Randy Newman is used to being misunderstood. His biggest hit, "Short People," was banned by some radio stations as bigoted. "I Love L.A.," his sardonic swipe at Yuppie culture, became the chosen theme of the greed-is-good crowd. And last year, at a mosque in Baghdad, a local imam quoted "Political Science," Newman's stab at America's arrogance as superpower as, well, evidence of America's arrogance as superpower.
Irony may not be the stuff of which hit songs are usually made, but Newman makes it work. For the last two decades, he has successfully turned his pen to creating music for film. He even won an Oscar for a sweet little ditty about friendship. But he hasn't lost his nuance. Randy Newman on life, the human condition, and the mellowing of a musicmaker.
