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Tom Lehrer RIP

(44 Posts)
CountessFosco Mon 28-Jul-25 11:55:29

Absolute genius and oh so amusing. Bit naughty too, but he entertained millions who still quote his wonderful songs today. Thinking ..... The Elements. Articulation and enunciation simply brilliant. RIP

Grantanow Mon 28-Jul-25 11:59:28

RIP. A truly great satirical.

Grammaretto Mon 28-Jul-25 12:17:10

He was so clever and very funny.
Songs like Pollution are still very relevant toda, unfortunately.

The Vatican Rag springs to mind. 😂

Grandma70s Mon 28-Jul-25 12:30:49

How we adored him in the 60s! Clever. unassuming. Very funny. Much American entertainment tended to be low quality, but he was very different.

silverlining48 Mon 28-Jul-25 12:34:23

Yes he was amusing. He was 97 I believe, RIP.

Witzend Mon 28-Jul-25 12:41:59

Back in the Dark Ages, my elder sister had an LP of his hilarious songs. What possibly tickled me even more, though, was what was printed on the back of the sleeve: ‘To clean record, use a fairly dry Martini.’ 😂

CountessFosco Mon 28-Jul-25 13:20:08

He graduated from Harvard aged only 19 - not many people manage that feat

Iam64 Mon 28-Jul-25 13:25:34

He was so funny and clever. We lack the like of him now

M0nica Mon 28-Jul-25 14:26:17

He was viciously funny with a laser wit that cut to the core.

Magenta8 Mon 28-Jul-25 14:50:13

He had a special brand of black humour. I remember laughing out loud at "Poisoning the Pigeons in the Park" and then thinking I shouldn't have.

watermeadow Mon 28-Jul-25 19:11:59

I loved him, so clever and so funny. He was the sound track of my youth, along with Joan Baez.

Magenta8 Tue 29-Jul-25 12:38:59

Two legends from my childhood gone in one week. RIP tom and Cleo.

missdeke Tue 29-Jul-25 13:52:26

I honestly cannot remember him at all. I don't know why, I just had a listen on Youtube and it rings no bells at all.

Gogo84 Tue 29-Jul-25 14:22:43

I too had a recording of his songs. So clever and irreverent. Many favourites but the one which springs to mind " I hold your hand in mine dear, I press it to my lips, I take a healthy bite from your dainty fingertips.......until they come to get me I'll hold your hand in mine" Really! Gruesome but all the verses funny.

Suzieque66 Tue 29-Jul-25 14:31:32

I just love the. Vatican Rag ...

WithNobsOnIt Tue 29-Jul-25 14:50:46

Iam64

He was so funny and clever. We lack the like of him now

He belonged to the American Elite if Satirists like Mort Sahl.

Hugely intelligent.

Great loss

Oreo Tue 29-Jul-25 15:09:23

Gogo84

I too had a recording of his songs. So clever and irreverent. Many favourites but the one which springs to mind " I hold your hand in mine dear, I press it to my lips, I take a healthy bite from your dainty fingertips.......until they come to get me I'll hold your hand in mine" Really! Gruesome but all the verses funny.

Tbh I think some of his stuff was somewhat stomach churning.
That song goes on, ‘I don’t know why I do it, or why you had to die, as every time I do it I get bloodstains on my tie’.
I prefer the Alan Sherman songs, remember Camp Granada?

Allira Tue 29-Jul-25 15:51:41

I played one of his songs on YouTube a couple of weeks ago.

'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park'
Not as it sounds, it was written when Brooklyn Council (I think) proposed doing just that!

RIP Tom Lehrer, Genius.
You will be missed but not forgotten.

Allira Tue 29-Jul-25 15:53:21

Magenta8

He had a special brand of black humour. I remember laughing out loud at "Poisoning the Pigeons in the Park" and then thinking I shouldn't have.

Oh, looking at our garden I often remember that song and at 5am this morning I was tempted 😁

Mojack26 Tue 29-Jul-25 16:20:53

Who? Never heard of him

Granmarderby10 Tue 29-Jul-25 16:56:07

Oreo 🎶 “Hello Mudda Hello Fadda” 🎶

Deedaa Tue 29-Jul-25 16:56:24

My parents and I loved him. So clever and so funny. Of course these days the Elements song would have to be rather longer, with all the weird ones they keep creating.

Aveline Tue 29-Jul-25 17:08:54

From the liner notes to An Evening Wasted With Tom Lehrer, "If, after hearing my songs," he says, wistfully, "just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps to strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while."

cc Tue 29-Jul-25 17:35:33

I don’t think he went on with his recordings after the first, he became a professor of Maths for all his working life. Can you imagine what an amazing and entertaining teacher he would have been?

Mollygo Tue 29-Jul-25 17:40:49

Magenta8

He had a special brand of black humour. I remember laughing out loud at "Poisoning the Pigeons in the Park" and then thinking I shouldn't have.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=yhuMLpdnOjY
I thought of that a few weeks ago.