The JV Club with Janet Varney

Venture into the magical world of Piff The Magic Dragon, who rose to fame from high school hijinx to local magic shows to Edinburgh to Penn & Teller to America’s Got Talent to his own show in Vegas! It’s enough to inspire any fledgling dragon! Or magician! This Boy of Summer reminds us that there are so many different ways and roads to take to become the thing you are, with plenty of Piff’s signature dryly hilarious delivery along the way. 

Delight in this week’s Boy of Summer, Manolo Moreno! Whom you might already know and love from Max Fun’s own Dr. Gameshow! Hear about Manolo’s teenage humanoid adventures, and what to do when you might be the Edward Scissorhands of… emotions. Then get your creative brain ready to write to the soothing sounds of water, and lasagna up! 

We’re pressing “pause” on our Boys of Summer series for this week so that we can bring you the brilliant Michaela Jill Murphy! If you’re an Avatar: The Last Airbender fan, you might know her also as “Jessie Flowers,” the professional acting name she gave herself as a kiddo. Which might be the most delightful thing ever. This conversation is the perfect companion piece to the shorter, more Toph-centric conversation with Michaela soon to come on the ATLA podcast I host with Dante Basco, Braving the Elements! 

It’s time for the simply terrific Boy of Summer Matt Walsh (VEEP) and the many laughs that his delightful brain supplies… as JV goes DEEPLY PSYCHOLOGICALLY ANALYTICAL in this hard-hitting (not that hard-hitting) episode. So dip some crab legs in butter, uncork or unscrew some red wine, and check out Matt’s indie film Unplugging!

Give yourself the gift of listening to the divine James Sie (also known as the Cabbage Merchant from ATLA, btw!) talk about perennial teenage years and his new novel, All Kinds of Other, and get ready for a LOT of love for the book from JV! It’s a YA novel that anyone of any age can and should read, and it’s the perfect book to celebrate on during Pride Month with our sublime first June Boy of Summer. Plus! Which Avatar character would James bring into our world to have as a buddy?

Whether you love her as Cindy Brady in the Brady Bunch reboot movies, as Ty Lee in Avatar: the Last Airbender, or one of her other amazing endeavors, there is just a whole lot to be enjoyed about and with the fabulous Olivia Hack! A frank and very cool insider talk on Livin’ the “Dream” in LA from a young age, how to be in the moment and travel the world, and of course, mashed potatoes. 

This week brings you a very dynamic and impassioned conversation with Gina Viola, an activist/small business owner/mom/all-around great person who is also very much in the running for Mayor of Los Angeles! But the conversation stretches far outside the realm of Los Angeles, or California- and dives into some of the more complicated issues facing US culture today, as well as some really exciting and inspiring ways to make a difference. A Beautiful Struggle!

It’s our first Boy of Summer, pre-summer! Enjoy this summer teaser with the one and only Hal Sparks, who brings his energy, advice and fast-as-lightning humor to this conversation with JV. Covering topics like not being a dating dud! Confidence vs. arrogance! Ribeyes!

This week JV hangs with incredibly funny and cool comedian Amy Miller, who brings her light and humor to a wide range of subjects including, of course, one of JV’s own faves: being a teen in organized religion! And maybe even more enticing: Cool Rock Music Church! Plus: find out which M.A.S.H. alternate universe profession has Amy asking “…Was this your card?” (Wait- did that give too much away?)

Janet Varney joins her best pals Hal Lublin and Mark Gagliardi in a special #MaxFunDrive fueled crossover of "The JV Club" and "We Got This!" podcasts! The reason for this amazing crossover? To officially determine the best high school movie.This podcast was a special stretch goal that was reached with new MaxFun Members who pledged their support to both shows monthly contributions.If you love and support either- or both!- "The JV Club" or "We Got This!" you can go to maximumfun.org/join and contribute as little as $5 a month. It goes directly to the shows you listen to and helps ensure they continue.