The John Clay Wolfe Show
Episode #530
November 16, 2025 – Live from Rattlesnake Roadhouse, Walnut Springs, TX
Overview
This lively, on-location episode captures the John Clay Wolfe Show broadcast from the Rattlesnake Roadhouse in Walnut Springs, Texas, coinciding with the second annual Rattle and Roll Car Show. As always, John and the crew—Bob O, JD Ryan, “Pre K” Turley, and a rotating cast of regulars and guests—riff on everything from small-town Texas life to cars, sports, rock & roll, and a healthy dose of mischief.
The show is packed with local color, hilarious banter, irreverent real talk, unexpected callers, and the celebrity horsepower of Chip Foose and Richard Rawlings. It’s an immersive ride through Americana, car culture, and the quirks of everyday people.
Main Themes
- Small-Town Texas and Car Culture: Celebrating local flavor, regional events, and the grassroots car scene.
- Family, Unexpected Parenthood, and DNA Surprises: Open phones for people’s stories about discovering unknown children or finding new parents after years apart.
- Rock & Roll and Pop Culture: Recaps of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, musical memories, and classic rock stories.
- Car Buying, Classic Cars, and The GiveMeTheVin Lightning Round: On-air car appraisals with John, trading quips and prices live.
- Humor and Loose Cannon Energy: The show’s signature blend of unfiltered, fun conversations, unpredictable callers, and playful inside-jokes.
Detailed Breakdown and Highlights
1. Car Show Kickoff & Small-Town Vibes
[00:42-04:10]
- Live crowd at Walnut Springs, TX for the car show.
- John marvels at the early turnout: “I was shocked to see how many cars are already here at 7:30 in the morning…You can't drink all day if you don't start first thing in the morning." (John Clay Wolfe, 00:42)
- Colorful depiction of Walnut Springs’ tiny size, comparing it to Blazing Saddles' Rock Ridge.
- Local high school football: The six-man team disbanded due to two injuries—so small, one or two injuries can end the season! (04:03)
2. Home-Schooling and SNAP Benefits
[04:10-06:42]
- The crew discusses new Texas policies paying parents to homeschool, expressing shock.
- "Now you're getting paid to keep your kids home. No idea. That's gonna be a big deal." (John, 04:34)
- SNAP/EBT debate, rumors about drug testing for benefits, and skepticism about news sources:
- “Everything we gets from the Internet. So it could be totally false, right?” (JD Ryan, 06:03)
3. TSA/Airports, Airport Anxiety, and Smuggling Tales
[07:02-09:22]
- Lighthearted talk on post-government-shutdown travel, air traffic, and TSA lines.
- Bob O confesses feeling guilty at TSA despite doing nothing wrong.
- Jokes about sneaking weed onto planes, referencing Ron White’s infamous bust after his pilots turned him in:
- “Ask Ron White, who got caught with marijuana on his plane because his pilots turned him in. ...They got tired of him smoking it on board because then it's in their system.” (JD, 08:56)
4. Lightning Round: Car Calls and Appraisals
[10:40-14:43, passim]
- Real callers pitch vehicles for on-air evaluation.
- Jacqueline tries to describe a noise her old Camry makes; John, in classic comedic form, prods her to mimic the noise so he can “diagnose” by sound:
- “Is it a good 280 (thousand miles)? Is there anything wrong with it at all?” (John, 11:15)
- “I need to hear you do it as well as you can do it so I can figure out if it's the expensive tap, the not so expensive tap, or the almost free tap.” (John, 12:30)
- $500 offer is declined, with playful banter about her “shy” energy and topless dancers.
5. Car Show and the Live Crowd
[15:37-18:46]
- The energy of the Rattlesnake Roadhouse and downtown described: “This is pretty cool. This place is going to be packed today. Come to Walnut Springs.” (John, 16:20)
- Shoutouts to car celebrities: Chip Foose, Richard Rawlings, and Dennis Collins will appear.
- Birthday banter: JD Ryan is roasted for getting old; crew scoffs at elaborate adult birthday celebrations.
6. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Recap
[19:01-22:27]
- Jim Carrey’s induction speech for Soundgarden, David Letterman on Warren Zevon, and Paul Rodgers (Bad Company) video message.
- "Pay no attention to the burn marks on the pick guard. Someone backstage was playing with matches.” (Jim Carrey in clip, 19:36)
- John and Bob O poke fun at “feel good” speeches and rumors about inductees.
7. Florida News — Fast Pizza & Golf Course Carnage
[28:01-31:19]
- Woman caught speeding at 107 mph—her excuse: “I was hungry, speeding for pizza.” (Caller, 28:45)
- Teen does $160,000 of golf course damage, high on Uncle Butch’s weed:
- “Guess what happened then. Jessica got excited. Oh, no, I get it.” (JD, 31:00)
8. Heartfelt Appalachian Trail Caller
[31:56-35:40]
- Regular “Sir Minus” checks in from the trail, regaling the crew with a romantic/raunchy tent story—PG-13 by way of FCC guidelines.
- “If it wasn't the weather keeping us up all night, we would have kept each other up all night. The tent walls had to get washed out in the next few days.” (Sir Minus, 33:23)
- Comic riffing about “hookups” on the trail.
9. More Car Lightning Round
[45:33-48:21 etc.]
- The crew handles a series of car appraisals, full of John’s one-liners and mock flirtation.
- “You got a very sexy car. How do you keep the ladies off of you?” (John to Brent, 45:51)
10. Political Satire & Parody Guests
[50:36-54:34]
- “Rush Limbaugh” (impression/character) calls in: “Nationwide, it’s America First. I told Karl Rove back in 1979…” (Bob O as Rush Limbaugh, 51:03)
- Surreal, tongue-in-cheek explanations of American politics, drug lords, and media.
11. Heavy Calls: Surprise Kids & DNA Reality
[59:04–71:59]
- A powerful segment of real listeners discussing surprise children, DNA reveals, late-life reconnections, unplanned fatherhood, and heartbreak:
- “If you met your kid after he or she was 15 and you had no idea, call in. I want to hear those stories.” (John, 60:57)
- Stories range from emotional to comic, each handled with candid empathy and curiosity.
12. Sports Betting and Football Talk
[72:29–81:34]
- “Game of chicken” over point spreads on NCAA and NFL matchups.
- College picks, wagering between John and Pre K; references to Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, and more.
13. The "Dope Report"
[87:40–89:03]
- Bob Floyd’s “dope report” on the ever-increasing strength of legal weed, with invented math:
- “1400 times stronger than your regular illegal marijuana. That’s a fact. It’s close to a fact.”
- Satirical economics lesson about street prices, drug tourism, and holiday profits.
14. Black, White, Latino or Other
[89:48–93:13]
- Pre K’s signature “guess the criminal” bit: Florida man, coffee-throwing, rainbow-haired suspect, analyzed by the crew.
- “There’s not a white guy in America that orders red drink.” (John, 91:40)
- Suspect is revealed: “A black man, looks like Dave Chappelle with a wig on!” (Pre K, 92:04)
15. Guest: Chip Foose & Richard Rawlings – Celebrity Car Talk
[107:50–116:14; 118:32–125:41]
- Celebrated custom car builder Chip Foose joins live, keeping his word to attend the show and reflecting on SEMA crunches, the art of the build, and the camaraderie with fans.
- “I did the last four days with no sleep. I was working 20 hours a day for almost two months.” (Chip Foose, 112:23)
- Richard Rawlings (Gas Monkey Garage) jumps in to trade SEMA war stories and marvel at the turnout:
- “There was actually a traffic jam coming into Walnut Springs.” (Richard Rawlings, 121:07)
- The guests banter about the challenge and joy of car building, the event’s success, and John’s vision of Walnut Springs as Radiator Springs come to life.
Notable Quotes
- John Clay Wolfe (on Walnut Springs car show): “This is like Rock Ridge, but it’s about two blocks of old buildings. … The six man football team this year had to disband before homecoming. Their homecoming game was an alumni flag football game. …because they had an injury. It’s not a joke. It’s the damn truth.” (03:30)
- JD Ryan (on TSA): “Everybody in the world that goes through TSA feels guilty. While your stuff's being looked at, you're like, what have I done?” (07:37)
- Caller “Sir Minus” (on Appalachian Trail romance): “We get up there, can’t go down either side… Thunderstorm. I have nothing to sleep in… She goes, ‘Sir Minus, get in the tent.’ If it wasn’t the weather keeping us up, we would have kept each other up all night.” (33:23)
- Chip Foose (on meeting commitments): “I kept my word. … It’s not about the money. I’m just going to a show.” (108:00)
- Richard Rawlings: “There was actually a traffic jam coming into Walnut Springs.” (121:11)
Memorable On-Air Moments
- Jacqueline’s Car Noise: John urges a caller to impersonate her car’s “tap, tap, tap,” sparking a running in-joke about shyness and topless dancers.
- Black, White, Latino or Other: Crew debates the demographics of a drive-thru assault suspect, with laugh-out-loud speculation about “red drink” and rainbow hair.
- Live Negotiations: John and callers haggle on the spot—$500 for a Camry, $17,500 for a ’71 El Camino—showcasing the show’s unique mix of car expertise and playful showmanship.
- Sports Bet “Chicken”: Pre K and John raise sports lines to absurd levels as they try to psych each other out on air.
- Chip Foose & Richard Rawlings: Two SEMA legends on stage together, discussing the insanity of getting show cars finished, and sharing respect and war stories.
- Sir Minus’s Appalachian Love Tale: Proving anything goes on the John Clay Wolfe Show.
Key Timestamps
- 00:42 – Show kickoff, Walnut Springs live vibe
- 04:10 – Texas schools & home-schooling money
- 06:41 – Air traffic & TSA anxiety
- 10:40 – Lightning round: car appraisal calls begin
- 15:37 – Big car show crowd; shoutouts to guests
- 19:00 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame segment
- 28:10 – “Florida News”: pizza speeding & golf course carnage
- 31:56 – ‘Sir Minus’ Appalachian Trail check-in
- 50:36 – Parody call from “Rush Limbaugh”
- 59:04 – Call-in stories: unknown parenthood and DNA surprises
- 72:29 – Sports betting: CFB & NFL picks
- 87:40 – Bob Floyd’s “Dope Report”
- 89:48 – Black, White, Latino or Other
- 107:50 – Chip Foose arrives, live interview, SEMA stories
- 118:32 – Chip Foose & Richard Rawlings on stage together
- 124:03 – Plans for the audience panel and more crowd festivities
Tone & Style
Always quick-witted, casual, and often irreverent, with plenty of cross-talk, callouts, and inside humor. The energy is as Texas as it gets—down-to-earth but brimming with tall tales, teasing, and the freewheeling banter of friends who know how to take a joke and keep the party going.
For Listeners
Even if you weren’t there in person, this episode transports you into the thick of a rowdy, sunny day in small-town Texas, surrounded by roaring engines, live music, eccentric locals, and the best and weirdest of car culture. Whether you’re a gearhead, sports fan, halcyon family historian, or just love off-beat humor, there’s something here for you.
Quick Rec: Don’t miss the segments with Chip Foose and Richard Rawlings (107:50+) for top-tier car talk, or the "lightning round" car appraisals, and listen out for wild true-life stories in the surprise kid/DNA calls (59:04–71:59).
Find More
- Full show archives: PodBean (“The John Clay Wolfe Show”)
- Live Video/Stream: jcwshow.com / YouTube
- Next Live Event: May 2026, Walnut Springs Motorcycle Rally; Adam Carolla live next weekend
“If you want to be here, get in your car and come out. You don’t want to miss this one.”
(John Clay Wolfe, passim)