In praise of Randy Newman

I've been a fan of Randy Newman's since "Sail Away," so it was nice to see him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He celebrated this honor by joining his former backup vocalist, Don Henley, who according to Newman "found some success on his own," in a rousing version of "I'm Dead, But I Don't Know It." Which is, if you're not familiar with it, a not-at-all-veiled slap at over-the-hill rockers who are still taking up stage time even when they have nothing left to offer. Perfect fodder for a crowd made up mostly of just those people.

I would have trouble naming a favorite Randy Newman song. There are just so many, from "Mama Told Me Not to Come," to "God's Song," to "Burn On, Big River" to his hits "Short People" and "I Love LA" and dozens more. Watching him and Henley sing reminded me of a version of Faust that he recorded with Henley playing Faust, Newman as the Devil, and James Taylor as the obnoxiously smug and self-satisfied God. Setting up God's character, Taylor lounges about as the angels sing his praises, and then pipes in

Folks up here, ask me why
Things go so badly down below
I tell them when they ask me why
I really do not know
(But you do know, don't you Lord?)
Of course I do! Sing it!

Angels: Oh, Lord
How great our Lord (and so on...)

It's a wonderfully warped view of the version of God that man has created. Just like Newman's wonderfully warped view of almost everything he encounters. He's a treasure.