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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   2664 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for July 25, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Did anyone parent's play Tom Lehrer in the house growing up? I just read that he passed away at 97.

Weirdly, despite my dad being a pretty devout Catholic, he was a big fan of The Vatican Rag. I remember him singing it on more than one occasion.

Learned of him from HPMOR. Feels similar to Timur Shaov (but not as mean). National Brotherhood Week and The Masochism Tango stand out.

Not parents, but a friend introduced me to his genius. The Vatican Rag would have been scandalous when it came out but it was also packed with great lyrics and incredible rhymes. But I will always have twin soft spots for Poisoning Pigeons in the Park and Lobachevsky.

I liked National Brotherhood Week.

I happened on this performance good decade ago now, and been a fan since. Hard to choose a favorite, maybe Lobachevsky and Smut (love the "For filth (I'm glad to say) is in the mind of the beholder" line). Not surprised at your dad at all, I normally would not be a fan, his heritage and subversive themes, but the songs are too consistently catchy and funny not to override my bias completely.

What heritage?

Jewish, but I don't know exactly what he means by "subversive". Protestants were saying much worse things about Catholics in the 60s, and in any case, all the Catholics I know have laughed along with the song.

But yes, Smut is so good.

He was Jewish, I'm positive.

Why would his being Jewish prevent you from being a fan?

Listening to his dunking on Wernher von Braun was enough for me to know he's a shithead.

Well, hate for Wernher von Braun is a thing of its time. It's not quite "you had to be there", because if you were right there you didn't live long enough to hate, but maybe "you had to get news from outside the blast radius of there"? Even non-shitheads can become somewhat hostile after word gets out that "half off at Woolworth's" might now mean the other halves of the babies were still in their prams.

I am prejudiced against jews, for well covered , mundane rightoid reasons, my grandfather being a pretty devoted 'antisemite' about the only notable one. And so I am less likely to be open to Jewish singers.

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