The JV Club with Janet Varney

In what might qualify as the biggest “no-brainer” in the history of The JV Club, we’re thrilled to welcome superstars Tegan and Sara , whose fantastic multi-media memoir “High School” is about to be followed up with their take on “Junior High.” Feast your ears on this convo— we DARE you not to relate to their experience!

This episode is part of the #MaxFunDrive! To directly help this show for as little as $5 a month, you can join, upgrade or boost your membership just by visiting  maximumfun.org/join . There’s TONS of bonus content, gifts and MORE!  It’s the final week of Max Fun Drive and we’re celebrating with the divine Ella McLeod ( "Comfort Creatures"  pod!)! Ella was born and lives in London, and this is one...

This is a special preview of a bonus episode of The JV Club. To hear the full episode, go sign up to become a MaxFun Member at maximumfun.org/join ! For as little as $5 a month, you can help this podcast continue and earn access to tons of other members-only episodes of the show.  JV is joined by familiar face Carrie Poppy from the "Oh No, Ross and Carrie!" podcast to open up their high school dia...

This episode is part of the #MaxFunDrive! To directly help this show for as little as $5 a month, you can join, upgrade or boost your membership just by visiting  maximumfun.org/join . There’s TONS of bonus content, gifts and MORE!  #MaxFunDrive 2023 kicks off with a MaxFun pod crossover! It’s Maddy Myers of  Triple Click   hanging with JV for a chew about video games, early fan fic, Massachusetts...

It’s the legendary Annette O’Toole ! JV is thrilled to welcome Annette to talk about her migration from Texas to LA just in time for adolescence, her early love of dance and music, and her prodigious and inspiring career ( Smallville ! Halt and Catch Fire ! Virgin River ! So much more!). The ladies also reminisce about Annette’s performances at the most recent SF Sketchfest, including a performanc...

JV and her buddy, filmmaker/writer/actor Christine Weatherup sit down to chat about canine adventures during the Northridge earthquake, the inspiring Ms. Foster, and Christine’s film (that JV is in, and YOU can watch),  See You Next Christmas !

Catch and release those sewer crawdads and pop into your yurt for this chat with  FOGO  s creator and host, Ivy Le! Ivy dishes on her 5,000-person high school in Dallas, her distrust of the outdoors (hence her hit podcast), and crushes on the folks in Band. Plus! What if you could sniff out the danger of, say, snakes?

Grab your late-night pop tart and get ready to DIG DEEP with JV and her scrumptious guest, Holly Laurent of the fabulous  MEGA  podcast! Seriously, Wonderfuls, this is an emotional, philosophical, and deeply sincere episode that also MAY OR MAY NOT BE RIGHT ABOUT GREYHOUNDS. From moms to Jesus to “What About Bob,” we GO THERE. 

Load up your San Francisco burrito and hit the beach for some shark-adjacent surfing! Or maybe just one of those things! It’s the great Sarah Lane, who hosts the   Daily Tech News Show and Have Such a Good Day , among other cool stuff. From only child bonding with JV to apple orchards and books, there’s plenty of No-Cal love to go around in this week’s ep!  

The dynamic and awesome Margo Donohue , author of Filmed in Brooklyn and host of several sweet pods including Book Vs. Movie, talks with JV about great horror villains, the white witch (Stevie Nicks!), and her own teen years filled with so many familiar teen feels. If you love movies, books, or can relate to being a human, this episode is a must! 

Settle in for this great conversation with awesome guest Cristen Conger, creator and co-host of the Webby Award-winning podcast " Unladylike"  (you might also know her from the podcast " Stuff Mom Never Told You ") ! From the Athens, GA music scene to dreams of patisseries and "ER"-era Clooney, Cristen delights with a series of conversational gems!

It’s The JV Club’s 500th episode! We did it, everybody! And to celebrate this landmark, JV is joined by the  Journos  podcast’s Stephen Jackson and Brandon R. Reynolds to talk about some bigger picture teenage stuff. We get philosophical! We get scientific! We get silly! All this, PLUS some very special messages from some very special folks celebrating JV’s 500th ep. Happy Birthday, kind of! If yo...

