Lehrer came to prominence as a musical satirist through writing comic songs to entertain his college friends. Through word of mouth he developed a considerable following and by the late 50s embarked on a series of concert tours. This was followed by a spell of writing for the US version of That Was The Week That Was.
Tom Lehrer retired from the world of entertainment in the early 70s, concentrating instead on an academic career, lecturing in Mathematics and Musical Theatre. It was rumoured that his retirement was a protest at the award to Henry Kissinger of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973. Lehrer denies this but he did comment that awarding the prize to Kissinger had made political satire obsolete.
Lehrer has always attracted a cult following. Despite a short musical career that ended nearly 40 years ago, his work is still revered by many today. Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe cited Lehrer as, "the cleverest and funniest man of the 20th Century", adding that he was his hero. He even performed one of Lehrer's best known songs, The Elements, on The Graham Norton Show.
Lehrer has said of his musical career, "If, after hearing my songs, 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." Here he is doing, The Vatican Rag.
| Today's run at 08:33 | |||
| Distance | 4.01 km | Time | 22:29 |
| Pace | 5:36 min/km | Cadence | 81 spm |
| Comments: Frosty and clear. | |||
just watching all his stuff on you tube, "brigit bardot playing part of hypoteneuse"
ReplyDeletegenius
He's a legend.
ReplyDelete