The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #186
Aired: February 16, 2019
Host: John Clay Wolfe
Regulars: J.D. Ryan, Bobbo, Michael Turley, DJ Pre K
Theme: “Cars, Sports, Sex, Drugs, & Rock & Roll... as long as the FCC won’t fine us”
Episode Overview
This week’s show mixes automotive banter with the usual offbeat, irreverent blend of pop culture, personal stories, rock history, celebrity impressions, and live car buying. With new listeners joining from the East Coast, the crew keeps things moving fast: from great vehicles and weird headline news to stoned Rush Limbaugh impressions, raucous debates, and a cameo by Robert Romanus (Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High).
Key Segments & Discussion Highlights
1. Welcoming New Markets & Housekeeping
Timestamps: 00:31–03:05
- The team greets new affiliates (now in D.C., Maryland, Philly, New York, etc.), jokes about shifting hour schedules, and promises more of a previously-aired Fast Times interview.
- Classic banter between Bobbo (“Your old uncle Bobbo in the big chair!”) and J.D. Ryan on Bobbo’s “happy” mood, his distant girlfriend, and a Doobie Brothers album she mailed him.
2. Presidential Praise for Rush Limbaugh & Satirical Impressions
Timestamps: 03:31–08:30
- Discussing Trump's recent, unscripted press conference and public praise for Rush Limbaugh’s stamina (speaking three hours straight, no callers).
- John (as Trump):
“He goes for three hours… and he’s got an audience. That’s fantastic.” - John, Bobbo, and others go deep into radio “catnip”: Could you actually talk for three hours straight without calls?
- Bobbo as “Rush” riffs on Trump’s comments:
- “He takes me to places I want to go for three hours straight. Rush, get over here, you fat bastard.” (04:30)
- Goofy food tangents: S’mores Pop Tarts and five-layer Taco Bell burritos ("Magic Pop Tart ride!").
- Satirical skits blend political and food/comedy jokes, with Bobbo’s “Rush” desperately seeking munchies.
3. Bigfoot? Celebrity Sidelines & Car Calls
Timestamps: 09:06–12:50
- Headline: Jose Canseco auctioning $5,000 Bigfoot-hunting trips, food included. “He’ll do anything for money.”
- Producer Michael Turley recounts filming an unpicked pilot with Canseco: “All about him, me, me, me.”
- Car Segment:
- Callers shop their cars. John’s brand: tough bids, “I’ll give you a number and write the check.”
- Bobbo lampoons Kelley Blue Book as “Kelly Blue Balls – she’ll never put out. Don’t trust Kelly, trust me.” (11:09)
- Classic one-liner:
- “Get your filthy paws off my silky drawers, bitch.” – Bobbo (11:35)
4. “Dead Merle Haggard” and Comedy Bits
Timestamps: 13:38–18:20
- Bobbo as “Dead Merle Haggard” drops in ("You smell like mothballs"), riffs on Don Henley, Luke Bryan, and the perils of alimony (“alimony stew”).
- Merle’s “country” cover of “Welcome to the Jungle:”
- “And when you’re high, you never wanna wanna come down.” (17:15)
- Dead-on redneck parody with lines about Don Henley “sucking the fun out of a room.”
5. Dealer Calls, “Ecumenical” Riffing, & Radio Graphs
Timestamps: 18:21–26:36
- John banters with callers selling “upside-down” (over-financed) cars.
- Bobbo as “Reverend Charles” delivers a parody morning prayer, linking building “walls” (Trump) with the biblical fall of Jericho:
“And the walls come down. Think about that next time you vote.” (12:42) - Tongue-in-cheek confession: “800-800-7234 – sell us your kids, sell us your builder, sell us your wife!”
6. Ozzy Osbourne “Celebrity” Call & Car Bids
Timestamps: 21:22–24:59
- Fake “Ozzy” calls in (rough, slurred), gets ribbed for being incomprehensible and possibly high:
“Ozzy, your wife didn’t show up, so you have to explain to us what’s wrong with you… Try to do it legibly.” (24:59) - Sharon Osbourne update (pre-recorded audio doesn't air), but crew jokes that Ozzy is “doing better”.
