Live Review: Randy Newman at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 23rd February 2004

by anna battista

There are people in the audience tonight who waited for more than 30 years to see Randy Newman playing in Scotland. Their dream is finally made true tonight in this Edinburgh venue which might not be that big, yet it gathers some of the most devoted Newman fans, among them a few well-known Scottish musicians (Deacon Blue's Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, Bill Wells, and Isobel Campbell, among others).

Mr Newman arrives perfectly on time, sits at his huge piano and starts rewarding the crowd with some of his best songs. During the first part of the gig, Newman plays "Short People", a satirical tirade against, well, short people; "The World Isn't Fair", written after Newman visited the school where one of his kids was meant to go; "The Great Nations of Europe", a summary of many centuries of European history in barely three minutes; "You Can Leave Your Hat On", written by Newman but exploited at its best by Joe Cocker and Tom Jones, because, Newman claims, they seem to sing it with more passion; and "I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)", a funny invective against all those almost dead singers and musicians who never realise they should retire, but instead keep on releasing records and doing gigs (Newman ironically mentions himself among them, but also, very aptly, Sting…). During this song, Newman asks the audience to give him a hand singing "he's dead, he's dead", so that the song becomes an irresistible anthem, a sort of dialogue between the songwriter and the audience. The first part of the gig concludes with "Political Science", a satire on US foreign policy which starts with the words, "No one likes us - I don't know why," after which Newman simply bursts out laughing. The second part of the set includes "I Miss You", a heart-rending rendition of "In Germany Before The War", "My Life Is Good", "Shame", "God's Song" and "You've Got A Friend In Me", the cheesy theme for the Toy Story film.

The gig concludes with Newman telling the audience more stories about the genesis of his songs, some jokes and more comments about the States and the political situation there. So was it worth waiting for him for more than 30 years? The general opinion was a unanimous YES.

Issue 21, March 2004