The John Clay Wolfe Show – Episode #79

Date: February 12, 2026
Podcast: The John Clay Wolfe Show
Host: John Clay Wolfe
Summary by [Expert Summarizer]

Overview

This episode of The John Clay Wolfe Show, powered by GiveMeTheVIN.com, dives into the usual mix of humor and banter around cars, sports, sex, drugs, and rock & roll. The central theme is a potential end to the show’s broadcast on ZZO in Pennsylvania due to concerns from corporate radio programmers that the show is “too rough and edgy” for northeastern markets. John, co-hosts, and listeners passionately discuss the show's fate, the realities of scaling a car-buying business, and the absurdity of modern radio censorship. There are also frequent live calls about used cars interspersed with offbeat riffs on football, Trump, parenting, broadcast politics, and more.

Episode Highlights and Key Discussion Points

1. The "Too Rough for New York" Debate

• Announcement of Show Cancellation in Pennsylvania:

  • John shares that this may be the last ZZO broadcast, explaining the economics and business strategy behind their attempted northeast market expansion.
    “This could be our last show today up there. I canceled it. ...the fundamentals and logistics of the business side of Give Me The VIN on the backside, it’s a bear.” (03:45-04:22)
  • Table banter about radio programmers finding the show “too rough, too edgy, too Texan, too non-PC” for New York and other metro markets.
    “They think we're too rough. They think we're too edgy.” (06:39)
    “When you’re too rough for New York, then you might be a Dallas Cowboy.” (09:16)

• Listener Reactions:

  • Several callers from Pennsylvania express frustration about losing the show.
    • “You can’t do that. I live every weekend for Tony Romo’s dad.” (06:16, Listener from Albrightsville, PA)
    • “Last show? That’s a joke. I grew up listening to Howard Stern... The morning show ZZO got on is... rougher. Which is great. I love it.” (13:03, Ben from Allentown area)

• Programmer Criticism Letter:

  • The crew reads and mocks a letter from northeast programmers listing reasons the show is “unacceptable,” including off-color humor, “lesbian football talk,” misogyny, “porn talk,” and a tasteless Kurt Cobain joke.
    “They brought up... lesbian football talk, a very, very bad joke on Kurt Cobain’s death... still very misogynistic, strippers, use the word 'my old lady'...” (07:54 et seq.)

• Response to Criticism:

  • The team lampoons the image of “Texas talk” and stereotypes about hillbillies.
  • Debate whether talk radio can truly ever fit big markets if it isn’t sanitized. “I wonder what's gonna happen in the Trump administration—you think it's gonna change when the President says things that are worse than that?” (82:04)

2. Inside the GiveMeTheVIN Car-Buying Operation

• How the Business Works:

  • John describes the scale (~1,000 cars/month), average profit per car, and the challenges of regional logistics.
    “I've been doing this 22 years. My name is John Clay Wolfe. I buy cars. About 1,000 a month. I make about 300 bucks a car.” (16:22, 52:34, 87:04, repeated in ad promos)
  • Detailed Q&A about specific car buy/sell offers, software and appraisal process, and the “dealer friend in the business” ethos.
  • Tips for callers on prepping car info for online offers.

• Notable Interactions:

  • Humor about not wanting to buy junk cars, references to chlamydia, CarMax, and the various types of callers.
  • On competitive offers:
    “If I can't beat your CarMax offer, I'll gladly give you $100. I can’t beat them all, but I beat them most the time.” (23:09, 143:25)

3. Listener Calls & Running Jokes

• Open Phone Lines:

  • Calls from Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Hawaii, Texas, and more.
  • Regulars and first-timers check in to ask about football, comment on the show’s humor/reputation, and get car bids.

• Running Gags and Memorable Bits:

  • “Tony Romo’s Dad” skits satirizing the Dallas Cowboys and Packers rivalry, football culture, and sports dad stereotypes.
    “Tony, he go to Hickory Farms... buy a hundred pounds of cheeses, he bought cheese in one pound hunks just like a football...” (93:12)
  • Fake calls from “Rush Limbaugh” and Charles Brotman on censorship and inaugurations, lampooning conservative talk radio and U.S. politics.
  • Bizarre stories about Jessica Simpson’s roommate, paying for a friend’s abortion, and the string of deaths on Facebook.
  • Creative analogies (“It’s like gays in the military—just not the way we do it…” (126:30))

4. Cars, Sex, Sports and Rock & Roll

• Car Talk:

  • Dozens of car appraisals live on-air, with John quickly quoting numbers, discussing market trends, lease tips, and color/value tradeoffs.
    “I think the best option that car manufacturers offer today is the color white...You cannot go wrong with white.” (107:15)
  • Listeners learn why market value is so much lower than retail online, and why certain trades are hard to sell.

