The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 3 – Clay’s Controversial Music Take

Date: February 3, 2026
Host: iHeartPodcasts
Theme: Clay Travis ignites controversy by declaring Taylor Swift to be “the Beatles of our time,” sparking intense debate, listener backlash, and humor-filled banter with Buck Sexton over music, pop culture, and enduring stardom.

Overview

This episode revolves around Clay Travis’s provocative assertion that Taylor Swift is the modern equivalent of the Beatles—an opinion that inflames the show’s audience more than prior discussions of far more contentious topics. Along the way, Buck Sexton challenges Clay’s take with skepticism, drawing generational and musical comparisons. The hosts read and play a cascade of listener reactions, discuss related pop culture phenomena (like boy band nostalgia), and touch on breaking news and true crime items, all while maintaining their trademark blend of sarcasm and wit.

Key Segments and Insights

Breaking News & Serious Updates

• US Shoots Down Suspected Iranian Drone
  • Buck provides a real-time news update, noting ongoing changes in naval warfare and how hypersonic missiles challenge existing force projection.
  • “The world of naval surface warfare is changing very rapidly... aircraft carriers... could turn into multibillion dollar targets.” – A (Buck), 01:15
• Nancy Guthrie Disappearance (Savannah Guthrie’s Mother)
  • Clay relays the latest: Nancy Guthrie appears to have been taken against her will in Tucson, Arizona. FBI is involved, but no new information is available.
  • “There is no surveillance video... the FBI is asking if you have tips on this. 1-800-call-FBI.” – B (Clay), 02:39

Clay’s Taylor Swift Take: The Beatles of Our Time

Starts at: 04:24

• “Taylor Swift is the Beatles of our time. Buck is totally wrong that 20 or 30 years from now, no one will care.” – Clay, 04:40
• Clay predicts:
  • Swift’s music will be even more popular in 20–30 years.
  • She will tour as long as the Rolling Stones do (“till she’s 85 or 90”).
• Buck dismisses the notion, comparing Swift to ephemeral pop phenomena:
  • “You know who people would have said this about... the Backstreet Boys. Oh my gosh, in 30 years, everyone's gonna be listening to the Backstreet Boys.” – Buck, 05:40
  • Points out the fleeting nature of most pop stardom and questions putting Swift in the same league as the Beatles or even Aerosmith.

Boy Band & Pop Nostalgia

Starts at: 06:07

• Clay counters: many women do pay serious money to see boy bands (Backstreet Boys), even now.
  • “They sell out tours like crazy. Now there are 50 year old women... who spent $1,000... to get good seats to the Backstreet Boys tour.” – Clay, 06:07
• Buck insists this is nostalgia, not proof of timelessness.
  • “Not a single one of them paid $1,000 in the last year for a Backstreet Boys ticket. Talking crazy talk.” – Buck, 06:26

Memorable Story: Madonna Concert Floods Atlantic City Club

Starts at: 08:03

Buck shares a story from Atlantic City where a nightclub crowd instantly transformed with a flood of women spilling over from a Madonna concert—a pop icon parallel and commentary on music’s gendered fandoms.

Clay’s Taylor Swift “Power 5” Songs

Starts at: 09:56

Clay's Top 5 Taylor Swift Songs:

1. Bad Blood
2. Love Story
3. You Belong With Me
4. I Knew You Were Trouble
5. Wildest Dreams
   With honorable mentions: Shake It Off, Mean

Clay asserts Swift’s catalog will end up being more “substantial” than the Beatles.

