Some fools in the desert with nothing to do...invented me, and they invented you. And other fools keep it all going and growing. Everybody, we're a figment of their imagination. Randy Newman More Quotes by Randy Newman More Quotes From Randy Newman It's very hard to get rich and famous at a young age and handle it well. Randy Newman rich age young Cleveland, city of light! City of magic! Randy Newman magic light cities What I'm most pleased about is that there's no particular decline. The songs I wrote 40 years ago are no worse and no better - there's a consistency. Randy Newman consistency song years If we'd had another carefree 70s, I'd have been dead. It was a little too carefree, you know? I don't know how carefree they were for me, I think I was worried then, I can't remember what about. Randy Newman littles remember thinking I don't remember ever having writer's block. If I sit in there for four hours, I'll usually have something. Randy Newman block four remember I always thought my best album was 'Trouble in Paradise.' I was the happiest with that one. Randy Newman paradise albums trouble But I don't want to sing everything out of the side of my mouth, I want people to understand what I mean. Randy Newman mouths mean people I think in most cases, unless you're writing about a character who is garrulous, you say what you've got to say and then get out. Those little conjunctions, those little turnaround words help you do it. That's the way I like to write: I get rid of things rather than add them. Randy Newman writing character thinking There's a million white people better qualified than a black man to be president of America. Randy Newman white men america Things aren't black and white in the world. Randy Newman black-and-white black white The belief in the '70s was that music was changing the world. I never believed that it had that great an effect. The effect Madonna had on fashion and sort of mores of young girls was a bigger deal than anything Dylan may have said, even. Randy Newman fashion girl world Still, it's clear that there are lots of people out there who are uncomfortable [about racism]. The Civil War was a long time ago but there are aspects of it that remain unsettled. Randy Newman racism war long To get nominated by the Republican Party you've got to be pretty reactionary, really. Randy Newman republican-party republican party Some day you do something where you use everything you know. You don't do it ostentatiously where you see the workings going on. But some day, if you're lucky, that will happen. Randy Newman lucky use happens I hate having to wait. I've got the thing done. I just want to see what happens. Randy Newman i-hate hate waiting I'm interested in geography and weather and things like that, and if you don't write love songs, you've gotta go somewhere. I wrote a lot about places because that's what else there was. I had to stop myself from writing more of them. Randy Newman geography writing song Writers have always liked my stuff, pretty much. That's what I wanted - I think my goal wasn't to get rich and famous, necessarily, though I cared about that. I always thought, "Oh, this could be a hit," or "that will sell records." But the first thing I wanted was that people who knew a lot about music, or had taste-making qualities, they would like my stuff. Writers, people like that. Randy Newman goal people thinking The easiest thing I do is assignment songs. They tell me what they need me to write. I can do that fairly quickly. Writing for an orchestra is difficult. Writing songs [on your own] is most difficult of all. Though [writing for] the orchestra is close. Randy Newman writing song needs I started recording because I was always complaining about the records that I was getting of my songs. At least if I did them and messed them up, I wouldn't have anyone else to blame. Randy Newman records complaining song I am half a man, holy Jesus, what a drag. Randy Newman half men jesus
