The JV Club with Janet Varney

No, this isn’t the beginning of a long run of “winter boys” for The JV Club- it’s a special circumstance that merits the special episode title. IT’s also an episode that includes numerous references to penises. For realz. Be forewarned! You’ll also hear plenty about being a white teen in Hawaii, a secret inventor, and a Star Trek: TNG fantasizer.

Direct download: JVC224_BOY_OF_WINTER__Hennessy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:49am PDT

It's a JV Club re-release! It's tough to beat New York City in the 1980's, as this week's guest Zandy Hartig (Childrens Hospital) proves with memories of museums, clubs, and a very special classroom. Plus: Sting!

Direct download: JVC223.5_Zandy_Hartig_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Surf’s up! Learn a thing or two about determination from NBC “Superstore” co-star Nichole Bloom, whose love of acting hit her at an early age and she hasn’t slowed down since. Well, except to revel in some sweet Emo grooves.

Direct download: JVC223_Nichole_Bloom.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

JV Club guest Yvette Nicole Brown rounds out the ladies of the beloved NBC series with a gab about bidding farewell to the snowstorms of Ohio, the undeniable genius of The Golden Girls, and the heart-swelling lyrics of DeBarge.

Direct download: JVC222.5_Yvette_Nicole_Brown_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:18pm PDT

Janet creates a cinematic picture for the teen years of this week’s sublime guest, Deborah Baker, Jr. (Stan Against Evil), which essentially places her in New England of the early 1950’s. But who can help it, with images of Mona Lisa Smile pushing their way in at every turn? Also, talking horses and endless popovers.

Direct download: JVC222_Deborah_Baker_Jr..mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:57pm PDT

This week’s wonderful guest Kirsten Vangsness (Criminal Minds) maps out the mere 25 mile-apart-yet-wildly-different-worlds of her teen years at Cerritos High and her LA life today, along with all of those juicy feelings that somehow remain unchanged inside. The bottom line is this: Janet falls in platonic love over the course of this episode.

Direct download: JVC221_Kirsten_Vangsness.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

They finally did it! Janet and the magnificent Riki Lindhome (Another Period, Garfunkel and Oates) rug-sits with JV on a warm October evening and talks Hitchcock movies, clarinet reed germs, and the under-appreciated 70’s bikini tan.

Direct download: JVC220_Riki_Lindhome.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

From the recent live show at LA Podfest, Janet is joined by a couple of great beards and the wonderful men sporting them: Charles “Chuck” Bryant (Stuff You Should Know) and Timothy Omundson (Galavant, Psych), and one spectacular woman who happens to ALSO look great with a beard: Natalie Morales (Parks and Rec). Settle in and nibble on your candy necklace for an hour of stories and songs!

Direct download: JVC219_Live_from_LA_Podfest_2016.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 1:45am PDT

What happens when a Brooklynite gets uprooted to the Texas suburbs with her mom and her mom's female partner and spends her teenage years academically overachieving and keeping secrets that make her sick? Why, she grows up to be an amazing comedian and author of her very own novel (Vow of Celibacy), of course. Erin Judge discusses all this and more this week on the podcast!

Direct download: JVC18_Erin_Judge.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

It’s a classic JV Club train of thought that leaves the station at about 60 miles per hour, thanks to the bright light that is the mind and heart of one Kristen Bell (The Good Place), otherwise known as one of the world’s preeminent dog petting scientists. KB and JV cheerily talk failure, murder, and the incredible power of a good Sondheim refrain.

Direct download: JVC217_Kristen_Bell.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

Let’s jam this in before the end of September, anyway! Janet and her onscreen husband Todd Anderson (You’re the Worst) put together the most Frankensteined JV Club episode to date- ranging multiple locations and dates. But no need to fear- there’s still plenty of M.A.S.H., tales of high school horror and movie chat, just maybe not in the order you’d expect!

Direct download: JVC216_Incredibly_Late_Boy_of_Summer_Todd_Anderson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

Nova Scotia native (and fantastic comic artist/writer/awesome person) Kate Leth patiently sits through Janet freaking out about Anne of Green Gables, moving on to other topics such as utterly cool moms and tattoos, the power of black lipstick and the suspension of time aboard a lengthy flight.