• “I think Taylor Swift has a more substantial catalog of good songs in the decades ahead than the Beatles do.” – Clay, 10:34
  Buck: “Just insane.” – 11:02

Politics, Controversy, and Audience Reaction

Starts at: 12:03

• Clay acknowledges Swift’s politics are “moronic,” but sees that as irrelevant to her musical impact.
  • “A lot of people are going to react to her politics... but the Beatles... often had political takes...” – Clay, 12:03
• Buck highlights how this music take has caused more uproar than discussions about Jeffrey Epstein.
  • “My take on Taylor Swift is the one that people are upset about.” – Clay, 12:47

Emails, Calls, and Listener Talkbacks

Sampled Throughout
Hosts read and play listener feedback, much of it blistering:

• “No one will remember a Taylor Swift song in 10 years... you must have shaved off your brain cells when you shaved your beard.” – Listener Bruce, 15:31
• “No way in any universe is Taylor Swift in the same league as the Beatles.” – Listener Steve, 15:31
• “Taylor Swift’s best song is Blank Space...” – Aaron from Minnesota, 15:20 (one of few in support)

Other notable reactions:

• “Clay’s not the Beatles of our time—maybe the Elvis.” – Tim in Tucson, 24:14
• “Taylor swift is a 10-thumbed, tone-deaf, talentless noise polluter. Always has been and always will be.” – Josh in Ohio, 25:07

––

Rapid-Fire Banter & Notable Quotes

On generational tastes and nostalgia:

• “The nostalgia bands are so big because there aren’t enough good contemporary music acts.” – Buck, 27:44
• “The enduring power of music is to evoke reactions for decades, which is what Taylor Swift's going to be doing as a modern day Beetle.” – Clay, 29:10

Comparisons to Madonna & Michael Jackson:

• Buck compares Taylor Swift’s likely cultural arc to Madonna, who once dominated but whose songs are now less heard.
  • “I think the best comparison with Taylor Swift would be... Madonna... and you really don’t hear Madonna songs anymore.” – Buck, 29:10
• Michael Jackson invoked as a contrasting pop icon whose music remains streamed but gets less radio airplay due to controversy.

Brief True Crime News Update

Jill Biden’s Ex-Husband Charged with Murder
(20:22)

• Buck reports that Jill Biden’s first husband has been charged with killing his second wife, noting the bizarre paths of public and private lives.

Listeners’ Humorous Reactions & Show Closer

• Dripping sarcasm and banter about what going to a Taylor Swift concert might do for a single man, tongue-in-cheek:

  • “I'm not sure there's a more fertile environment... than the Taylor Swift concert.” – Clay, 34:07
  • “All those young ladies are listening to songs about how bad the ex-boyfriends were... it's all about her breakups.” – Buck, 34:51

• Clay’s mustache and “Swiftie” enthusiasm are hilariously discussed as a running gag.

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Taylor Swift is the Beatles of our time... her music, much like the Beatles music, is going to endure.” – Clay, 04:40
• “This is a take that’s going to go down in history, like whoever said that the internet is going to be as important as the fax machine.” – Buck, 05:28
• “I'm enjoying every second of it. Sometimes you get lit up and you’re right. You just have to take the abuse.” – Clay, 17:10
• “He’ll take these stances... he refers to Mozart as the Britney Spears of his time. He doesn’t care what you say.” – Buck, 17:14

Notable Segments and Timestamps

• Show opens & breaking news on Iranian drone: 00:00–02:26
• Nancy Guthrie disappearance: 02:39
• Transition to Taylor Swift debate: 04:24
• Boy band nostalgia rebuttal: 06:07
• Clay lists top 5 Swift songs: 09:56
• Listener backlash kicks off: 12:03 onward
• Email, call, and talkback readings: 15:20, 22:32 (David from PA), 24:14 (Tim from Tucson)
• Comparisons to Madonna/MJ: 29:10–31:46
• Jill Biden ex-husband news: 20:22
• Show closes with mustache–Swiftie banter: 34:07–35:44

Summary

Hour 3 of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show features Clay’s audacious comparison of Taylor Swift to the Beatles—prompting an outpouring of listener outrage, playful ribbing from Buck, and a festival of classic talk radio interaction. The segment provides a case study in audience engagement and pop culture generational divides, wrapped in the hosts’ signature blend of candor and comedic tension.

End of Summary