CAN YOU SAY THAT ON RADIO?

A pair of brothers from Boston are trying to do for cars what Dr Ruth Westheimer did for sex
By Robert E. Charm
Ray: "Hello, you're on the air." Caller: "Hi. First I want to ull you that my husband and I redly enjoy your program. We listen to you every Sunday night, and I never rhoughr I'd call, but-'' Ray. "We didn't think so either." Tom: "Yeah, we've been waiting all this time, thinking, 'When is s k going to d l ? She keeps promising.. .' " -Ray and Tom Magllazi of Car Talk
f you've been watching C k e r s on TV-you know, that show on NBC about a t a r m Boston-you've heard Cliff the mlman go off on one of hls Hibernian phllosophrcal flights and you probably think you know wha~a red Boston accent sounds Ilk. Well, sorry to drsagpoint you, but nobody up here in thls c o m a of the U.S knows where the actor got the accent he's trylng to palm off as genum Bostonian. Somewhcn between Hoboken and Akron, mosl l k l y To hear a rral Boston aroent, nme in to your lneal Nat~onalPublic M o W n Sunday monungs for Weekend Ed~tion. T h i s new program is paced a lot slower than most news W s lt's a M of radio egwvaknt of the Sunday papcr, an m a m m t of news. arts and llfestyk fcaturcs rnlmdcd for kisurely audio p c ~ s a while l one mdulgcs lo

anunhumcdSundaybreakfas(of~,

c a ~ ~ u o c i croir~~~nrs n~. avec la d m . and &+in c i n c h c e d with 4 & s . A ngular fcsnue is a 15 minute visit with nvo car mechanics namd T a n and Ray Magliozzi (pronounced Mall-Yacht-cee ...I Wink). Thcy'vc had a weekly pugram caUcd Car Talk on Boston public radio station WBUR for 10 years. It's an unmmplicpted s h o d i fall in with quatiaD about cam and car mpair and the hoQrs give the answers. And if chey cso't give the a n s w theymkeMjalrcsins(ud. Simple, hiced, but it's boeome the m t popllar pmgram on the station. Whcn Weekend Edifim hog Susati Stambcrg was sanning the c m m y for talmt for her new show.
42

shel~srencdtoadnmrapofTanandRay. keeps gorng on." "You didn't t& the radiator cap ofland I ! m k about thnc minuts for her to decide see if there's coolant, did you?" k s e guys d e d a national audience. "No." "I lrstened and heard those accenIs." "You want to da this eNirely by inferStamberg sad fmm her Washington, D.C. studios. "They're so genuine, so smart. ence, eh?" Tell them any muble you have, they'll k l p The studios of WBUR have thc kind of solve it. lt's almost like going to a csr cramped. shahby. lax-deductibledo~tion shrink." A car shrink. Yes. Judging by the calls h a common to puMic stations all thcy get, it's a comparison more appropriate the heunhy. l b t are weer stains on the ceilmg. g m g s in the wdls, chip on the than Stamberg probably knows. Formica tables, grubby, rmsma~~hed chairs. "The temperature lrghr on my car's dash and a dirty floor tangled with wlres and
AUTOWEEK JUNE 1.1987

KONl ADJUSlS for high performonce handlina when w u aet the urge to find a imdrng i o o a okay from the h r g h m ~ wnere ,our car can show its stui? Adlust your KONi shock absor?xm too firmer settina and ex~erience famous KONl hondiing. lo make 11 even easret most KONistrun oaust with o quick turn of on external knob, Then you7e ready for the rood-hugging control and responsive handling that have made KONl a legend in the winnerkcircle KONl equipped mrs lead the sport with wins in all major CARL/ US4C iMS4, FormulaI, Drag Lbcing, and Showroom Stock events. iiOt'vr3 also ier mu aa/ustfor weor so you can exper~ence 'YIke new" peifofmonce ' m rafter W L KONIS Ore guoronteedagoinstdefeck for as long a s w u own wur vehicle K O N engrneeredshocks ~ and i i v mur hrah struts s ~ e o f ~ c o for perfoimance &r tohelp you get the most out of it. KONl lets w u transform wur car hom a l u x u ~ c arrde r to &rldclass hondling whenever you w n t As often a s you wont for eve^

