The JV Club with Janet Varney

Episode 171 brings the extraordinary you-have-to-hear-it-to-believe it story of actress and comedian Lisa Kate David, who has become a bit of an expert on dating in LA with no nipples. And that’s just part of what has been the mother of all roller coasters of a life. So pull your fresh baked bread out of the oven and huddle in!  

Have you said hello to your bottom teeth lately? Check in with the lovely set of Joy Osmanski ( Grey’s Anatomy, The Loop ) in Episode 171, where you’ll also find genetic mysteries, late night television, and the commonalities between Anne of Green Gables and Laura Ashley.

Come see Janet this weekend at LA Podfest, www.lapodfest.com

With the Boys of Summer gone but not forgotten, Episode 170’s guest Kelly Carlin shares stories of adventurous ropes courses, making it alive through the high times of Los Angeles in the 70’s-80’s, and how her art/work informed her bond with her legendary father, comedian George Carlin. Plus: the endless virtues of peanut butter!

Episode 169 brings us to the end of Boys of Summer, and better way to go than with the one and only Dana Gould (Full disclosure, no search was done to determine whether there are other Dana Goulds out there)? It’s an episode replete with tangents, including defining nostalgia, a Simpsons episode origin story, and two people hurtling uncomfortably forward into a conversation about body hair and sex...

Fathers of the late ’80’s early ’90’s, protect your daughters! Protect them… from THE PROMINATOR. There’s more to be said about this episode with the multi talented and hilarious Christopher Sabat (Dragonball Z), but it’s really, really tough to follow something as horribly wonderful as THE PROMINATOR. So discover yourself with a listen, why don’t you?

It’s a party of Janetors and Adventurkateers with episode 167 and Boy of Summer Hal Lublin (The Thrilling Adventure Hour). Will someone please help Hal find his lost plush Pluto doll? Or at bare minimum, make him a t-shirt like the one he describes on the podcast? These are pressing human issues.

Eat your heart out, Billy Idol! Janet and Boys of Summer guest, the simply wonderful Ron Funches (Undateable) ignore hits like "Eyes Without a Face” from the semi-comfort of a dressing room at Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco. And in an unprecedented turn of events, Ron spends the entire podcast lying down. Friendship!

Turn that baseball cap around for Episode 165, because it’s tennis in Texas with the deeply awesome James Roday ( Psych )! Peel the oniony layers of a man who knows the immense value of emotive singer/songwriters, a heaping plate of Mexican food, and a puffy vest.

Look out! Episode 164 in the Boys of Summer series brings you Janet’s first boyfriend, the talented and possibly-too-handsome Barrett Kime, also known as the Prince Charming to her clunky, pumpkin-toothed Snow White in their first grade musical. And it was pretty much all downhill from there for the next decade, with rock-throwing, surreptitious smooching, petty jealousies and everything else that...

It’s the badass creator of You’re the Worst , Stephen Falk! Episode 162 lets you straddle the disparate high school worlds of theatre, jazz band and sports, and then fall in love with the new girl in school, who naturally drives a stick-shift pick-up truck. Swoon!

Swoon over the delight that is musician Rhett Miller (Old 97’s) as Boys of Summer rocks on, with a robust list of awesome and embarrassing erstwhile band names, tales of the Lone Star state, and a tip of the hat to Seventeen magazine. No episode has ever been groovier.

Who ain’t afraid of no ghosts? Depends on which version of episode 161’s guest, Gabriel Diani (The Selling), we’re talking about. So crack open your favorite comic book (ours is Mondo Man) and throw on some oldies to get yourself in the mood for this podcast treasure.

Enjoy Janet’s stumble through the early part of Episode 160 with the insanely funny John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory) as he does his very best to be gracious about a common misconception. Then! Stick around for a look at New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in the 80’s… or at least one city block of it. And get your straight edge on!

Bing Bong! It’s time for another Boys of Summer episode of The JV Club with comedian and actor Amir Talai. So! Reflect on your Mindset- are you open to failing to become better at something? Have you spit into a cup to find out your origin story? And vitally important: when was the last time you watched Man on Fire?

Hey Everybody— it’s the sublime Marc Evan Jackson! The latest Boys of Summer episode will reveal some compelling and charming new things about the man you may also know as Sparks Nevada from Thrilling Adventure Hour. Addendum: you will not be asked to sign a pledge to abstain from drinking, smoking, sex, or dancing during the consumption of this episode. We are not the boss of you.

Breakdance your way through Episode 157 with one of the busiest and coolest guys around, Dante Basco ( Hook, Avatar: The Last Airbender ), who reminds us that family, curiosity, and the occasional all-night conversation with friends can yield rich rewards. And find out what it means to “know what you know” (then you’ll know)!

The JV Club’s Boys of Summer returns with gusto, courtesy the wonderful Colin Hanks! Sink into episode 156 where you’ll marvel at the benefits of a multi-purpose room and, perhaps most importantly, learn how to say two VERY useful phrases in everyone’s favorite dead language, Latin.

Episode 155 finds artist, writer and educator Kimberly Brooks popping over to share her boundless insights in an exploration of too many things to list… but here are a few anyway: Art! Feminism! Physics! Fearlessness! Eggs Florentine!

Welcome Episode 154’s hilarious guest Colleen Smith (No You Shut Up!), who patiently puts up with Janet’s attempts to force her into writing a children’s book based on her experiences as a lanky redhead in the beautiful state of Hawaii. Aloha!

It’s Episode 153 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!

Meet the high school thespian who wasn’t afraid to tuck her giant 80’s bangs under her babushka for the most authentic Fiddler on the Roof performance in Episode 152 of The JV Club, with the inimitable Mary Birdsong ( Reno 911 ). You’ll also find out more about the origin story of her delightful last name, celebrate unaffordable horses, and learn the surprising way Mary’s mom got her to Paris.

Saddle up, because episode 151 with Jennifer Hale ( Bioshock, Mass Effect, Halo ) is a whirlwind of slipping through the timestream, listening to your gut, and lessons only a horse can teach you. NOTE! Regardless of your age, you will want to be Jennifer Hale when you grow up.

It’s the 150th Episode of The JV Club, and how better to celebrate than with one JV chit-chatting with another JV (the simply fantastic Jean Villepique)? With stories from a tall girl with big dreams from a small town in New Jersey, it’s an episode Bruce Springsteen could (and should!) write a song about.

There’s just something about people from New Mexico that makes them special. That’s certainly true of Episode 149’s guest, the huge-hearted Natalie Garcia (MaeDay Rescue), who is a veritable renaissance woman with a love of vintage attire, singing music, and saving pups.