h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Tom Lehrer - Satirical Singer-Songwriter - A891650
Author: Ormondroyd (42) - U95721

A long-overdue tribute to the shy mathematics lecturer who wrote some of the most viciously funny songs ever.

Marvellous stuff! TL was (and presumably still is) one of the sharpest tools in the box. I think he said something along the lines of 'Satire died the day that Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize'. Also, his appeal also came from the wonderful corncrake singing voice he had.
One thing that always struck me about his stuff was that he was rather left-leaning, and it was a very dangerous time to be a lefty in America.
No one was safe: 'Be Prepared' took the p**s out of the Scouting movement. 'The Irish Ballad' did for the romantic folk song. 'My Home Town' was probably the inspiration for Royston Vasey.

Love it, Ormy! Tom Lehrer is one of the greats!

I thought he'd quit performing because Reagen got elected (for much the same reason as you give for Kissinger getting the Nobel Prize). Interesting. (He could, of course, have quit for both reasons.)

Oh, this is excellent stuff Nobody could make a rhyme like Tom Lehrer And I reckon you've done him proud here Ormy

Thank you! I really am delighted that you all enjoyed the entry so much.

Felonious, the bit about TL quitting music because of Henry Kissinger getting the Nobel Peace Prize is mentioned towards the end of the 'TV Times' section. There's a link there to a BBC profile of Kissinger that actually mentions Lehrer in the opening line - something that I suspect would please TL no end! I have also brought Mr Lehrer's politics out a little more by mentioning that he appeared at a few benefits for left-of-centre causes after he retired from playing concerts in 1967.

Now you come to mention it, ZSF, I seem to remember reading about TL saying that he'd quit because of Reagan, but various online sources I've looked at all go for the Kissinger explanation, and one of them has a Lehrer quote supporting that version of events. Of course, TL could have given different 'reasons' to different interviewers, especially since he seems to have 'retired' several times!

I was looking at his discography, and apparently one of his songs has a reference to the (completely harmless) Andrew Wiles, which has since been edited out. What on earth did he say?

Interesting...The song to which you refer is 'That's Mathematics', which he wrote in 1993 to celebrate the solving of Fermat's Last Theorem. I've never heard an edited version, though.

The offending verse runs as follows:

"Andrew Wiles gently smiles,
Does his thing, and voila!
Q.E.D., we agree,
And we all shout hurrah!
As he confirms what Fermat
Jotted down in that margin,
Which could've used some enlargin'"

B

Perhaps it was because Wiles got it wrong the first time round, and TL would have had to write another verse while finding rhymes for Kolyvagin-Flach and Iwasawa. Still, if anyone could have done it, it would have been him.

Nice one! Very well written too!

Brill ! Love it. You mentioned 'The Old Drug Peddlar' - Lehrer changed his intro to this song, saying that when he wrote it everyone laughed, but now it has a slightly darker meaning because drugs are no longer the recreational chemicals of the 60's - which puts a far darker light on the "When the shades of night are falling, etc" from the song. Viewed in a modern light its quite creepy.

I have now expanded the 'TV Times' section to include a bit about how TL wrote more explicitly political songs in the 1960s. I've quoted some lines fron 'Wernher Von Braun' to illustrate the point.

I have now expanded the 'TV Times' section to include a bit about how TL wrote more explicitly political songs in the 1960s. I've quoted some lines fron 'Wernher Von Braun' to illustrate the point.

It's looking *really* good. Pity I don't have any picks pending!

For might makes right,
And till they've seen the light,
They've got to be protected,
All their rights respected,
Till somebody we like can be elected.

Rather prophetic for a song written in the early 60s

Sorry about my double post back there!

Anyway, thanks for your kind comments, .

Gosho, I heartily agree. So much so that I've added a line about how some might find those lyrics you quoted powerfully resonant today.

Hurrah to article! Useful background to those familiar with the work and tantalising enough to trap the uninitiated...

About the Old Dope Peddler, he did say on 'Evening Wasted With' that nobody knew how to react to it originally, even; laughter or uncomfortable silence? only a minority considered drugs flippant at that time, to society in general they were an unbelievable menace haunted by gross scaremongering. Whereas now we are far better informed, and I think less paranoid.

Less paranoid? What do you mean by that? You hate the article really, don't you? You can't fool me!

Shush, or I'll tell everyone what you got from Agnes.