NPR Funniest Driveway Moments: Radio Stories That Won't Let You Go

NPR Driveway Moments

by National Public Radio, Robert Krulwich

Selected from the National Public Radio archives, these stories by some of NPR's favorite commentators will keep listeners laughing.

A "driveway moment" is 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. Some are serious, some are touching, and some, like the stories included here, are very, very funny.

Literate, intelligent, and droll, each tale is worth hearing again and again, and now you don't have to stay in your car.

NPR Funniest Driveway Moments includes stories and interviews from your favorite NPR commentators and guests such as David Sedaris, Sarah Silverman, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Dame Edna, Larry David, Darryl Littleton, Justice Stephen Breyer, Jonathan Winters, Phyllis Diller, Steve Martin, Lily Tomlin, and more.

Genres: Humor, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Comedy, Anthologies, Memoir

2 pages, Audio CD

First published April 22, 2008

Reviews

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75★
I thought I'd try this on my walks. With only 2 discs of material, I heard some funny moments but as other reviewers have noted it's more about talking to funny people about how they came to be that way. Enjoyable and interesting enough but glad I didn't purchase it.

[Jack Stonecipher]

The Dame Edna interview was some of the funniest stuff I've ever heard

[emelie!! · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great little stories to keep you entertained while doing chores!

[Jay French · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is a bit of a trick, instead of containing funny radio stories, this is a collection of interviews of comedians. There are funny bits, and there are serious bits, like the discussion of the records of Redd Foxx, and race in comedy. The NPR folks went out on a limb to also include a bit with a supreme court justice from "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me". I found this part not very funny, unfortunately. There was also a repetition of the interviewer cracking up and laughing during different interviews, which ends up being a bit annoying. But I can imagine this is a tool of the trade to get a comedian to keep talking - it works here. So why do I rate this as an "It was OK"? Entirely on the basis of a few minutes of Jonathon Winters. Winters is totally out there on this recording, done very late in his career. Outside of Winters, none of these stories are "radio stories that wouldn't let me go". My high hopes for this series continue to be quashed.

[Robyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as I thought it would be.. it is more about talking to funny people, than funny people talking... so was just a bit disappointed... not enough to not enjoy it somewhat, but not enough to make it to my expectation.

3 stars

Happy Reading!

[Kelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I needed an audio book readily available and my library had low inventory. I stumbled into this audiobook and got a few laughs out of it. No plot - just old interviews with comedians. Fairly funny.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

NPR interviews and episodes that are so funny they are said to have kept listeners in their cars even after they reached their destinations and, I can honestly say, that's true! These are snippets from NPR segments with guests such as Dame Edna, Mel Brooks, David Sedaris, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Billy Connelly and more. Dame Edna was hysterical, Mel Brroks as entertaining as always and David Sedaris had me ready to pack my bag to move to Paris. And who knew a Supreme Court Justice could be so entertaining! The Stephen Breyer segment was one of my favorites! A great way to pass the time in the car. Two thumbs up.

[Connie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming interviews with icons of comedy. Some made me laugh out loud, some not so much, but it was a great collection of conversations with major comics.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Steve Martin and David Sedaris segments were my favorite.

[Zade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's not a book, but it's narrative of a sort, so I'll make note of it here for my own memory.

There probably aren't a lot of people alive in 2024 who remember the people interviewed here, so it may not work for younger audiences. I'm older Gen X and some of these comedians were a stretch for me. A lot of Silent Generation and older Boomer humor is as incomprehensible to me as my kids' fascination with absurdist anti-memes. None of the interviews were really driveway moments, either.

That said, the interview with Dame Edna had me laughing so hard my teenage son came out to see if I was ok. It was a combination of Dame Edna's humor and the way the usually serious Scott Simon completely lost his composure, neither of which amused my kids, but had me rolling.

The main interest, though, is the way the interviews illuminate bits of 20th century history of comedy. If you're interested in that, this will be useful. If not, those over 60 may find some humor mixed into the interviews.

My favorite interviews:
Dame Edna
Billy Connolly
Steve Martin
Lily Tomlin

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining collection of interviews featuring some of America's most beloved comics. Only two hours worth, so it's perfect for listening to while driving around town, short trips, or when going on long walks.

