The JV Club with Janet Varney (general)

In this JV Club re-release, 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: JVC263.5_Deborah_Baker_Jr._Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

It’s the delightful Shulie Cowen (Spontaneanation), bringing tales of choir, half-perms, and adorable lazy eyes. Yes, adorable! And one more piece of advice coming all the way from 1957 - “Think Pink!”

Direct download: JVC263_Shulie_Cowen.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Pack up your records and head to the local radio station to commemorate the super cool teenage DJ this week’s guest Lisa Loeb was at 15! Just don’t expect JV of Lisa to be able to help you too much when it comes to American geography… although a recent wall map may change all that in Lisa’s household. Plus! Skater hair! Ankle boots! Not-quite-lime-green baggy pants!

Direct download: JVC262_Lisa_Loeb.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

This is one of The JV Club’s most coincidence-or-is-it, two-total-strangers-instantly-bonding-on-a-kind-of-ridiculously-deep-level episodes to date, thanks to Jenny Jaffe (Big Hero 6, Project UROK)! Abiding Hugh Laurie crushes! “Someone finally understands me” rushes! Love of British Comedy gushes! Nothing rhymes with depersonalization displacement - ushes!

Direct download: JVC261_Jenny_Jaffe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

The warm, articulate, beautiful, self-proclaimed Type A Kelsey Scott (Fear the Walking Dead: Passage) comes by for a look back at her teen years in Atlanta along with discussions about chivalry, feminism, conflict resolution, and the languages of love. Plus: bread pudding!

Direct download: JVC260_Kelsey_Scott.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

This week, a guest whose teenage years are VERY fresh in her mind… because she’s 17! Author and comedian Ruby Karp (Earth Hates Me) talks air conditioning, profiling lizards, perils of social media and lots more in this yes, very special episode of the podcast!

Direct download: JVC259_Ruby_Karp.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

What a delight! And a joy! Nicole Parker (Mad TV) shares the couch with ole “sore neck” JV and enchants her with tales of senior perms- senior CITIZEN, that is, enormous glasses, and a very robust appreciation of the soundtrack from Scent of a Woman. HOO-AH!

Direct download: JVC258_Nicole_Parker.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

The Double Clicks’ Angela Webber comes over for a chat about stuff like church (bell choirs, anyone?), D & D, endless (but with an ending) adolescent love, and more… including some pretty amazing RPGs invented for M.A.S.H., thanks to Angela’s rad brain!

Direct download: JVC257_Angela_Webber.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Episode 256 brings us author, documentarian and screenwriter (and a bunch of other great stuff) Anna Fields, whose encyclopedic knowledge of the history of women in comedy causes JV to ask her to create an online class… but for now you can settle for her wonderful book and upcoming documentary film, “The Girl in the Show.” Plus: Neuroscience! Constitutional Law! Mac and Cheese!

Direct download: JVC256_Anna_Fields.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

This week’s Boy of Summer is the esteemed non-doctor, Jonathan Katz (Dr. Katz), whose new Audible show promises to be as sublime as his much-beloved cartoon series! Hear about 4-track original teenage sad songs by a small and shy young man raised in The Big Apple in this special episode marking the end of Boys of Summer. 

Direct download: JVC255_Boys_of_Summer_Jonathan_Katz.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

This episode with Boy of Summer Andy Richter has every necessary ingredient to make you wish you got to work with him every day, or at least take him to a Dodgers game once in awhile! Includes an epilogue in which JV unabashedly implies that he and Conan are maybe responsible for her career…?

Direct download: JVC254_Boys_of_Summer_Andy_Richter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

This week’s Boy of Summer interview with Jesse Thorn (Maximum Fun)? Oh, it’s just two former San Franciscans jawin’ ‘bout high school drama pragmatism and underwater science is all. And sure, there’s probably some pretty groovy info about how important it is to collaborate with the right folks to make your work happen. Oh, and modern medicine. Plus interviewing interviewers and something we’ll call the chocolate ice cream umbrella. 

Direct download: JVC253_Boys_of_Summer_Jesse_Thorn.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Unofficial high school drama teacher Travis McElroy (My Brother, My Brother and Me) educates JV on summer porch tea and cookies, the signs of narcissism, and the particular joy of boxed chocolates in this long-distance episode of the podcast that includes a rousing vocal remix of “Boys of Summer!”

Direct download: JVC252_Boys_of_Summer_Travis_McElroy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Get out your spray paint can and mentally tag to your heart’s content but for heaven’s sake DON’T ACTUALLY GO OUT AND GRAFFITI (is that a verb?) unless your heart tells you that you must. Just like some people’s hearts tell them to be actors or priests. And some priests tell people to be actors. This will all make more sense after you enjoy the charming and hilarious Eugene Cordero (Kong: Skull Island) as Boys of Summer sizzles onward!

