
Tom Lehrer at 90: a life of scientific satire - ohjeez
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-03922-x
======
thirteenfingers
A year and a half ago, an actor-singer friend of mine and I decided to give a
concert of our personal favorite Tom Lehrer songs. Turnout was tremendous. The
bulk of the audience was of that age where they would have been in high school
or college when they first heard him, but there were plenty of older and
younger people too. It's fantastic how his songs continue to resonate with
people after so long.

The problem with performing Tom Lehrer's music nowadays is that your potential
audience basically falls into two groups: those that know about Tom Lehrer,
and know all the intros and lyrics by heart already, so they don't laugh quite
as much anymore; and those who don't know about Tom Lehrer and don't get his
humor.

~~~
ghaff
Some of the humor is pretty timeless. But there's a lot where the political
references will either make no sense at all or they're just not as funny
absent the context of the time.

~~~
IIAOPSW
I found his nuclear war songs (We all go together, So long mom) have become
politically relevant again.

~~~
doktrin
I learned about Tom Lehrer through my parents, and lacked some of the context
necessary to really enjoy some of his songs like MLF lullaby, whatever became
of hubert, Alma, poisoning pidgeons in the park, etc - all of which deal with
historical figures or events that have largely faded from public
consciousness.

Hence, the songs I enjoyed as a child were ones that felt relatable and
applicable at the time - and those (unfortunately?) still feel broadly
relevant today :

"Who's next?" \- nuclear proliferation

"Send the marines" \- US military intervention

"national brotherhood week" \- race relations

"pollution"

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dekhn
I had Tom Lehrer as a math professor in college (he taught 'Nature of Math' at
UCSC). It was fun, and the birthday paradox was an extra credit problem. I
basically took the course because as a kid I had listened to New Math and
really wanted to hear more.

~~~
da02
Ever saw that episode of "Hazel" that also made fun of "New Math"?

Would you happen to know what his thoughts were on the Cold War and the space
race?

~~~
dekhn
TBH I don't recall him making any political statements, or singing any songs
during the class. Which was a real shame.

~~~
archagon
Was he a good teacher? I’ve enjoyed his witty banter between songs and always
wondered how he’d be in front of a whiteboard.

~~~
dekhn
He was fantastic. infectious enthusiasm.

~~~
MichaelMoser123
Funny that Lehrer means teacher in German (and Yiddish)

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tomcam
I’m his political opposite but find his body of work some of the most
astounding I’ve ever heard. His melodies are timeless. He’s a near virtuoso on
piano-if you take away the words, which are easily the best satirical lyrics
in the English language-you will still have a great deal to enjoy. It is
because of him that I simply can’t enjoy acts like the Capitol Steps or Owen
Benjamin. Tom Lehrer simply said it all better six decades ago.

~~~
ghaff
There also used to be a show on PBS--someone Baker maybe? Too common a name
and too long ago for the Google to ferret it out. Very much in the Tom Lehrer
vein but with very occasional exceptions, just not in the same class.

~~~
patpending
Could you be thinking of Mark Russell?

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Russell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Russell)

~~~
ghaff
Yes. Not sure where Baker came from other than both being fairly common names.
He could be pretty funny and I remember watching him fairly regularly. As far
as I can tell, he doesn't seem to have ever gotten around to publishing a
"best of" collection (which I would buy) although there are mentions of plans
here and there.

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Mediterraneo10
There is not much pop culture from the 1950s that is just as fresh today as
then, but Lehrer’s work is remarkable for its staying power.

~~~
0xdeadbeefbabe
National brotherhood week is a good example:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgASBVMyVFI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgASBVMyVFI)

You don't need to know any history, but it probably helps if you went to a
public school or had siblings.

~~~
justin66
The great thing about the song is, it works well as a satire of a completely
plausible, well-intentioned but absurd event whether or not you're aware of
the historic National Brotherhood Week.

[https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-21/whatever-became-
natio...](https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-21/whatever-became-national-
brotherhood-week)

~~~
exolymph
Oh my god that was an actual thing?

~~~
0xdeadbeefbabe
It might actually be a thing in the future.

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koala_man
His songs are fantastic. My favorite line is the bleak description of
graduation: "soon we'll be out amid the cold world's strife / soon we'll be
sliding down the razor blade of life".

However, the thing that I love the most is how he chose to live his life.

He didn't go on long tours, stay up all night to try to finish the next album,
try to put his math skills to use on wall street, or otherwise chase wealth
and fame.

He turned it all down to do what he enjoyed the most: faffing about with his
hobbies, teaching math, and writing clever songs when he felt like it.

~~~
KozmoNau7
And that is exactly why he is one of my greatest idols, too.

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cfadvan
Tom Lehrer is funny as hell, and his Elements Song is genuinely useful as an
educational tool. Werner Von Braun is hysterical, MLF Lullaby is too (and
scary), and Poisoning Pigeons In The Park still makes me cry laughing. Some of
his life performances are up on YouTube, and I can’t recommend them enough!

~~~
ChristianGeek
I was always partial to “Be Prepared.”

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MrMember
My favorite Tom Lehrer song is probably New Math.

[https://youtube.com/watch?v=UIKGV2cTgqA](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UIKGV2cTgqA)

With its clever lyrics and rapid fire delivery it sounds like it could have
come out last year and not fifty years ago.

~~~
pizza
I love his song "Who's Next?", about nuclear war: especially how it starts and
ends, haha

> _First we got the bomb and that was good_

> _Cause we love peace and motherhood_

> _Then Russia got the bomb, but that 's O.K_

> _Cause the balance of power 's maintained that way!_

...