• Sports Talk:

  • Breakdown of upcoming Dallas Cowboys vs. Packers and Texans vs. Patriots playoff games.
  • Bets, spreads, and the nationwide obsession with football.
  • J.D. shares news on heart attack rates rising during Super Bowl Sunday; debate on kids’ football after Bo Jackson’s warning about head injuries.

• Parenting and Social Commentary:

  • Long aside about rearing kids right, work ethic, and city vs. country lessons.
  • Satirical solution for “hot young teachers” in schools: “I think they need to take hot teachers under 25 and make them teach elementary.” (65:10)

• Classic Rock Debates:

  • Arguments over Lynyrd Skynyrd vs. Led Zeppelin, musical taste, and anecdotes about legendary bands and recordings.

• Memorable Quotes:

  • “When you’re too rough for New York, go to Moscow.” (09:30)
  • “We're Saturday Morning Live for many listeners—I just keep on keeping on.” (81:12)
  • “Lunch Lady Lane by Adam Sandler hate[s] those children.” (65:43)
  • “You’re not going to find hookers in his closet. You’re going to find an 8th grade teacher.” (64:05)

• Absurdist Humor & Outrageous Analogies:

  • “If we talked about cars for four hours, what they want, we’d get 0.0 ratings and they’d call me and tell me we’re screwing up their station.” (151:30)

5. Top Ten at Ten: "Other Things the Russians Have Done"

• Comedy segment lampoons Russiagate, with claims that the Russians:
  • Helped Rocky win in Rocky II and IV
  • Keep Rush Limbaugh on radio
  • Made Sesame Street’s Elmo red (“Tickle Me, Comrade”)
  • Hacked Titanic’s GPS
  • Killed Paul McCartney in 1966
  • ...and more.
    (75:00-76:28)

Noteworthy Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Relationships and Ages:
  "Take your age, divide it by two and add seven years. That is the optimal mate age.” – John (02:29)
• On Radio Censorship:
  “When I was reading that review, also they brought up... lesbian football talk, a very, very bad joke on Kurt Cobain’s death, still very misogynistic, strippers, use the word ‘my old lady’…” – John (07:54)
• Listener on Losing the Show:
  "I'm pissed. Last show? That's a joke. I grew up listening to Howard Stern…[others] are rougher." – Ben, PA Caller (13:03)
• On Hot Teachers and 8th Graders:
  “I think they need to […] make all hot teachers under 25 teach elementary. I’m not gonna do that…” – John (65:10)
• Football, Kids, & Work Ethic:
  “I want a place where I can take my sons…raise them right. The only way I know…I was raised…I like the way I was raised.” – John (122:29)
• On Market Strategy:
  “My partner up there’s the largest wholesaler in the country. They buy and sell a thousand cars a week... But there’s not enough flow coming out of that small market to stop and develop a department.” – John on why the PA market can’t justify the overhead (136:06)

Structurally Significant Timestamps

• The ZZO/"Too Edgy" for Northeast Market Conversation: 03:45–10:25, 23:54–25:40, 76:49–81:20
• Listener Call Highlights on Show Cancellation: 06:14, 13:03, 54:05, 113:31
• "Tony Romo’s Dad" Comedy Segments: 91:18–96:14
• Top Ten at Ten (Russians’ Secret Influence): 75:00–76:28
• Leasing, Trade-ins, and Market Advice: 129:06–134:10, 143:25
• Parenting Riffs/Work Ethic: 122:26–124:57
• Pearls of Absurd Car Buying Wisdom: Recurring from 16:22, 52:34, 87:04, 106:08
• Criticism Letter Debates: 79:31–82:00, 148:12–151:41

Closing Thoughts

The episode encapsulates The John Clay Wolfe Show’s signature blend of irreverence, rapid-fire banter, inside industry talk, and cultural commentary. The “too rough for New York” storyline dominates, providing both catharsis and comedy for the crew and listeners. Despite the threatened end of ZZO broadcasts, audience loyalty is evident, and John’s business transparency and showmanship remain central.

To contact, sell your car, or catch future streams:
Visit GiveMeTheVIN.com and look for John Clay Wolfe’s full archive on PodBean or local affiliates.

[End of summary. Suitable for listeners and non-listeners alike who want both the episode’s big picture and its best bits.]