I Am, Unfortunately, Randy Newman 

Look up the list of people who have showed up to sing and play backup on Randy Newman's albums. He's a musicians' musician. A songwriters' songwriter. The people who know, know.

Randy Newman, Loudon Wainwright, Harry Nilson. I can say them all in one breath, laugh and cry, and feel nostalgia for places I have never been to, and times I have never known. Brilliant writers. Thank you.

Anyone who could write Birmingham, Dayton Ohio 1903 and I Think It's Going to Rain Today is unquestionably a genius. Thanks so much Randy Newman...

Dear Randy, I hope you read this. Your music made my 69-year-old life better, and it saved me from despair when things looked shitty. I love you for that. Thank you.

I am an old woman and when I want to listen to good music I listen to Randy Newman.

I think Randy Newman is doing 'jes fine. And like he said when he won the Oscar "I don't want your pity." The man's a national treasure that will only be fully appreciated and/or understood until after he's gone. He knows that.

In the 80s I worked for a heating & air conditioning company. The owner was good friends with Randy’s father. Randy kept a grand piano in our warehouse and would write songs there... the warehouse supervisor was 5 foot tall on a good day. A real mean s.o.b. Nobody liked him. That was the same year that “short people” came out. True story.

I can't believe some of the comments here. Obviously these people have no idea who Randy Newman is. They may think they do, but if you think he's really feeling unappreciated, he's self absorbed, etc....get a clue. The man's work is genius. His writing and orchestrations will live on long after he's gone. One of the nicest and genuinely funny guys you'll ever meet. And talent?? Don't get me started. The movie scores alone are phenomenal, not to mention his pop song work. I suggest that anyone that considers dissing Randy get at least some rudimentary musical education before doing so. Maybe then you'll start to appreciate what this man has brought to the world. I watch for anything new by Randy, because it's some of the most well produced, well written, and witty material out there.

Been following him for over 40 years. He is a genius and one of our greatest songwriters and composers. I hope he lives forever.

Newman's later lyrics are more spare than satire. He is so great. When I was in high school, he heard about me from a friend's father, and he sent me autographed copies of all his records to date. And a letter to me, the sweetest letter. I've loved him forever.

Love Randy! When I was 8 years old my mother died and I didnt cry. But when I heard "You Have A Friend In Me" i cried like a baby. I was 11 years old and that song changed my life. I felt like my mother was speaking to me through that song.

Randy Newman has WAY more than 80,000 fans. He has 80,000 fans in New Orleans alone. Randy is a special breed...and he should be cherished as an artist.

Randy is one of the very few best songwriters ever. I think he’s a genius and an incredible musician.

"Short People" kept him on my mind since I was a kid in the 1970s. I just rediscovered him last month, and I'm 55. He is a great artist!!

This is a wonderful interview...thank you so much for allowing us to see and hear Randy in what appears to be his 'comfort zone'.. I have adored (literally) him and his music for most of his career. His score of "Ragtime" for example, is the most moving, heart-wrenching and exquisite composition I've ever heard. So much so. that just hearing the first bar brings tears and a sense of melancholy like no other music I've ever heard. I agree...he IS a genius. Thank you the video!

British humor really fits Randy. Loved this.

I am a musician in NJ. I make a humble living at it. I have been a fanatic for Randy since I heard "He Gives Us All His Love" in a movie with Dick Van Dyck. I ran out and bought all the available albums the next day. Was totally blown away. I now perform a lot of his songs in my act. I don't care if the general public doesn't know some of them. Years ago, I was in the Stone Pony in Asbury Park NJ playing with my band "Lord Gunner" when Bruce Springsteen sat in with us, one of many times he did that. I went up to Bruce as we came off the stage and asked him what he thought of the song "My life Is Good" which had just been released a few days before since it referenced him by name. To my great surprise the normally taciturn Bruce flipped out on me and started yelling."What do you care what I think about that song" etc. I was amazed by his reaction. I think Randy might be a little envious of Bruce's commercial success, but could Bruce be a little uneasy about Randy's incredible talent and musicianship? The depth of his harmonic structures? The layers of irony in his lyrics? I don't know. It was an odd experience.

