Article: The Robert Chalmers Interview: FEELING RANDY He is one of the few truly unique figures in music. A satirist who creates unforgettable melodies. A writer whose lyrics are poetry. A political commentator who knows just what Donald Rumsfeld is up to. So why is he best known for his 'Toy Story' score? Randy Newman talks about drugs, death threats and depression - and why he wishes he could be more like Elton John

They wander the earth like evangelists for some neglected Messiah, tormenting themselves, and others, with the same questions, again and again. Why don't more people love him? Why don't those who do love him, love him more? What kind of a world is it, in which he is not universally revered? I understand the pain of Randy Newman's ardent fans, I tell the singer, because I am one.

"I do recognise that pattern of behaviour," he says. "I always believed that my songs were the kind lots of people could like. That hasn't really proven to be the case. But you know..." Newman pauses, and stares at the rain driving against the window of his Amsterdam

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