Posted on 07/28/2025 2:27:50 PM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie
Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97.
Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return.
A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Old Dope Peddler” (set to a tune reminiscent of “The Old Lamplighter”), “Be Prepared” (in which he mocked the Boy Scouts) and “The Vatican Rag,” in which Lehrer, an atheist, poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. (Sample lyrics: “Get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries. Bow your head with great respect, and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.”)
Accompanying himself on piano, he performed the songs in a colorful style reminiscent of such musical heroes as Gilbert and Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim, the latter a lifelong friend. Lehrer was often likened to such contemporaries as Allen Sherman and Stan Freberg for his comic riffs on culture and politics and he was cited by Randy Newman and “Weird Al” Jankovic among others as an influence.
He mocked the forms of music he didn’t like (modern folk songs, rock ‘n’ roll and modern jazz), laughed at the threat of nuclear annihilation and denounced discrimination.
But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
My parents had one or two of his albums in the 1950s/1960s. Some really funny stuff. One of my favorites was “Poisoning Pigeons In The Park”. “Werner Von Braun” was also great.
He did lots of great stuff!
Not to be confused with the late Jim Leher, one half of the famous news hosts “McNeil/Leher Report”. Back when PBS had a broader cultural reach.
So, Jim lerher collected buses? I never heard of anyone doing that. For one thing, they would take up a lot of space. Of course, I do know that collecting very elaborate Train Sets, tracks, blinking crossing arms and all, used to be a very common at home hobby for boys and men.
I can’t see that being done with Waymos.
97? My mom will be 99 in January. I hope this means we are all living longer, maybe!
As I have aged, my disrespect for this arrogant commie has increased.
She drowned her father in the creek
Sing rickety tickety tin
She drowned her father in the creek
The water tasted bad for a week
And we had to make do with gin.
Lots of Lehrer's humor was beyond my young ken, but I laughed anyway.
....”And Everyone Hates the Jews...”
Definitely one of a kind. RIP
The man was my hero. The only man whose work I considered worthy of memorizing. (Of course I can sing “The Elements”.) Today is a sad, sad day. And what makes it even more sad is that everything he said back then is just as relevant and true today as it was when he said it. A sad, sad day.
“So long, Mom. I’m off to drop the bomb, so don’t wait up for me.” 🎶🎵
Jabbed? Just getting the sarcasm in before someone tries to seriously as the question.
BMFL
My favorite, Nicolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky. The lyrics were incredibly difficult and super funny. It perfectly described academia.
Bios state that he was an avowed atheist.
If so, tragic.
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