Direct download: JVC251_Boys_of_Summer_Eugene_Cordero.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

The utterly marvelous Eban Schletter (Spontaneanation) sits down for a chat with JV about the wonders of Ennio Morricone, high school societal bummers of Piedmont, CA, and the gods’ gift to ice cream known as Fenton’s. Plus torn t-shirts, movie soundtracks o’plenty, and the snowy arctic climes of THE THING!!

Direct download: JVC250_Boys_of_Summer_Eban_Schletter.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

It's a JV Club re-release with Keegan-Michael Key (Key and Peele)! Dog talk and tapeworm talk eventually give way to exploring identity as it relates to being adopted, how to get along with (almost) everybody, and the appeal of a really great plate of chili cheese fries.

Direct download: JVC249.5_Boys_of_Summer_Series_Keegan-Michael_Key_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Wocka wocka wocka! JV heads over to Casa Phirman to hang out with the delightful Mike (Hard ’n Phirm) and his pun-tacular brain. Sample boards, sushi chefs, single skis and more! This episode also contains one of the most complete yet least articulated versions of "Boys of Summer" yet!

Direct download: JVC249_Boys_of_Summer_Mike_Phirman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

True Crime podcast fans (“Serial” lovers, I’m looking at you in particular) alert! Boy of Summer Bob Ruff is not only smart as hell, charming, and determined to change our criminal justice system for the better, he also had a hand in post-Serial developments for Adnan Syed. This is big stuff, people! Join JV and Truth and the Justice podcast creator and host for a look back at how Bob arrived at this decidedly unexpected and totally awesome place in his life and career as Boys of Summer continues!

Direct download: JVC248_Boys_of_Summer_Bob_Ruff.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Guess what? Hrishikesh Hirway (Song Exploder, West Wing Weekly) is more wonderful than you already thought he was! Join Hrishi and Janet as they explore — or should we say “explode?” — his formative years at a co-ed boarding school, his love of a good film auteur or two, and the unending delight at finding true love.

Direct download: JVC247_Boys_of_Summer_Hrishikesh_Hirway.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Polish your volleyball (and then realize you didn’t need to polish a volleyball) while you enjoy this Alberta-scented memory-ramble with the extremely cool Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead and every other cool show on tv right now) as his attention is repeatedly diverted by a heavy rainstorm. Boys of Summer continues!

Direct download: JVC246_Boys_of_Summer_Steven_Ogg.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Atten-HUT! Charming Boy of Summer and "Orphan Black" co-star Kristian Bruun has some amazing stories to tell about his high school years at Valley Forge Academy, where he triumphed on the trumpet, squared off all his corners, and most decidedly did NOT get to ride the military motorcycles. All this and more as Boys of Summer continues!

Direct download: JVC245_Boys_of_Summer_Kristian_Bruun.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

It’s the fabulous Zeke Nicholson (Comedy Bang Bang, Take My Wife) and his musings on the not-so-grueling responsibilities of being track captain, a rich appreciation for the town of Smallville, and the estimable value of a good late night run to McDonald’s.

Direct download: JVC244_Boys_of_Summer_Series_Zeke_Nicholson.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

It’s delight and joy personified with Boy of Summer Jon Heder, whose dedication and generosity as an Eagle Scout extended all the way to trying to fix Janet’s broken computer a few weeks ago. Find out how he and his twin brother Dan spent their teen years in Oregon, Jon’s mission in Japan, and then find out which imaginary creature his M.A.S.H. future holds!

Direct download: JVC243_Boys_of_Summer_Series_Jon_Heder.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Fresh from her debut as Mark’s guest co-host on Pistol Shrimps radio, it’s the divine Kristina Rodgers, who drops by to bond with JV over Siouxsie Sioux, the Electrical Light Parade, Pottery Barn and oh-so much more in episode 241 of the JV Club!

Direct download: JVC241_Kristina_Rodgers.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

For friends and fans of Spontaneanation, you may know her as one of its frequent guests and brilliant improvisers! Others may know her best as Flo, easily the coolest and most watchable commercial personality thanks to good old Progressive. Here on the podcast you will come to know her as a lover of truffle butter, a “Shirley Temple,” and a onetime France resident who bought jeans by the pound.

Direct download: JVC240_Stephanie_Courtney.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Episode 239 brings you the first Boy of Summer, just a touch early, to celebrate the release of Jonah’s FANTASTIC Seeso show, “Hidden America with Jonah Ray!” Hear JV and JR chat about drum therapy, impressing our little kid selves, and oh-so-delicious SPAM.

