The John Clay Wolfe Show — Episode #179: 12.22.18 (Aired 2/16/26)

Episode Overview

This lively, holiday-themed episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show is set against the backdrop of Christmas and features the crew’s signature banter around cars, wild office party stories, relationships, and bits about rock & roll, strip clubs, and life’s oddities. The show is irreverent and loose, filled with offbeat humor, memorable characters, and sharp-witted observations on car culture, the holidays, and everything in between. A special focus: the fallout and drama from the company Christmas party!

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Vibes & Crew Reunion (00:02–04:24)

• Christmas Eve Reflection: John opens with a riff on people acting nicer during the holidays and jokes about "speaking of marijuana" and FCC fines.
• JD & Washable Return: Returning cast member "Washable" (Wash) rejoins, reminiscing about his time on the show, his departure, and his upcoming divorce.
• Ten-Year Circle: Wash reflects on how the birth of his child marked ten years since he started, noting, "Everything's come full circle. Yeah. It's been quite, quite, quite the experience." (02:18)

2. Strip Clubs, Life Changes & Cars (04:25–13:00)

• Past Lives as DJs: Wash and team joke about their stints as strip club DJs, beers brought to the studio, and notable absences.
• Child Announcements: Anecdotes about finding out about pregnancies and how John deduced Wash’s wife was pregnant over a declined glass of wine.
  • "You know, you don’t have to stick your head up a bull’s ass. You could just take the butcher’s word for it." — John Clay Wolfe (03:12)
• Femininity, Aging, & Gifts: Riffs about buying onesies as a wife’s Christmas gift ("I damn near got a black eye over it"), moving from sexy gifts to weighted blankets, and the arc of marriage presents (10:26–11:17).

3. Car Market, Auctions, & Listener Calls (13:01–18:17)

• Business at GiveMeTheVIN: Updates on car auction sales, market highs and lows, and the stress of seasonal slumps.
  • "There’s some real highs in this business, but there’s some real lows... It really sucks." — John (07:24)
• On the Air Deals: Regular listeners call in for live car appraisals, with John negotiating, bantering, and playfully testing their price expectations.
• Online Car Selling: Repeated encouragement to use givemethevin.com, emphasizing speed ("60 seconds"), and mild sarcasm about car values.

4. Dating in Middle Age & Office Flirtations (17:20–19:21)

• Dating Apps Post-Divorce: Wash shares his experiences on Bumble, Tinder, and "Fluke," classifying them by user types and age.
  • "Bumble seems to be for the ladies that have realized they're not going to have kids in their late 40s..." — Wash (17:49)
• Studio Banter with Hannah: A flirty, chaotic roundtable when Hannah, the show's "in-house stripper" arrives. She teases Wash about his divorce and taste for dancers.

5. The Legendary Company Christmas Party (40:35–48:52)

This is the episode’s central arc — a raucous, multi-segment recounting of a company holiday bash gone off the rails.

The Incident (40:35–46:24)

• Drunken Brawl: "Country Max" punches "Big Shot Bob" after taking offense at a country people joke—“What are you saying about country people?!”—leading to a scuffle that the crowd (and management) tries to de-escalate.
• Aftermath: Max is ejected, continues to challenge Bob outside. Bob’s response: "Somebody get this guy the hell out of here." (45:05)
• Colorful Commentary: "That's just affordable housing. That's not country." — John, on Max's faux-country persona (44:49)
• Historical Perspective: JD, John, and crew reflect on the archetype of "the guy who tells the boss how great he is" at parties.

The Hangover (51:10–56:46)

• White Boy Kyle’s Misadventure: Wanders off, gets lost after the party, found asleep upright at John’s dining table by a terrified five-year-old ("There's a dead man..."), then proceeds to recover with a massage and steam at John’s country club.
• Office Absenteeism: Kyle shows up to work late, looking terrible, sleeps on the customer couch, and racks up a mysterious massage bill.

6. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Bits, and Listener Participation (23:19, 56:38–58:56)

• Music Segments: Celebrating acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including Def Leppard, Stevie Nicks, The Cure, Janet Jackson, and more. The show spins classic tracks and discusses their impact.
• Penny Marshall Obit: A mini-trivia on films directed by Penny Marshall, touching on her multi-dimensional career. (57:06–58:56)

7. Bits, Skits & Show Traditions (81:06–91:14)

• Ronnie James Dio Christmas Carols: Parody "dark" holiday songs delivered in Dio-style; discussed and performed for comedic value (81:06–83:21).
• Satan Calls In: A recurring gag where "Satan" dispenses relationship advice involving speed and table tennis (83:38–86:13).
  • "Nobody's done it more than me... If you want to keep that woman, get her hooked on speed!" — Satan (84:36)
• Chipmunk Rant: The "chipmunk" character passionately denounces the roasting of chestnuts in Christmas songs, urging listeners to "leave your nuts alone." (92:23–95:06)

8. Selling Cars — Process Explained (89:03–90:52)

• John walks through the (then-recently upgraded) givemethevin.com online selling workflow—from bid to check printing and rapid scheduling for those in need of quick Christmas cash.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "We went from sexy gear to weighted blankets. 10 years." — John (11:08)
• "He walks in, slams down a six pack of shiner bocks, and says, okay, let's go." — Bobo, on Wash’s legendary return (02:33)
• "The holidays change things and I'm real bad about getting kicked off of stations during holiday shows. This has happened not once, not twice, but four times..." — John (11:49)
• "Country instinct is not to fire back." — John, on why Big Shot Bob took the hit from Max without retaliating (49:35)
• "I'm more country than you. I live in a town of 30,000 people, you live in the city..." — Big Shot Bob, during the after-party recap (71:55)
• "Anybody roasting chestnuts? The chestnut, just speaking from, you know, genius and species-wise, does not require roasting. Leave your nuts alone, okay?" — Chipmunk character (93:38)
• "Don't ever trust a guy from Houston. Never trust a man from Houston except around Christmas time." — John (09:33)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Holiday Intros & Team Reunion — 00:02–04:24
• Strip Club DJ Tales & Life Changes — 01:12–04:24
• Marriage, Kids & Anniversaries — 02:09–04:23
• Car Biz Market & Auctions — 06:47–07:50; 13:05–14:59 (Listener calls throughout: 13:56, 14:59, 15:23, 16:23, 17:20, 18:09, etc.)
• Dating App Discussion — 17:20–18:09
• Christmas Party Brawl — 40:35–48:52
• White Boy Kyle Hangover Story — 51:10–56:46
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Segment — 23:19, 56:38–58:56
• Dio Christmas/Show Bits — 81:06–83:21
• "Satan" Marriage Advice — 83:38–86:13
• Chipmunk on Chestnuts — 92:23–95:06

Tone & Style

• The show maintains its trademark irreverent, free-form, and often crude humor.
• Heavy emphasis on camaraderie, inside jokes, and a barroom storytelling style.
• Authentic, unfiltered language and classic radio energy—occasionally self-aware about pushing FCC boundaries.

Summary for New Listeners

If you missed this riotous holiday episode, you missed open mics, steady streams of jokes about relationships and work, a hysterical window into modern car selling, and an epic office Christmas brawl that will become company legend. The crew’s willingness to roast each other, take calls live, and break the fourth wall with skits and characters make for a wild, entertaining listen—perfect for those who love car culture, rock & roll, and keeping the holidays anything but tame.

For more, check out full episodes or contact the show at 800-800-RADIO and givemethevin.com.