American music satiler Tom Lerer dies at 97, US report

American musician and satirist Tom Lerer died at the age of 97, according to reports in the United States.

Lehrer, trained by Harvard mathematician, writes gloomy humorous songs, often with political connotations that became popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

Modern comedians like the strange Al Yankovic have said they were influenced by Lerer’s work.

His death was confirmed to The New York Times by David Herder, friend.

Born in Manhattan in 1928, Lehrer is a classic trained pianist. But despite his musical success, he spends the greater part of his life in the course of academic circles.

His teaching posts included spells at the University of Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute (MIT) and the University of California.

He graduated early the Loomis Chaffe School in Connecticut, according to The New York Times, and then went to Harvard, where he was involved in mathematics and received a bachelor’s degree in 1946 at the age of 18. He graduated from a master’s degree and also pursued a Doctor at Columbia University, who has never graduated.

He started writing texts while he was in Harvard to entertain friends.

Lehrer’s most durable songs include Elements, a list of chemical elements set to the tune of the I Am Pary of Modern General by The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Comic Opera of Sullivan.

Other favorites of fans include Masochism Tango, in which the singer praises the violent passions of her beloved with the lyrics: “I’m afraid to touch your lips, expensive / but much more about touching your blows, honey …”

He was known for his grimly comic ballads, including the Necrofilian epic, who held your hand in mine, I received it from Agnes – where he sang for the transmission of a venereal disease – and poisoning the pigeons in the park, which described in detail the appetite of the birds for “peanuts covered with cyanide.”

In 1953, he released songs to Tom Lerer, a record that was sold during the publication. This has become a mouth to mouth and sold approximately half a million copies. BBC has banned most songs from next year.

After the success of the album, Lehrer began playing at nightclubs in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and events for anti -war and left -wing groups.

He wrote songs about the American edition of The Satirical British Show, which was the week it was, which was made on an album in 1965.

The highly controversial Vatican rag, a Catholic anthem placed in Ragtime, who made fun of the church, was presented among other songs that condemned nuclear weapons.

The most remarkable thing was that we will all go together when we go, which included the texts “Oh, we will all fry together when we fry / be French fried potatoes from and back / there will be no more misfortune / when the world is our rotary / yes, we will all fry together when we fry.”

He wrote about the educational children’s show of the 70s of the last century, the electricity company, and in 1980 his songs enjoyed the Revival when the theater producer Cameron Makintosh organized the music review “Tomfoolery” with his participation.

He also taught courses in mathematics and Music Theater at the University of California from 1972 to 2001, according to the New York Times.

In 2020, Lehrer put his / her songwriting songs in the public space, allowing everyone to perform, record or interpret their work for free. He also gave up all rights to his records.

In a statement on his website at that time, he wrote: “In short, I no longer reserve any rights to any of my songs. So help yourself and don’t send me money.”

He also warned that the website would be “closed on some date in the not too distant future”. The website was still live at the time of writing.