Direct download: JVC239_Boys_of_Summer_Preview_Jonah_Ray.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Slip on your palazzo pants for a chat with the terrific Christine Lennon, whose new book “The Drifter” has coincidentally somehow combined three of JV’s faves: deep, complex friendships among women, origin stories/teen years, and murder. Hooray! Plus, a lot of Joans and a lot of jets!

Direct download: JVC238_Christine_Lennon.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Vintage Space’s Amy Shira Teitel brings her astounding knowledge of space travel history, her extremely chic style, and much more to this episode of The JV Club, where body casts, beer, and yes, Anne of Green Gables make appearances.

Direct download: JVC237_Amy_Shira_Teitel.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

It's a JV Club re-release with the endlessly awesome and prolific Felicia Day (Geek and Sundry). Learn the pros and cons of spending your high school years outside of high school proper, where you have the chance to become as weird and as wonderful as you like. And! One of the swiftest and most satisfying sets of M.A.S.H. answers you could dare to dream for!

Direct download: JVC236.5_Felicia_Day_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Where do we start? The inspiring and awesome Linda Park (a million things including this upcoming season of “Bosch”) sits down for a conversation about becoming our mothers and/or superheroes, taking possession of a certain Maggie, and cheese, cheese, cheese.

Direct download: JVC236_Linda_Park.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Put simply, Giulia Rozzi (True Love; Hopefully We Don’t Break Up) is a pure delight, and the various and sundry topics discussed in this episode of The JV Club do not disappoint. Benny Hill, Mrs. Roper and John Laroquette share space with sustainable fashion, poetry, and depression in a conversation canvassing the silly and sincere.

Direct download: JVC235_Giulia_Rozzi.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Episode 234 brings you not just the delightful Alice Lowe (“Prevenge”), but her cooing daughter Della, whose mastery of rattle-wielding and blueberry-arranging is without equal. Learn impressively little about Alice’s teen years but a whole lot about lots of other fun stuff!

Direct download: JVC234_Alice_Lowe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Recorded from the high seas off the Baja strait, this live JV Club episode features fellow JoCo cruise guests Jean Grae, Gail Simone and Rebecca Sugar, who are all just too wonderful to be described in a humble episode description.

Follow @janetvarney and @jvclubpodcast on Twitter!

Direct download: JVC_233_Live_from_JoCo_2017.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:30pm PDT

This week’s guest, the marvelous Alice Wetterlund (People of Earth), only increases Janet’s love of all things Minnesotan. Join them for a discussion that includes important topics like unicorns, Alice in Chains, and the unique grief of eating too many Reese’s Pieces. 

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

It's a JV Club re-release! Melanie Lynskey gracefully navigates Janet's extreme doting, a dog bark or two, and way too many questions about the film "Heavenly Creatures" in Episode 16's foray into life in New Zealand, crushing on Beck, and whether freezing in place creates magical invisibility.

Direct download: JVC231.5_Melanie_Lynskey_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:30am PDT

Throw your hair in some springy red braids and jump on your spotted horse for a mosey down memory lane with the super cool Ever Carradine (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” Marvel’s "Runaways”), including a love of a certain house on a certain prairie, reflections on the Waldorf method, and a thorough appreciation of the perfection of chips and guac.

Direct download: JVC231_Ever_Carradine.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT

Meditation! Norwegians! Jesus! All this and more with the delightful Laura House on this week’s episode of the podcast. Plus: Vince Gilligan’s new show about the real Edna Garrett*! *Yes, we know this reference will mean nothing to anyone born after 1985.

Direct download: JVC230_Laura_House.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

While this week’s episode with the fantastic Jena Friedman (The Daily Show) is one of the least teen-years-focused JV Club episodes of all time, there’s a pretty compelling reason for that: Jena’s experience and thoughts about today’s challenging climate, are provocative and inspiring. She’s a badass!

Direct download: JVC229_Jena_Friedman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

This special live episode recorded at the 16th annual SF Sketchfest, presented by Audible, brings you the wit, charm, and considerable heavyweight talent of Rachel Dratch, Jon Hamm, and “Musical Director” Matt Nathanson!


This week, the inspiring and super cool author, activist, and founder of Spacehack.org, Ariel Waldman reassures Janet that you don’t need to have a PhD in science to get involved in the space program! Plus: raves, horses, mac and cheese, and how it feels to be named after a cartoon character. No, not that cartoon character.

Direct download: JVC227_Ariel_Waldman.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:17am PDT

It's a re-release of Jen Kirkman! The podcast's first listener-generated interview! You asked (most) of the questions, and Jen Kirkman was up for the task. Find out what she and Janet have to say about Judy Blume, making out in basements, ironic greeting cards and more in Episode 10 of The JV Club.

