The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #208 (07.27.19)

Date Aired: February 16, 2026
Main Theme: Freewheeling, irreverent talk on cars, music, pop culture, and life—plus live car appraisals, audience banter, and an in-depth interview with Billy Bob Thornton.

Episode Overview

This episode is classic John Clay Wolfe Show: a rollicking, boundary-pushing live broadcast mixing humor, cars, music, and unscripted life stories. The crew launches into topics ranging from AI and hangovers to outlandish personal anecdotes and pop culture debates. Special segments include a revealing interview with Billy Bob Thornton, real-time car appraisals, commentary on current events, and the debut of the “Brosetta Stone” hip-hop word of the week. The show's lively, sometimes raucous, and always self-deprecating style is on full display.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. Opening Banter & AI Humor

[00:00 - 02:30]

• John and crew riff on AI anxieties with Siri/Alexa impersonations (“I can’t wait until machines take over the world. Can you believe they still think the Russians did it? Losers. Hey, let’s go rig another election.” – Siri, 00:19).
• Comic riffing on the fear of robots taking jobs; Bobo jokes he’d “welcome the robots,” saying, “Human intelligence really worries me.” (00:28)

2. Morning Routines & Real-Life Hangovers

[03:00 - 05:00]

• Michael Turley and J.D. Ryan trade stories about rough mornings and drinking with family:
  • Turley: “God, I'm hungover. Bad. J.D., maybe I am an alcoholic. Maybe you were right all along.” (03:01)
  • J.D.: “You must find the experience either anxious or anxious makes you feel downtrodden.” (05:14)
• Turley jokes about needing a drink to handle talking to his brother, leading to a group reflection on sibling dynamics, drinking, and “self-medicating.”

3. Politics & Pop Culture: Marion Barry Deep Dive

[08:00 - 11:30]

• Panel discusses infamous 1980s DC Mayor Marion Barry, mixing real history with outrageous innuendo (crack, sex scandals, and his resilience).
• DJ Pre K: “He was living his best life, huh?”
• Bobo: “He smoked crack. But didn’t he have horrors too?” (08:45)
• The segment peaks with a Paul Harvey impression recapping Barry’s legacy:
  “In the annals of American political history, there never was an animal of a man more persistent, more snarky than the great Marion Barry..." (10:42)

4. Alternate Lifestyles: Bobo’s Roommates Story

[24:00 - 30:00]

• Hilarious, candid story about J.D. living with a house full of gay men after his divorce:
  • “My first wife left me after 90 days... I found an ad, $300 a month, nice house. Turns out everyone there is gay. Never had a problem. They were immaculate!” (25:09+)
  • Tales of drag parties, laundry deals, and the time his girlfriend ate all the pudding, leading to a roommate revolt:
    “My girlfriend ate four of the parfaits... the alternative lifestyle hit the fan.” (28:22)

5. Music & Generational Debates

[35:00 - 39:00]

• Arguments over “Van Halen vs. Van Hagar”; consensus that both eras are distinct and hard to compare:
  • Michael: “I liked Halen better, and I like Hagar better. Now, it's hard to say that. I didn't just say that.” (35:28)
  • J.D.: “Original Van Halen, David Lee Roth… that was groundbreaking... When Sammy Hagar joined, everybody freaked out—but it was good day one.” (35:35)

6. Rock Royalty Guest Bits: Keith Richards “Interview”

[37:00 - 41:00+]

• Playful, surreal "interview" segment with J.D. impersonating Keith Richards:
  • “I've been on the verge of dying since 1964.” (37:46)
  • “I haven't slept since 1960.” (40:11)
  • On heroin: “I only do it because I've got a lot of it. If I didn't have it, I wouldn't do it.” (80:10)

7. Car Selling, Buying, and Comedy

Throughout the Show

• Live call-ins from listeners trying to sell (or just talk about) their cars; John gives rapid-fire appraisals, frequently laced with sarcasm (“How does it feel to be a grown white male that drove a golf cart for 30,000 miles that you paid a hundred thousand dollars for?” – re: Tesla owner, 58:55).
• Skewering dreamers (“What does that truck take?” “30.” “How could that truck be worth 30 with 80,000 miles on it?” 62:39).
• Recurring ad lines:
  “So easy, you can do it in your underwear.” (Commonly after VIN site plugs)

8. Brosetta Stone: Hip-Hop Word of the Week

[91:45 - 94:40]

• DJ Pre K teaches “dripping sauce”—meaning: ultimate style, swag, or “the flyest thing walking.”
• Quote: “Without sauce, you lost, but you can also get lost in the sauce. As the wise Gucci Mane once said.” (93:10)
• Listeners call in to guess the meaning, confirming its slang value.

