London’s taxi drivers may be boast an encyclopedic knowledge of their city’s streets, but a veteran Queens cabbie recently showed the BBC how we do it in New York City.
After 35 years of manning a yellow taxi, Middle Village native John McDonagh lent his expertise to one of the BBC’s biggest stars.
On an episode of Richard Hammond’s “Crash Course,” airing Monday, he shows the TV host of “Top Gear” fame how New York cabbies get the job done.
“I’m excited to see how it turned out,” said McDonagh, 58. “I didn’t realize how popular Hammond was. People thought he was filming a movie and that I was Colin Quinn.”
On the series, which premiered in April on BBC America, Hammond learns how to do odd jobs in each episode.
During the two days of filming in New York, McDonagh said he tried to prep Hammond before he drove in Manhattan rush-hour traffic.
“We couldn’t go anywhere without people taking photographs,” he said of shooting the episode. “He could barely walk anywhere. Everybody knew who he was.”
At one point they got sat down for pastrami sandwiches at Katz’s Deli on Houston St. “The owners put a picture of him up on their wall,” he said.
McDonagh would not reveal details of the episode, but noted, “at one point the car overheated.”
Elli Hakami, the show’s executive producer, said they hand-picked McDonagh because of his quirky personality.
“John has a sense of humor and charm that we knew would be a great compliment for Richard,” he said.
McDonagh, who moonlights as a stand-up comic, has worked for the taxi company 55 Stan Operating Corp., based in Long Island City, throughout his career.
Richard Wissak, 52, who co-owns the company and has worked with McDonagh for 25 years, said McDonagh is unparalleled when it comes to taxi wisdom.
“He’s a hard-working, intelligent, safe man who is very knowledgeable about the city,” said Wissak. “He’s a throwback to what American cab drivers used to be.”
McDonagh said he enjoys the job but can’t believe he’s still a hack.
“It’s a temporary job that turned into a career,” he said. “If I thought when I started out that I had to drive in Manhattan traffic for the next 35 years, I would have killed myself.”
A Taxi & Limousine Commission spokesman called McDonagh a legend.
“John’s 35 years behind the wheel earns him the status of ‘master cabbie,’” said Allan Fromberg.
hkaroliszyn@nydailynews.com
Source : nydailynews[dot]com
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