Dear Ask Chicagoist,
I know you guys like talking about "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" and all other things NPR, so perhaps you can help me with something that perplexes me. How is it that in the morning when I'm drinking my coffee I hear Carl Kasell giving me the news -- "from Washington" -- and on the weekend he's yucking it up over on "Wait, Wait"? Yes, I understand how planes work, but the guy's 93 or something, right? Does he ever rest? Or is he lying about the Washington DC thing?
Frank
Hi Frank.
Lying about the Washington, D.C. thing? Have you been watching too many episodes of "The Daily Show"? As a general rule of thumb (or, OK, as an NPR rule of thumb), if newscasters say they're somewhere, that's where they are. Including the 73-year-old with the particularly confusing last name to spell, Carl Kasell (not quite 93 yet). And so what if we love "Wait, Wait ... Don't Tell Me"?! Can you really blame us?
Carl's definitely got a busy schedule. He works Monday through Wednesday from about 2am to 11am at NPR studios in Washington writing and then doing the newscast every hour during "Morning Edition." Then on Thursday he hops a plane to Chicago to appear with his unexpected sense of humor as the official judge and scorekeeper on "Wait, Wait." Since he lives with his wife in Washington, we'll assume he makes it back there in time to share the weekend with her before doing it all over again.
He's been on NPR since 1975, and according to interviews, he has no desire to slow down or "retire" from NPR as of now, so you can expect to hear his voice gracing your airwaves (and perhaps your answering machine) for years to come, flying from D.C. to Chicago and back again nearly every week.
Of course everyone has detractors -- we found it interesting the number of people spending time complaining about Carl's voice. The exact voice we think is completely mesmerizing. Maybe we like hearing quirks in voices, but Carl even has linguists going after him and the unusual way he pronounces the "long O vowel sound."
What do you think of Carl's voice?
Either way, as Mo Rocca once said, "Carl Kasell is a god. When he starts speaking and everyone recognizes the voice, women in their 40s and 50s revert to their former teeny-boppers-at-the-Beatles-concert selves."
Image via Michaela Murphy
Who's Carl this time? Need some advice? Email ask(at)chicagoist(dot)com.
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Thales knows everything.
Thales knows everything.
After a Wait Wait show at the bank1/Chase auditorium my wife and I ran into Peter and Karl at the pay kiosk for a garage on Madison. Peter was driving Karl to the airport to catch a flight.
I love Wait Wait - I only discovered it about 6 months ago via podcast, after I discovered This American Life on podcast.
But I'll tell Chicagoist something...I want to be the voice on Carl Kasell's home answering machine.
I love it when Carl Kasell sings "Hello Pussycat."
After a taping last year, we ran into Peter, Adam Felber, Roxanne Roberts, Kyrie O'Connor, and the lovely Korva Coleman at Italian Village across the street.
Jesus! Please move this stupid show OUT of the city so Chicagoist can stop talking about it! It is awful NPR junk!
guest no. 7, come on now, I know you can figure out how to change your own radio to kiss fm.
Love his voice. I recall him years ago reading a local story & pronouncing Des Plaines, De Plahn.
We still make jokes about it. The show is funny.
I also second #4's comment. wouldn't that be hilarious to be able to tell your friends you are the voice on HIS machine?
I learned something here. The way Kassell sounds in the morning, I assumed he was just rolling out of bed. Surprising to learn he starts at 2am.
Love Carl Kasell, love "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" (even bought the book)... Chicagoist can talk about either one all they want. I never realized what a crazy schedule Kasell has, maybe that's what keeps him young.
Carl Kasell is one thing, but what about Abby Ryan? I've heard her when I get up in the morning, doing the traffic report, and she's still there when I get off of work. Does she ever sleep? Is she a robot?
i love carl kassel, he's incredibly funny. for all of you who don't like him, you're a bunch of jerks.