show in my car on Saturday mornings while doing errands. So funny.
They also ran the Good News Garage in Cambridge (still do, I think). I took a basic car repair course there, many, many years ago -- and still smile when I remember how the instructor told me that I had gapped my plugs the best of anyone!
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Alzheimer's Disease sucks! We could have a cure by now if we spent the election billions on real needs of the people.
mountain grammy
(26,620 posts)and hope "Car Talk" reruns run forever. My memory has gotten so bad, I can never remember the answers to the weekly puzzler, so every one of them is new to me.
Boom Sound 416
(4,185 posts)Such a wonderful talent
diabeticman
(3,121 posts)Jester Messiah
(4,711 posts)red dog 1
(27,797 posts)Last edited Tue Nov 4, 2014, 07:46 PM - Edit history (1)
She also talked with Car Talk producer Doug Berman, who told some interesting stories.
http://www.npr.org/2014/11/04/361408028/-we-have-learned-absolutely-nothing-tom-magliozzi-on-decades-of-car-talk/
Liberal_in_LA
(44,397 posts)mikemcl350
(10 posts)Bumper sticker idea:
Don't Die Like My Brother - Support Alzheimer's Research
OrwellwasRight
(5,170 posts)Odin2005
(53,521 posts)RIP, Tom. And don't drive like your brother!
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)Both Click and Clack were sharp as nails, had wonderful senses of humor and were never, ever mean.
May there be a better place for guys like Tom Magliozzi.