While thinking of a song for "the funniest....." thread, I started chuckling, just remembering the work of Tom Lehrer. He's often talked about in the same breath with Mark Russell, a current political satirist...but they're on different planets!

Tom took some absolutely wicked shots at virtually every subject, and his wit and skill with language holds up brilliantly some 40 years after he wrote most of them. Russell (although probably a nice fellow) uses a similar piano accompaniement style (Broadway/ragtime/cabaret) and has similar vocal characteristics, but his material strikes me as really unimaginative, and definitely less pointed than Tom's. Bottom line is that I bet Russel gets invited to a lot of Washington parties....and Tom Lehrer would have been much too dangerous. (although I'm sure a lot of his subjects laughed their fool heads off privately.....other than Werner Von Braun, and Hubert Humphrey!)

Do you remember "The Elements" (to the tune of "Modern Major General")?

How about "National Brotherhood Week"?

I used to sing "The Folk song Army". Do you remember the lines:

"Remember the war against Franco? A Place where each of us belongs.

They may have won all the battles.....but WE had all the good songs"!

And how about his trad epic, "An Irish Ballad"?

My Goodness that man could write. I doubt if there are any of his songs that wouldn't still work today. And don't forget the stir he caused with "The Vatican Rag"!

Rick