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Grew up listening to Car Talk with my dad. When I was 19 I attended summer school in Cambridge, and right in Harvard Square there was a window on the top of a
by adwi 3y ago
Grew up listening to Car Talk with my dad.
When I was 19 I attended summer school in Cambridge, and right in Harvard Square there was a window on the top of a building painted “Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe”. Fans will recognize this as the name of their fictional lawyers in the credits. I tailgated someone leaving, took the elevator up and knocked on the door.
A middle-aged woman answered, and I gee-golly’ly asked if this was Car Talk. She—Louie “Cronan the Barbarian”—said “Yes!” and invited me in.
She generously showed me around, apologizing that Tom and Ray weren’t in at the moment—my guess was Ray was at the garage, and Tom was exploring the cafe standards of the greater Boston area. She smiled.
On my way out she asked if I liked ice cream and pointed to a Ben and Jerry’s branded freezer right at the entrance. “They just come by and refill this for free, if you ever want some, you’re always welcome to come by, say hi and grab yourself a pint.”
I went back three times that summer. Never did meet Tom (RIP) or Ray, but sure got some good ice cream, and some welcome comfort as an awkward kid in a big new city for the first time.
I still look forward to their twice/weekly reruns.
- Aloha 3y agoI have similar childhood memories about Garrison Keillor/APHC.. I just never got to encounter them almost 1:1 like that.
- dylan604 3y agoOf all the people to get tagged in the MeToo, Garrison would not have been on my list of "that makes sense". But then I realized I knew nothing about the man, and just made that assumption based on his APHC character.
- Aloha 3y agoI cant tell if he was a serial abuser, an aspie who was poor at reading the room, or just someone who was a weirdo. All are plausible and its even possible more than one is true.
- borbulon 3y agoThat window was dead center of HS, right above Curious George. The entrance to my work was right across Brattle.
- zikduruqe 3y ago>I still look forward to their twice/weekly reruns. Boy that last episode after Tom died was the most heartbreaking and funny episode ever. I only wish I had brotherly love like that. Ray said something like "When Tom said he didn't remember last week's puzzler, he really didn't, that he had Alzheimers..." man, that got me, Ray laughing and crying at the same time.
- AlbertCory 3y agoDid you meet Heywood Yabuzzoff, at least?
- pivo 3y agoI hear Pikop Andropov is driving for Uber now
- mjklin 3y agoWarren Peace is working on his Dostoevsky bio
- AlbertCory 3y agoNormally I wouldn't bother being this pedantic, but since I'm watching the BBC adaptation of War and Peace right now (with no Russian actors, AFAICT): That was Tolstoy.
- UberFly 3y agoI still have my Car Talk fuzzy dice and t-shirt. :)
- LazyMans 3y agoAlso grew up listening with my parents. I'm pretty sure their show is one of the reasons I pursued automotive repair as a hobby.
- dugmartin 3y agoI took the elevator up around 2000 or so but never had the nerve to knock. Now I wish I did.