Joanna Newsom — “Emily”

Joanna Newsom — “Emily”

From 60 Songs That Explain the '90s by The Ringer

April 29, 2026 · 1h 13m

About this episode

Rob Harvilla discusses Joanna Newsom's music and his experiences in the Bay Area's freak folk scene.

This episode is for all of the people who don’t know the difference between a meteor, meteoroid, and meteorite. Rob finally opens up about his hipster phase of life that nearly got him killed (his words, not ours). He recounts all of the “freak folk” music he discovered in the Bay Area, all of which led him to the harp virtuoso and wordsmith Joanna Newsom. He tries his best not to describe her unique singing voice while dissecting her ability to bend words and seamlessly expand her listener’s vocabulary. Finally, he is joined by music journalist and ex-h*pst*r Garrett Kamps, who recounts what it was like watching one of Joanna Newsom’s first shows and contemplates why fans may have felt protective over her. Host: Rob Harvilla Producers: Olivia Crerie, Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, and Justin Sayles Additional Video Editing: Kevin Pooler Guest: Garrett Kamps Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Garrett Kamps

Topics covered

  • freak folk
  • Joanna Newsom
  • music journalism
  • hipsters
  • Bay Area music

Keywords

  • Joanna Newsom
  • freak folk
  • music journalism
  • hipsters
  • Bay Area

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Ringer

Books & works: Emily

More episodes of 60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 60 Songs That Explain the '90s podcast page.