Direct download: JVC215_Kate_Leth.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

This week it’s a story of stuff (life stuff! Not clutter stuff!) with Annie Leonard (The Story of Stuff, Greenpeace), who talks about how experiences in the margins of high school can be liberating, the joy of optimism (and worms!), and the satisfaction of a really great opera cake.

 

Direct download: JVC214_Annie_Leonard.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Get ready for an “exciting" exploration into the Polar Caves and so much more (including, perhaps, destinations slightly less disappointing when viewed in person) with the delightful Mary Roach (author of bestsellers Grunt, Packing for Mars, and a bunch more!), whose humor, curiosity and general awesomeness are an inspiration to fellow geeks everywhere.

Direct download: JVC213_Mary_Roach.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:37pm PDT

It’s time to make that excruciating decision: which sax do I play - alto or tenor - while I listen to Episode 212 with the brilliant Craig Cackowski (Drunk History, Spontaneanation)? Once you’ve decided, get into your Lincoln Continental and cruise around to the tales of an overnight baritone with a penchant for movie lists.

Direct download: JVC212_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Craig_Cackowski.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Tell your mom to keep the motor running while you stop in for a chat with Bar Mitzvah superstar and Boy of Summer Samm Levine (Inglorious Basterds, Freaks and Geeks), whose 15 year-old standup comedy set will make you blush (well, at least the first joke). But don’t worry- it made him blush, too.

Direct download: JVC211_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Samm_Levine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s time to dig out that sleeveless Def Leppard concert tee and grow your hair out to “regularly-mistaken-for-a-girl” length for Boy of Summer Henry Phillips (so much stuff to list, just visit henryphillips.com!), whose cred even includes running into a Brady Bunch Brady on a train. THAT IS A BIG DEAL, EVERYBODY!

Direct download: JVC210_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Henry_Phillips.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:29am PDT

Episode 209 welcomes the immensely talented Justin Kirk (Weeds), who forgoes his usual Los Angeles walkabout to sip his gas station coffee on JV’s sofa, handling her barrage of invasively personal questions with aplomb. And the photo is from a Children’s Miracle Network fundraiser, not a video dating ad, as JV had hoped.

Direct download: JVC209_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Justin_Kirk.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Move over, Phil Collins and Don Henley! Boy of Summer Andrew Burlinson (Just Add Magic) will give you a run for your drumming-while-singing money. Plus, this new dad is ready to armor up and do some knight-type stuff— I’m looking at you, Jamie Lannister.

Direct download: JVC208_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Andrew_Burlinson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Imagine this is a song that Boy of Summer Mark Gagliardi (Workjuice Player, We Got This podcast) wrote just for you. And for you, and you, and also for you. You’re one of a kind, after all! Plus, you’ll get to hear about sexy Catholic retreats (well, kind of sexy?) and drama club hedonism. Isn’t Gags just the best?

Direct download: JVC207_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Mark_Gagliardi.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:33am PDT

The nearly All-Wisconsinite Boys of Summer trend shockingly continues! This time it’s the just wonderful Nate Mooney, JV’s co-star on the Dana Gould-created IFC series Stan Against Evil, coming to you this fall! Until then, whet your appetite with stories of aerospace engineering, Top Gunnery, and surely the first Boy of Summer to go deep on miniatures!

Direct download: JVC206_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Nate_Mooney.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:31am PDT

Take off your shoes and put on your best white suit because it’s time for Mr. Chris Tallman (Spontaneanation, The Thundermans) to school you in the ways of improv, tuba, and how "Fantasy Island" and Victorian England deserve one another, as Boys of Summer continues its mighty roar!

Direct download: JVC205_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Chris_Tallman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

GUYS, MARK MCCONVILLE (Superego, Pistol Shrimps) WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SIT ON JANET’S NEW COUCH. That’s a big deal! But sure, yes, lots of other things happen on episode 202 as Boys of Summer motors along, including talk of Mark’s parents finished basement (hello ladies!), his “meh” hockey career, and of course, his gorgeous mullet.