The M.gllouls may not ahmys come up wnh the answer, but lhey always have fun
cables. There arc about eight "NO SMOKING" signs taped to the walls, in vain. mat's because 10 minutes after the arrival of the Magliozri Brothers with their cigarettes and cigars. the studio looks like Los Angeles on a Health Alen day. It's from these studios that the Magliovis do their local show live and, via satellite link, tape their Sunday morning with Stamberg down in Waqhinemn =--~~
~~~

" I h u r t u shift problem on my Plymourh. When Ifirsf rlrive ir'sfine hut rhen. when i f w,urms up, you reully hrnr s ,~ , r m c h 10 get i f in Xear. " " I hure trr suy this. bur rou're probubl? our i$rrimsmission oil." " I hu~,en'r checked i f . If's just u junker." "Yeah! You uin'r kiddin'. I f it wasn't a junker before, ir is no-,.'' The accents. which have to be heard to be appreciated, probably were what Stamberg had in mind when she said her only second thought about having them on her show was whether people from other pan, o f the country "could develop the same rappori with them that Boston listeners have." Or to put it more simply. would the listener in Ames. Iowa. (WOI-AM) understand that he when a ~ a g l i o z z isaid "Caaaahhhh:' meant "car." They come by the accent honeslly, hav. ing grown up in a working class neighborhood o f East Cambridge. just outside o f Boston. East Cambridge is one of those neighborhods where the young men either go into the priesthood, a trade, or prison. The brothers took a slightly different route.
AUTOWEEK JUNE 1. 1981

W R L D LEADER IN ADJUSMBLE SUSPENSION TECHNOLOGY

ASubsld~awol

Ray. 37. wearing a khaki shirt. chino work pants and grease under his fingernails looks like a...a...a...well, he looks like a car mechanic. actually. His brother, maybe 10 years older and dressed similarly, bears a disturbing resemblance to AuroWeeP's own Leon Mandel. except he's perhaps a little taller. The Boston version o f their show opens with the Car Talk theme, a banjo r i f f easily mistaken for the kind o f Revolurionary Hoedowns ofrhe Sandinisras-type show one usually hears on public radio. The national version plays it a little straighter. The sound o f a car engine revving serves as the intro. Both versions then segue to Those Voices and Those Accents.

eo.For ordering information, write l o KONI. R3 FDx 40 Culpepec VA 22701,

~.Erbnc~toMTwbcnTom Radio 11stc1~0g audience. Have no doubt pidnd op a c h c d engiocsrine d e p about it. They're going to be a huge success dRqp*Lalagmcnlse*aadcgrec. .adwUpmbablyroargaaregularshmof Tknhywminto8mde. their-. Atdthat'sago~Itbi~!~ It w a s a d o - i t - ~ l ~ k . b NPR needs car shrinks. When it comes was the wrly "10s and BostaD rrr fell bcnsNPRlisrmwirecmy. O r ~ ~ i a t o ~ d Pnytoffgmitarr n - ~ AlolofhblicRdio self, b a c k mmmmt, dtg rtgk. pop*don'tliLcurs.llvyViCwmem.s 18 people living togexher in a spmwiiq OW, P O , e m v e , mclry, N b d o w n V i n a h n r r m g h n ~ t o f m d cl.ss,lpplimceswhoseolllylalvnlucia~ w r y r t o 8 ) l r a g m d r r m r i j l m l ~ i u a d i e billboard for left-wiq politid cbebackysrd,db)Laptbsirugoltal bPmprstidras.Tbiduofddvingau rorfunubcyolldthcirmmprcbmslonsnd ~~.Cbevg-,~~poatlljseps rmmiDgintkdrivew8y. T c m d R q p tbeiaaofaningapmcrhrl,cxpmk vidrdafoay ~ ~ f d r m e m adaotsicsponsePhrtlbjcQOmeir t o w o r L , t o d s t h r t d b e m t a l d l d v i c t d&p dislpgwrl .s vrgudy imUmtwasfm. "Wefiguredae'daDadthae ~ . A ~ W p a v e r s e l ~ , W l o v r a r b . t 3 5 f t c t a w a y f m m t b e ~ i n m r c l a p w m u it is tky own. llq've beta drivmur 8ed my, .Ycab. 8djusl that. Ti@m ~ ~ k a p f a 1 S y e s r ~ d h y h r t a d t o this',"Raysaid.d.'IheycPUeditfhc'.oml lragfhcheapgoiag-1JF. NCM~..dfhcidaMlLaffor*
'Ws a 1969 Vh." " C a g o t m o ~ c ~ , " s d d T o m . "How's rhe nur on rhir baby?" " T b e ( c u s t o l m ) w o u W g a i n ~ m d "WeU, people shouldk'r sir cR ac pdsm'd Bm to bdp out." Tbe bipph wae e s side. tandog into yu*. Lgs ilmmsa 8ad less capable of usdencanding w b w u Aridhespathcym.Tatcaarmyof ktums and you'll fmd mep dike wae nr,~.moreru&d-om1970'svb 1.a Toy& cormlas, more S n h m,
"

ssbile,botmeDcrmc~bdocwr.

re~rr~s B210s, Dodgc C t s , aoaL civics. Peugwt 504s. S88b 968, thore Volvo 142s, 164s, 241s. 1448, l Z ? s . . . r a p e goddunatd VW Bca*s the mry~roupofAmericsespu'rc~to, scmbk. Stambag basclf is fhc original owner of 8 1974 MKC Dm. She b n A few yufs lya. m 1976. m artwmcu n m d it "Bessey." yetet& this boDI tide mWBURwxmain~to&maadinadoa ndioraaatrutdvmUia~dosn~f*~I-

dde Because someflmesmeshlgh ~ n - s l s p e n r l o n ~ betcJrough.NowftrereSa shodc absorber lor boih the

hMdIIng from hlqh p & n n a ~ ~ ~ t o o o m ~ c r v l s I~ suqpendon. Plus /he bkssjust mh* on matt models with ow $~8cIcrI aclkntment knob, KONl manukrchnes evrwy rxoducttoihe hidesfsfold

dlven h wu. Just an od/udmen) tmmfkms )ow w r S

??r

i
8 . tr

wx-&itedtopnt*iptebutimwA~ c i h o e a ~ , r u w i w c d ~ r r a o . f a dymwbsboRdup.Tbesborra* ~ i r , ~ g i v e B & t k o a a a s n m a aell,U~~~gh.dhcwasinvitcdbd.R ~q tofootdowupm.'llmt'afhcdy urn, mo. Things looked dicey, bowamr, orsbsnnbb. whcntkymivcdathcsaaiiomdfomd RapbhWPcalhap. thaewaamhopdtiogfaIkm,c&yr Now~va~itorayS~y.m sujpension td put changirig Ilotc:"WatEhtbelmPrmneEUvsmdrood needs71nsteod. d8mandhs WWMS flnest shod0 and stnrts lustkxpurm /I& pu tramWm p u r On Sundays Weekend Edirion can be cwr from world clasJ handllng to kardoorapeU18111WN.tioollF%blic a/Uxu/ycarmwheneverpu f h c ~ m d T 0 m t e r h e s i h t o i u n i - RdioR.tiooaeoytto~includiag: need #. Anflme pu ruont. * a d t y . I l r i r ~ ~ I m a a i p s 6 - p e p - Amg, Iorn, WOI-AM For lrn r 3 m t & J n s e a n s t o c o a d a t o f ~ i d o o f Barta, WBUR coffcc-8ad they spmd meir hwr I d CLlc%e. W E ? . saowmameh.rlmaIptiOo.lrpa~ D.llr,KBRA d s . I.clphinn a meh. own bd jdres. of- Rtroit. W D m F . w m L q Ah&, KUAC-FM

"3r"

N c r ~ . W W N O

hkn YorL ab. WNYC-AM Fords. Dodge D8kot8 &haps. m i knscau, my diesel. Any locmtly built W c m , VWs.Audir, md8llolha"ursof
-

mc Third W."

satk,KUOW.KPUl WrLBntoll. D.C. WAMU.WETA

u "car duinh" m tk NNuimrl Rrblic

bFcbmmytkybdmeirnawrtdsktl

#8244-ff03, ! A t PI/- $179.95-., RlKx rBo40.fO26, M Woe $75.95eo.

fordrderinp;~,wik,kl m,m arm CUIPWX w z m .

KONlpr~du~Is am cwllabk,cccsbnw direct f986 Ford MWWIQFront