Randy Newman is the song writer other musicians aspire to be. His voice is pure, beautiful, fun, intelligent, playful, thoughtful, raunchy, human.

For the record, I love Randy Newman's voice and his songs.

I love Randy Newman. His problem is his songs are too damn good! He's too smart. A genius. It doesn't pay. :-D

It's the combination of the sarcastic lyrics, the music and his special way of singing and playing what make him one of the most genious artists of our time.

I AM one of those eighty thousand. Have every album he ever released. Ron

I recently saw a skit on "Mad TV" where they joked about Randy Newman composing the new Star Wars film. And I think it is crazy like a fox. See the best thing about Randy's stuff is that he can write about anything. His poems and story's that get interwoven throughout the collection of his lifetime of songs, At least the stuff he felt were good enough for public consumption. shows how he interweaves, cleaver satire with depth and and ability to get right down to the crust of it. But always makes you feel a deep emotional connection. I feel it would be a great challenge for Randy Newman and yet ever so appealing to a large group of new potential fans. If he indeed pulled of a song for the Star Wars films. I think he could do it! I love your stuff Randy Newman. I think you deserve the new growth in the market and many more fans!

I have been making a living from writing songs all my working life and I can say Randy Newman is the the greatest song writer by far

This is too good. Now I know why I like Randy Newman. He sings of truths with a special kind of satire that some would laugh at or despise. But then again some of us lived that same life of trying to fit in a society that just wouldn't quite accept us. But we keep trying to put this square peg in that round hole. So good luck to all you fellow Newman fans. Keep pounding. The hold will either get the appropriate indentions, the peg will round out or the whole thing will break. Peace.

One of the greatest traits this genius has always possessed is that he has NEVER given a dry fuck what anyone thinks about what he has to say or how he says it. Make no mistake, he may have peers and an equal here and there, but there is none greater.

It's refreshing to hear a reporter who eschews ironic posturing to get to the essence of good original songwriting. Randy Newman is a testament to persistence in the face of public ignorance and devotion to spoon-fed pop consumerism.

He is a talent that is so subtle and unique it defies pretenses related to the history of Music and Show Biz fluff .

I love the irony in the fact that this video has almost exactly 200,000 views.

Randy Newman hasn't been the most popular singer/songwriter, but he has a strong fan base and almost all of us would be delighted to have had his success. I've loved him since I first heard "12 Songs". I love the songs he writes. He's a genius. And he writes the sort of cerebral songs I particularly like. It's interesting that one of my other favorite songwriters is Loudon Wainwright III. Many of you have never heard of him, but he's great too. It's not always an AM world. But this video tells the story as if Randy is a failure. He's a success.

Randy Newman is my hero. For a long time as a little girl I thought he sang Marie just for me, because my mum said so. Loved it. And God, how I loved God's Song. Spot on. And cried for Simon and his dancing bear. And sang with my kids to the sound track of The Princess and the Frog. Randy soundtracks my life, as he does many people's. How horrid to hear that he thinks he's not popular. He should be so proud of what he's achieved.

Randy is beyond amazing. He is a genius.

I have every single song Randy has ever written. He played an important role in my getting into film… not because I knew him then, but because he opened my mind. He got into film the same time I did. Listen to his early music before the film biz "redirected" his genius.

I saw Newman play live & solo in Dublin, Ireland in the early 1990's. Very talented man and it's surprising given his earlier satirical songs that he'd be so associated with Pixar. If anyone thinks 'Short People' isn't ironic then I don't know what to say to them.

Randy's history with motor vehicles is an epic in itself.