7. Nostalgia, Family Stories, and Going Deep
Timestamps: 26:36–30:43
- John recounts wild tales: his dad’s strip club adventures, “deathbed confessions,” and his mother’s hard-drinking Connecticut retirement.
- Connection between John’s affection for Bobbo and his late, boozy mother:
- “That’s why I love Bobbo so much – he reminds me of my drunk mother.” (28:58)
- J.D. and Bobbo riff on “drunk Trump” and classic Eddie Murphy routines.
8. Racism/Listener Loss Satire & Money as the Great Equalizer
Timestamps: 31:08–34:44
- Running gag: listeners sometimes call to say “you just lost a listener.” The team laughs off complaints about racial content:
- DJ Pre K: “One thing that ain’t racist? The money going on in here, okay? And we cuttin’ that check, baby.” (32:39)
- DJ Pre K re-explains his method for rolling a blunt (comedy + stoner advice):
- “Break down that green, fill your cigar, roll it, lick it, light it… then inhale it, baby.” (33:01)
- Advanced tip: “Brush your blunt with lean—promethazine cough syrup.”
- “This ain’t your average Robitussin, baby. You gonna need a prescription for this.” (34:11)
9. Buying Cars – And Satirizing Everyone Who Tries to Sell Them
Timestamps: 36:10–92:00+ (and scattered throughout)
- Throughout the episode, listeners from coast to coast call in trying to sell vehicles. John’s signature style:
- Fast, blunt appraisals.
- Jokes about upside-down loans, “buried in the car,” mileage, color, rust.
- “You can’t spell depreciation till you get a hold of one of them German cars!” (119:13)
- Encourages listeners to “shop it around, get a Carmax offer, then send us a picture—we beat it by $100 or pay you $100.”
- Occasional genuine generosity, especially to callers with military backgrounds or financial hardships (“If I’m gonna give someone extra by accident, may as well help the military guy in a bind.” 44:52)
10. Headline ‘News of the Weird’
Timestamps: Scattered
- “A man says he’s dropping a bomb at Home Depot — he meant in the toilet.” (46:28)
- “Dallas man shows up at the dog park in his underwear, covered in peanut butter.”
- “Georgia man sets mom’s house on fire over a fight about Cheez-Its.”
- “Man in Houston gets high in an abandoned house and finds a 1,000-lb tiger.”
- “You just never know. Like Hangover, man – you walk in and there’s a tiger in the bathtub.” (74:17)
11. Guest Interview: Robert Romanus (Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High)
Timestamps: 172:29–185:06
- Romanus checks in to reminisce about the film.
- Praises his “five point plan” (played back in classic audio):
- Never let on how much you like a girl.
- Always call the shots.
- “Wherever you are, that’s the place to be.”
- Order food for her (“It’s a classy move”).
- “When it’s make out time, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.” (181:55)
- John's questions about raising teens with famous movie scenes. Romanus:
- “They don’t really care. Kids are into their own stuff.” (173:23)
- Talks about his real cars: Prius and ’61 Corvette – “It balances out, just like a wife and a girlfriend.” (183:39)
- The crew (esp. Bobbo) fanboys:
- “I always identify with Damone.”
- “No, I don’t have any Blue Oyster Cult. I got 23 pairs last time.” (184:45)
12. Impressions, Satire, and Inside Jokes
- Bobbo as “Rush Limbaugh,” “Dead Merle Haggard,” “Reverend Charles” (commentary on social/political issues with a stoner/food twist)
- Forced-sale marriage advice:
- John: “If your husband got you an SL550, start checking his phone!” (105:33)
- “If your daughter’s the receptionist at a car dealer and she’s 18–23, buy a crib now. She’ll be knocked up in 90 days!” (138:07)
- Listener Kelly (52):
- Ranks herself as “an 8.”
- Flirtations ensue: “Are you hot, hon? JD’s looking for a side piece.” (90:52)
13. White, Black, Latino or Other – Game Show Parody
Timestamps: 128:55–133:48
- DJ Pre K reads a Valentine’s Day “Romeo & Juliet” story: a man bitten by a snake bites his wife to “pass on the venom so they can die together.” Listeners guess the perpetrator’s race.
