The Sound Board

Sadly Tom Lehrer died two days ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/ ... l-satirist

He had such a sharp critical mind. Never one for cheap laughs, his punchlines always made you pause and think.

Linos wrote: ↑Jul 28, 2025 5:01 am Sadly Tom Lehrer died two days ago:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/ ... l-satirist

He had such a sharp critical mind. Never one for cheap laughs, his punchlines always made you pause and think.

I loved Tom Lehrer’s songs, always clever and incisive. Not a half bad pianist either. RIP.

It’s satisfying to see other Tom Lehrer fans here.

My dad, who like Lehrer was also a mathematician, and I used to bond over Lehrer’s music, back in the 60s and 70s. We even named our family dog Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky (“Nicky,” for short) after Lehrer’s song “Lobachevsky.”

It was That Was the Year That Was that reached #18 on the charts and made my friends aware of Lehrer’s work, with lyrical gems like “Hooray for new math … so very simple that only a child can do it” and “Fish gotta swim and birds gotta fly, but they don't last long if they try.”

I’m grateful that Lehrer had a long life, but I’m still sad to see him go. My dad passed away a couple of years ago, and Lehrer’s departure makes me miss him all the more.

Thanks for the memories; and RIP, Tom Lehrer.

Best,

Geoff