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Article: Rock: Infinity and beyond Randy Newman Royal Festival Hall, London Andreas Johnson Fleece & Firkin, Bristol
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 27, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2000 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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One highlight of Randy Newman's concert was "I'm Dead (But I Don't
Know It)", introduced as "a song for us geriatric rockers". Concerned
that no pop stars seem to get around to retiring, Newman put their
point of view - "Each record that I'm making/ Is like a record that
I've made/ Just not as good" - and got us to sing along with the
refrain: "You're dead! You're dead!" The irony is that by writing the
song Newman proves it doesn't apply to him.
On Tuesday, he played material from throughout his 30-year career.
There was "Short People", the hit that got him in trouble with people
who were short on irony. There was "You Can Leave Your Hat On", a
"love song of a diseased sort" revived ...