The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #176
Original Air Date: December 1, 2018 → Aired: February 16, 2026
Overview
This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show bursts with the show’s signature blend of comedy, raucous talk, and irreverent banter. John Clay Wolfe and the crew (JD Ryan, Michael Turley, Rob Ball, Mike Brosan), along with a rotating cast of quirky callers and characters, riff on cars, outrageous life stories, listener calls, and pop culture. Anchored by the grand opening of their new Baton Rouge GiveMeTheVIN.com office, the episode ricochets between wild strip club tales, car sales chaos, commentary on sports and rock & roll, and sharp, sometimes edgy humor.
Main themes:
- Opening of the new GiveMeTheVIN.com Baton Rouge office
- Car sales and caller negotiations (with a comedic twist)
- Sports commentary (NFL, college football, sports betting)
- Pop culture riffs (music, “Baby It’s Cold Outside” controversy)
- Outrageous stories: strip clubs, Renaissance faires, and more
Key Discussion Points & Notable Segments
[00:00] – [01:45] | The "Broccoli" Cold Open – Bush 41 Remembrance
- Show opens with clips referencing President George H.W. Bush's famous dislike of broccoli, riffing on how public opinion can fixate on trivial things.
- John: "I'm President of the United States and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli."
- Discussion quickly pivots to the news of Bush 41’s death, with the crew balancing respect with their typical irreverence.
- Michael Turley: “He may have been one of the last really class guys to hold that office.” (01:42)
- Early banter sets the comedic tone, including jokes about chlamydia, meerkats, and koalas.
[03:00] – [08:55] | Renaissance Faire, Strip Club DJ & Baton Rouge Office Mayhem
- Strip Club DJ calls in drunk from a Louisiana Renaissance Faire, giving a glimpse into the subculture:
- Caller: "We're doing breakfast right now. Then we're getting dressed and heading out.” (04:17)
- On real vs. poser ‘Rennies’: “The real Rennies... We woke up with a beer in our hand.” (03:41)
- John discusses struggles launching their new Baton Rouge office, with staff not showing up, cars needing a jump, and banner mishaps.
- John: “When we opened Vegas, you sent a guy with a leg monitor. When we opened Baton Rouge, you sent a guy who pretty much doesn’t show up.” (06:51)
- Team jokes the staff in Louisiana operate on a "blood alcohol level zone." (07:04)
[08:59] – [13:39] | Offbeat Characters & “Chinese Pirate” Persona
- Callers introduce Renaissance Faire characters, including a “Chinese pirate chef,” launching into accents and borderline-offensive humor.
- Strip Club DJ: “I just cook for the ship. I cook the egg, I cook the fish… I can’t tell y’all my name.” (09:23)
- John: “If you get to where you can cook cat, well, we may send you to Vegas because our Vegas location is very close to Chinatown.” (12:08)
- Running jokes involve bizarre Renaissance characters, cat-eating gags, and the absurdity of food at buffets.
- Segment closes looping back to car business plugs and the GiveMeTheVIN.com challenge.
[15:03] – [19:46] | Absurd News Stories & New Office Logistics
- Active Shooter "Hockey Puck" Plan: The team roasts a Detroit-area school handing out hockey pucks for defense.
- John: “They’re gonna throw a Motown Records at him. That’s not funny, Bob.” (15:05)
- Baton Rouge office check-in: Disorganized chaos over prize money, banners, check printers, and opening routine.
- John: “It sounds like you got it half ass under control.” (19:46)
- JD: “Rob Ball’s gonna be that guy — Most Improved.” (20:20)
- Lively, behind-the-scenes look at opening a used car buying branch in the South.
[21:18] – [31:43] | Car Deals, Betting Scams & Sports Talk
- Live Car Negotiation: John dissects a high-mileage truck deal with a listener, pushing for an on-air agreement.
- John: “I’m not here to talk about cars. I’m here to buy cars. Are you serious about selling?” (22:35)
- Vegas Stories: Tales of opening Vegas office with “a guy with an ankle bracelet,” dealer staff placing bets for Texas homeboys, etc.
