The JV Club with Janet Varney

Join us this week for a very exciting guessing game of “Which Instrument Did You Play in the Marching Band” and much, much more with the simply delightful (and Janet's fellow only child) Rachel McElroy , who, it’s probably safe to say, had one of the most original and exciting dollhouse inhabitant dynamics of the late 20th century. Hosted by  Janet Varney . Edited by  Julian Burrell  for  Maximum...

The very funny, very candid and very present Carly Jibson talks Broadway grinds, Tinder surprises and something wonderful called “Poopy Chicken,” all the while reminding us it’s possible to be vulnerable at the same time you’re being a complete badass. Hosted by Janet Varney . Edited by Julian Burrell for Maximum Fun .  

It’s a foamy almond milk latte of an episode with the delightful Alicia Witt , who talks Nashville, Bill Shakes, and the simple elegance of a tv show title when it’s as self-explanatory as “That’s Incredible!”

Janet Varney indulges her most recent lady crush with this week’s guest, the immensely talented Breeda Wool . She's known for her role in the Audience Network TV series Mr. Mercedes . Breeda tells Janet about how her precociousness combined with life in a sleepy college town created a perfect storm of pre-teen wildness. Plus! Homemade clothes, campfire witches, and breast-exposing ballgowns!

Semper ubi sub ubi, everyone! This former New Jersey native and Latin Club superstar Grace Helbig joins Janet Varney for a stroll down their mutual in-state scholarship experiences, a Halloween costume quid pro quo, and camping out in your teacher’s backyard.

To celebrate the 300th episode of The JV Club, JV is joined by Say Hi’s Eric Elbogen! Eric, of course, is the reason for the very existence of The JV Club’s theme song, “Back Before We Were Brittle!” Before some excessive mutual fawning (don’t worry- it’s at the VERY END), Eric and JV talk living rooms, first guitars, and the indignities of class team presentations in this special 300th Episode No...

Great news, janitors! The JV Club will have a brand new home on Maximum Fun. Listen to find out when our 300th episode will debut on Maximum Fun. 

Originally Aired 3/2/2012 It’s the first episode of The JV Club  with Janet Varney! Throw on your tunic and Birkenstocks for a chat about small towns, the fierce passion of Celine Dion, and the importance of special effects in high school stage productions of Agnes of God .

Special Post-Labor Day Boy of Summer Cedric Yarbrough talks JV through the adventures of faking a bath, using a wall for your flattop, and having a secret college theatre identity. Oh, and it’s SEE-Dric.

Put on your rollerblades and stay OFF your bike while this week’s Boy of Summer Justin Willman (Netflix’s "Magic for Humans") indulges JV’s endless questions that somehow combine teen era trivia with magic-centric interrogation for this deep-dive into broken arms, sleights of hand, and an eco-burial cameo. 

The wonderful, self-effacing yet let’s-face-it-multi-award-nominated Jonathan Coulton joins JV as the latest Boy of Summer with a cross-continental chat covering parties and guitars, the fierce competition of flavored chips, and what it takes to cultivate a Professor X / Magneto friendship, Old Chum.

The most important takeaway of this special episode with musician and Boy of Summer Mondo Cozmo/Josh Ostrander is that HE HURT HIS HAND PUNCHING A SHARK IN THE NOSE (self defense)! But you’ll also hear about basement-band-eavesdropping, math-class-stressing, and what can happen to a baseball player when he hears the music that changes his path. 

This week’s Boy of Summer is the extremely cool Michael Irby, star of the upcoming highly anticipated “Sons of Anarchy” spinoff, “Mayans,” and he brings with him tales of growing up Palm Springs-adjacent, the necessary amnesia of a good soccer player, and the satisfaction of a good karaoke jam. But remember… don’t name your fish! Or turtles!

Originally aired 7/16/2015 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!

Boy of Summer and author/screenwriter Jonathan Ames (“You Were Never Really Here,” “Blunt Talk”) joins JV for some satisfying deep-dives into mind, ego, body, aging and, of course, the appeal of a really cool mime. 

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 t...

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.