# Car Talk "credits" question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 14, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791 "2012-03-14T21:08:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/1 "2012-03-14T21:08:05Z")
A GQ question about Click and Clack reminded me that I’ve been meaning to ask this question for a while: At the end of each episode of _Car Talk_, Ray reads of a list of made up credits for punny-named “staff” like their Public Opinion pollster Paul Murky of Murky Research and their Statistician Marge Innovera. Well, for what feels like several years now, Ray has _almost_ said the name of one staff member from time to time, and then acted like no, he’d really better not say that one. Like if he said, “Our _Match Game_ host, Knead… well, no, maybe not.” Sometimes he says more of the name than others, and I could almost swear one time he actually said the whole thing, or at least enough of it to convey the joke, but for the life of me I never catch it and it’s frustrating the hell out of me. Anyone have any ideas, or maybe caught it the time I think he said it? I’ve got close to 7 years worth of the show archived to MP3, but I really don’t want to go through them all. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/2 "2012-03-15T00:41:33Z")
Knead Toknow. Or maybe not. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/3 "2012-03-15T00:50:19Z")
Sometimes I think he starts to read a new fake name and decides half way through that it’s not funny or not appropriate and skips to the next. It’s like maybe he hadn’t read them until that moment and was editing on the fly. Is that what you mean? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/4 "2012-03-15T01:19:33Z")
You know you can look at the [whole list of staff credits online](http://www.cartalk.com/content/staff-credits), don’t you? Anyway, if the job category is “_Match Game_ host”, then it’s probably meant to reference somewhat bawdy _Match Game_-style humor. My bet is that the name is “Nita Dick” or something like that, and Ray starts to read it and changes his mind. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/5 "2012-03-15T02:02:46Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > Knead Toknow. Or maybe not. I’m guessing _not_. 🙂 > [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Is that what you mean? Yes, exactly. Except that he seems to start reading the same name from week to week and deciding against it. Like the joke is, “this week, I’m gonna sneak it past 'em.” The job title is the same every time he “chickens out.” I want to make clear that I’m sure he never actually intends to say the name, but I think over the years, he’s let enough slip that smart folks like us should be able to figure out the joke. > [@Kimstu](#): > > You know you can look at the [whole list of staff credits online](http://www.cartalk.com/content/staff-credits), don’t you? Yes, but I’ve looked and I don’t see anything there that looks borderline offensive enough to merit this. > [@](#): > > Anyway, if the job category is “_Match Game_ host”, then it’s probably meant to reference somewhat bawdy _Match Game_-style humor. My bet is that the name is “Nita Dick” or something like that, and Ray starts to read it and changes his mind. I didn’t say the job title is “_Match Game_ host,” I used that as my example of him stopping partway through the name. Sorry for the confusion. Well, I’m off to listen to a dozen or so [del]episodes[/del] ending credits and see if I can catch enough of it to provide a better example. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/6 "2012-03-15T02:05:13Z")
If they ever do a crossover with Wait Wait, they can thank one of Wait Wait’s staff, Less Lethargic. (What is that person’s name anyway, I can’t google something if I don’t know how to spell it!) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/7 "2012-03-15T02:22:08Z")
I think I’ve found the episode where he says enough of it to get it. The episode which aired here on 11/5/2011 has the following among the credits: > [@](#): > > our Anger Management Counselor is Tara New…_[mumbles]_…nah, never mind followed by Tommy laughing, then Ray goes on to Political Consultant Mark Iavelli. I was pretty sure the title had “anger” in it. Oddly, “Tara Neuwon” is on the above-linked list as **Staff Disciplinarian II**. Perhaps he copped out because he’d gotten two credits mixed up. Anyway, I guess as far as I’m concerned this is asked and answered. It just took me digging out my archive discs and sitting down to go through them. **Knead** Lazy ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/8 "2012-03-15T06:13:35Z")
Tara Lipinski’s tutu! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/9 "2012-03-15T06:18:59Z")
Bo-o-o-gus! ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/10 "2012-03-15T13:51:15Z")
And the moderators ban all the members and guests every time we say it, but this is SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/11 "2012-03-15T14:40:46Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Tara Lipinski’s tutu! and before that Sonja Henie’s tutu ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/12 "2012-03-15T22:13:47Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > If they ever do a crossover with Wait Wait, they can thank one of Wait Wait’s staff, Less Lethargic. (What is that person’s name anyway, I can’t google something if I don’t know how to spell it!) I hear Lester Zajak, but I think he’s an intern. I don’t see him on the staff page. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Downtown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/13 "2012-03-16T01:34:08Z")
He used to say “Mr Gigi does our hair,” but that’s been absent for a decade or so. I don’t know if it was un-PC or what. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/14 "2012-03-16T01:40:32Z")
> [@Greg\_Charles](#): > > I hear Lester Zajak, but I think he’s an intern. I don’t see him on the staff page. I definitely hear Lester Zajak as another name: I think he pronounces it very carefully so he doesn’t say “Sajak”. This other name comes before Lester I believe and sounds more like “Les Thelargic” (not “Less Lethargic” which is what I always hear it as), and afterward it’s followed by a name that sounds like “Mohammed Mau”. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/15 "2012-03-16T02:55:31Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I definitely hear Lester Zajak as another name: I think he pronounces it very carefully so he doesn’t say “Sajak”. This other name comes before Lester I believe and sounds more like “Les Thelargic” (not “Less Lethargic” which is what I always hear it as), and afterward it’s followed by a name that sounds like “Mohammed Mau”. I’ve got those archived, too, so I’m happy to check. 🙂 Of course, that show still has freely-playable archives on the web site. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/16 "2012-03-16T05:24:51Z")
Don’t drive like my brother. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/17 "2012-03-16T10:28:03Z")
FYI: When they first started signing off like that, it was “Don’t drive like a knucklehead.” at some point they started saying “my brother” instead. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/18 "2012-03-16T13:01:31Z")
“Tear a new one” (= new asshole), borderline okay; “Tara Newassle,” less okay? That’s my guess, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/19 "2012-03-26T22:47:38Z")
Not that anyone is still reading this thread, but I just listened to this week’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and Peter seemed to enunciate Les’s name extra carefully for whatever reason. It’s Les Stalarchic, and he’s an engineer, not an intern as I thought. Also, the Zajak is John Zajak, some sort of liaison at Chase Bank. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-talk-credits-question/615791/20 "2012-03-27T03:04:28Z")
My favorite of these was “Secretary of Halogen Headlamps: Made-a-lane All-bright”.