Is It Just Me? - BONUS: Jenna & The Geriatrics on Jonesy & Amanda

Episode Date: February 14, 2022

WSFM's Jonesy & Amanda chat with Jenna and other late learnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it just me? A podcast by a couple of Mitches. Now, if you were listening to episode 95 last week, you would have heard that Mitch and I took our third wheel, Jenna, for a driving lesson because we couldn't believe that at her age she still can't drive a car, she's still on her L plates. Well, that segment got the attention of Jonesy and Amanda, so they dragged her into the studio of their WSFM radio show

and they made a whole thing about it. It was a whole segment. There were other late learners calling through to make Jenna feel better. And as you're about to hear, Jonesy and Amanda, particularly Jonesy, I don't really think we can call him a fan of our podcast. Even the name alone was just too much for Jonesy. Here's what happened. Jonesy and Amanda in the morning.

WSFM. Our digital producer, we love her. Her name is Jenna. She's 28 years old. She has recently decided to learn to drive. She takes part in a podcast. They're called A Couple of Mitches. Yeah, I've heard of them.

And it's called Is It Just Me? Is It Just Me or Is It A Couple of Mitches? It's called Is It Just Me. How many names has this podcast got? Is It Just Me? We'll just call it one thing, one thought per break. Can I tell you this? It's called Is It Just Me with How many names has this podcast got? Is It Just Me? We'll just call it one thing, one thought per break. Can I tell you this? It's called Is It Just Me?

with a couple of Mitches and Jenna. Oh, my God. The printing alone will kill your podcast. Can I continue? Sure, you can. And so they've been teaching Jenna to learn to drive. It's been an interesting journey so far. Speed hump.

Yeah, now you accelerate over those things. What, really? Yeah. Jenna! Oh! Good. She did that very well. She went down the moguls.

Jenna, how does it feel that the rest of your L-plate peers have all only just hit puberty? Some of them probably haven't. Some of them haven't. Oh, yeah, it feels great. Why the delay? Why have you put off learning to drive so long? Because I was scared.

You don't seem scared, to be honest. I don't feel like I'm in unsafe hands. Yeah, I agree. I've been doing a lot of studying. And because I had no one to teach me. Aw. And then you know what? They invoked my name.

Phone's ringing. What do you do? Do you touch the phone while it's on? No. Jenna, Amanda Keller's fallen down a flight of stairs and she's calling you. You're the only person that can help her because you're right near her home. I can't. You were down those stairs all day.

I've been there ever since. I soiled myself waiting for Jenna. Yeah, but you soiled yourself just then. And I soiled myself before I fell down the stairs all day. I've been there ever since. I soiled myself waiting for Jenna. Yeah, but you soiled yourself just then. And I soiled myself before I fell down the stairs. We have Jenna with us. Hello, Jenna. Hello. I'm outraged you didn't come to save me, but I know you have to obey the laws. Exactly. I would have, but just paying attention

to the road. I always thought you had your licence. No, I don't. Well, I got my L's when I was 16 and I've renewed them twice since then. So you're 28. Did you have a scary moment? I got my license, my L's when I was 16 and then I was so horrified when I started to learn to drive, I didn't get my license until I was 27.

So all those years in between, I ignored it. Yeah, that's pretty much what happened to me. So I started driving when I was like 16, 17, like a few lessons, but I just wasn't good at it. So I thought I'll never be good at it. So I just gave up. And do you feel that you need a car? Yeah, I feel like I do.

And you're ready to drive? Yeah. Do you enjoy driving? Well, it wasn't until I drove with Mitch's that I realised that I could do it and that I was enjoying it. Before that, I was like, oh, I don't I realised that I could do it and that I was enjoying it. Before that, I was like, oh, I don't know if I want to do it. I don't know if I enjoy it.

I'm a bit scared. But now I feel like I've done it once. I can do it again. I used to feel like that. I used to think, I'm terrible at this. But then I'd look at other idiots who could do it and I think, well, if they can, surely I can do it. Yeah.

And eventually, if you practice it, you can. And look at Amanda. I'm down the bottom of a well what do i know she drives and i would like to say if it wasn't for the invention of automatic parking and abs brakes that perhaps you wouldn't be here today but you drive you drive this is a trope that jonesy enjoys that i'm a bad driver let's just i haven't touchwood had a single accident how many of you had 10 all your own problem there's a trope that Jonesy enjoys that I'm a bad driver. Let's just, I haven't, touch wood, had a single accident. How many have you had? Ten. All your own problem.