- Highlights Texas/Oklahoma/Midwest bias (“That’s super white stuff right there!”).
- Punchline: The couple is from India (Bihar region). Bobo gets partial credit for “Indian.”
14. Closing Thoughts & Recurring Topics
- John reflects on his struggles with house renovations, marital stress, and family dysfunction.
- Wry advice, wisdom by way of cynicism:
- “I got a wife that’s a lot better looking than I am, so I just have to deal with a lot.”
- “If you’re remodeling, should have just built a new house.” (114:13)
- Building a social media following and accidental “influencer” status.
- Hints at his tolerance, team management, and ups and downs of running a successful company.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
[04:08] – John about Rush Limbaugh:
“Try speaking for three hours without taking calls. Taking calls is easy… Rush goes for three hours. That’s fantastic!”
[11:09] – Bobbo on Kelly Blue Book:
“Kelly blue balls will always let you down. She’ll never put out. Don’t trust Kelly!”
[12:08] – Bobbo as ‘Reverend Charles’:
“I hates to bust your trumpety bubble, orange hair, Cheeto-lovin’, trumpeted bubble…”
[24:59] – John to fake Ozzy:
“You have to explain to us what’s wrong with you. Try to do it legibly so the listeners can understand…”
[32:39] – DJ Pre K:
“One thing that ain’t racist? The money going on in here, okay? We cuttin’ that check, baby.”
[33:01] – DJ Pre K gives weed-rolling tips:
“Break down that green, fill your cigar, roll it, lick it, light it… then inhale it, baby.”
[44:52] – John on over-bidding for military callers:
“If I’m gonna give extra money by accident, might as well give it to a military guy that’s in a bind.”
[90:52] – John to caller Kelly:
“Are you hot, hun? On a scale of 1–10, what would you rank yourself?”
Kelly: “8.”
John: “Send me some nudes!”
[181:55] – Fast Times Five-Point Plan:
“When it’s makin’ out time, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.”
Selected Timestamps for Key Segments
- 00:31–03:05: Welcoming new affiliates, Cheap Trick, Bobbo’s happy mood
- 03:31–08:30: Trump’s Rush Limbaugh praise compressed; Rush impression
- 13:38–18:20: Dead Merle Haggard, “Welcome to the Jungle”
- 21:22–24:59: Fake Ozzy call
- 32:39: “Money isn’t racist” discussion
- 33:01: How to roll a blunt
- 44:52: Generous (jokingly) car offer to military family
- 74:17: High guy finds a tiger in Houston
- 128:55–133:48: White, Black, Latino or Other game (“snakebite Valentine’s” – answer: India)
- 172:29–185:06: Fast Times at Ridgemont High’s Robert Romanus interview
- 181:55: Five-point plan in full audio
- 105:33: John gives tongue-in-cheek marital/sideline girlfriend advice
Show Style & Tone
- Language: Irreverent, blue-collar, rapid-fire, highly improvisational.
- Mood: Jocular, self-deprecating, satirical, with moments of genuine warmth.
- Approach to Content: Skewers everyone (especially themselves), leans into the “radio outlaw” tradition with segments lampooning celebrities, politics, racial/sexual taboos (always with a wink), and the business of used cars.
Takeaways for New Listeners
- The John Clay Wolfe Show is less about cars and more about raw, honest, and frequently outrageous conversations about whatever’s in the news or on the host’s mind.
- Expect fast pivots from car appraisals to jokes about sex, drugs, stoner culture, music, and family dysfunction.
- The show’s style—semi-scripted, lots of improvisation, guest characters, recurring impressions—makes for a unique blend of “shock jock,” satire, and small business real talk.
- Even the automotive segments are imbued with irreverent humor, as John and crew riff on oddball callers and gently roast car sellers nationwide.
For full episodes, archives, and to sell your car:
Visit: givemethevin.com
Twitter: @JohnClayWolfe
“You can’t be drunk all day if you don’t start in the morning.” – Show running joke
