Jason Torchinsky
Jason Torchinsky is an American automotive journalist, author, graphic artist, and comedian. Before entering automotive journalism, he wrote humor for the Chapel Hill magazine Stay Free; an excerpt from one of his essays appeared in Harper's, and he performed with the sketch-comedy troupe the Van Gogh-Goghs.[1][2]
Torchinsky later worked as a senior editor at Jalopnik and as a producer for Jay Leno's Garage. In 2022, he and David Tracy launched the automotive website The Autopian, of which Torchinsky is a co-founder.[3][4][5]
Early writing and comedy
[edit]Torchinsky is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina. He attended Grimsley High School and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied art history.[1][3]
By 1996, Torchinsky was working as a graphic artist for Fringe Multimedia, a Chapel Hill company that designed CD-ROM games and other computer software. He also contributed humor pieces to Stay Free, a Chapel Hill magazine founded and edited by Carrie McLaren. His essay “Slouching on the Shoulders of Giants: Why It’s Okay That Your Job Sucks” first appeared in Stay Free, and an excerpt was later published in Harper's.[1]
Torchinsky performed with the six-member sketch-comedy group the Van Gogh-Goghs, originally known as the Sore Horsemen of the Apocalypse.[1] The group gave its first performance in April 1992. Its members primarily performed scripted sketches without cue cards, leaving room for ad-libbing, and said they preferred sketch comedy to improvisation. Before traveling to Austin in 1996, the group reported that it had received special approval to present sketch comedy at an improvisation festival.[6]
In April 1996, the Van Gogh-Goghs appeared at the inaugural Big Stinkin' International Improv & Sketch Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas. Advance coverage said the group planned to present 12 sketches during a 45-minute set at Esther's Pool.[2] The group's later account described the completed show and identified Torchinsky among the performers.[7] At the fourth festival in 1999, Torchinsky appeared on a panel titled “Comedy and Technology”; the festival program described him as a web graphic artist.[8] Torchinsky had previously opened for George Carlin at UNC in 1993.[2][6]
After living in Los Angeles, Torchinsky returned to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.[3]
Automotive journalism and media
[edit]Torchinsky worked as a senior editor at Jalopnik, where his writing focused on unusual vehicles, automotive history, and car culture. He also served as a producer for the CNBC television series Jay Leno's Garage and hosted the Jalopnik video series Jason Drives, which featured unusual and historic vehicles.[3][9]
In April 2022, Torchinsky and fellow former G/O Media writer David Tracy launched The Autopian, an automotive news and enthusiast website.[4] Torchinsky continued writing for the publication as a co-founder.[5]
Books
[edit]In 2009, Torchinsky and Carrie McLaren co-authored Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture, a collection about advertising, marketing, and consumer culture.[10]
Torchinsky's 2019 book Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving examines the history and possible social effects of autonomous vehicles, including the potential loss of driving as a skill and recreational activity.[3][9] The News & Observer described the book as “rigorously researched and surprisingly funny” and praised its combination of automotive history, industry analysis, and humor.[3] Tony Borroz of Automoblog called it an “entertaining yet serious examination” of automation,[9] while Jaclyn Trop of Book and Film Globe characterized it as a “well-considered thought experiment” about the future of autonomous vehicles.[11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Morris, Bill (January 27, 1996). "Killing Time on the Corporate Dime". News & Record. Greensboro, North Carolina. p. D1 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 3 Broili, Susan (April 11, 1996). "Comedy troupe to warm up for festival at UNC". Chapel Hill Herald. p. 1 – via NewsBank.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 McDonald, Glenn (October 11, 2019). "For NC writer, there's a story behind every car he drives. 'There's a bond there.'". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Baysinger, Tim (April 1, 2022). "Autopian launched by ex-Jalopniks". Axios. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 "Jason Torchinsky". The Autopian. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Gordon, Alex (February 14, 1996). "Don't call them a troupe". The Chronicle. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University – via NewsBank.
- ↑ T. Mike (2000). "The Van Gogh-Goghs Great Texas Adventure, Part 8: Showtime!!". The Van Gogh-Goghs. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Panels". Big Stinkin' International Improv & Sketch Comedy Festival. Archived from the original on April 18, 1999. Retrieved July 25, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Borroz, Tony (June 30, 2019). "Automoblog Book Garage: Robot, Take The Wheel". Automoblog. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "Ad Nauseam". Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Trop, Jaclyn (August 27, 2019). "Drive, Robot: The Road to Autonomous Cars". Book and Film Globe. Retrieved July 22, 2026.