All your own fault. There's a more precarious hold on the world when you ride a motorcycle. As you've learnt ten times. And I have learnt. And it's because I was pushing the envelope, which I don't do anymore because I have no time for a motorcycle accident. But I think, when's your test? When are you going to do it? I haven't booked it yet. Right. But I want to. do you want me to take you for a run do you mind i know i don't mind at all

really well now what i could do for you i'm saying to jenna do you want that what do you mean really you know how bossy he'll be he's listen how he speaks about my driving it's about true what i can give to you is guidance and i I've trained many people to drive, and every one of them has always passed the test, except for one, on the first go. Come on. Who have you taught to drive? My son.

Yeah. My daughter. And did she pass first go? No. And what about your other son? He's still doing it. So where's this boastful, I've taught lots of people to drive. Because these days, the kids these days, when I got my licence,

all you had to do was have three months of training. And so I pretty much was 16 and I got my L's on my 17th birthday. I got my P's. It was like, I reckon I drove my dad six or seven times. These days you've got to do so many hours, which is a good thing. So you're probably ready to drive. You've got to drive through 18 shifts in barometric pressure and fill out the book saying so.

It's hard, isn't it? But I don't have to fill out the book anymore because I'm too old. Really? If you wait that long, you don't have to do it. Oh, that's okay. If you're over 25, you don't have to do the hours or the book. Well, congratulations. Because they assume your parents are too elderly to sit in the car with you.

Well, Jenna, this is going to become our working document. What we're going to do, do some more training with the Mitches. When you're ready to step into the ring with Brendan Jones. I'll bring my clipboard and we'll do the test. There's a lot of enduring idiots on the road. There is. And some inside the car with you, Jenna, so be careful. Definitely. And some inside this room that you, Jenna, so be careful. Definitely.

And some inside this room that might be down the bottom of a stairwell after they've soiled themselves. Good on you, Jenna. Thank you. You're a go-getter. Good luck. Well, just before the news, we spoke to Jenna, who's our digital producer. She's 28 years old.

She's in the midst of learning to drive. Yeah, and she's doing a great job. So I got my licence when I was about 27, I think. Like Jenna, I'd had a lesson when I was 16. I had a couple of lessons and they took me straight out onto Pennant Hills Road and it looked like every car suddenly was my enemy. I was terrified. I remember driving around the back of Epping Library with my father

and I kangaroo hopped the car first time I'd ever heard him swear. So I then didn't drive again for 10 years. And I was working at Beyond 2000. I remember doing a story where I had to drive a car around a block in New York without a driver's licence. Look at you. But I had one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake. I didn't know you used the same foot.

The old cab driver special. So the cameraman in the back of the car almost had a black eye from the camera just whacking him in the face every time I broke. Break, break. Every time I stopped the car. You broke many things. I broke his spirit, that's for sure. It's difficult these days to get your licence.

There's a lot of hours, which is good because, you know, one death is too many on our roads. But the tribal drum today is going to beat for late learner. Yeah, right. Are you like me and Jenna or maybe you're 80 and you're just getting your driver's licence? What stopped you getting it earlier? How humiliating is it?

It's hard to drive around when you've got your L plates, when you're substantially older than everybody else. Yeah. That something dreadful happened. We want all the juice. Give us a call, 13WSFM. A double VIP pass to Crowded House Dreamers are waiting to, if you're our man of the match, how cool is that?

It's funny, when I got together with Harley, I'd only just got my licence, and he said he probably would have judged me harshly if I didn't have it. My previous boyfriend would pick me up from work and would do it. Harley said he would never have done any of that. And that's why he was the previous boyfriend. Because he was kinder. No, because there's only so much a guy will do as far as picking up.

And then all of a sudden he goes, oh, I can't. Come on, you're 50. Come on. Get your licence. Come on. So the tribal drum is beating for late learner. Speed hump. Jenna! One hump or two. Michelle's with us. Hello, my. So the tribal drum is beating for late learner. Speed hump. Jenna!

