Big Yellow Podcast

Allison Rapp
  • 5.0 (7)
  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS
Big Yellow Podcast

Exploring the life and work of Joni Mitchell. allisonrapp.substack.com

  1. Joni Mitchell's 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns'

    FEB 5

    Joni Mitchell's 'The Hissing of Summer Lawns'

    A brief overview of Joni Mitchell’s 1975 album ‘The Hissing of Summer Lawns.’ Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min
  2. A Conversation With Joan as Police Woman

    JAN 22

    A Conversation With Joan as Police Woman

    Joan Wasser, aka Joan as Police Woman, is an all around badass, in my opinion. A real force of talent who has played in bands, made solo records, toured the world and done it all with the kind of can-do attitude that doesn’t always come easily. She’s also a disciple of Joni Mitchell and someone who recognizes the hurdles that seem to have a persistent way of telling women in creative fields: you and your identity as a woman don’t belong here. You’ll learn more about Joan in this episode, in which we chat about that very thing. Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    36 min
  3. Joni Mitchell's 'Court and Spark'

    JAN 15

    Joni Mitchell's 'Court and Spark'

    A look at Joni’s 1974 album Court and Spark… Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    12 min
  4. A Conversation With the Carlile Family Band

    JAN 8

    A Conversation With the Carlile Family Band

    It turns out Joni Mitchell’s influence literally runs in the Carlile family. Some of you, I’m sure, are already familiar with Brandi Carlile, the very talented singer-songwriter who befriended Joni in recent years and is one of the living, breathing reasons Joni has returned to performing. Brandi has spoken at length over the years about how much Joni’s life and career has impacted her own — Carlile’s family is from Washington state, not all that far from the Canadian border, and like Joni, Brandi grew up in a rural setting that was never going to be big enough for her dreams. Now, years after being introduced to Joni’s music herself, Brandi is evidently instilling some of that influence into the next generation of her own family. In this episode of Big Yellow Pod, I speak with Caroline and JayJ Carlile, Brandi’s niece and nephew. The two teenagers, along with their dad, record and perform their own original music under the name – you guessed it — the Carlile Family Band. Not to get too sentimental here, but this episode is one of my favorites so far — it’s comforting to see a couple of bright and inquisitive young artists pursue their dreams in spite of it all, as Joni once did and Brandi too. Every so often it lifts the spirits to see that the kids are alright. If you’d like to learn more about the Carlile Family Band, check out their website. They’ve got an EP release show coming up on Jan. 11 for those of you in the Nashville area, and as you’ll hear in this episode: there’s something in it for you if you go. Happy New Year and thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    33 min
  5. Joni Mitchell's 'For the Roses'

    12/18/2024

    Joni Mitchell's 'For the Roses'

    Here you’ll find a brief history and exploration of Joni Mitchell’s 1972 release For the Roses, an album that speaks to both the fragility of humans and their resilience. I’d like to dedicate this episode, the last one I’ll publish in 2024, to David Yaffe, whom we recently lost. He was the author of the 2015 biography of Joni, Reckless Daughter, but he was also a friend and one of the first people in this industry to look at my writing and encourage me to keep digging, to tell me that what I was aiming for was true and mattered. I can’t ever thank him enough for supporting this show and my career as a whole, as well as for aiding all us Joni fans in understanding the role her music plays in our lives. Thanks for listening, see you in 2025 x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    13 min
  6. A Conversation With Bill Frisell

    12/11/2024

    A Conversation With Bill Frisell

    This is a historic moment for Big Yellow Podcast. This week’s episode marks the very first to have been recorded between myself and the subject in person, and it’s with none other than legendary jazz guitarist Bill Frisell. I first learned of Bill through my high school boyfriend (shoutout to Will who ended up an incredibly talented jazz guitarist of his own), and have interviewed him a handful of times over the years. (If you’d like to read those, here they are: Gentle Guitar Giant: Bill Frisell Is Still Learning and Bob Dylan's Town Hall History Honored With NYC Tribute ...) I’ve also seen Bill perform live a few times — always a treat — and have never really stopped keeping tabs on him. Aside from being arguably one of the most accomplished jazz guitarists alive today, he’s also undeniably one of the kindest, most humble people I’ve spoken with in this industry. (A few weeks ago, while on tour in Europe, he wrote me an email in which he misspelled my name by one letter, then followed it up with another email three hours later apologizing profusely and correcting himself.) So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when he offered to meet with me in person to talk about Joni. Yes, you’ll hearing a lot of ancillary noise in this recording, but just picture two people sitting at a sandwich shop talking about Joni, since that’s what’s happening here. As you’ll also hear in this episode, Bill insists he’s no Joni scholar. But really, who among us is? He’s a longtime fan, a fellow guitarist and — to make this episode even more historical — the first person on Big Yellow Podcast to have played with Joni herself. Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    51 min
  7. Joni's Journey of Motherhood

    11/20/2024

    Joni's Journey of Motherhood

    In which I briefly walk through Joni’s experience becoming a mother at a young age, giving her daughter up for adoption and eventually reuniting with her decades later. Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    10 min
  8. A Conversation With Becca Stevens

    11/13/2024

    A Conversation With Becca Stevens

    Becca Stevens has been a musician pretty much her entire life. She grew up in a musical family — her mom was a singer and her dad a composer — and not only did she play in bands growing up, but she went on to study music at the professional level. Joni has been, in Becca’s words, a songwriting mom, someone she’s looked up to from various angles and at various points in her life. Things really came full circle when she started working with one of Joni’s longest and biggest champions, David Crosby. Becca’s most recent album, Maple to Paper, came out a few months ago. It brought me to tears last night. Vulnerable, determined, charismatic, tender…this is an album made by someone who is feeling in every sense of the word. In this episode, Becca and I chat about, well, all of the above. Thanks for listening x * Allison Get full access to Big Yellow Podcast at allisonrapp.substack.com/subscribe

    32 min
See All (32)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Exploring the life and work of Joni Mitchell. allisonrapp.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Allison Rapp
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Allison Rapp
  • Show Website
    Big Yellow Podcast

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