I know click and clack are iconic and all, but this show is too good to die. I have no idea what the plan is, but on behalf of America, I’m putting in my plea for NPR to continue the show with new hosts! And I have a nomination too, there is this fantastic mechanic named “Scotty Kilmer”, 45 years of experience, and he is funny too (important), just go on youtube, he has created an unbelievable number of fantastic car repair videos. I think this guy would make for the PERFECT host of the show assuming he wanted to do it (I have not emailed him about it and do not know him personally, I just happened to discover his videos in searching youtube for a solution to one of my own car problems). I think it should remain a duo or even a trio though, so he would be just the first, need a couple more nominations!
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=scottykilmer
I think the above link will show you what I was talking about.
Another link, apparently this guy has done “car talk” like hosting before:
http://scottykilmer.homestead.com/about.html
(also mentions he has a masters degree)
I wrote to them and nominated myself, but they turned me down.
It’ll be a different show. It’s NOT about the show but the brothers. They ARE the show. There’s a possibility a similar show will be aired…but it won’t be the same show.
Myself, I continue to enjoy the show in re-runs and hope it continues like this for many more years. They have a lot of material to work with that holds up even years later, and Ray seems to still be there producing topical sound-bites to keep it sounding fresh. And the brother’s weekly “Tom and Ray” columns are fun and interesting too. Congrats Car Talk staff for doing a good job keeping the show on the NPR airwaves.
It’d be pretty difficult to replace them. This isn’t really a show about just car repair. Come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t listen to a show about just car repair.
Besides being knowledgeable on cars, you have to have a good sense of humor and think on your feet. Those guys both are very quick witted without being vulgar. That’s a rare combination.
I’ll be happy listening to the reruns.
I'll be happy listening to the reruns.
Since I don’t listen that often anyways…I’ll continue to listen because I probably never heard the rerun before. There are many shows that were only played here in the Boston area before they were syndicated. I wonder if they’ll start playing those shows.
"It'll be a different show. It's NOT about the show but the brothers. They ARE the show. There's a possibility a similar show will be aired..but it won't be the same show."
Thats what Bob Vila thought about “This Old House”
The Bill and Hillary Show.
“The Bill and Hillary Show.”
I don’t think that either of them is skilled in things automotive, nor are they especially humorous. But, if you want to turn the show over to a politician who is amusing, I suggest Michele Bachman. Almost everything that comes from her mouth is hilarious–even if she herself never gets the joke.
;-))
Thats what Bob Vila thought about "This Old House"
Bob was just the host. Norm Abrams and Tom Silva were the main characters of the show.
@VDCdriver, Can you (will they) get Tom and Ray to admit they are skilled automotive mechanics? :evileye:
Is anyone really listening for their auto advice or for their funnies. '
“Is anyone really listening for their auto advice or for their funnies.” (?)
I can only speak for myself when saying that much of their advice is valid, and that some of it is off-base.
Their humor is something that I can take or leave.
If you want to know what everyone else thinks, I suppose that you will have to conduct a survey.
"Bob was just the host. Norm Abrams and Tom Silva were the main characters of the show."
Not according to him, but in fact, he played a much larger role on the show than the later hosts were allowed to. Thats why Steve Thomas suddenly disappeared.
Re @Remco’s
"Come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t listen to a show about just car repair. "
Good comment. There’s a Car-Talk-like show on commercial radio I listen to from time to time. While it is informative, it’s not nearly as entertaining as Ray and Tom’s Car Talk show on NPR. I’d guess there are fewer listener calls aired in that show’s two hours than on a one hou NPR Car Talk. And there are many references to the sponsor’s products included with the answers. The loyalty to the sponsors skews the answers, which is annoying. The other problem is that the show is live and therefore broadcast uneditted. So you have to listen to callers that get upset and/or argue with the host because they don’t like his answers (which seem to me to be mostly correct, the host seems very knowledgeable and is good at explaining the background of why the problem is occuring in the first place), or callers that simply are not able to explain their question quickly in a concise manner. On one show I listened to a few weeks ago, the back and forth went on for 5 minutes or more, the host trying to get the listener to understand that the hinge that the clutch fork (arm) pivots on, that isn’t the same thing as the hinge itself.
I guess the best of both worlds is what we have now, Car Talk on NPR, and similar shows on commercial radio, and we listeners can decide which provides the best compromise.
For this family of males, its funnies. The technic stuff is just something to hang the jokes.
We discovered that our son had a memory when he began rattling off the 800 number and then the new 877 number every time I was able to catch the show. He was about 2-3 yo (1987-88) . So did our son become mechanically minded and auto caring- No, he became a nerd and CS app developer. He even has a mechanical engineering degree from that other university. But to get him to change the oil on the his 97 Camry, impossible, impossible.
No, he became a nerd and CS app developer.
Just because someone works as a app developer doesn’t mean they can’t work on their own cars. I agree there aren’t many of us that do…but a few of us do.
" But, if you want to turn the show over to a politician who is amusing, I suggest Michele Bachman".
@VDCdriver–Let’s have Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin become the new Tom and Ray. Tom and Ray could then go to Washington. At least, Tom and Ray agree on things once in a while. Tom and Ray might just improve Washington. On the other hand, callers with car problems would still be in the dark.
Heard MBachman on CSPAN today, 01-01-13, on the Senate passage of Budget Bill. What an idiot. You can’t make an idiot, smart or funny.