Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014

Subject: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Click & Clack' Car Talk
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:43 PM

The Magliozzi brothers Tom and Ray are best known for the National Public Radio program Car Talk and a newspaper column also about car repair, but they were also good musicians. It'll take digging down a bit to find examples of this, but I've read in the past, and heard them speak about their blue grass band.

http://www.npr.org/2014/11/03/357428287/tom-magliozzi-popular-co-host-of-nprs-car-talk-dies-at-77 Here is an obit from NPR today. Tom was 77 and died of complications from Alzheimers.

Tom Magliozzi, one of public radio's most popular personalities, died on Monday of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 77 years old.

Tom and his brother, Ray, became famous as "Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers" on the weekly NPR show Car Talk. They bantered, told jokes, laughed and sometimes even gave pretty good advice to listeners who called in with their car troubles.

If there was one thing that defined Tom Magliozzi, it was his laugh. It was loud, it was constant, it was infectious. . .

The program stopped taping new interviews two years ago, but they had a lot of extra material that has been bundled into new programs. Ray would like this to continue, to honor his brother.

SRS

Subject: Obit: Tom Magliozzi Clacket Brother
From: Janie
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:46 PM

I hope I haven't overlooked a thread already started.

Very sad and surprised to hear that Tom Magliozzi has died. I expect many, if not most of us in the USA have tuned in eagerly to listen to Car Talk for many years. Fine entertainer and smart car guy.

Rest in peace and condolences to all who knew and loved him.

Most of you probably also know he and his brother also played bluegrass.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/11/03/360340663/car-talk-co-host-tom-magliozzi-dies-at-77

I called them once, years ago, about my 24 year old Duster. I forget the problem, but they had the answer!

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Click & Clack' Car Talk 2014
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:47 PM

For example, here is a YouTube video of the Car Talk limited edition Martin Guitar.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:54 PM

Difficult to put a name on this thread. Tom and Ray called themselves "Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers" as well as introducing themselves with their real names.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Click & Clack' Car Talk 2014
From: Janie
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 06:55 PM

Was shocked and very saddened to hear of this. Have tuned in faithfully every Saturday morning that I was near a radio for more than 20 years. One of the best radio shows ever, plus good car advice!

Really enjoyed (and admired whoever dug up the tunes) the off-the-walk car tunes they played snippets of. And I think many folks know the brothers had a little bluegrass band.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: GUEST,Joe, at the Women's Center
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 07:38 PM

I really enjoyed their program and their column.

I didn't know that they were musicians, but their program introduced me to a lot of wonderful songs about cars. They showcased many car songs on their program. Here's a link (click) to songs on the program.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 08:47 PM

He seemed like a lovable goofball and an old friend. Glad his suffering is over.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: GUEST,Dani
Date: 03 Nov 14 - 10:25 PM

Aw, so sad.

He/they have brought me many hours of face-hurting laughter over the years, often delivering me from a bad morning attitude to a good day of work.

Isn't it nice when someone finding their calling brings so much joy?

And I learned a lot about cars (well, if what I know can be called anything like 'a lot'). Including, putting a fish behind the dashboard if you really owe someone big time.

Dani

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Nov 14 - 12:05 AM

Remind me not to let you near my car, Dani....

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 10 Nov 14 - 09:51 AM

Ray did a tribute show to Tom this week of his favorite Tommy moments in case you missed it.
Click here

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Nov 14 - 10:32 AM

They chose some priceless bits to include. Hands down, the vowel drop.

SRS

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: bbc
Date: 10 Nov 14 - 06:22 PM

I was sad to hear this news. The show has given me many a laugh & smile. I, still, remember the first time I happened to hear it, by chance--what fun! I've tuned in, many a time, since!
Barbara

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 10 Nov 14 - 08:23 PM

Tom and Ray also voiced the characters Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze in the Pixar animated film Cars. Rusty (Tom) is a 1963 Dodge Dart and Dusty (Ray) is a mid-sixties Dodge van.

Just by coincidence, Dusty is almost identical to the van I drove back in the early seventies. Same turquoise and white two-tone paint job, but my van didn't as many windows.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: GUEST,Jon Dudley
Date: 11 Nov 14 - 10:38 AM

Click and Clack tapes and live NPR shows entertained the Copper Family for many a long mile on our wonderful trips to the USA. Bob was a great fan. All the folkies seemed to be tuned in to the Tappet brothers, so there was always something to talk about apart from music! As I said somewhere else, in their low-budget way they were intellectually, humorously and technically superior in almost every way than a squillion pound 'entertainment' show like Top Gear.

Subject: RE: Obit: Tom Magliozzi, 'Tappet Bros' Car Talk 2014
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 11 Nov 14 - 10:53 AM

There was a tape of great calls that I listened to probably 20 years ago - back when cassette tapes were the medium of reference and you could check them out at the library. I remember one caller who talked about putting a raw egg in his radiator to plug a leak - before the call was over they were talking about adding pepper and making eggs Benedict. That call may be what later precipitated "Stump the Chump," when they would contact a previous caller and find out if the advice worked. The program grew organically, as ideas occurred to them they tried them out, resulting in a great mix of material to work with.

The laughter was infectious. If there was ever a rainy Saturday when my mood needed a pick-me-up, listening to the laughter on that program was always a help.

SRS