When I saw the title, it really made me chuckle. I'm a bit of an audiobook addict, and I can't tell you how many times I've sat in my car in the driveway for 1-20 minutes...just to hear a little more of my story.

Unfortunately, I can't say that the stories in this collection would ever truly cause me to do this, so the title just doesn't fit for me. Nevertheless, the title appealed to me and got me to listen to the humorous interviews and stories. They were good, just not great.

I listened to the audiobook over the course of two days of walking and it made me want to listen to more podcasts of my favorite shows, like Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me.

[C2015 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have scored this a 3.5 stars if such a thing as possible. Another review were mentioned the interviewer cracking up which was in the first two or three interviews that I really noticed it and it was annoying mostly because I didn't find it funny. I was about to give up but it got a lot better. The supreme court justice bit I actually thought was quite funny, Paula Poundstone was making remarks and it was just very funny. Yes some of the interviews were about how they became comedians but they are always throwing in funny bits. From memory, Jonathan Winters, Steve Martin, Billy Connolly, the guy who came on with his mom and his grandma can't remember his name… I enjoyed them all very much. All Lily Tomlin, Carl Reiner, and Phyllis Diller. I did notice the interviewer actually making some jokes which most often they didn't pick them up… The interviewee didn't catch it. I enjoyed learning about how they became comics.

[Courtenay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect book for a short road trip to a FL State Park. We were familiar with the comics, so we enjoyed the interviews. Some of the comedians, like David Sedaris, read from his published works. The interview we enjoyed the most was Dame Edna. Jonathan Winters’ interview was more sad than funny, and we did not enjoy it. If you are looking for a quick, easy audio book, that has comedic bits and insights into the comics, this is the book for you.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a big ol’ disappointment. Funny? It’s just a bunch of interviews with comedians talking about how they became comedians. No I did not listen to the whole thing. Snippets of just a few of these boring interviews was enough. If I wanted more insights into the comedians that would be fine, but the cover and title are false advertising. Silly me. I was hoping for a funny stories that would have kept me in my driveway before I would go in the house because I’d want to hear how they end! Nope.

[Mark Holencik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book a 3 because the title is very misleading. I have sat in my truck many times because I could not wait to get back in my truck to finish the part I was listening to. So I have had many Driveway Moments. I do not remember doing that with NPR Funniset Driveway Moments.
That said, the interviews of comdians were good, informative and entertaining.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall it was interesting to listen to while driving to work, but not what I had expected. I thought it would be funny pieces from their radio shows, but it was more about interviews with funny people and how they got to where they are today. Still interesting, but as I said, not what I had anticipated.

[Rebecca · Rating 1 out of 5]

Including the word 'funniest' in the title does this a disservice because this is ultimately just a compilation of very small snippets of interviews with comedians. I thought it would be a bunch of anecdotes or funny tales, etc. but those were very few and far between. This was just a random compilation of out of context interviews.

[Charlie Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was so-so. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't hilariously funny. There were several moments when I laughed out loud, but there were a lot of moments where I just found it interesting (and not really all that funny).

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this audio book and enjoyed listening to interviews with the comedians I grew up watching on television. Sometimes funny, sometimes poignant but always entertaining to hear what these folks have to say about their comedy and its roots.

[Jennie]

I am not going to rate this as I was clearly not the target for this book. It is a throwback to many older comedians, all of them American, which isn't surprising, just made them all unknown to me. So I couldn't relate to most of the content.

[Laura Lenz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is good for NPR lovers & hearing interviews with famous comedians - I enjoyed learning about different icons in comedy & where they came from, etc… just not what I expected from this audiobook.

3.5/5 (taking points off bc some of the interviews have aged like milk)

[Michele Cacano · Rating 3 out of 5]

These aren't really stories. This is a collection of excerpts from interviews with funny people, comedians. They're all people I like and admire but there wasn't much laughter (except the annoying laughter of some of the interviewers) to be had. Still enjoyable to listen to.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Borrowed from the library for a road trip. Perfect for making time move along and starting conversations with passengers. Entertaining.

[Anogoya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent entertainment

[Nora · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Definitely wouldn't have stayed in the driveway for most of these.

[Jane Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always great entertainment

[Halifax · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. It was just ok. Definitely not the funniest driveway moments.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite was Lili Tomlin.

[Hi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as I'd hoped, altho it was fairly interesting

[ette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable interviews with comic greats