He has one academy award, three emmys, six Grammies, he's in the rock and roll hall of fame, songwriter's hall of fame.... has written songs which other artists have had major hits with,... and has had solid and at times great sales throughout his career, he's been constantly referenced by other artists as one of the greatet songwriters of all time, and has influenced MANY musicians.... so how exactly would you classify him as 'unpopular'?

The "Sail Away" record is one of the bes tLPs the 20th Century coughed up. It's perfect in its own way. So is Randy.

He will be famous long after he is gone in my opinion. My favourite song is 'Marie'. It slides into my body like a knife thro butter and just wrenches strings out of my heart!

I will always remember my son’s graduation from USC’s School of Music in 2007. The Commencement speaker was a graduate of crosstown rival, UCLA. Randy Newman graciously signed the program and posed for a few pictures. Randy, “We Love L. A.!” Fight On! ✌️

Writing this 10 years later. Randy Newman has written so many wonderful songs for so many films. I hope he got royalties for all of them.

How can you not love this guy ! He oozes cool.

I adore Randy Newman's songs. One of my favorite songs that anyone has ever written is "I Think It's Gonna Rain Today." His sense of humor is such a turn on!

Newman is a satirist, he's always going to pull our collective chains. It's part of his charm. But I think of him as the ultimate American composer. His riffs are so poignantly American, sweet and satisfying, and yet overlaid with sarcasm ... this is what we are. I love this man.

I’ve just been getting into Randy’s music though the “Nilsson Sings Newman” album - a masterpiece of songwriting/singing/piano playing. Randy Newman really is a genius. I’m going to go through his whole catalogue starting with his first album which I’ve just started listening to. A great artist.

A great, unappreciated songwriter.

I "discovered" Randy's music on those 60s and early 70s Warner Bros' loss leader records, like Record Show. I have been a fan since. This was a terrific interview.

Loved him from the first time I heard him. Beautiful Mind!

What will survive 100 years from now. Randy Newman's songbook.

The most intelligent people have the least number of friends, Mr. Newman. "I miss you", "In Germany before the War" . . . What simple yet moving lyrics. I am German and I will teach my son how to appreciate these. My heartfelt Thank You for your art.

This fine piece on the great Randy Newman was put together in KidPIx.

I'm a recent fan of his, I watched Toy Story a long time ago, but I didn't know it was Randy, so about a month ago, I heard Short People, then a lot of his more romantic songs. He's really awesome.

Randy Newman is an American treasure and is genius with song writing along with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney just to name a few. LOVE THIS GUY!!!

This is a brilliant film. The narrator is right. He's a genius.

Genius or not, Randy Newman‘s songs have meant a great deal to me since the early 1970s. I consider him to be a national treasure, and one of America’s great songwriters.

I've loved his stuff since about 1972... Thanks, dude!

Fortunately, I think his movie work has given him much of the recognition he deserves. "You've Got a Friend in Me" is far from a complete picture of Newman, but it's a start.

I first came across Randy's songs from 'Toy Story' and I just love them so much. He's a genius composer and singer!

i'm 17 years old rn. my favorite animated movie is toy story. all my life i have been listening to randy newman without even knowing. i'm probably the only person my age that loves randy newman

This man writes his music with soul. But most of society doesn't like things with soul.

My lovely Dad introduced me to Randy Newman - a BBC performance from Slough! Randy gave an apology that Paul Simon couldn't make it to the show! I love, gorge, adore Randy's music and lyrics. He is either pathetic or prophetic.

I was fortunate to see Randy twice in The Netherlands.. I had two wonderful evenings .. I am a big big fan.. He coincidentally is also the artist of which I know the most songs by heart.

Jon, thanks for this. I was unaware of you and your talent until now. I will be checking out your available work. I like your style!😺

I love love love Randy Newman. My mom is a Newman born in NO and a pianist. He is genius no doubt

He has FANS! fans that don't even know his name but if you play his song you got a friend in me in a class room any where every kid in that room will recognize his voice

"It's a jungle out there DOOO DEE DEE DOO DOO." -Achievement Hunter.