This episode was originally published in 2013. 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.

Blue Sunsets! Runescapes! Cinnabon! This week’s guest, the wonderful Joalda Morancy (author of Aliens: Join the Scientists Searching Space for Extraterrestrial Life) brings teenage years of curiosity and dedication, humor and more. You too will want to watch the sun go down from Mars!

We hope you’re in the mood to start 2023 with the shining gem that is Amy Nicholson, who in addition to being a New York Times and Variety Film Critic also happens to have a fabulous podcast —  Unspooled  — with Mr. Paul Scheer. Ring in the New Year with JV, Amy, Rhett, Danny, and Jimmy strolling on the San Antonio River Walk.

THIS EPISODE ORIGINALLY AIRED IN JUNE 2013 Janet and guest Kristen Schaal ( The Bob's Burgers Movie ) put the “cyst” back in “sisterhood” with tales of OB-GYN terror,  Twin Peaks -themed shopping malls, and good boys, bad boys, and no boys at all. Want more? How about the non-revelation of how delicious cereal is? This episode was reproduced with help from Marissa Flaxbart

THIS EPISODE WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN APRIL 2014 In this very special episode, Janet podcasts her very own DAUGHTER! … Well, at least someone who played her daughter in a thing. It’s the terrific Jennette McCurdy (Sam and Cat) and a sitting-on-the-rug hangout, covering such topics as feminism, faith, and becoming a real life Ghostbuster. You can read Jenette's new book I'm Glad My Mom Died now....

JV was simply delighted to be joined by a very special Boy of Winter, Max Fun’s own John Moe (Depresh Mode)!! in celebration of the paperback release of John’s wonderful book, “The Hilarious World of Depression,” these two “let’s be honest and maybe giggle about mental health, but in a loving way” pals turn their conversation north towards Norway and maybe even… moonward?

This week JV welcomes her new and awesome friend from the  Coming Out With Lauren and Nicole Pod , Lauren Flans! This conversation is delicious, candid, silly and great, because Lauren is all of those things! So grab your bag of sour candy and your Joni Mitchell albums and settle in for a cozy, giggly chat.

How would you respond if your well-intentioned mom told you a psychic predicted a future she might not approve of? Find out how Subhah Agarwal (“ Dog Show ”) handled it, along with stories -- teen and otherwise -- from the suburbs of Chicago to her current NY/LA existence. And speaking of existence… will Subhah get a chance to find out that “… there is no spoon …”? Find out, M.A.S.H.-style!  

Give Thanks that human person (who might also be part magical creature) Erika Ishii (Critical Role, Apex Legends) exists, and what a bonus that she’s this week’s guest on The JV Club! This conversation confirms that she is brilliant, delightful, humble and candid, and will live a splendid life scooting around London on a Vespa, if M.A.S.H. has anything to say about it!

All the way from a sojourn Colombia (the country!), the fabulous Ashley Ray (Stitcher’s  TV I Say ) acquaints JV with her hometown’s roots, and how its history led her to some of her own life adventures. It almost compares with the EPIC alternate-universe M.A.S.H. life in store for her… complete with two of the best things in the world: pasta, and Reggie Watts! 

That’s right! It’s Claire Fallon, the other half of the beloved reality dating show-themed podcast,  Love to See It . Claire and JV reminisce about their New York and Los Angeles overlap at The Huffington Post, bond over happy-sad bands they both love, and find out if Claire Can Has Cheeseburger!

It’s the terrific Emma Gray, one half of the beloved reality dating show-themed podcast,  Love to See It ! Emma and Janet talk field hockey, the enduring appeal of Darcy, and exploring the nature of womanhood by way of a rambling story from JV about dog attacks. Plus! Mouth-scrapeless sour candy? Yes please!!

Is it easy to go from the bustling streets of Jakarta to the country roads of Archer City with a little Dallas in between? Don’t miss this rare opportunity to find out what “wall bangs” are, how to con your way into an internship on a popular talk show, and maybe even learn a little Indonesian… all courtesy of Angela Kinsey from NBC’s The Office. This conversation was originally published in 2012