Tom Lehrer: Masochism Tango
I spent a half-hour last night watching Tom Lehrer videos on YouTube. I knew his songs were great, but — while I think I’d seen a video of an older Lehrer doing 2-3 songs — I had never before seen the performances by the man in his prime.
Whether you’re familiar with his music or not, take a few moments and marvel at the panache with which he brings off this performance. Then follow the link to YouTube and watch some related videos on the right. If you’re like me, you’ll easily lose a half-hour or so watching a few in a row.
Well, I was having a very productive evening until you sicced me on the Tom Lehrer videos.
Comment by Fritz Burnell — 3/27/2008 @ 10:04 pm
I know the feeling, Fritz. I was having a very productive life until I started blogging.
Comment by DRJ — 3/27/2008 @ 10:05 pm
How funny. I just a friend a link to Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, via Wizbang, to celebrate the First Day of Spring.
Comment by Adriane — 3/27/2008 @ 10:22 pm
Well, DRJ, I’m sure there are number of folk who are most glad you are now leading a far less productive life!
Comment by Dana — 3/27/2008 @ 10:27 pm
Two of the best Lehrer songs in my book -
1. The Element Song (which helped me pass high school chemistry) where he sings through the name of every substance in the Periodic Table of Elements.
2. Hanukkah in Santa Monica. One of the best holiday songs out there (especially if you are a Jew who lives in Southern California).
Comment by Justin Levine — 3/28/2008 @ 12:42 am
I used to go to the Interlude on Sunset Blvd when I was in college to see him perform. His records were wildly popular (along with Red Foxx’s) at the time with college students (1957). He was a high school math teacher before his singing and comedy career took off.
Comment by Mike K — 3/28/2008 @ 5:21 am
I have acapella versions of this and poisoning pigeons in the park from Stanfords Fleet Street Singers. I love ‘em.
Comment by Dr T — 3/28/2008 @ 5:23 am
It’s been days since I was singing one of his songs: Silent E!! Electric Company songs are still the best.
Comment by MamaAJ — 3/28/2008 @ 5:48 am
You’ve got some great stuff on your site too, MamaAJ.
Comment by nk — 3/28/2008 @ 5:54 am
And who can forget “National Brotherhood Week:”
All the white folks hate the black folks
And the black folks hate the white folks.
All of my folks hate all of your folks,
And everybody hates the Jews!
Comment by dchamil — 3/28/2008 @ 6:50 am
There must have been something in the water at Harvard to give us Tom Lehrer & Timothy O’Leary at the same time.
Lehrer bio:http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/lehrer_tom/bio.jhtml
Comment by Another Drew — 3/28/2008 @ 9:16 am
There must have been something in the water at Harvard during the 50’s to give us Tom Lehrer, and Timothy Leary. At least, Tom was a positive contributor to our lives.
Comment by Another Drew — 3/28/2008 @ 10:17 am
I know it’s a bit passe’ nowadays what with the IRA being defunct, but I thought these were the lyrics for that section:
I think the section you quote ends with:
I grew up listening to Lehrer – but that was a long time ago, and I could be misremembering…
Comment by JSinAZ — 3/28/2008 @ 10:29 am
Lehrer is better than almost anyone now in the business; but my favorite of that area remains Anna Russell. Her “analysis” of Wagner’s Ring remains, fifty plus years later, one of the best comedy routines of all time.
You can see it here on Amazon
Comment by kishnevi — 3/28/2008 @ 10:55 am
Found her on You Tube
Comment by kishnevi — 3/28/2008 @ 1:19 pm
I loved Tom Lehrer when I was a kid — still did, actually, up until fairly recently.
But, as with so many entertainers (although it’s hard to think of him as one, given he’s been retired for decades), familiarity breeds contempt; the more you learn about what they believe, the more difficult it becomes to set that knowledge aside so you can enjoy their act.
In Lehrer’s case, his politics prove impossible for me to ignore.
For all his intelligence and wit, it turns out Lehrer is a Bush-hating moonbat; a believer in moral equivalence, incapable of discerning any difference between terrorists and their victims; and someone who fails to recognize the bravery of our astronauts, notwithstanding the politics-driven shortcomings of their spacecraft.
Unfortunately, his albums just don’t seem as funny, now that I know a little more about the man he’s become.
Comment by Mike Lief — 3/28/2008 @ 9:42 pm
Gal I use to know online tried to offend me with the Vatican Rag, once she found out I was a Catholic. (chip the size of a ship on her shoulder)
Horribly upset her when she found out I thought it was amazingly funny.
How about “send the Marines”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHhZF66C1Dc
Comment by Foxfier — 3/28/2008 @ 10:26 pm
I’ve been a Tom Lehrer fan since high school (late 60s) and a few years ago bought his CD compilation “The Remains of Tom Lehrer”. What’s really remarkable is how well his songs hold up some 40-50 years after he originally wrote them — and what an politically incorrect bite many of them have.
What’s great about the videos is watching his ability to sing and mug to the audience, all the while playing the piano with only a rare glance at the keyboard itself.
As far as his current politics, I couldn’t care less. If I based my entertainment on the entertainer’s political views, I’d watch/listen to even less than I do now. ..bruce..
Comment by bfwebster — 3/29/2008 @ 7:53 am
I actually saw Ton Lehrer live at the Hungry I in San Francisco in the ’50s. I had very much enjoyed his records (and I still do, but they are on CDs now) but I found his live performance to be quite wooden. The songs were just as they were on records, but there was no additional sparkle from the performance. I only saw him once, and maybe in subsequent years he developed a stage persona, but I suspect that he didn’t.
Comment by PLM — 3/29/2008 @ 9:17 am
bfwebster, #16…
I know this will date me terribly, but then, I am almost as old as Lehrer…
Perhaps Lehrer patterned his performance after Victor Borge?
Who knows?
Comment by Another Drew — 3/29/2008 @ 11:27 am
Another Drew,
This dates me, as well, but Victor Borge was one of my favorites.
Comment by DRJ — 3/29/2008 @ 11:45 am
“Poisoning pigeons in the park” indeed…would the fact that these clips are available also mean that “That Was the Week That Was” is out on DVD?
Comment by Steve Smith — 3/30/2008 @ 7:50 pm