The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #161 (08.11.18)
Aired: February 13, 2026
Host: John Clay Wolfe
Main Cast: JD Ryan, Turley, Bobbo, DJ PreK, Roy, Uncle Norman, various team members and callers
Episode Overview
This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show dives, as usual, into the chaos of cars, sports, wild workplace personalities, and irreverent banter. The show is powered by the host’s car business (GiveMeTheVIN.com) but quickly sprawls into stories about mechanic mishaps, run-ins at the auction, sports news, pop culture, and the quirks of running a large, colorful operation. Memorable running gags include the “meth hyena,” inside looks at eccentric employees, raucous listener calls about cars, a unique fundraiser to "pimp" DJ PreK’s Cadillac, and some surprisingly heartfelt (but always funny) takes on life, work, and everything in between.
Highlights & Key Discussions
1. The Auction Crew & “Meth Hyena” Stories
- [06:05] John and the cast relive last week’s “meth hyena” skit due to a late text from the Wolf Man, which leads into stories about their wild auction prep team.
- Auction Crew: Compared to cowboys—“they drink and they party and they live hard.” Norman, a Puerto Rican mechanic, is the center of attention, with hidden mic recordings teasing his colorful, sometimes philosophical antics.
- Quote:
- John (on Norman): “Norman is the Puerto Rican mechanic we saved during operation airdrop... He’s great at what he does. Amazing. By and large, right? By Mercurial, I mean, he’s very easy to get a rise out of.” [08:50]
- Memorable Norman Drop:
- “One day I am a peasant, the next I am a king.” [19:01]
2. Sports & Social Commentary
- [19:25] The show discusses the NFL history being made: Rams and Saints adding male cheerleaders.
- Classic show-wisecracks:
- “Yet another reason to not watch football.”
- “You know, I was a male cheerleader myself, back in college.” (George W. Bush impression)
- Classic show-wisecracks:
- Discussion on local vs. Hollywood LGBTQ issues:
- A segment covers John’s high school acquaintance transitioning, examined in a tongue-in-cheek, non-PC, and very “Wolfe Show” way.
- “She was always a little tomboyish... like if there was ever one... to go from an egg to a pancake.”
- A segment covers John’s high school acquaintance transitioning, examined in a tongue-in-cheek, non-PC, and very “Wolfe Show” way.
3. Cars, Motocross, and Parental Guilt
- [31:00] The classic: listeners call in about selling their cars, with John grilling them with playful skepticism (“What’s wrong with it?” “Are you an alcoholic?”).
- Motocross Parenting:
- John wrestles with letting his son ride motocross, reflecting on his own past injuries and youthful joy.
- “Should I take that away from my son because I hurt myself with it badly at 32? But it was the best days of my life growing up.”
4. GoFundMe for DJ PreK’s Cadillac (“Pimp My Ride” Segment)
- [38:00, 1:17:10, 2:23:40]
The cast launches a GoFundMe to "pimp" DJ PreK's 1990 Cadillac El Dorado with a Gucci-patterned cloth ragtop.- Live tally: As donations roll in, John and crew riff on incentives (mixtapes, theme songs) and joke about radio bartering (“Not doing a damn barter swap for a donut stand without money!”).
- DJ PreK:
“Not everybody has the ability to rock Gucci like me. I want to spread the baller wealth.” [1:17:40]
5. Seattle Plane Theft—Dark Comedy & Real Tragedy
- [50:00] The team discusses the mechanic in Seattle who stole and crashed a commuter plane.
- The segment oscillates between gallows humor (“Was it like a scene out of Airplane?”) and sobering reality.
- John: “Who in your toll heard me say it was not funny?”
6. Live Auction & Workplace Drama (Bugged-Mic Segments)
- [1:21:00, 2:04:00] The show plays secret recordings of Norman and Roy dealing with chaos at work: flat tires, steak dinners lost, rescue efforts for coworkers, and epic, world-weary complaints.
- Quote: Norman: “My budget got crazy.”
- Quote: Norman: “Today I am a person. Today I am a king. Tomorrow I am a peasant.” (Norman’s philosophical refrain, played as a show jingle)
- Scenario: Roy’s ordeal—having to skip his steak dinner to rescue a stranded coworker—becomes a sitcom-worthy saga, amplified by “Leave it to Beaver” theme music.
- “Steak dinner, I missed that part. That is better than anything the Kardashians ever did.” [2:07:00]
7. Siri vs Alexa “Smackdown”
- [1:45:00] Turley stages a comedic “argument” between Siri and Alexa, both trading insults (“You are the reason the gene pool needs a lifeguard!”) in a faux show-biz robot battle.
8. Car Negotiations, Customer Attitude, and the GiveMeTheVIN Hustle
- [Throughout] Countless calls about vehicle sales serve as running commentary on the used car business, with Wolfe’s team fielding everything from pristine classics to high-mileage junkers.
- Call-In Classic:
Customer: “It’s worth about 17.”
Wolfe: “Alright, load it up. GiveMeTheVIN.com, we might meet in the middle. Goddamn.” - Another:
“You can’t get any trim with an EcoBoost Mustang four-cylinder, FYI.”
- Call-In Classic:
9. Donut Wars—Shipley’s vs. Yoko
- [1:23:00] An in-studio debate erupts over the merits of Shipley's Donuts vs. “Yoko” donuts and who gets credit for bringing treats.