The most unappreciated genius artist.

Dude you are a hero,Ive been looking for this since it was first shown,I think it was late 2003,10 years of searching has finally paid off.Im the happiest of the 80 000 !!!

I have been a fan for 40 years, first saw him on the Dick Cavett show singing Political Science. I have been to a dozen concerts, thanks for the documentary- enjoyed every minute of it.

I think the genius of Randy Newman is that he is so many different people. The satirist. The composer. The Disney songster. The hated public persona, He is all those things and a lot more. Maybe this is calculated. IDK

Thanks for all your efforts in posting this! I'm such a fan of him. Great work on your part. I quite enjoyed this!😹

That album with Randy in Kiss style makeup is one of his best in my opinion. Its named "Born Again" and he has a song on it called "I Love that E.L.O." where he parodies the Electric Light Orchestra. Its obvious that he hated them as much as I did. I love Randy Newman. He's funny as hell as well as being a great songwriter.

I'm a lyric writer for our band and other acts as we are more popular in Europe. I've always related to Randy Newman and other writers like him. I'm proud to not be popular at the cost of honesty. If wish I had as much talent in my whole body as Randy has in the tip of his pinky, lol!! Writers like him and Ian Hunter are So brilliant people just don't get them. They take them at face value which is a reflection of their own ignorance of the art of writing. Being "Understood," is overrated and safe. I would hate to be that...common a thinker. Genius like his is seldom appreciated and Randy Newman is that. A genius. I strive to make every song as great as it can be guys like the Ozzy, Dios, and Alice Coopers of this world who don't give a shit about playing it safe. I thank Randy to thank for that.

"I Love L.A." is a Randy Newman song, and they still play it at the Dodger's game. The L.A. Dodgers just beat the Arizona team to take a 2-0 lead in the Division championship series, and Newman's triumph was played from beginning to end after the final out. Newman was a great success.

Newman is our Aaron Copland of popular song. He is the only song composer who I can listen to and laugh, then sneer, laugh again - only to find my eyes tearing up in the next moment. Why has he never achieved mass popularity? Because his songs are too sublime for the masses. Pixar be damned. Why don't they produce an animated version of Faust?! (I can hear Randy laughing right now)

"Is there anyone else out there that shares this unique cocktail of personality flaws?" That's brilliant! Every teenage misfit's lament! Bravo, Jon Ronson!

After watching this video ive grown much appreciation for the spontaneity and honesty of observation he brings to the table...

Randy Newman is a genuine comic genius - glad I found this documentary

Outstanding film, thank you so much for posting!

Many years ago, when I first heard Randy Newman's song "In Germany Before the War" I immediately saw in my head the old Peter Lorre film "M." Years later, it was cool to hear him say, in an interview, that he had written the song with that film in mind. Almost creepy. Like the film. And the song. Perfection.

Love Randy's reaction and smile forming at 23:45

Did anyone else catch when Randy said that he buys "Randy Newman things?"

This breaks my heart - that he feels so alone. He is, what so many artists find themselves to be, at a stage where commercial art seems to swallow up his talent. And this is not a place that he, as an artist, wants to be. I would be really shocked if he doesn't have a secret portfolio of unpublished music that, for one reason or another, he has not let anyone hear. Just like so many artists, he feels misunderstood ( and possibly he was). I think that he was one of the first Pandoras of the "snowflakes" that we see today. Sadly, he allowed them to bully him into a corner rather than using his magnificent talent for sarcasm by thumbing his nose at them and writing something about them. But, hey!, it's not over yet. The best may be yet to come. I certainly hope so.

I don't know much about Randy Newman but his voice is awesome so he's awesome.

Thank you for uploading. Fascinating combination of Jon Ronson and Randy Newman.

I wanna live in the alternate universe where Randy Newman albums are bought by the millions. I'd be like Squidward in that episode of Sponge Bob where everyone does interpretive dance and plays the clarinet.

