#tom lehrer

[dunderbread]

finally. it's over. tom lehrer can live in peace.

[chungledown-bimothy]

I cannot overstate how much I love Tom Lehrer's story. It sounds so fake but is entirely real.

He's a goddamn genius- he started studying mathematics at Harvard when he was 15 and graduated magna cum laude. He worked at Los Alamos for a few years before being drafted and working for the NSA, where he claims to have invented jello shots to get around alcohol bans.

He then went back to Harvard for a couple years before starting to teach political science at MIT.

Through all of that, he was writing and performing both some of the funniest shit you'll ever hear (Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, Masochism Tango) and absolutely scathing political satire (Who's Next, Wernher von Braun, Send the Marines). Until the mid/late 60s counterculture gained momentum. He didn't like their aesthetic, so he stopped making music.

Shortly after, he moved to California and started teaching math and musical theater history at UC Santa Cruz for the next 30 years.

I don't know if non-Californians understand just how goddamn funny that is. It's where stoners and math (and now computer science) kids who couldn't get into Berkeley go. Leaving Harvard/MIT for UCSC is peak academic phoning it in. And by all accounts he had a blast.

Plus the whole putting all of his music in the public domain thing. That fucked.

[writernotwaiting]

Fearing such hits as “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “National Brotherhood Week,” “The Masochism Tango,” “The Element Song,” “Be Prepared,” and “Lobachevsky”

[dailyhistoryposts]

"Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel peace prize."

-American singer-songwriter, satirist, and mathematician Tom Lehrer

[iamanathemadevice]

Tom Lehrer puts all his songs into the public domain

Apparently also his website will shut down "at some date in the not too distant future" so now's a good time to download directly.

"In short, I no longer retain any rights to any of my songs. So help yourselves, and don’t send me any money."

https://tomlehrersongs.com/

Source.

If you don’t know Tom Lehrer, you really, really should, no matter how old you are! Here’s one of my favourites - Werner von Braun:

[justsomeguy-cassavetes]

[dykeseesgod]

WHO CHEERED

[biggusdichuss]

Great music by Tom Lehrer

[60s-music-tourney]

[massachusetts-official]

You should listen to "The Subway Song" by Tom Lehrer

Tom Lehrer is a Massachusetts treasure. If anyone knows of a recording of the man himself singing The Subway Song, let me know, it was such an early song he wrote that finding him singing it is taking more than a cursory search online.

Edit: thank you to @nonelvis for finding a link: https://youtu.be/goJ0QIaXZ-w?si=b7vzthHI1lyZm1fu

https://tomlehrersongs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/the-subway-song.pdf

[oldshowbiz]

1953.

Orson Bean meets Tom Lehrer.

[kiyrian]

I think i might be into something. just don't ask me what

[billboard-hotties-tourney]

Barry Gibb (1946-) Bee Gees - vocals, rhythm guitar Songs: "Night Fever," "To Love Somebody" Propaganda: none

Tom Lehrer (1928-) solo Songs: "The Elements," "The Old Dope Peddler" Propaganda: "What's hotter than comedy and satire? Putting it to music and playing and singing it yourself."

[dilfsuzanneyk]

what do you mean the masochism tango by tom lehrer isn't romantic

[foone]

DNI if you:

Got it from Agnes

Got it from Jim

Got it from Louise (we all agree)

Got it from Harry

Got it from Marie

Got it from me (everybody knows!)

Got it from Daphne

Got it from Joan (who picked it up in County Cork, a-kissing the Blarney Stone)

Gave it to Sheila

Got it from Francois and Jacques (a-ha! Lucky Pierre)

Got it from Edith (who gets it every spring)

Got it from your Daddy (who just gives you everything)

Gave it to Daniel (whose spaniel has it now)

Your dentist even got it (and we're still wondering how?)

Got it from Agnes

Or maybe it was sue?

Or Millie

Or Billie

Or Gillie

Or Willy (IT DOESN'T MATTER WHO!)

Got it at the club

Or at the pub

Or in the loo

And fair warning, before you follow, if you will be my friend, then I might (mind you, I said "might"!) give it to you!