The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #165 (Aired 09.15.18)

Date of Podcast: February 13, 2026
Main Host: John Clay Wolfe
Co-hosts: J.D. Ryan, Michael Turley, Bobby Brown
Featured Characters: DJ Pre K, Randy the Chipmunk, Rush Limbaugh (impression), Satan (impression)

Episode Overview

This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show delivers the program's signature mix of irreverent car talk, sports banter, unscripted office drama, listener call-ins, and edgy, offbeat humor. The show’s central thread is a real-life saga: the team has lost contact with “Boots,” an employee sent to Las Vegas to open their new GiveMeTheVin.com office, and John and his crew spin wild speculation and comedic theories about what happened. Along the way, the crew takes live car bids, discusses college football, lampoons the week’s weirdest stories, and riffs on the chaos of their ever-growing business.

Main Themes

• The Mystery of Missing ‘Boots’: The team struggles and jokes about their buyer who’s vanished in Vegas, sparking a show-long thread of theories and wild anecdotes.
• Cars, Cars, and More Cars: From live appraisals and auctions to buyer horror stories, the show stays centered on John’s trade.
• College Football and Sports Betting: Anticipation for major matchups, point spreads, and host bets color much of the early show.
• Wild Office Tales: Boot’s vanishing act leads to stories about buyers going AWOL, team mishaps, and growing pains for a rapidly expanding company.
• Offbeat Humor and Satire: The escapades include live characters (Rush Limbaugh, Satan), spoof news (Hurricane Florence identifying as "Hurricane Frank"), and riffing on odd news, like the “Uranus Examiner.”
• Listener Calls: Callers offer car deals, missing persons theories, and share strange job termination stories.
• Industry Insights: John shares the operation’s scale, buying strategies, and how they outbid competitors like CarMax.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Vegas Buyer “Boots” Goes AWOL

• The Setup: John recounts sending “Boots,” a single guy, to open their Las Vegas office between CarMax and luxury dealerships (06:02).
• Disappearance Discovered: “Boots" hadn’t answered calls in days; customers reported a locked office (07:11).
• Crew Speculation:
  • John: “We have a man down. Man overboard. We are missing a passenger on the SS Give Me The Vin.” (06:48)
  • Michael Turley and J.D. jokingly claim CarMax abducted him, or he’s “sleeping with the fishes.” (08:04)
• Listener Theories:
  • Stuck at the Bunny Ranch (16:06)
  • Caught up with a "pro" and lost all his savings (19:41)
  • Took off on a bender, possibly an accident (23:18)
  • Kidnapped by competitor or aliens (13:55)
• Real Attempt to Find Him: The team sends another buyer, Zane, to Vegas as replacement—who promptly gets trapped in a Circus Circus elevator for 90 minutes (57:23, 91:05).

2. Big College Football Saturday

• Game Previews:
  • TCU vs. Ohio State
  • LSU vs. Auburn
  • USC vs. Texas (04:01)
• Sports Betting Banter: John admits never officially betting with a bookie and invites listeners to call in:
  • “If you’re a bookie, please call in now at 800-800-7234 and I will place a bet with something.” (03:15)
• Debate Over Scheduling: Heated discussion about TCU only agreeing to play Ohio State once instead of three times and the implications for strength of schedule (74:29).

3. The Chaos of Expanding a Car Business

• Boots’s Vanishing = Car Biz Reality: John and Michael recount similar stories from years of hiring salesmen who go on benders, disappear with company cars, or end up in bizarre predicaments.
• Remote Office Woes: John jokes about GPS tracking on buyers (“Well, actually, he does have GPS on him.” 11:54), and laments how all his “single guys” can’t be trusted in Vegas for more than a week (57:36).
• Rapid Growth Pains:
  • “We have 40 buyers downstairs in an 80 by 40 office. Now, it’s 12,000 square feet—loaded.” (139:51)
  • John contemplates needing 500 people if the east and west coast business takes off (140:08).

4. Listener Calls & Car Appraisals

The backbone of the show—rapid-fire offers on everything from Silverados to Passats to motorcycles, often laced with jokes:

• “Does 10,000 buy it? ... I'm thinking 10. I mean when’s the last time I bought a 300,000 mile 16 Dodge Laramie? Never.” (83:02)
• Callers also thank John for fair deals, share their own “buyer goes missing” stories, and compete for worst ways to get fired.

