Today is Tom Lehrer’s 80th birthday, and yes, he’s still alive. I posted a video from him several days ago, but thought I’d celebrate the occasion with another of his classics that has eerily remained relevant more than 40 years after it was written (the text inserted briefly in the middle of the video was not from Lehrer).
Edgy, cynical and more than a little liberal, Lehrer still had a gift for sticking his needle right in your funny bone. Despite his television exposure in the 1960s, he ultimately chose a lower profile in academia. In an interview he once said he would have gone crazy touring and doing the same songs every night. Besides, he said, “Political satire became obsolete when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Happy birthday to one of the greats!
He is fantastic and it’s great to see these again. As a good Catholic boy, I’m partial to the Vatican Rag myself. “Ave Maria, gee it’s good to see ya.” What’s not to love?
“Then the guy who’s got religion’ll tell you if your sin’s original….”