Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

NYT ^ | 7/27/25 | Peter Keepnews and Richard Severo

[Jamestown1630]

We were just talking about him the other day...

[BradyLS]

Always fun to listen to his songs! At least we didn’t all go together when he did.

[discostu]

Oh man. I haven’t internalized Ozzy yet. Dammit. Love Lehrer.

[Borges]

This was accused of being Catholic-bashing but it’s actually taking the same position as trad-Catholics in regards to Vatican II.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvhYqeGp_Do

[ConservativeMind]

I had recently read about him and his “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park.”

Sounds like he would have been truly fun to know.

RIP.

[dayglored]

I enjoyed his musical satire from when I was a little kid watching TW3, and bought a box collection of his originals and concerts a few years ago. Somehow it never seems to get old. But obviously, he did.

RIP Tom, well done.

[Nateman]

I remain a big fan. His music was a regular feature on the Dr. Demento show.

'I'll look for you when the war is over, an hour and a half from now'

[BradyLS]

🎶Tom’s ghost was given up?
I should track him down
We have an appointment!
…Says Wernher von Braun🎶

[bigbob]

Brilliant!

https://youtu.be/U2cfju6GTNs?list=RDU2cfju6GTNs

RIP

[dayglored]

Oh very good!!

[plain talk]

Never heard of him. Wow what a talented pianist. Thanks for posting.

[Publius]

At the FReeper Canteen on New Years Eve, I did a Lehrer retrospective. This is a great loss.

[Publius]

He was a cult figure starting in the 1950s.

Poisoning Pigeons in the Park

[Publius]

We’ve lost one of the greats, America’s favorite wise-ass.

[Chainmail]

Tom Lehrer was a gem- his funny musical numbers are wonderful and gloriously pointed.

His talent was immense yet despite the liberal slant to his stuff, he refused to go along with the pro-enemy Left during Vietnam and for that and a lot of laughs, I salute him.

[Calvin Cooledge]

I had no idea he was still alive.

“Be prepared! Be prepared! Don’t solicit for your sister, it’s not very nice. Unless she gives you a percentage of her price!”

[Borges]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsuB3A85Iks

[Allegra]

My parents had one of his albums. My brother and I found it when we were young teenagers many years after it had been out and were delighted with it.

Turns out a lot of our friends’ parents had it too.

My mom came upon some of us playing and laughing to “National Brotherhood Week,” “Pollution” and those songs one day after school and was OK with it but cautioned us not to repeat those lyrics in school or while out and about.

R.I.P., Tom.

[Dr. Franklin]

His LP album is entitled An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer. He was a brilliant satirist. I think We Will All Together When We Go was my favorite song of his.