Radio Stories That Won’t Let You Go

What’s a Driveway Moment? It’s when you’re so captivated by a story on NPR that you stay in your car to hear it to the end—even if you’re sitting in your own driveway. For years, listeners have written to us to describe such moments. Some are serious, some are touching, and some, like the stories included here, are very, very funny.

Literate, intelligent, and yes, funny, NPR plays host to the brightest personalities in the comedy world. Scott Simon chats with the resplendent Dame Edna, the outrageous Phyllis Diller, and the extraordinary Lily Tomlin. Juan Williams looks back on the revolutionary career of Richard Pryor. From legends Jonathan Winters, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner to contemporary favorites Sarah Silverman, David Sedaris and Larry David, here is one collection that will keep you listening with a smile.

Track Listing:

Disc 1

1. Introduction by Robert Krulwich (1:31)
2. A Bit of a Chat with Dame Edna (13:45) (Weekend Edition Saturday, January 25, 2003)
3. Larry David: More Enthusiasm, Curbed (6:37) (Morning Edition, September 23, 2005)
4. A Short History of Black Comedy (6:23) (News & Notes, February 26, 2007)
5. Getting with 'The Sarah Silverman Program' (7:21) (Day to Day, February 1, 2007)
6. Not My Job: Justice Stephen Breyer (12:10) (Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, March 24, 2007)
7. Jonathan Winters (13:26) (Weekend Edition Saturday, September 2, 2000)
8. Inside French Healthcare (6:58) (Morning Edition, August 15, 2000)

Disc 2

1. Mel Brooks: A Lifetime of Laughter (7:24) (Morning Edition, August 18, 2004)
2. Carl Reiner Takes On the Past (7:52) (All Things Considered, May 8, 2003)
3. Phyllis Diller: Still Out for a Laugh (9:09) (Weekend Edition Saturday, July 23, 2005)
4. How Richard Pryor Changed Comedy (3:48) (Morning Edition, December 12, 2005)
5. Demetri Martin: Comedy and the Family (7:50) (All Things Considered, February 1, 2007)
6. Billy Connolly: Onstage Solo, But Not Lonely (9:26) (Weekend Edition Saturday, May 6, 2006)
7. Steve Martin: 'Born Standing Up' (7:38) (Morning Edition, November 27, 2007)
8. Laughing Along with Lily Tomlin (9:10) (Weekend Edition Saturday, October 25, 2003)

Host Robert Krulwich is an award-winning correspondent for NPR’s Science Desk and co-hosts WNYC’s NPR-distributed scientific documentary series Radio Lab. He has been called “the most inventive network reporter in television” by TV Guide. His own humorous outlook on the news can be seen in “Backfire,” a semi-fictional year-in-review Krulwich hosts with friends Jane Curtin, Buck Henry and Tony Hendra.