I always thought Randy Newman was short and Short People was a song about how he thought people perceived him. Turns out he's 6 feet tall.

He's one of my top six favorite male musicians and I enjoyed this video a great deal.

Excellent piece! I am one of the few 200,000 that greatly appreciates Randy Newman. He is a musical genius. Has anyone seen me lately?

The first time I heard Randy Newman I was blown away by his songs especially Lets Drop The Big One Now and Short People, so true to life.

When I first heard "Texas girl at her Fathers funeral, I knew it was hitting important buttons, Now I realise it was triggering latent grief I as able to finaly locate and work through. I can only thank him.

"How can you understand a world where Randy Newman isn't an international treasure?" I don't know, I live in this world so I've never had to think about it. If I ever live in one, I'll let you know.

Much Much irony in Tom Jones singing that song that wouldn't be lost on Randy Newman.

I think it's probably more accurate to say he's misunderstood than simply 'he's unpopular'. People, most people, don't get that his lyrics are about showing us who the story-teller is...not about the story itself. And this, in my opinion, is an ingenious device at getting into the various characters that make up the collective human psyche...flawed, innocent in spite of itself, ignorant, fumbly, nerdy and sometimes just psycho. Yeah. I agree. I think Randy is one of the greatest musician ever...because he has a unique and probing interest in the human condition...and inserts that into his music.

I wasn't a huge fan of randy Newman but I always liked him. I was only five when toy story came out and that song stayed with me forever in my heart. He may not have an amazing voice but he can write and compose nice pop rythems. He should be happy to be him. Doesn't matter how famous you are. He wrote memorable songs that people will always remember. He can be proud to know his songs were the openings for many famous shows and movies.

If you know anything about music, you'll understand that Newman is, in fact, one of the most brilliant songwriters of the 20th and 21st centuries. His music is clear and clean and lovely, and his lyrics are natural and wickedly clever. He refers to himself as the Dean of Satire, and Short People and Great Nations of Europe certainly confirm that. But his songs in Toy Story show that he can write impossibly sweet songs, too [ which is even more astonishing when you consider that his voice is not particularly great; but armed with that material, he sings beautifully. ] Ignore him at your risk.

the way i got to know randy newman: i asked my father to bring me a gary numan album from the big town he worked. the woman in the record store, i guees it was a huge malls record store, gave him an album of randy new man "born again". i was pretty damn pissed when he came home, but then i gave it try cause i really liked the cover ^^. after i heard "pretty boy" i knew newman is a genius :D BAAH Mr.Sheep

Randy is one of the greatest living composers, bar none. He excels in pop, movie soundtracks and his own brand of quirky, individual, unique story telling that evokes a way of communicating that has all been destroyed by the post-Much Music scene. A musical satirist who is without equal. Sadly, so few people have enough education and insight to appreciate how satire works. So, Randy's best is inexplicable to them. Not to me. I love his work, always have. Awakenings is my fave s.t.

The first Randy song I heard was Alan price's cover of Simon Smith ... Never learned it was Randy's until years later. Next, I had to pull the car over to listen to Dusty singing I Think It's Going To Rain Today. Years later, the staff in a store I managed really enjoyed the background tape playing Short People (I'm 5'4") - we all laughed. First album I bought was Baby Days, produced by the excellent Mark Knopfler. Now I play Simon Smith and Louisiana 1927on my guitar with other old codgers in the pub. Great songs, great chords, great man.

Alfred Newman wrote the 20th Century Fox Theme, Thomas Newman is set take down another Academy for Saving Mr. Banks and then we have little Randy, the philosopher prince

People often cannot get past the sound of his voice. For myself his voice does not get in the way of the wisdom in his songs. If art is suppose to make me think, Mr. Newman succeeds. Secondarily, I do like the way he sounds. He doesn't punish people. Instead he allows you to gently smile and listen.