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Tom Lehrer at 90: a life of scientific satire
- curuinor 9y agoNot an obituary, note this (I was very sad before clicking in)
- contravariant 9y agoYeah that's one scary way to start a headline.
- thallian 9y agoYeah, I only saw "Tom Lehrer" and "90" and that was my first sad thought then.
- MBCook 9y agoHonestly I had no idea he was still alive. I had always assumed he died a few decades ago.
- jacquesm 9y agoHe's alive and kicking: https://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/tom-lehrer?utm_term=.lem7An3Ea#.vs7ab6v9V https://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/tom-lehrer?utm_term=.lem7A...
- black6 9y agoThe liner notes from his three-disc anthology ask you to kindly pass rumors like that on to the IRS.
- ghaff 9y agoHe just gave the whole gig up and adamantly refused to be pulled out of musical retirement. A couple of times a group I was involved with back in school (long time ago) got a professor who knew him very well to try to get him to do a concert but no dice.
- ohjeez 9y agoSorry! I just used their headline and didn't add anything.
- curuinor 9y agoThat's the normative thing to do in HN, so it's their fault, basically
- Mediterraneo10 9y agoThere 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.
- jacquesm 9y agoIt's the epitome of evergreen, most political satire has no staying power at all, you'd have to be born into that time to get it, by contrast Tom Lehrer's stuff is as fresh as it was when he wrote it.
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 9y agoNational 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.
- jacquesm 9y agoBe grateful that it doesn't last all yeaaar....
- justin66 9y agoThe 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-national-brotherhood-week https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-21/whatever-became-natio...
- exolymph 9y agoOh my god that was an actual thing?
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 9y agoIt might actually be a thing in the future.
- cfadvan 9y agoTom 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 9y agoI was always partial to “Be Prepared.”
- MrMember 9y agoMy 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 9y agoI 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
- acqq 9y agoAnd to stay in the mood: the "uplifting end": "We Will All Go Together When We Go" and "So Long, Mom (A Song for World War III)" And since he wrote the "Who's next" the list did grow longer, I wasn't completely aware of, for example, "NATO nuclear weapons sharing states": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_with_nuclear_we... Designated nuclear weapon states: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States Other states with nuclear weapons: India, North Korea, Pakistan Presumed to have nuclear weapons: Israel NATO nuclear weapons sharing states: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey Formerly possessing nuclear weapons: Belarus, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Ukraine (Lehrer mentioned South Africa in the song). "(Mommy,) I'll look for you when the (WW III) war is over, an hour and a half from now!"
- andrepd 9y ago"MLF Lullaby" is another absolute gem.
- lb1lf 9y agoEee-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.
- jackpirate 9y agoDoes 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 9y agoTom 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.
- thallian 9y agoMani Matter comes close for me, if not in the delivery but definitely in the lyrics. But his songs are in Swiss German (Bernese actually), so not as accessible for as many people (and I also grew up with his songs so I might be a bit biased).
- jacquesm 9y agoI just listened to "I han es Zündhölzli azündt" I can't quite make out the lyrics though I get the general gist of it. It's not quite German, enough to see why it reminds you of Tom Lehrer, similar dry in delivery and self accompanied. Wished I understood it better.
- acqq 9y agoI've just found the common German translation: http://www.songtexte.com/uebersetzung/mani-matter/i-han-es-zundholzli-azundt-deutsch-3d6dd1f.html http://www.songtexte.com/uebersetzung/mani-matter/i-han-es-z...
- jacquesm 9y agoIt's a modern day version of the horseshoe story. I figured as much from listening to it, thank you for finding the words to the song, it's a lot easier to read than to hear for my non Swiss-German attuned ears.
- thirteenfingers 9y agoA 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 9y agoSome 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 9y agoI found his nuclear war songs (We all go together, So long mom) have become politically relevant again.
- doktrin 9y agoI 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"
- tomcam 9y agoI’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.
- kolpa 9y agoCapitol Steps still has something to contribute: http://www.capsteps.com/lirty/ http://www.capsteps.com/lirty/ http://www.capsteps.com/lirty/jaula.html http://www.capsteps.com/lirty/jaula.html
- ghaff 9y agoThere 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 9y agoCould you be thinking of Mark Russell? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Russell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Russell
- ghaff 9y agoYes. 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.
- jhbadger 9y agoIt's interesting that Russell himself is 85. I always saw him as "the next generation Lehrer", but he is actually the same generation.
- dekhn 9y agoI 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 9y agoEver 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 9y agoTBH I don't recall him making any political statements, or singing any songs during the class. Which was a real shame.
- archagon 9y agoWas 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 9y agoHe was fantastic. infectious enthusiasm.
- MichaelMoser123 9y agoFunny that Lehrer means teacher in German (and Yiddish)
- da02 9y agoDid he have any special teaching techniques that made learning ideas faster?
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- dtertman 9y agoIt turns out there was a reason, cows were out of season, and one of the hunters wasn't insured!
- dbg31415 9y agoIt'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/artsfeatures1 https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2000/jul/31/artsfeatures... === 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=RDQL6KgbrGSKQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL6KgbrGSKQ&list=RDQL6KgbrGS... * Tom Lehrer - Wernher von Braun - with intro - widescreen - YouTube || https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTKn1aSOyOs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTKn1aSOyOs
- OrganicMSG 9y agoWas 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
- stuartd 9y ago49 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.
- jmmcd 9y agoWell it's in the article.
- PeterMikhailov 9y ago> 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.
- zinckiwi 9y agoFor 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 9y agoI love Tim Minchin, but I see him as somewhat angrier in tone than Lehrer.
- GirlsCanCode 9y agoI don't think Lehrer would be in bed with terrorists, the way Tim Minchin is.
- Fej 9y agoWho's next?
- koala_man 9y agoHis 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 9y agoAnd that is exactly why he is one of my greatest idols, too.
- yantrams 9y agoDiscovered 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-smilga/ https://mirtitles.org/2013/04/30/in-the-search-for-beauty-sm...
- mark_l_watson 9y agoMy 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.
- PeterMikhailov 9y agoHere enjoy all of the live Tom Lehrer performances https://www.youtube.com/user/6funswede/videos https://www.youtube.com/user/6funswede/videos