 

Direct download: JVC204_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Mark_McConville.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Boys of Summer 2016 hums along with considerably more relaxed ease than you’d feel if you had to drive a double-decker, British-steering-wheel-on-the-right-side bus through Savannah with Clint Eastwood counting on you. Luckily if you’re Gary Anthony Williams (Boondocks, Rick & Morty), you navigate everything with grace, humor, and killer improv chops.

Direct download: JVC203__Boys_of_Summer_Series__Gary_Anthony_Williams.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s time to get the band back together. Or find yourself in a new band every week, if you’re Boys of Summer guest comedian, author, and This American Life contributor Dave Hill (new book! Dave Hill Doesn’t Live Here Anymore). Celebrate hearty loves of multi-genre guitar shreds, the class act that is Dick Cavett, and making the stuff YOU like instead of trying to conform.

Direct download: JVC202_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Dave_Hill.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Get ready to hurl that pristine-white toilet paper roll over a nearby tree, because it’s wonderful Boy of Summer Matt Gourley’s (Superego) time to shine in all his most-of-high-school 5-foot glory. Hear about Matt’s command of Spanish curse words, love of cookies, and the house that haunts him to this day… every time he gets a haircut.

Direct download: JVC201_Boys_of_Summer_Series__Matt_Gourley.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

(Pretentious Trumpets Blaring) It’s the 200th episode of The JV Club, starring YOU! To celebrate, this episode features recordings by listeners as well as some listener emails read by JV. And it also features a M.A.S.H. game with questions from listeners, as conducted and answered jointly by April Richardson and Janet! Hear JV stumble through M.A.S.H. less gracefully than any past guests. #SpoilerAlertNightCourt

Direct download: JVC200_The_200th_Episode.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It's a re-release of Maria Bamford! The JV Club defies you to find another podcast that covers ALL of these conversation essentials: stationery hewn from elephant poo; a fear of what we'll call "Plastic Man arms;" and using blood to secure a first class airplane ticket. These popular topics and much more -- with the wonderful Maria Bamford, no less!

Direct download: JVC1995_Maria_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Condition your softball glove and make sure to stretch before this conversation with comedian and author Amber Tozer (Sober Stick Figure), whose Pueblo, Colorado roots are showing… in a great way. Oh, and good luck out-lettering her varsity status!

Direct download: JVC199_Amber_Tozer.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Hip-Hop, math, musicals, tiny unicorns, and Playgirl magazine: a crib sheet guide to this episode with the extremely cool Eliza Skinner (Totally Biased, Late Late Show), whose various and sundry, all-around-awesome talents make up their own comedy multiverse.

Direct download: JVC198_Eliza_Skinner.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s a Boys of Summer Preview with Hutch Harris! Celebrate the release of the new album We Disappear by The Thermals with this special almost-summer-but-not-quite episode with Hutch, which includes a song from the new album at the end of the podcast!

Direct download: JVC197_HutchHarris.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:23am PDT

Saddle up! It’s the marvelous Tawny Newsome (Bajillion Dollar Properties), an amazing improviser and actor who might be just as at home in a rodeo competition or in a Pixies lip-synching contest. Oh, and Mandy Patinkin… LOOK OUT!

Direct download: JVC196_Tawny_Newsome.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

We know what you’re thinking- “Did Janet start a new All Dogs All the Time podcast? No, but JV and awesome guest, writer and standup Melissa Stephens (“Key and Peele”) go long and deep into canine biz early on in the episode, eventually begrudgingly opening up the conversation to other vital matters such as being a girl on the boys’ baseball team and coping with rejection when all you want is a clammy hand to hold.

Direct download: JVC195_Melissa_Stephens.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 7:42pm PDT

Comedian and You’re the Worst writer Alison Bennett comes over for a sexily-lit evening of dissecting the strange magnetism of true crime, the wilds of rural Pennsylvania, and the appeal of a jacuzzi filled with chocolate pudding in episode 194 of the podcast. And watch out, Cyndi Lauper! You’ve got competition!

Direct download: JVC194_Alison_Bennett.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 11:29am PDT

Get that myriad of plates spinning and put on all of your hats to keep up with the multi-faceted Tamara Krinsky (Marvel’s West Coast Correspondent), with tales of sleep-away camp, classical theatre and the wonders of science!

