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I'm Stephen Metcalf, and this is the Slate Culture Gab Fest, Warbly Strangley Edition.

This is also the daily podcast from slate.com for Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010.

On today's program, we're going to talk about the American

Chantos, Joanna Newsom, the marriage ref, a new television show with Jerry Seinfeld, and

10 Rules for Writing Fiction. Joining me today, our Slate's deputy editor, Julia Turner. Hello, Julia.

Hi, Steve. Julia, congratulations on a wonderful beginning to your series on signage. It's

a triumph that's really enjoyable.

I recommend people read it.

Thank you.

And, of course, our film critic, Dana Stevens. Hey, Dana. Hey, Stephen. And joining us today to talk about Joanna Newsom is Jody Rosen, Slate's music critic. Jody, welcome. Thank you, Steve. Thanks so much for coming in. And you have written what I think is a genuinely wonderful profile of Newsom in the forthcoming Sunday Times magazine.

Let me quote a little bit from it. you have written what I think is a genuinely wonderful profile of Newsom in the forthcoming Sunday Times magazine.

Let me quote a little bit from it.

Newsom is among the most critically lionized American musicians to emerge in the past decade.

She is certainly one of the most singular.

She's a classically trained virtuoso, we should say, on the harp, on an instrument, as you say, with little meaningful popular music lineage.

She writes sprawling songs unhinged from verse chorus pop form and crammed full to bursting with lyrics that owe more to John Dunn and Anne Sexton than to any songwriting sources.

...