The JV Club with Janet Varney

A special announcement from Janet about the LIVE 100th episode streaming March 13th at 4pm PST on https://www.cogo.tv/jvclub!

Feel it all! Lean into every bit of Episode 99 with the inspiring Heidi Rose Robbins, who celebrates the delight of a great poem, the magic of children’s books, and the extraordinary appeal of a little something called midnight moon cheese!

Come hang out in the principal's office with the hilarious and talented Daniele Gaither (MadTV), read up on your Mary Higgins Clark, and if you're lucky, you might even become a member of the elite club the Rumbling Knights.

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!

One of the Bay Area's shiniest stars, comedian and writer Caitlin Gill takes a break from her 7,000 Sketchfest appearances to hang out in Janet's hotel room and jaw about buffalos, Murphy Brown, and livin' tall in Episode 96, as we draw ever closer to the threat of Episode 100.

Walk into the light - or follow the smell of toast- for a morningtime chat with the splendid Maria Thayer ( Eagleheart) about bee farms, how flunking art leads to art school, and the delight of watching garden things grow in Episode 95 ("95, Feel Alive!") of this podcast, also known as The JV Club.

This week's guest, the incredibly bright and hilarious Kathryn Borel (Corked: A Memoir) does not need another copy of the children's book Eloise. Find out why, and while you're at it, learn about the random anarchy of the universe, the unexpected ways we connect to other humans, and of course (of course??), French clowns.

Jigsaw Puzzles! Eating the bread basket! Cutting your hair! Find out about all of these metaphorical meanings in this in-depth mind-meld with episode 93’s guest Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt (It’s Just a F*ing Date), fresh from teaching her "Oprah Life Class" with Ms. Winfrey herself!

Put on your fluffiest cat tail and your Elizabethan collar for this episode with special guest pirate-princess-trombonist Kimmy Gatewood (The Apple Sisters), whose teenage Garth Halloween costume puts Dana Carvey to shame. To shame!

Just hear those sleigh bells jinglin', ring-ting tinglin’ with guest Annie Lapin, whose paintings involve descriptions by others such as "obfuscating figuration through a remarkable language of painterly abstraction.” You may still not know what that means by the end of this episode, but you WILL know how Annie ruined Christmas.

Slip on your long prairie skirt and straw ribboned hat for Episode 90’s chat with writer and comedian Danielle Koenig, who may or may not end up with a Goodfellas actor, an rare and endangered pet, and a fictional father figure from a beloved 80’s sitcom.

It’s a post-Thanksgiving feast of non-sequitors and tangents with the fantastic Beth Littleford (The Daily Show), with a parade of bad perms, bad boys, and good friends to save us from ourselves.

Episode 88’s guests Hilda Rasula and Lorelei Butters join Janet to talk about the new Mortified Nation documentary, boys in black lipstick, the perfection of avocados, and storyboarding to make your dreams come true. Plus, Jeremy Irons? Really?

A M.A.S.H. game mind-meld gets this week’s guest, the radiant Arden Myrin (Chelsea Lately) literally up on her feet with excitement in Episode 86, where it’s all about breaking the plaid mold, embracing humiliation, and snow, snow, SNOW!

Jump into your station wagon and buckle up for a ramble through the mind of the fantastic Kate Flannery (The Office) as she and Janet discuss flight simulators, the luck o’ the Irish, and the monumentally profound and dangerous influence of... the musical Annie.

It's a laser lightshow of joy with the delightful Lennon Parham (Accidentally on Purpose, BFFs) as she and Janet marching-band their way through memories of snare drums, choir, and late blooming. Oh, and Happy Halloween!

Two very special guests join Janet for this episode: the amazing Starlee Kine (This American Life), and her amazing dog, Oh Papa. Richard Nixon! Child Stardom! Gravity spoilers! Seriously, don't listen to this if you haven't seen Gravity yet but you want to. Otherwise, treat your ears to one of the coolest writers around, New York-style.

Hear her on The JV Club before she rises to the top of the arm-wrestling world! It's Edi Patterson (The Groundlings), who bonds with Janet over the appeal of the celluloid "horndog," pygmy unicorns, and being the good girl.

Take a break from sneaking out to New York dance clubs long enough to enjoy the delightful Chemda (Keith and The Girl podcast) as she and Janet explore some VERY frank talk about teenage sex, the generation gap between emigrant parents and their kids, and what to do if you get a bump in your ponytail.

Come for advice on the best music to clean a shower by, stay for the volleyball tips. Or just drop in for the occasional rave and Del Taco parking lot hang. It's Christine Woods (HBO's Hello Ladies) and her tiny dragon in Episode 81!

Trom-bone up on your knowledge of marching bands, polar bears, and Peter Panning your way into adulthood with the simply delightful Kate Micucci in Episode 80 of The JV Club. BYOP (Bring your own paintbrush)!

The secrets to perfect skin-- or at least a mother who tells you that you don't have it-- are revealed in Episode 79 with the insanely funny Gillian Vigman (the Hangover trilogy) as she extolls the virtues of managing a football team, frequently being mistaken for a boy, and dating someone named "Spooge."

Pull off those white gloves and get down and dirty with cotillionairess Lauren Ashley Bishop (#nitTWITS) while she and Janet discuss the butterfly feeling of "limerence," playing it safe (or boring?), and when real intimacy is created. If you're not making out with someone to the tearjerker Last of The Mohicans by the time you finish this episode, we haven't done our jobs.

What becomes of an eight year-old who masters the LA public transit system, is the subject of an angry petition at school, and has imperfect feet? Find out with the lovely Ursula Whittaker, who schools Janet on the secrets of parental forgiveness and marrying a charming and hilarious Cuban.

You'll want to laminate Episode 76 of The JV Club, thanks to the fantastic conversational stylings of Jane Espenson (Once, Buffy The Vampire Slayer), who spins yarns about such matters as historically significant dollhouses, disappointing french horns, and the decidedly unromantic quality of The Kentucky Fried Movie.