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Like many automotive enthusiasts, when Rodney Kemerer talks about cars his enthusiasm abounds. A lifelong enthusiast, Kemerer is the author of Tales From The Garage.
As described in its Amazon profile, the “heartfelt book — the half memoir, have the memories of others — is truly a pop culture snapshot of modern society through the lens of the automobile.”
Kemerer is our guest this week on Episode #277 of The Weekly Driver Podcast.
Co-hosts Bruce Aldrich and James Raia talk with Kemerer, a veteran journalist, about his first book and the surprising reactions he’s received from readers.
“Kemerer understands that car stories can be the gateway to every aspect of our lives,” the book’s introduction states.
During our interview, Kemerer details his quick entry into automotive journalism. He submitted an article “cold” a decade or so years ago to Hemmings, the car collector magazine. The article was published, although its author was never told. Kemerer noticed it when reading another issue of the magazine.
The writer’s debut was the impetus for other articles in the Los Angeles Times to Old Cars Weekly. He developed a relationship with the editor and publisher of Garage Style Magazine and began writing a column called “Tales From The Garage. The columns were successful and the new book is a compilation of the columns.
“I realized maybe I could have a broader audience for the pieces because they seem to have a universal appeal,” says Kemerer. “The book is 30 essays and each one has its own graphic language.”
Kemerer, who lives in Beverly Hills, California, has a vast collection of model cars and most of the vehicles he’s ever owned.
Please join us for a 30-minute interview with a new author. He’s funny and he loves cars. It’s a good match.
Tales From The Garage (Amazon, $29.95) is available via TheWeeklyDriver.com’s affiliate program with the online retailer.
Visit: Tales From The Garage
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Hosted by James Raia and Bruce Aldrich, The Weekly Driver Podcast dives deep into the highways and byways of the automotive world. Each week, we put you in the driver’s seat, exploring unique, unusual, and often untold stories from across the industry’s spectrum.
Article Last Updated: December 6, 2023.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