- “If you say Shipley’s one more time, I’m going to take it out of your check!”
10. Legendary Classic Cars & Country Music Cameos
- [2:42:00]
John’s childhood friend, Alex Weeden (Miranda Lambert’s guitarist), calls in.- On making it: “Goes to show you, even if you are, you know, bisexual, you can still hit it big.” (Classic JCW ribbing)
- Discusses country music hierarchy, life on tour, and how Alex got his gig.
- Interleaved: more haggling over muscle cars and classic car values.
11. Inside GiveMeTheVIN Logistics—A Deal Goes Sideways
- [2:55:00]
The show pulls in the logistics team on-air to troubleshoot a failed Louisiana deal (involving canceled pickups, rescheduled appointments, and an untrusting seller), highlighting the messy reality behind car buying.- “If we’re going to buy the car, we drive it. We own it, right?”
- Biggs: “He just simply doesn’t trust us...”
12. Pop Culture, Alex Jones & Censorship
- [3:10:00]
The show riffed on the Alex Jones deplatforming, weighing free speech vs. private enterprise:- Bobbo: “Is it a FCC owned airway? No. Then I don’t. If it’s private enterprise, it’s not a First Amendment issue.”
- JD: “If you believe Alex Jones, you’re a little bit of a nut too.”
- The team agrees: “It’s schtick—but, he’s really crazy.”
13. Randomness: Car-yoke, Listeners’ Odd Cars, and Show-Within-a-Show
- [Sprinkled frequently]
Calls about all sorts of odd or custom vehicles, wild negotiation tactics, and jabs at in-house engineering genius “Sean” and his “Ghostbuster” hoarder 4Runner. - Karaoke: Audio of Jimmy Fallon drunkenly singing in a bar.
- Recurring Norman Drops:
- “My budget got crazy.”
- “Today I am a king; tomorrow I am a peasant.”
- Staff updates: Calls from drivers (e.g., “Mama Lil” on being a star driver at 64).
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
- Norman: “One day I am a peasant, the next I am a king.” [19:01, repeated throughout]
- Brandy: “I knew I’d work for you the rest of my life when you said you’d never drug test me.” [11:10]
- Wolfe: “Yet another reason to not watch football.” [19:45]
- John: “There’s a lot to like about a gal you can borrow a dip off of.” [23:10]
- DJ PreK: “Not everybody has the ability to rock Gucci like me. I want to spread the baller wealth.” [1:17:40]
- Wolfe on classic car values: “The best way to figure what something’s really worth is to sell it. When you get that check, then you know.” [1:52:00]
- Auction crew mic drop:
Norman: “Today I am a person. Today I am a king. Tomorrow I am a peasant.” [2:04:30] - Wolfe: “If we don’t beat a Carmax offer, then we owe you a check for a hundred dollars.” [2:50:00]
- On Alex Jones:
JD: “He can still keep doing his podcast. He’s not censored. These specific chains of stores just don’t want to carry his product anymore.” [3:10:00] Bobbo: “If you believe Alex Jones, you’re a little bit of a nut too. Right? It’s a show.” [3:13:40]
Notable Segments & Timestamps
- Meth Hyena & Auction Crew Stories: [06:05–22:00]
- Norman’s Secret Tapes: [1:21:00–2:07:00; again at 2:23:00]
- DJ PreK GoFundMe Appeal: [38:00, 70:00, and running updates]
- Plane Theft Story: [50:00–1:08:00]
- Siri vs Alexa Smackdown: [1:45:30–1:46:40]
- Donut Wars: [1:23:00]
- Classic Car Negotiations: [1:52:00, 2:42:00]
- GiveMeTheVIN Team Drama (Mama Lil, Louisiana deal): [2:55:00–3:04:30]
- Alex Jones Censorship Debate: [3:10:00–3:13:40]
- Sean’s Hoarder 4Runner Feature: [3:05:30]
- Final logistics, listener calls, sign-off: [end]
Tone & Style
- Fast, loose, and chaotic: The show's tone vibes between blue-collar energy, radio-morning-zoo, skilled car hustling, and southern barroom storytelling.
- Irreverent, never PC: Takes on workplace, gender, identity, and current news are crass but present with an undertone of real affection and camaraderie.
- High energy and interactive: Characters drift in and out, with listeners driving a good portion of the content (literally, in their cars).
- Recurring inside jokes and drops: Norman’s “I am a peasant, today I am a king,” DJ PreK's balling, meth hyena skits, donut debates, engine jargon, and more—building the show's mythology.
For New Listeners
This episode is a rollercoaster of auction-house drama, unpredictable workplace personalities, sports and cultural commentary, and genuinely funny live negotiation. Whether you’re into cars or just enjoy rowdy characters with big stories (and bigger hearts), this show is a window into a world where everyone is a bit of a king—at least for a day.
Listen to more and join the madness:
- GiveMeTheVIN.com
- Search "The John Clay Wolfe Show" on PodBean, iTunes, Facebook for show archives and the ongoing DJ PreK “Pimp My Ride” campaign.
“Today I am a person. Today I am a king. Tomorrow I am a peasant.” – Uncle Norman [2:04:30]