- “You got a guy that’s a convicted stalker… you’re not gonna have a lot of customers saying, hey, he didn’t call me back.” (07:38)
- Sports talk: College football playoff debate, Saints vs. Cowboys analysis, friendly roasting.
- John: “If UT wins, they don’t go to the playoffs. If Oklahoma wins, are they locked?” (29:54)
[34:56] – [39:50] | Football Fans Call In — Saints & Cowboys Drama
- Callers weigh in on the Saints’ loss to the Cowboys, local Louisiana perspective.
- Justin: “It sucked... Cowboys earned it.” (35:10)
- Lively debates reflect local sports passions and provide a break from car talk.
[41:05] – [45:56] | Pop Culture: "Baby It's Cold Outside" Ban & Rock Christmas Parodies
- “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” pulled from radio for “rapey” lyrics; crew parodies, cracks jokes.
- Michael Turley: “That is great innuendo. That was done in 1944.” (42:44)
- Homemade Ronnie James Dio/John Anderson Christmas duets lampoon the song.
- Shift into planning the company Christmas party with typical shenanigans.
[47:21] – [51:27] | Absurd News, Listener Calls, and Car Negotiator Grind
- Southwest Airlines apologizes to a woman after her daughter “Abcde” (pronounced “Ab-city”) was mocked; show riffs on bad baby names.
- John fields a flood of customer calls for car valuations, blending car business acumen with relentless sarcasm and wit.
- Callers try to sell vehicles with wildly optimistic prices, leading to recurring jokes about recreational marijuana and inflated car values.
[53:13] – [62:19] | Car Wars, Texas Direct/Vroom Grievances & Volume Sales Reality
- John recounts the story of brokering the Texas Direct to Vroom deal — and getting stiffed:
- John: “It was supposed to be 200 grand buyer fee, broker fee on one side, 200 on the other... They did not pay me.” (54:09)
- Brandon: “I used to work at Texas Direct... I lost my honey hole because of you. I just thought I’d call and give you a hunt.” (60:27)
- Listeners argue over whether Creed sucks as a band, punctuated by playful mockery and a tie-breaking caller vote.
[63:06] – [67:01] | World Hot Dog Toss Record – Enter the Comedy Boon
- Mocking a Guinness World Record for “longest hot dog throw and catch into a bun” (24 yards).
- “Don’t tamper with the sausage. Right.” (64:02)
- Romero Romo, the fictional father of Tony Romo, calls in to riff on hot dog tossing and Taco Bell runs.
[73:27] – [75:40] | High Mileage Car Calls, Marijuana, and Repo Humor
- More car callers with stratospheric expectations for beaten-down vehicles.
- John: “We’ve had two guys that smoke recreational marijuana in. Their opinions of their vehicle values are drastically overstated.” (73:32)
- Extended joke: people smoking weed think their junkers are worth far more; John links stone-induced optimism with car value inflation.
[76:18] – [80:33] | Viral Videos, Payless Pranks, and Used Car Humor
- Payless fake luxury store experiment—“Payless” shoes sell for $600+ to fashionistas.
- AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” performed with cathedral bells—rock music and pop culture chopped and stirred JCWS style.
- Nissan CEO scandal introduced, but crew satirizes the global car market with exaggerated Japanese accents and a guest “Paul Harvey.”
[84:52] – [91:15] | Rush Limbaugh Parody, Bush 41’s Legacy, and Car Trade Comedy
- “Rush Limbo” character calls in, swerving from migrant caravans to Bush 41, to Noriega, to Saints’ Drew Brees as an international crisis.
- John jousts with callers on car values, using sharp negotiation skills touched with humor.
- Tony: “Do you smoke recreational marijuana?” (86:43)
- John: “He got me back. I have not in quite some time. But I have tried an edible…” (86:49)
[91:44] – [131:14] | Listener Car Tales, Auction Drunkenness, and More Mayhem
- Callers in rapid succession, bringing high-mileage rides, hilarious auction stories, and in one extended comedy bit, Amanda reveals she bought a car at auction while drunk and instantly regretted it.
- Amanda: “We got drunk at an auction and I insist on buying something. And I bought it. We just want out of it.” (123:52)
- Drunk stories: John and Kent’s legendary “makers mark” airplane adventure, John falls through a coffee table at a hunting ranch.