> ... _We 'll try to stay serene and calm_

> _When Alabama gets the bomb!_

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRLON3ddZIw)

~~~
lb1lf
Eee-eegypt wants to get one, too - just to use on you-know-who.

So Israel’s getting one for self defense - «The Lord’s our shepherd, says the
psalm - but just in case - we’d better get a bomb!»

Tom Lehrer still makes me laugh until I cry after more than twenty years of
exposure.

~~~
shimon
This is probably my favorite line in all of Tom Lehrer's work. It's so sharp,
the rhyme is surprising but phonetically perfect. And it's delivered right at
the most musically interesting part of the song. I probably laughed for
minutes the first several times I heard the song.

~~~
lb1lf
Speaking of rhyme, I mutilated it, didn’t I? It should be «So Israel’s getting
tense, wants one for self defense...»

I haven’t listened to that song in months; think I’ll put it on now. (My
absolute Lehrer favourite, together with Wernher von Braun, National
Brotherhood Week and New Math)

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dbg31415
It's been a consistent of my life, every good friend I've had already knows
all the words to all the Tom Lehrer songs. And enjoys singing them while
drunk.

My parents... who are only slightly younger than Tom Lehrer... think he speaks
too fast, think he's too disrespectful, or just don't get the humor. I get
that he was successful -- but I think classic example of someone born a little
too soon.

Anyway, if someone could put Tom Lehrer and Stephen Colbert together for an
interview I'd be pretty happy.

===

Good atricle from 2000.

* 'When Kissinger won the Nobel peace prize, satire died' | Global | The Guardian || [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/jul/31/artsfeatures...](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/jul/31/artsfeatures1)

===

Some of my favorite songs... but you can't go wrong, and they're all on
YouTube.

* Tom Lehrer: Smut (concert live) (1965) - YouTube || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jARdWfJulo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jARdWfJulo)

* Tom Lehrer: Alma (concert live) (1965) - YouTube || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6KgbrGSKQ&list=RDQL6KgbrGS...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6KgbrGSKQ&list=RDQL6KgbrGSKQ)

* Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun - with intro - widescreen - YouTube || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTKn1aSOyOs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTKn1aSOyOs)

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zinckiwi
For those fans of Lehrer's political satire, may I mention someone I regard as
his spiritual successor in some ways, Tim Minchin, and his Peace Anthem for
Palestine:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UO6YlkYNJQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UO6YlkYNJQ)

~~~
AceJohnny2
I love Tim Minchin, but I see him as somewhat angrier in tone than Lehrer.

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OrganicMSG
Was listening to "I got it From Agnes" just the other day -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qFG0uop9k](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qFG0uop9k)

That aspect of his humour however seems noticeably absent from this article.
You'd have thought "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" would at least get a
mention -
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY)

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stuartd
49 comments without mention of Lobachevsky?

And who deserves the credit? And who deserves the blame? Nikolai Ivanovitch
Lobachevsky is his name!

I have lots of TL on an old disk, but this is the one I still listen to. A
good primer on Russian cities as well as a hilarious, brilliant and pithy
song.

~~~
PeterMikhailov
> And who deserves the credit? And who deserves the blame? Nikolai Ivanovitch
> Lobachevsky is his name!

It's a song about plagiarism... and it's all ripped off I mean borrowed from a
Danny Kaye routine. Many levels.

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mark_l_watson
My Dad used to see Tom Lehrer perform in San Francisco when I was a kid and
had all of his records. My older brother and I loved them. Sliding down the
razor blade of life, ouch!

I was surprised to read in the article that my Dad's old friend Lou Branscomb
performed with Tom Lehrer.

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jackpirate
Does anyone know of any similar artists who sing in Spanish? I've been trying
to practice my Spanish lately, and it would be awesome to do that while
listening to someone similar to Tom Lehrer.

~~~
jacquesm
Tom Lehrer is pretty unique, I'm not aware of anybody in any other language
that even comes close to the cutting edge of his wit and the quality of the
delivery. What's really surprising is how small the body of his public work is
given the recognition of his name. That's a pretty good indication of the
level of quality.

~~~
loevborg
Gerhard Kreisler, who sings in German, is from the same time and every bit as
witty and creative musically.

In a weird turn of events, when he lived in the U.S. Kreisler must have
crossed paths with Lehrer, as they both became famous for a waltz with the
same title — Kreisler's "Tauben vergriften" and Lehrer's "Poisoning pigeons in
the park". It's not clear who copied from whom.

~~~
jacquesm
You'd think that if Kreisler was the one visiting the US he must have seen
Lehrer perform in English rather than that Kreisler would have been visited by
Lehrer to see him perform in German?

That said, given his last name it is very well possible that Lehrer visited
Germany and that he speaks/understands German.

Interesting!

Edit: Looking some more it seems that Lehrer's version is from 59 and
Kreisler's from 63.

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yantrams
Discovered his works in college while rummaging the internet for the book 'In
Search of Beauty' on Non Euclidean Geometry. The Lobachevsky song is one the
funniest songs I ever heard.

Link to the book for anyone looking for a light hearted reading on the history
of Non Euclidean Geometry [https://mirtitles.org/2013/04/30/in-the-search-for-
beauty-sm...](https://mirtitles.org/2013/04/30/in-the-search-for-beauty-
smilga/)

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PeterMikhailov
Here enjoy all of the live Tom Lehrer performances

[https://www.youtube.com/user/6funswede/videos](https://www.youtube.com/user/6funswede/videos)

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dtertman
It turns out there was a reason, cows were out of season, and one of the
hunters wasn't insured!

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Fej
Who's next?

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curuinor
Not an obituary, note this

(I was very sad before clicking in)

~~~
MBCook
Honestly I had no idea he was still alive. I had always assumed he died a few
decades ago.

~~~
black6
The liner notes from his three-disc anthology ask you to kindly pass rumors
like that on to the IRS.