5. The Radio Show’s Unique Characters & Comedy

• Impersonations/Sketches: Rush Limbaugh, Satan, and “Reverend Charles” offer satirical gospel on everything from hurricanes to lost souls in Vegas (17:32, 43:08).
• Bizarre News:
  • Hurricane Florence “identifies” as Hurricane Frank (00:00, 33:29)
  • Uranus, Missouri launches a newspaper: the Uranus Examiner (78:00)
  • PCP, meth stories, crack pipe vending machines, and a car birth are all dissected with glee (115:23, 97:24, 137:51).
• Meta Moments: The crew discusses their own firings from various radio stations, the politics of media jobs, and on-air dysfunction ("This is not the day. He's threatening to shoot my dog and kill a couple of our buyers." 65:46).

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

The Mystery of Boots

• “We have a man down. We have a man overboard. We are missing a passenger on the SS Give Me The Vin.”
  – John Clay Wolfe (06:48)

• “Do you think they took him out into the desert and dug a hole?”
  – John, building on Michael and J.D.’s mobster abduction theory (08:10)

Listeners Join the Fray

• “He’s out in the desert, dude. No.”
  – J.D. Ryan, fueling the kidnapping rumor (08:09)

• “He took all that out, the pro’s milking him. You’ll hear from him today at about 4:00.”
  – Tiffany, caller, theorizing Boots is blowing his savings with a prostitute (19:44)

RIP to Las Vegas Buyers

• “We flew another guy out there last night…And now he’s gone.”
  – John, exasperated as a second buyer goes missing (57:23)

• “Dude, I’m stuck in an elevator…I’ve been stuck for 45 minutes!”
  – Zane, the replacement buyer (58:05)

Classic Car Dealer Wit

• “If you give him any money, you know he's gonna get in trouble.”
  – John, on the perils of advancing cash to “Boots” in Vegas (10:41)

• “It’s not a book. It’s a checkbook. It’s real and it’s live.”
  – John, reminding callers the show writes actual car-buying checks (96:48)

Radio/Office Confessions

• “Have you ever pulled a calf, Bobo?”
  – John, blending cattle and childbirth in typical fashion (98:18)

• "You can't write these stories."
  – J.D., on the neverending supply of strange car business tales (61:12)

Wild Office Growth

• “We’re going to have to move when we launch the east coast and west coast full on. For real. There’s no way, dude…I mean, it’s gonna take 500 people to run this whole thing.”
  – John, on scaling up (140:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |---------------------------------------------|-------------| | Hurricane Florence as “Hurricane Frank” bit | 00:00, 33:29, 43:18 | | Boots' Disappearance Introduced | 06:11–15:27 | | Listener Phones in Theories, Boots Missing | 16:06–28:36 | | Zane “Rescue Buyer” in Vegas—Elevator Saga | 57:23–59:41; 91:05–93:50 | | Car Appraisals with Comedy | Throughout (22:00+, 32:07+, 82:01+ etc.) | | College Football Talk and Spread Debates | 02:37–05:44; 74:29–77:02 | | Football Betting Bit—Bookies Invited | 03:15, 119:15+ | Listener Calls: Worst Ways to Get Fired | 99:11–105:33 | | Uranus Examiner Bit | 78:00–79:41 | | Missed Buyer Stories/Rampant Benders | Many, e.g. 23:18, 25:27, 26:37, 61:35 |
| Hannah's Modelling Trip Advice / Meth Hyena | 29:00–41:50 | | Notorious Office/Radio Firing Stories | 104:44–108:29 |

Closing and Final Notes

The John Clay Wolfe Show in this episode is a rollicking, hilarious window into the high-wire act of running an unorthodox car business and radio show. Listeners are drawn in by the saga of a missing Vegas buyer, wild workplace stories, sports humor, outlandish news, and a neverending stream of unpredictable calls and sharp banter. Throughout all the chaos, John and the crew keep the energy high and the perspective irreverently grounded—a reminder that in both cars and radio, it’s always an adventure.

For New Listeners:

• Expect outrageous humor, behind-the-scenes dealer drama, and smart, sarcastic commentary on current events.
• The show leverages real calls and car deals, blending them with sketch comedy and unusual office stories.
• Skip the first few minutes for intros and ads; the action kicks in quickly thereafter.
• Recommended highlights: The “Boots” Vegas mystery (06:11 on), Zane’s elevator adventure (57:23, 91:05), and the Uranus Examiner story (78:00).

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