Randy Newman -- 7 juli 2006

Randy’s Tour Journal — 7 July 2006
THE HILLS ARE ALIVE AND SO AM I
I’m dictating this so it may not be any good. The last Journal From Europe is justly famous for it’s wit and insight. No, actually it isn’t. I’m beginning to forget things.
We played Vienna two nights ago in the Opera House. It went well particularly considering it was the first show. It’s the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth so it felt right for me to be there. It seemed that I should commemorate the birth of my late colleague by actually playing in the town that treated him so badly. They treated me better than they treated Mozart, Mahler, Berg or Schoenberg. (Cathy can’t do the umlaut. She also can’t do a kip or a front walkover which I can do and will do in Montreaux. I’m 52 years old but still as spry and flexible as I was when I was a boy. Look out ladies! And gentlemen too!) They’re doing a Mozart opera called Albertina, which he must have written when he was 3½ . I’ve never heard of it. I think they should make sure that it’s not actually by Elton John. But seriously, they really should check it out.
I did a new song in Vienna called “Losing You”. I think they liked it. I’m not sure about the form of it yet. Also, here’s another great thing I did. (Note by Cathy: I can’t take much more of this. He pretends to be so modest but he thinks he’s so great.) Since it was the Vienna Jazz Festival, and what I do is pretty far from jazz, (NbC: I’ll say. The place was sold out and the people who were there to hear some good jazz are still there waiting.) I played another new song, one which isn’t finished, so I had to kind of improvise like they do when playing jazz. It was kind of shitty but they took it well much as they did when Hitler marched into the city in 1937. They may not have liked it but they showed great enthusiasm. The song is going to be good though. It’s called “A Few Words In Defense Of My Country”. I’ll try and get it together so I can play it in Europe where we need defending.
I have a show tonight with Dr. John at The Tower of London. I hope it goes okay and they release me when I’m done.
Bye for now. Look for my World Cup Special tomorrow. Send five Euros to the Newman Foundation in Tulsa, OK and find out who’s going to win the Cup.
Love to all the Little Criminals.
Randy


Randy Newman (1943) is een Amerikaane componist en zanger. Hij houdt op incidentele basis een journaal bij wanneer hij op tour is.