Direct download: JVC2265_Jen_Kirkman_Re-Release.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Get paleontological with the fantastic Lyric Lewis (“Mad TV”) in episode 226 of the JV Club, where you can revel in the wonder of “Jurassic Park,” appreciate the vibrance of New Orleans and the blue ribbon public schools of St. Paul, Minnesota, and even gain an extra special new month of the calendar year!

Direct download: JVC226_Lyric_Lewis.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

It’s a live episode of the JV Club from chilly Portland, Oregon with rapper DaRealWordSound, “Warm Bodies” author Isaac Marion, and anime voiceover star Cristina Vee! Tolerate the slightly poor recording quality to hear adorable tales of teenagerhood from these sublime guests!


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

(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

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

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

Get ready for a San Francisco-style hair-buzzing with one of the shining stars of You’re the Worst, Aya Cash, as we dash from Buddhism to dental care jewelry (yep) to the startling discovery of youth that not every citizen is a Bay Area liberal in this final episode of 2015! Happy New Year!

Direct download: JVC183_Aya_Cash.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

All-around badass journalist (and former sex/dating columnist) Jessica Ogilvie drops by, and the tangents are nothing if not feverishly robust and tendril-like. What can we say? She’s fascinating, brave, and funny… and she took her written M.A.S.H. results home to frame.

Direct download: JVC182_Jessica_Ogilvie.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:02am PDT

Not unlike making lemonade from lemons, learn how to make the best of learning to play the clarinet when your heart called out for a flute from  terrific guest Collette Wolfe (“You’re the Worst”). The woods of Virginia, a friend who tells you when your fashion’s bad, and Janet’s seeming inability to stop talking about post-Feminist Feminism also punctuate Episode 181.

 

Direct download: JVC181_Collette_Wolfe.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

The absolutely splendid Ingrid Oliver ("Doctor Who”) can breeze seamlessly from evocative quandaries about politics to the wonders of a Whopper Junior in Episode 180 of the podcast, where the Janet-New-Friend-Swoon-O-Meter (previously not actually a thing, now very much a thing) goes off the charts.

Direct download: JVC180_Ingrid_Oliver.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Heads-up! We did things a little differently this week for a podcast mashup! Carla interviews Janet about doing improv as a teaser for Carla’s new improv podcast, Improv Yak… until the proverbial tables are turned and Janet gets back to the place she feels most comfortable: asking people about their weird teen habits.

Direct download: JVC179_Carla_Cackowski.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Guys, it’s just two gals from Tucson, Arizona, talkin’ shop. A teenaged Kate Walsh (Private Practice) body-paints, yearbook staffs, and drama clubs her way through a couple of high schools, including the one Janet attended! Are these two connected by a magical Arizonan connection? Or is it a Vonnegut-esque granfalloon? Either way, they’re both in love with their new web series, Everyone’s Crazy But Us.

Direct download: JVC178_Kate_Walsh.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Throw on your band uniform and pick up that flute for a march with Mary Holland (Blunt Talk), whose people-pleasing teenage spirit went from a small bluegrassy town to the sexy seclusion of a boarding school in Episode 177, where Janet’s middling detective skills are put to the test.

Direct download: JVC177__Mary_Holland.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:51am PDT

It’s a Portland-tastic live episode from the delightful All Jane Comedy Festival in Oregon, featuring the brilliant talents of Sarah Mirk (Bitch Media), Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney), and musical guest Hutch Harris (The Thermals)!


Heads up, Akron! The simply superb Rhea Butcher arrives armed and ready for Episode 175 with a killer hairstyle, insightful thoughts on teenage sexuality and skateboarding, and a justified robust admiration of Claire Huxtable.

Direct download: JVC175_Rhea_Butcher.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:00am PDT

Show off your grungiest snowman with Episode 174’s guest, voice actor-virtuouso and author Tara Platt, who didn’t always rise to the top of the popularity heap in her youth as a practical atheist during her family’s many ramblings. Figure out where your own safety nets lie as Tara and Janet trapeze through fear, change, stability and a good  spoonful of harissa, which may or may not be the thing we thought we were talking about. Mysteries!

Direct download: JVC174_Tara_Platt.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:44am PDT

Climb into your co-ed dorm’s shower and have a good laugh/cry with the fantastic Jessica Merizan (don’t worry, she knows you think it’s “marzipan”) as she and Janet slip and slide all over about 30 different tangents at once, including mafia (the game, not the crime syndicate) and Guillermo del Toro’s wonderful monsters. And! Janet finds out what Xanga is, which until this moment she didn’t even know started with the letter “x."

 

Direct download: JVC173_Jessica_Merizan.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 12:02am PDT