One hump or two. Michelle's with us. Hello, Michelle. Hi, how's it going? Great. How old were you when you got your licence? Well, I'm 42 now, and I got it 15 years ago. And how did that come about?

What took so long? Well, I didn't get it when I was 16 and nine months, stupidly, because I didn't have a car to drive after I got my license, so I didn't see the point. And then everyone just did everything for me. And then when I met my now husband, he taught me how to drive. But he wasn't exactly the best person to teach. me how to drive, but he wasn't exactly the best person to teach. He does a lot of, you know, riding up the backside of people. He won't overtake until they merge, then he'll

overtake. He brakes all of a sudden. He scares the crap out of me when he's driving. And was he a good, so was he a decent teacher or did you do the opposite of him? No, I did what he did and I thought, well, I better get a professional to teach me just before I was going to get my piece and I had to basically learn how to drive all over again. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the problem, isn't it? A lot of bad habits can get passed on. Yeah, that's exactly right.

Thank you, Michelle. Did you teach your boys how to drive at all? A little bit. My sphincter still hasn't relaxed. I found it was really a hard part of parenting. Anne has joined us. Hello, Anne. Hey, how are you going, guys?

Happy New Year. Sorry. Thank you, Anne. It's good on you. Well, don't apologise for giving us Happy New Year salutations. It's February. But anyway, so I was like you, Jonesy, got my licence as soon as I could, go out on my first driving lesson, and Dad takes me and he goes,

you're going really good, Darl. I'm going to let you go up into the driveway. And our driveway at the time was like a Harry Potter score, actually. You sort of did a little zigzag up. He said, don't worry, sweetheart. I'll watch my side. You just watch your side. And I said, okay, Dad, no worries.

Anyway, so I'm watching my side. And the next minute, there's this almighty crash. Dad wasn't watching his side. He was watching my side. I've taken out the garage door, our awnings, taken brickwork out, written off the car. Oh, jeepers. And decided I'm not going to drive again until I was about 24.

And I've ended up being a bus driver. Oh. So, Amanda, there is hope for you. For Amanda being a bus driver. Yeah, yeah, there is hope for you. For Amanda being a bus driver? Yeah, yeah, yeah. A late starter driver makes you, you know, a good bus driver maybe. Don't talk to me while the bus is in motion. That's all I'll say.

Is that part of the bus driver's creed? Maybe. The tribal drummer's beating for late learner. Speed hump. Jenna! That's Jenna right there murdering a speed hump. We've got Judy on the line. Hello, Judy.

Hi. How old were you? Oh, it wasn't me. It was my mum. My mum was, she was about 62 when she decided she wanted her licence. Oh. My father had passed away and he always did the driving and everything like that. So she decided she was going to get her L's.

So it took her two years of lessons, two lessons, two to three lessons every week for two years. And the instructor actually rang me one day and asked if I'd come in the car with them because when she went round roundabouts, he couldn't figure out how to get her to correct what she was doing. She would change lanes and just veer in the roundabout and go to the other side of the road. She finally got her red peas and she had them for two years.

Yep. And then she finally got her green peas and she unfortunately got cancer. She passed away on her green peas at 72. But the whole experience was just like there was a couple of times we had to go rescue her from a supermarket where she parked the car and left it in drive and had rung us and said it doesn't work. It had been left in drive. My husband went with her for one lesson. He took her for one lesson and they got to a roundabout and he said go right at the roundabout.

She literally went right at the roundabout onto oncoming traffic. Oh, she didn't go around it. No. Oh, no. My husband pulled the handbrake on and, you know, going, Coral, back up, back up, back up. And then my daughter was out the front of our house and one of her friends said to her, who's the green pea platter? Thinking she had an older sibling. And she said, oh, that's my nan.

Nan's on the green peas. So you're saying it was a 10 year journey for your mum. She was still on her green peas at the end. Yes. There was one time we came home from holidays and she said to me, I had a little bit of an oops in the car and I said, what do you mean an oops? And she said, oh, I just banged into the back of your Land Cruiser. It's okay.

You know how tough Land Cruisers are? It was like a $3,500 fix. See, maybe there are some people who just shouldn't be driving. Well, I hope, Judy, your mum didn't bash into the pearly gates when she went out there. Like Mr Magoo. God rest her soul. Thank you, Judy. Thank you for that, Judy.