John Cusack rides his Vespa straight into our hearts

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

NPR

Comedy, Leisure, Other Games

4.6 • 37.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 March 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, John Cusack joins us to talk high school reunions, graphic novels, and the secrets to keeping your Vespa's tank full. Plus, panelists Rachel Coster, Adam Felber, and Joyelle Nicole Johnson go on spring break

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Transcript

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0:00.0	From NPR and WBEZ Chicago, this is Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, the NPR News Quiz.
0:10.0	I'm Alzo Slade filling in for Bill Curtis, who flew to L.A. to accept the Oscar for Best Pipes.
0:16.9	And here's your host at the Student Breaker Theater in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, Illinois.
0:21.6	Peter Sago!
0:22.6	Thank you, Alzo!
0:23.6	Thank you, Alzo.
0:24.6	Thank you, Alzo, especially for filling in for Bill, who will be back with us next week.
0:31.6	Thank you all for being here at our beautiful home theater.
0:35.6	We have a great show for you today.
0:36.6	Later on, we're going to be talking to Chicago's own
0:39.4	legendary actor John Cusack.
0:41.9	It is a big get, right?
0:45.6	To book him on the show, I had to go stand on his front lawn
0:49.3	holding a boombox over my head playing our theme song.
1:30.2	But first, it's your turn to say anything on our quiz. Give us a call. The number is 1-3-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-2-4. That's 1-88-9-24. Let's welcome our first listener-contestant. Hi, you are on Wait-Wate, Don't Tell Me. Hi, this is Jen Crowley from Roselle, Illinois. Hey, Roselle. where is that exactly? Oh, you know, just about a half hour away from you. Yeah, well, I'm a Chicago guy. As far as I know, that's it. Yeah. I don't live in Illinois. I've never heard of it. What do you do nearby here? I own a dog grooming salon and boutique. Wow. I imagine dealing with the dogs is much easier than dealing with the dog's owners.
1:32.6	Yes, that's typically true.
1:33.7	I imagine, yes.
1:36.1	Well, welcome to the show, Jen.
1:37.9	Let me introduce you to our panel this week.
1:41.4	First up, it's the host of Boy Room on TikTok and Instagram.
1:42.8	It's Rachel Koster. Rachel. Hi, how's it going? Next, it's Rachel Koster.
1:46.1	Rachel, hi, how's it going?
	...

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