Rob Harvilla

Rob Harvilla
Alma materOhio University
OccupationsRock critic, editor, journalist
EmployerThe Ringer
Known for60 Songs That Explain the '90s

Rob Harvilla is an American rock critic, editor, and journalist. He is a senior staff writer at The Ringer and the host of the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the '90s, a long-running series that began in 2020 and later expanded beyond its original 60-song premise.[1][2]

In 2023, Harvilla published a book based on the podcast, also titled 60 Songs That Explain the '90s.[2][3]

Early life and education

Harvilla grew up in Medina, Ohio, and has described the music of the 1990s as central to his teenage and college years in Northeast Ohio.[4]

Harvilla attended Ohio University and graduated in 2000 with a degree in magazine journalism.[5]

Career

After college, Harvilla worked in alternative-weekly journalism; he has been associated with Columbus, Ohio's now-defunct alt-weekly The Other Paper and the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay Express.[6]

Harvilla served as music editor at The Village Voice in the late 2000s and early 2010s and was publicly identified as the paper's music editor in contemporaneous coverage of its annual critics' poll, Pazz & Jop.[7][8]

In 2011, Harvilla joined the music-streaming service Rhapsody as senior managing editor.[6] He later wrote and edited for publications including Spin and Deadspin.[9][10]

Harvilla has been a senior staff writer at The Ringer and has also served as a culture editor at Deadspin.[1][11]

Harvilla has described They Might Be Giants as his "favorite band of all time".[12]

60 Songs That Explain the '90s

60 Songs That Explain the '90s launched in October 2020, beginning with an episode on Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know".[13] The show expanded beyond its initial planned endpoint, growing to 120 songs and continuing for multiple years.[2][4] Guests on the podcast have included Courtney Love, Chuck Klosterman, Bill Simmons, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

By March 2024, The Ringer described the project as spanning 120 songs, and compiled a complete episode catalog to mark the end of its initial chapter.[14]

Works

Books

  • 60 Songs That Explain the '90s (Twelve, 2023)[15]

Podcasts

  • 60 Songs That Explain the '90s (the Ringer Podcast Network, 2020–2026)[16]

Reception

Reviewers described Harvilla's writing style as conversational, humorous, and shaped by personal anecdotes, with Library Journal suggesting that some readers might be reminded of Chuck Klosterman's prose.[17][18]

60 Songs That Explain the '90s was included on Pitchfork's list of the best music books of 2023, which described the podcast and book as a comedic and insightful lens on a musically diverse decade.[19] The podcast was also featured in public-radio programming tied to the book's release.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Harvilla, Rob. "Rob Harvilla". The Ringer. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Stover, Chris (November 13, 2023). "Rock critic Rob Harvilla explains, defends music of the '90s: "The greatest musical era in world history"". CBS News. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  3. ^ a b "A Few Songs from '60 Songs that Explain the '90s'". WNYC Studios. November 14, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Medina native Rob Harvilla's podcast takes listeners through the music of the '90s". Ideastream Public Media. July 28, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  5. ^ "Rob Harvilla to present at Music Industry Summit". The Post (Athens, Ohio). March 7, 2025. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Former Village Voice Music Editor Joins Rhapsody's Stable of Esteemed Music Journalists". PR Newswire (Press release). Rhapsody. March 17, 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  7. ^ "Pazz and Jop Crib Notes: The State of Pop Music Made Easy". Vulture. January 20, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  8. ^ "Critical Democracy: Robert Christgau, Ann Powers, and Rob Harvilla on Pazz & Jop's Past and Present". The Village Voice. February 7, 2019. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  9. ^ "Journalist Rob Harvilla on the value of deadlines and editors". The Creative Independent. February 13, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  10. ^ Greenfield, Rebecca (January 30, 2012). "Critics Kick Off Backlash to the Lana Del Rey Backlash". The Atlantic. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  11. ^ "Welcome To The Adequate Man". Deadspin. January 12, 2026. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  12. ^ Harvilla, Rob (July 19, 2023). "100 Episodes of '60 Songs': A They Might Be Giants Celebration". The Ringer. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  13. ^ "Alanis Morissette—"You Oughta Know"". The Ringer. October 14, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  14. ^ Harvilla, Rob (March 13, 2024). "'60 Songs That Explain the '90s': The Complete Collection". The Ringer. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  15. ^ "60 Songs That Explain the '90s". Twelve Books. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  16. ^ "Rock critic Rob Harvilla explains, defends music of the '90s: "The greatest musical era in world history"". CBS News. November 13, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  17. ^ "60 Songs That Explain the '90s". Library Journal. October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  18. ^ "60 SONGS THAT EXPLAIN THE '90S". Kirkus Reviews. October 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
  19. ^ "The 10 Best Music Books of 2023". Pitchfork. November 20, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2026.

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