The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #174 – 11.17.18

Date: February 13, 2026
Theme/Purpose:
This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show is a signature blend of car talk, behind-the-scenes auction stories, road trip promotions, outlandish satire, and wild tales from the hosts and listeners—delivered with the show’s trademark irreverent humor. The core themes center on the car buying/selling business, pop culture, sports, and larger-than-life personalities, with a major promotional push for the “GiveMeTheVIN” van cash giveaway event in Plano, Texas and Las Vegas—a live demonstration of the company’s $100 guarantee to beat CarMax’s offers.

Main Topics

1. Media Mayhem and Office Antics

• Megyn Kelly’s Firing: Light-hearted banter about Megyn Kelly’s recent PR disasters and firing over bad jokes and controversies.
  • “She’s had a very profitable year, but a bad soul year.” – John (00:50)
  • “Did you really bang Reba McEntire?” – John, in typical irreverent form, mocking Bobbo’s tall tales (15:25)
• Character Introductions and Office Stories:
  • Spotlight on Kent Montgomery, the “too cool for school” lot manager with a reputation for rule-breaking:
    • “I park wherever the f*** I want.” – Paraphrasing Kent (03:10)
  • The guys riff about coworkers, office dynamics, and colorful personalities, dressed up as radio theater.

2. Auction Fiascos & Car Buying Drama

• Viper Auction Mishap (04:09–05:48):
  • A confusion with online and in-person bidders led to a disputed high sale.
    • “This is for certain: the guy that bought it was unhappy with his purchase.” – John (04:30)
    • “Artificial intelligence is going to be problematic … Terminator. Seen it!” – Bobbo, joking about computers bidding at auction (05:51)
• Live on-air appraisals of listeners’ cars, illustrating the “real talk” and occasionally uncomfortable honesty in car pricing.

3. The “GiveMeTheVIN” Van: Guerrilla Promotion

• Plano, Texas Event:
  • Live street team at 4422 W. Plano Pkwy., giving $100 cash to first five people presenting a CarMax offer, plus another $100 if GiveMeTheVIN can’t beat it.
    • “The whole idea is, bring us the CarMax appraisal—if we don’t beat it, we’ll pay you $100.” – John (21:39)
    • “We’re just going to grease the wheel with $100 a pop to get it going.” – John (21:34)
• Listener Engagement:
  • Extended to Las Vegas and other markets.
  • Swag giveaways—T-shirts (“Sell That Bitch!”), stickers, and presence-building in the community.

4. Pop Culture & Satirical Segments

• Willie Nelson & Reba McEntire Stories

  • Bobbo’s dubious radio war stories: meeting Willie, (allegedly) smoking with him, and a wild tale about Reba.
  • “Here’s your one chance, Bobbo, don’t let me down.” – John, riffing on Reba’s classic lyric (18:06)

• Jack Nicholson as Trump’s Wall Manager (25:50)

  • Bobbo delivers a Nicholson impression, satirically addressing the Mexico border wall.
    • “For $11 million, I’ll sit anywhere you say, sir.” (27:59)

• AI and Pop Culture

  • The death of the voice of HAL 9000 and the famous “Open the pod bay doors, HAL” scene reprised (06:42).
  • Jimmy Fallon as Alexa’s Joke Voice (135:10):
    • Sample joke: “What did the horse say to the scarecrow? ‘Hey.’”

• Trumpy Bear Commercial (46:22):

  • Real and mock versions of the (real) novelty Trumpy Bear, blending consumer satire and absurdist humor.

5. Sports, UFOs, and More

• Kurt Russell’s UFO Sighting (10:00):

  • The actor recounts reporting the infamous “Phoenix lights” UFO sighting.
    • “I said, look, I can’t identify it, it’s flying and it’s six objects, so that’s what it is, right?” – Kurt Russell (10:14)

• Wildfires in California

  • Discussion of fire damage, looting, celebrities’ responses, and the real impact on sports.
    • “They said this is the worst ... fires they’ve ever had.” – J.D. Ryan (20:50)

• Football & NASCAR

  • Jabs at the drama around Monday Night Football, field quality in Mexico, call-backs to classic NFL lines.
  • NASCAR talk: “We need a good black driver to do for NASCAR what Tiger Woods did for golf.” – John (108:45)

6. The Parade of Callers

• Variety of callers get car valuations, ranging from battered pickup trucks to rare sports cars.

  • Notable recurring bits:
    • “If you don’t drink all day, you can’t drink all day unless you start in the morning.” (12:13)
    • Discussions about “kids these days,” pizza toppings, and overprotective parenting.

• Quirky Listener Calls:

  • Fan from South Louisiana proclaims love for the show (11:13).
  • San Diego listener calls from outside a prison, offers John a chance to vacation in Ensenada (126:44+).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Viper Auction Snafu

  • “It was like, did Dez catch the ball? Was it a touchdown or was it…” – John, on auction drama (04:12)

• On Office Personalities

  • “You ever go out, buy you big old pile of cocaine, and just turn that mixer on and make something creative?” – Bobbo, quoting Kent Montgomery (01:50)

• Satirical Gold

  • “For an $11 million, I’ll sit anywhere you say, sir.” – Bobbo, as Nicholson on the border wall (27:59)
  • “Trumpy Bear isn’t just a bear, he’s a whole lot more. Find the secret zipper and pull out the cozy American flag blanket...” (47:16)

• Observational Wisdom

  • “It’s so much easier to criticize someone else’s work than come up with creativity on your own. And I’m a better critic than I am a creator.” – John (35:52)

• Listener Affirmation

  • “You guys are real. You’re honest. You’re funny. You live in the real world.” – Sarah, South Louisiana (11:18)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Megyn Kelly/Firing, Media Chatter: 00:29–01:12
• Kent Montgomery Office Stories: 01:33–03:45
• Viper Auction Confusion: 04:09–05:48
• HAL 9000/Pop Culture Bits: 06:12–07:07
• GiveMeTheVIN Van Events: 07:21 and ongoing throughout
• Willie Nelson/Reba McEntire Tales: 13:47–19:17
• California Wildfires Discussion: 19:17–25:02
• Jack Nicholson Border Satire: 25:50–28:12
• Trumpy Bear Satire: 46:18–48:24
• Jimmy Fallon as Alexa’s Voice: 135:10–136:09
• Sports (Willie Nelson, Queen Movie): 13:47, 22:19
• Pop Culture Callbacks/Sports Car Market: 116:18–118:29
• Callers/Tall Tales/Van Promotion: Throughout (esp. 31:59, 77:35, etc.)

Tone & Style

• Language: Casual, irreverent, sometimes profane, peppered with radio theater and over-the-top satire
• Energy: Fast-paced, chaotic, full of inside jokes and playful jabs
• Authenticity: Blunt honesty shines in car appraisals and auction tales; the hosts are self-deprecating, their rapport inducing both camaraderie and comic tension.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a wild slice-of-life through the lens of car business hustlers, radio comedians, galactic auctioneers, and the distinctly American parade of eccentric characters. It’s a ride through auctions, promotions, outrageous stories, and self-aware parody, making automotive radio fun even if you don’t care about cars. The "GiveMeTheVIN" van event is at the heart of it—a real-world, cash-greased demonstration of their promise to outbid CarMax, surrounded by laughter and unfiltered radio shenanigans.