WHEEL OF RANDY - A Randy Newman Podcast

Sep 30 2024 74 ep. 53 mins 14

WHEEL OF RANDY - A Randy Newman Podcast artwork

A Randy Newman discussion podcast. Every episode, Dan and a guest discuss two Randy Newman songs - one chosen by the guest, one chosen at random. Spin the WHEEL OF RANDY!

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The Concatenator -- Billy Jonas on Potholes

Sep 30 2024 44 mins

It's not often that Dan gets star-struck, but Billy Jonas is the exception. For 3 decades, Billy has turned both folk music and children's music on their ear, creating a gentle but principled sound that encourages everyone to find their own voice and claim their musical birthright. Dan is a big fan, and you will be too. Billy breaks down Randy's "Potholes", a lament on growing old

Burn the Goat! George Korein on I'm Dead (But I Don't Know It)

Sep 06 2024 79 mins

Spleen the Wheel? Is that anything? Fellow WPRB enthusiast George Korein takes a spin. We talk about the difference between making music before and after your 20s, bizarre Swedish Christmas rituals, and a new spin on PANTS (a song I thought I had analyzed to death). Then we take on the Don Henley - inspired "I'm Dead", and the audacity of not being young. Thanks Georg

Funerary Subversion - Joel Muchmore on Song For The Dead

Aug 17 2024 52 mins

Welcome back, Wheelies. If you don't know Joel, you're in for a treat. This guy knows his stuff, and I can see why Mrs. Wheel formed a friendship with him way back when. We break down the bummer of a song "Song For The Dead" and how it stands out from the glut of "Vietnam was sad, actually" rock songs. Want a fun activity? Break out a spreadsheet while y

Vaguely Sinister and Aggressively Annoying - Mr. Sheep with Michial Farmer

Jul 05 2024 38 mins

Friend of the show Michial Farmer joins us on this week's (month's?) Wheel of Randy. Michial wrote a lovely review of Born Again a few years ago, and was kind enough to expand on that essay with me. We cover the little-known, and even less-well-understood, Mr. Sheep. Michial breaks down how easy it is to misunderstand Randy's intentions, and by the end our narrator is

Well He's No Dylan --- the Randy Archive with Gary Norris

Jun 23 2024 72 mins

It's Year Four of Wheel of Randy, and we kick this season off with the one and only Gary Norris, Randy's archivist. Gary has a breadth and depth of knowledge that makes me feel like a noobie, but he's no snob by any means. We talk about his 50-year relationship with Randy; plus Cop Rock, Cats Don't Dance, the could-have-been Jimi Hendrix connection, and how Queen ha

Our Own Flat Earth Society - Losing You with Adam Conrad

Oct 09 2023 52 mins

Well, the Wheel keeps spinning and it don't stop spinning. This episode we welcome composer and WoR fan Adam Conrad to the big show. Adam tries to cure Dan of his twin phobias of Improvisation and Music Theory. To Dan's delight, Adam goes into great detail about the left half of Randy's right hand. Then we discuss the Wright Brothers, Charlie's Angels, Mavis Staples

If You're Weird, Prove It -- Pants with Caleb Collins

Aug 13 2023 40 mins

At long last, the Pants Episode! OKC comic Caleb Collins takes a spin on the wheel as we anticipate his August 17 show with Chris Gethard. Caleb hosts my favorite open mic in Oklahoma, We're All Friends (which I mis-name about 7 times in this episode. We're All Friends. How hard is that to remember?) We talk about the challenges of enforcing a welcoming spirit at open mics,

Over-the-top Patriotism - Einstein / Freud with Cora

Jul 31 2023 45 mins

Friend of the Show Cora from Berlin joins us this episode, as we tackle the enigmatic "Sigmund Freud's Impersonation of Albert Einstein in America". Cora knows a lot more about Einstein and Freud than me, and gives some important historical context, as well as the always-appreciated European's perspective on America. We discuss "The Tobacconist", Nilsson

Cultivate Talent: Harper's Bizarre with Greg Renoff

Jul 17 2023 44 mins

Author Greg Renoff joins us on the wheel - Greg is the author of Van Halen Rising, and Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer's Life in Music. Eagle-eyed Randy fans will recognize Ted Templeman as the front man of Harper's Bizarre, the sunshine pop band that put out a bunch of Randy covers back in the day. Greg and I talk about Ted's career, as well as Sammy vs. David, Van

It's our Randy-versary!

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