Randy Newman is one of the preeminent songwriters of our time—a winner of Oscars, Grammys, and Emmys, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. After starting his songwriting career as a teenager, Newman launched into recording as a singer and pianist in 1968 with his self-titled album Randy Newman. Throughout the 1970s, he released several other acclaimed albums such as 12 Songs, Sail Away, and Good Old Boys. In addition to his solo recordings and regular international touring, Newman began composing and scoring for films in the 1980s. The list of movies he has worked on since then includes The Natural, Awakenings, Ragtime, all three Toy Story pictures, Seabiscuit, James and the Giant Peach, A Bug’s Life, and most recently, Disney/Pixar’s Monsters University, the prequel to Monsters Inc. (which he also scored).

Newman was born into a musical Los Angeles family, attended L.A. city schools and UCLA, and has worked and lived in Southern California for decades. In an era of packaged pop, he continues to write smart, human lyrics; he has the ability to embody disparate characters while blending sharp satire and deep empathy. Where does his sensibility come from, and how has it changed over time? What drives him to make music, and how does his creative process work? What does he listen to when he’s stuck in traffic, and what books does he keep on his nightstand? Randy Newman visits Zócalo to discuss his inspirations, his hometown, and his singular way of looking at the world.