Entertainment For Lively Minds
Help with Randy Newman song
Posted by Mavis Diles on 15 November 2010 - 9:11am.
I love Randy, but his most celebrated recent song, A Few Words in Defence of Our Country, is a song of two halves for me. The first section is full of witty one liners, and wouldn't be out of place on Sail Away. The second half, starting with "You know, it pisses me off...", however, I don't understand. Can someone with better knowledge of current affairs explain to me what he is getting at?
I have a sneaking suspicion that, for once in his life, he's playing to the gallery, and specifically to the demographic of his fans.
- More from Mavis Diles.
- Login or register to post comments
-
No one likes us, I don't know why
I don't thing you've got too much to worry about, MD. I suppose he's referring to Sam Alito (appointed by Bush Sr.) and Antonin Scalia (appointed by Regan). Both Italian American Catholics and both pretty conservative in the broadest sense. The, erm, "brother" he refers to is Clarence Thomas (appointed by Bush Jr) and the less said about him the better. But I won't let that stop me. He's a contstitutional fundamentalist and considered to be one of the most conservative justices serving.
They may not outlive Randy, as he fears, but they'll be there long enough to hold up any genuine judicial progress.
?
"I have a sneaking suspicion that, for once in his life, he's playing to the gallery, and specifically to the demographic of his fans."
You jest, surely?
Not quite
He's not afraid to provoke outrage, for example in Korean Parents. In that one he plays with what we ought to feel and what we actually feel. It's very uncomfortable for a left liberal listener. In the song I questioned, I think he is telling the audience what they want to hear. The world may be going to hell In a hand basket, but at least Randy is on our side, that kind of thing. I would rather hear him challenge his core demographic and tell us there's no hope, perhaps. I guess he already did that in Political Science.
But to your point, he almost never does what is expected, so, you are right to challenge my statement.
The man behind the mask
All through his career Randy has touched on difficult subjects. Some people just laugh and others are outraged.
He can sing about anything he wants because often he tells us he's telling the story from someone else's perspective.
Is he angry? Who knows? It's like he says in his concerts..."everything I tell you tonight is true"...??
apologies
Sorry, I should have made my point a little clearer.
Doesn't he pretty much always play to his 'left-liberal' gallery?