Oscar- and Grammy-winning songwriter Randy Newman has postponed his upcoming European tour to recover from a broken neck.
“Recently, I noticed I was shrinking,” he said in a statement on his website. “People over whom I had towered now towered over me. Could this be payback for having written ‘Short People?’ Turns out, my neck was broken.”
He added, “They operated on me successfully, I think. For even now, I look less like an anteater and more like a folk rock artist from the early sixties. But the doctor said I’m not quite ready to tour. I was really looking forward to coming to Europe to perform. I miss performing a great deal and I look forward to a time when I can come. I’m sorry I won’t see you this time but I will see you soon.”
Newman’s most recent album, Dark Matter, came out in 2017, and it included the sarcastic track “Putin” which won a 2018 Grammy for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. In 2020, he released the COVID-aware song “Stay Away.”