Direct download: JVC193__Tamara_Krinsky.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s time for the copious talents of Molly Lewis, who knows what it feels like to blow up the internet and suddenly find yourself in the company of your heroes. While, I might add,  handling it all with the grace and modesty of a total pro (which, of course, she has long since become). So tune your uke and sing along!*

*It’s possible that no actual singing happens
Direct download: JVC192__Molly_Lewis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

We’re going to use this description as an opportunity to express deep regret that we did not ask the wonderful Jessica McKenna (Party Over Here) what she meant when she said “Lucky the Leprechaun knocks on your door" during the Irish Pride portion of the podcast. That may require a Part Two! In the meantime, throw on your matte black unitard and get dancing to Flogging Molly, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Direct download: JVC190_Jessica_McKenna.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s the charming and delightful Amanda Lund, everybody! What can you expect from this episode? Some free association: wigs and corn mazes, princesses and guacamole,  ballet and boob-touching. In other words, the things that matter in life.

Direct download: JVC190_Amanda_Lund.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Enjoy the gentle rocking of this special live episode, recorded for the first time ever on a boat. Janet is joined by the immeasurably talented Kelly Sue DeConnick (Captain Marvel, Pretty Deadly) and cellist Zoe Keating (Manhattan, The Returned), who are so filled with sound advice and inspiring ideas, you’ll inevitably finish the episode and create your best work ever!

Direct download: JVC189_Live_at_JoCo_Cruise_with_Kelly_Sue_DeConnick_and_Zoe_Keating.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:08am PDT

Release of Carla Gallo! It's an embarrassment of riches... or maybe just an embarrassment of embarrassments in episode 50 (Wow! We made it to 50!) with ridiculously fun guest Carla Gallo (Bones) - complete with revealing stories about prom nights gone awry, blooming late, and... um... cat lockets.

Direct download: JVC1885_Carla_Gallo_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Get schooled on the sizable merits of ska by Lady to Lady podcast’s Brandie Posey in episode 188. And not to oversimplify Brandie’s amazing life stories, but I think she would approve of me saying there are some doozies to devour. Bon Appetit!

Direct download: JVC188_Brandie_Posey.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Janet marvels at the high school debate prowess of episode 188’s guest, Emily Heller (Baby Geniuses), the social politics of which office you run for in student council, and circus camp, circus camp, circus camp.

Direct download: JVC187_Emily_Heller.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It's a special re-release of Kathleen Rose Perkins! The charming Kathleen Rose Perkins (Episodes) recounts the joys and challenges of being a certified bird-owner, being heard in a family of boys, and what we’re really doing when we’re eating eggs. Want more? Find out where Kathleen’s future home is, courtesy of another glorious game of M.A.S.H.!

Direct download: JVC187_Kathleen_Rose_Perkins_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:38pm PDT

Recorded in a cozy hotel room at SF Sketchfest, Janet and Janeane Garofalo sit wedged between the wall and the bed, following whatever tangent might present  itself. Does Janet get left in the dust in matters intellectual, political and otherwise? Sure. Is that okay? It’s going to have to be, because Janeane is smart, fast, and fantastic.

Direct download: JVC186_Janeane_Garofalo.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

In a shocking and exciting break from tradition, Janet’s friend crush Charles W. “Chuck” Bryant from the beloved Stuff You Should Know podcast joins his fellow guest, the fiercely smart and funny Veronica Belmont as the first non-Boy of Summer in this live episode from SF Sketchfest! They’re joined by the sublime Matt Nathanson, who had everyone onstage and in the audience in love with him by the end of the show.


Janet is joined by the President of the American chapter of SWOP: Sex Workers Outreach Project and professional dominatrix Savannah Sly for a rapid-fire discussion of perception, experience, misconception and politics in this goes-by-way-too-quickly-and-could-have-been-three-hours-long episode. Thankfully there’s still time to talk about a mutual favorite female X-Men character and a good chance that JV and Savannah will end up neighbors on a magic mountain.

Direct download: JVC184_Savannah_Sly.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

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