- Kareem Hunt NFL scandal analyzed as a “drunk Three Stooges on acid” video.
- Ongoing “Wall of Shame” idea—collect NFL stars' jerseys for off-field bad behavior.
[138:05] – [140:51] | Pre K’s Cadillac Pimping Fund – The Missing Update
- Listeners previously raised $1500 for Pre K to make his old Cadillac a “ghetto sled.”
- John: “Our listeners donated fifteen hundred dollars… and you’re too lazy to do anything.” (139:33)
- Final minutes filled with good-natured pressure on Pre K to finally get the car fixed up and post the results.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- John, on hiring for Baton Rouge: "When we opened Vegas, you sent a guy with a leg monitor. When we opened Baton Rouge, you sent a guy who pretty much doesn't show up…" (06:51)
- On Southern time zones: "In Louisiana, we have, like, a blood alcohol level zone." – Michael Turley (07:04)
- On high-mileage car owners: "We’ve had two guys that smoke recreational marijuana in. Their opinions of their vehicle values are drastically overstated." – John (73:32)
- On Texas Direct deal: "It was supposed to be 200 grand buyer fee, broker fee on one side, 200 on the other side. That’s 400,000… They did not pay me." – John (54:09)
- On Creed: “Do you think Creed sucks, or are they good?” … “I think Creed sucks.” – Brandon, Lake Jackson (60:12)
- On car business: “What’s classier than fighting over used cars and a tattooed horse?” – John (70:11)
- Rush Limbo on Bush 41: "I think he was probably the last class act to hold the office of president." (85:16)
Timestamps & Segments Guide
| Time | Segment / Key Moment | |-------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 – 01:45 | Bush/broccoli cold open; Bush 41 legacy | | 03:00 – 08:55 | Renaissance Faire, staff chaos at new office, "blood alcohol zones," hiring tales | | 08:59 – 13:39 | Strip Club DJ as "Chinese Pirate" at Ren Fest, cat-eating jokes, buffet humor | | 15:03 – 19:46 | Absurd news (active shooter pucks), Baton Rouge office scramble | | 21:18 – 31:43 | Caller deals, Vegas office tales, sports talk (football, betting) | | 34:56 – 39:50 | Local fans call in; Cowboys-Saints talk | | 41:05 – 45:56 | “Baby It’s Cold Outside” debate, rock Christmas parodies | | 47:21 – 51:27 | Southwest “Abcde” kid, hardline car calls, marijuana motif | | 53:13 – 62:19 | Texas Direct/Vroom car wars story, Creed band vote, volume reality | | 63:06 – 67:01 | World’s longest hot dog toss, fake Tony Romo’s dad | | 73:27 – 75:40 | High mileage callers, marijuana, repo humor | | 76:18 – 80:33 | Viral Payless, AC/DC Hell’s Bells, Nissan CEO scandal | | 84:52 – 91:15 | Rush Limbo, Bush legacy, in-depth car trading | | 91:44 – 131:14 | More caller car deals, auction drunkenness, NFL drama | | 138:05 – 140:51 | Pre K Cadillac fund saga | | 141:00 – End | Wrapping up, future plans, car business closing notes |
Show Tone and Style
- Consistently irreverent, fast-paced, and comedic.
- Satire and parody blended with genuine car business insight.
- Jokes edgy but usually self-deprecating or within the team/character context.
- Willing to “go there” with off-color humor, but returns to real business and sports expertise.
Final Word
This episode masterfully weaves together wild side stories, sports banter, local flavor, car dealership wrangling, and just the right amount of chaos. For fans of car culture, blue-collar comedy, or simply those seeking a Sunday-morning laugh with a side of irreverent wisdom, it’s classic John Clay Wolfe.
Call to action:
“If you want your car appraised in one minute, go to GiveMeTheVIN.com — ‘We’ll buy them all!’”
“If we don’t beat your CarMax offer, we’ll give you $100!”
Listen to the full archive at johnclaywolf.com or on PodBean (search 'The John Clay Wolfe Show+').
Summary curated in the spirit and humor of the show’s hosts and audience.