Car Talk Byline “Click and Clack” Could Change After Death of Tom Magliozzi

Will Car Talk byline “Click and Clack” change after the passing of one of the hosts Tom Magliozzi? Tom who, along with his brother Ray, hosted NPR’s hit comedy show Car Talk for the last 37 years, died November 3rd from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Turns out he wasn’t kidding,” said Ray. “He really couldn’t remember last week’s puzzler.”

In a report, there is a threat to cancel the column:

After his death, New York-based King Features Syndicate said the brothers’ newspaper column would continue to be bylined by both Tom and Ray Magliozzi.

Newspaper editors nationwide promptly threatened to cancel the “Click and Clack” column. Providence Journal executive editor Karen Bordeleau said she worried about the ethics of having it appear as though Tom Magliozzi was still answering readers’ questions.

“We were very concerned about the ethical implications of printing a column that purported to have two people chatting about cars — when one of them was clearly dead. Our brand is accuracy — and that didn’t sit well with us,” Bordeleau said.

The duo, who called themselves “Click and Clack, the Tappet Brothers,” always ended their shows with the catchphrase, “Don’t drive like my brother,” delivered in their signature Boston accents. Their nationally syndicated newspaper column debuted in 1989.

Tom Magliozzi was born June 28, 1937, in an East Cambridge, Massachusetts neighborhood filled with other Italian immigrant families. It was there that he and his younger brother Ray picked up the uniquely Boston-Italian style of expressing affection through friendly insults and teasing. That style was at the heart of their banter with each other, and their listeners, on the radio show that made them beloved guests in millions of homes every Saturday morning.

From Tom’s brother, Ray, via Car Talk: