The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #539 (01.24.26)

Overview

This lively episode finds John broadcasting remotely from Scottsdale, AZ, in the thick of the Barrett-Jackson auction. The crew covers a range of topics, as always—cars, auctions, relationships, weather woes, jaw-dropping auction losses, listener calls about wild life stories, and a dash of true-crime. The show’s signature style—unfiltered, honest, and quick on the draw—delivers comedy and sharp insight for both car devotees and fans of unpredictable radio.

Key Discussion Points & Highlights

1. Auction Adventures at Barrett-Jackson (00:00–12:00; 58:00–70:00)

• John opens up about “getting his ass kicked” in Scottsdale, losing significant money on classic and collector cars.
• In-depth breakdowns of his auction lots:
  • 1970 Chip Foose-built Chevelle: Bought for $140K, sold for $150K. After auction fees and shipping, John still ends up losing money. Chip Foose helped rep the car on the block.
    • Quote: “If Chip hadn’t got up on the block and repped that car, it would have sold for 125, I think.” — Turley [06:03]
  • 1963 Split Window Corvette Restomod: Bought and customized, sold at a significant loss. Later, a nearly identical car sells for almost double.
    • Quote: “Same car later on sold for $235,000. And when I say same car, I mean same car.” — John [07:14]
  • Costs of auctioning include entry (“reserve number”), seller fees (8–10%), shipping, and prep.
  • The emotional ups and downs of absolute/no-reserve auctions.
    • Quote: “You go in there, it’s a casino.” — John [10:18]
  • Listener insight on differences in car chat rooms—the Barrett-Jackson crowd is "full of bitches" compared to the show’s own chat. [08:36]
  • Joint venture buying pitfalls—why John now prefers to pay spotters a flat fee instead of splitting profit/loss.
    • Quote: “If it goes the other way, then this guy’s gotta write a check for his half of the 30, and you know, he can’t do it.” [12:23]
  • Frustration about the fickle market and the luck (or timing) required to “bust out” at these auctions.
    • Quote: “All anybody wants to remember…is the car that brought a bunch. We can’t recreate that moment.”

2. The Reality of Classic Car Ownership & Sales (131:00–134:00)

• Several caller stories emphasize the myth that old/classic cars are great easy investments.
  • Restoration and upkeep are expensive, and rarely do you get your money back.
  • Example: Turley buys a short-wheelbase GMC, has to put another $4K into it. Sells it for less than he has in it after multiple tries.
    • Quote: “These old cars, guys, I’m telling you, the reason resto mods and pro touring cars, these $150K and $200K rigs, cost so much is because they’re not the same car. They’re new and they don’t break and they’re reliable.” — John

3. Listener Lightning Rounds, Calls & Colorful Stories (17:43–22:12; 32:12–34:00; 92:55–94:00)

• Lightning Round: Listeners call in to get offers on their cars, ranging from whopped-out Civics to sentimental classics.
• Memorable call-in stories:
  • Babysitter & Pink Floyd Story: A NC listener recounts losing his virginity to his babysitter after seeing Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” John needles the caller for his slow storytelling and lack of detail.
    • Quote: “When you call in with a big ole bunch of BS, timeline it first so we can keep it moving!” — John [34:34]
  • Barbie in DC: Overshares about talking from the toilet with “notes in her lap.”
    • Quote: “You just grossed me out. I’m gonna hang up—call me back when you’re not doing what you’re doing.” — John [24:51]
  • Diabetes, a VW Bug, and Greed: A man tries to sell a '78 Beetle convertible for a diabetic friend heading back to the Philippines.
    • Quote: “She’s not going blind from diabetes. She’s going blind from hallucinations and greed.” — John [31:20]

4. Auction Culture, Drama, and Philosophy

• A deep dive into the gambling mentality behind car auctions—sometimes you win, often you lose, and everyone remembers only the wins.
  • Quote: “It is literally betting. I mean, you’re just gambling. My split window resto mod 63 Vette…Same car sold for $220K later. The guy that bought mine for $125K…said he liked mine better.” — John [69:43]
• John and Turley commiserate about buyer’s remorse, errors in auction chat rooms, and the agony of watching others make a killing on nearly identical vehicles.

5. True Crime Interlude – The Overalls Murderer (38:01–43:00, 103:11–106:41)

• Play-by-play of a Louisiana true-crime confession: Jesse High calmly details killing his wife and in-laws after a long period of simmering anger.
  • Audio clip recap: Chilling, matter-of-fact recounting of the triple homicide, triggered by familial disputes and someone “sitting in my chair.”
  • Quote: “They just ignored me…that’s when I decided.” — Jesse High [39:49]
  • Crew reaction: Both horrified and struck by “how understandable” the regret sounds, and the absence of remorse.

6. Weather & Regional Humor – Snowmageddon in Texas (15:10–16:08; 22:01–23:16)

• The Texas ice storm gets skewered: mass panic, rush to buy toilet paper, complaints about Armageddon that turned into “maybe half an inch” of actual snow.
  • Quote: “It was supposed to be 15 inches. We’re all going to die and be Russian vodka drinkers for a month in Texas. And you got a half an inch of snow on the ground.” — John [14:33]
  • Grocers emptied; in the small towns, everything’s fine.

7. Raw Relationship Talk

• Opening banter and intermittent jokes about relationships, marriage, and fights (“Do you miss fighting with your wife, Bob?”)
• Calls/segments poking fun at marital disputes, loneliness, and what men “put up with” as they get older.

8. Jeopardy-Style Quiz Segment (137:08–146:13)

• Listeners join a Jeopardy-style game, vying for JCW show merch.
• Pop culture, car trivia, and musical knowledge are tested.
  • Standout moment: No one can recall “The Raconteurs” as Jack White’s side project. [144:12]
  • Lots of friendly smack talk as John and Pre K compete with listeners.

9. Show Business, Media & Social Media Culture (118:06–121:57)

• John comments on YouTube—a key tool for both show marketing and car sales—but notes the “haters” and trolls, especially from the Gas Monkey Garage fandom.
  • Quote: “Richard [Rawlings] thinks it’s the funniest damn thing—they’re tearing your ass up badly in all them cars.” — Bob
• Discusses the economics of producing video content: $25K/month YouTube revenue, but years of investment and “catch-up” in production costs.

10. Sports, Betting & Music

• Ongoing banter over losing bets on football, in true degenerate style.
• Running joke about Turley’s “sports wiener” and audience obsession with it.
• Reference to ABBA—John’s wife’s relative brings in quarterly music royalties due to the sudden College Football Championship popularity of “Fernando.” [82:29]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If you live by yourself too long, it makes you harder and harder to, you know, connect with anybody.” – Bob [02:10]
• “When the guy bought it from is watching it on TV and sees you got a hundred, right? Oh, yeah, he loves it...No, I didn’t get out. I lost ten grand plus a grand in shipping plus a fifteen hundred selfie.” – John [04:25]
• “The people in Barrett-Jackson’s chat room—they hate everything about every car.” – Turley [08:29]
• “Just because I got my ass kicked on one, it doesn’t change the market. I just had a bad roll, man.” – John [17:31]

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Content | |------------|---------| | 00:31 | John Clay Wolfe on location in Phoenix, auction banter | | 02:47 | Auction results, in-depth breakdowns, Chip Foose Chevelle story | | 08:36 | Auction chat room drama, social commentary | | 15:10 | Icy weather, Texas panic, regional humor | | 24:29 | Barbie in DC’s TMI call | | 38:01 | True crime confession segment: Jesse High’s triple murder | | 58:00 | Reflections on losses at Barrett-Jackson | | 69:43 | The dealer’s perspective: luck vs skill at auction | | 92:55 | Lightning round: listeners call in to sell cars | | 103:11 | “Defusing” domestic disputes—Louisiana style | | 137:08 | Listener Jeopardy segment | | 140:37 | Jeopardy questions and scoring| | 146:44 | John’s post-show plans, auction strategy |

Tone & Style

• Unfiltered, irreverent, and straightforward—no sugarcoating losses or awkward realities
• Heavy on in-jokes, regional color, and quick smack talk
• Freely mixes serious content (crime, loss, dealer pitfalls) with comedy and audience engagement
• “We’re going to get real here”—no phony optimism about cars as investments

For New Listeners

• Expect a wild mix: technical car talk, inside-industry revelations, true-crime stories, and everyday absurdity.
• Car sellers and enthusiasts will learn a lot about the real economics of collector cars.
• The call-in segments are unpredictable, hilarious, and often feature jaw-dropping stories.
• If you appreciate honest, blue-collar perspective with a sharp comedic edge, you’ll find JCW a standout among radio shows.