Is Car Talk on NPR the Funniest Show on Radio?

If you haven't heard it already, Car Talk is a very popular one-hour radio program that is broadcast on Public radio stations across the country. In the Chicago area they are on at 9 am Saturday morning on WBEZ which is at 91.5 on the dial. If you aren't already a public radio listener, you can find your local public radio stations on the far-left side of the FM radio dial.

If you are a public radio listener you have probably already heard it and I am preaching to the choir, if you will excuse the cliché.

The term very popular is relative of course. They aren't Howard Stern popular, but by public radio standards they are right up there with Garrison Keeler and The Prairie Home Companion.

Two brothers, Tom and Ray Magliozzi host the show. They are both master mechanics from Cambridge, MA. The format is call-in; they take calls from listeners and answer their questions about car related issues.

Since we live in such a car oriented culture, just about everyone has cars and if you have a car you have car problems. So the appeal of the show tends to be very universal. I have learned a lot about cars listening to this show, but that is not the only reason I listen.

The charm of the show comes from the interaction of the two brothers, who tend to bicker and banter and crack jokes like many siblings. They are both boomers but the callers are all ages.

Cars are just the launching pad for the conversations, which tend to range wide and frequently get into the areas of husband/wife interactions, dealing with teenagers, and lots of other human situations that tend to be universal in appeal.

If you are not familiar with public radio, it is commercial free and supported primarily by the donations of listeners like they do in public television. Since the hosts don't have to cow tow to sponsors they are free to be themselves and pretty much say what they want.

This writer is a retired professional driver, so cars have always been an essential part of his life; he can relate strongly to these guys. He also grew up in an intellectual household with an older brother pretty close in age, and that is certainly a factor too.

As mentioned, the show originates from Cambridge, MA, which is where Harvard is located. The hosts are very bright and so if you are part of the anti-intellectual strain that runs strongly through our present culture, this show will probably not appeal to you.

One does tend to either love or hate this show. By now you should have some idea of what camp you might fall into. Check it out. I will put a link in the resource section. If your local public radio station doesn't carry it you can always tune in online.