Ever tuned in to your local national public radio station, and instead of hearing breaking news and informed commentary, you got two guys laughing their heads off and making jokes about cars and mechanics? Well, you probably tuned in to Car Talk, the Cambridge-based call-in show featuring a pair of MIT-trained auto mechanics, Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers, otherwise known as Tom and Ray Magliozzi. From its humble beginnings back around 1977, Car Talk has become the most popular program at the left edge of the radio dial, reaching more than 2 million listeners every week. In between bouts of sarcasm and scandal-mongering, Tom and Ray do actually give advice about cars—advice that occasionally helps people—so if you’re having trouble with your car, give them a call at 1-888-CAR-TALK, or send a message through their website, www.cartalk.cars.com. Either way, it’s free. And you’re safe from the public humiliation for a while at least. The show is not broadcast live but cunningly edited together in a darkened room off Harvard Square (look for a sign saying Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe), with the help of sophisticated technology and an ever-expanding team of contributors with names like Zbigniew Chrysler, Orson Buggy, Rusty Steele, Denton Fender, Alan Greasepan, and Francis Ford Cupholda.
If you’re in Cambridge (“Our Fair City”) and happen to need some car repair, Car Talk’s Ray Magliozzi runs the Good News Garage (617/354-5383), at 75 Hamilton Street, off Brookline Street midway between Central Square and the BU Bridge over the Charles River.
