The JV Club with Janet Varney

This week, SNL and Groundlings alum (and creator of The Black Version!) Jordan Black graces Boys of Summer with tales of Kankakee, Illinois in all its small-town glory… inspiring such topics as the perfect Bruce Springsteen song, a badass mom with an impressive approach to raising 4 boys, and the right way to wear a fringe vest.

This week JV geeks out over the latest Boy of Summer: Undisclosed’s Colin Miller! From debate club to huevos rancheros; from long-distance running to a film club with a name that sounds like a funny-yet-unpleasant diagnosis (sorry Colin!), this law professor and true crime/legal podcast dynamo does not disappoint!

This week’s Boy of Summer is the delightful, uke-strumming, movie-riffing, dog-paw-admiring, nose-fluting Kevin Murphy ("Mystery Science Theatre 3000"; Rifftrax), who regales JV with tales of abruptly-ending football “careers,” sibling album-borrowing, and how a certain summer song can accidentally transition into a “Flashdance" favorite. 

Originally aired 6/26/14   This week with the always wonderful Paul F. Tompkins: build a snow tunnel, sing a few piano tunes, or recite Edgar Allen Poe in the place where his macabre work truly shines, a brightly lit classroom. Boys of Summer continues!

From a shared mutual love of the “Miss Chevious” detective novels to the perennial -- if scary -- appeal of an old diving suit, JV and this week’s Boy of Summer Jordan Morris (Jordan Jesse, Go!) cover a lot of ground in both the real and thoroughly made-up worlds of Earth, Earth 2, veiny comic book characters, and maybe the best name ever for a turn-of-the-century baseball team.

Originally Aired 6/11/2015 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.

This year’s first Boy of Summer and longtime JV pal Tony Hale ("Veep”) relives the fond and not-so-fond memories of his youth... but for goodness’ sake DO NOT ASK HIM ABOUT ANYTHING pre-7th grade! Plus: Asthma, cigarettes, and unfortunately artfully dodging being the Artful Dodger. 

Calling all witches! Head up to a wild and lovely mountain outside of Santa Barbara for this magical yet utterly grounded visit with “Unreal” creator Sarah Gertrude Shapiro, who completely inspires JV with her honesty, humor, and particular and surprising fierceness that comes along with skiing to Enya!

A chance airport encounter finally yields this episode with the charming Marla Sokoloff (“Fuller House”) who patiently indulges Janet’s love of “The Practice” and pontificates with JV on relativity, dry mouth sounds, music-making and the clown in A Christmas Carol(!).

Put in your nose ring and pull on your long skirt for a meander through the delightful misadventures of teenaged Gaby Dunn (Bad With Money Pod). Plus, Gaby and JV bask in some mutual crime/murder/justice television and podcasting love, and discuss the phenomenon of listening to other people listen to Phish.