9. Celebrity Interview: Billy Bob Thornton

[99:44 - 117:26]

• Relaxed, engaging interview about music, touring, and the creative process:
  • On his band: "We had 16 shows in a row... 41 shows in 45 days, so it's pretty brutal, but we’re used to that."
  • On movie fame: “You have no idea. Because you can't control what people think... you have to get to a point where you just leave that up to fate.” (114:31)
  • On “Sling Blade”:
    Michael: “Did you have any idea Sling Blade was gonna hook up like that and become a all time greatest?”
    Billy Bob: “Gosh, no. Never thought that one.” (115:24)
  • On downtime:
    “I just watch sports and Family Guy and South Park... I don’t much watch TV shows.” (116:50)
  • Michael: “Fargo, season one, was one of the best TV shows I’ve ever seen in my life.”

10. Pop Culture & Movie Reviews – Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”

[124:05 - 127:27+]

• Post-premiere impressions, avoiding spoilers:
  • J.D.: “There's a moment... our theater was writhing in their seats. See it with a crowd. See it on the big screen. Definitely.” (127:03)
  • Debate on best Tarantino movies:
    “Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill 1 & 2, Jackie Brown” top J.D.’s list.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Siri on Politics:
  “I can’t wait until machines take over the world. Can you believe they still think the Russians did it? Losers.” (00:19)
• Turley on Drinking with Siblings:
  “If you over drink when you talk to your sibling, please call me and explain why.” (05:11)
• Michael, on Marion Barry:
  “When you’re slamming rocks and slamming hoes, it either goes one way or the other.” (09:11)
• J.D. on Living with Alternative Roommates:
  “Never had a problem one... My room, everything was clean. They were all gone by 6am.” (25:17)
• J.D. as Keith Richards:
  “I’ve been on the verge of dying since 1964.” (37:46) “I haven’t slept since 1960.” (40:11) “I only do it because I’ve got a lot of it. If I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t do it.” (80:10)
• Billy Bob Thornton on success:
  “You have no idea. Because you can't control what people think. All you can do is the best job you can.” (114:31)
• DJ Pre K on “dripping sauce”:
  "Without sauce, you lost, but you can also get lost in the sauce—as the wise Gucci Mane once said." (93:10)
• Michael, on the new Corvette:
  “It looks like a Ferrari had sex with a Corvette Camaro... It just looks like a damn Ferrari.” (143:24)

Fun/Outrageous Moments

• John repeatedly fields calls from listeners eager to sell their cars—often with absurd expectations or outlandish backstories.
• Call-ins play along with on-air roasting—mom jokes, “how big are your boobs?” and “what’s the fattest person you’ve ever had sex with?”
• Recurring comic bits:
  • “GiveMeTheVIN.com... so easy, you can do it in your underwear!”
  • “He’s not a hater, he’s a Texan. He’s the accidental racist.”
• The “Dope Report” by Bob Floyd—parodying CNBC stock reports, but for weed markets (166:26).
• Debates over pop culture “micro-minutiae” (e.g., Top Gun patches changed for China, 49:03) and Rush Limbaugh/Trump satire (154:43+).

Timestamps: Important Segments

• 00:00 – 02:30: Show opening, AI riffing
• 03:00 – 07:00: Hangovers, family, alcohol jokes
• 08:00 – 11:30: Marion Barry, Paul Harvey impression
• 24:00 – 30:00: Bobo’s “alternative” housemates story
• 35:00 – 39:00: Van Halen/Hagar debate
• 37:00 – 41:00+: Keith Richards bit
• 58:05 - 63:00: Car appraisals, sarcastic banter
• 91:45 – 94:40: Brosetta Stone – “Dripping sauce”
• 99:44 – 117:26: Billy Bob Thornton interview
• 124:05 – 127:27: Tarantino movie review (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)

Overall Tone & Style

• Loose, unfiltered, often irreverent and provocative
• Frequent quick pivots between topics: cars, music, politics, comedy, and the deeply personal
• Heavy use of running gags, listener participation, and self-deprecating humor
• Every segment underpinned by a “don’t-take-this-too-seriously” ethos

For New Listeners

Even if you’ve never tuned in before, this episode is a strong primer on what makes The John Clay Wolfe Show unique: an unpredictable blend of live calls, hilarious confessions, sharp pop culture takes, a bit of automotive expertise, and a layer of self-aware chaos. The Billy Bob Thornton interview adds marquee value, while the rest is a showcase of unscripted, boisterous radio.

(Skip all the VIN ad pitches, as the crew does repeatedly throughout the show.)