" but not when it came to being funny, or effectively satirical."
Hmmmm..
Depends on your sense of humour I suppose, and in some cases, whether his satire goes against your particular grain
Legal, Illegal - Nation of Animal Lovers - Ivor - China Me Old China - White Tornado - Tall and Proud - Yankee Doodle - Banks they are Rosy - Parliamentary Polka - Cut Price Hero - In Place of Strife.... all hit the mark for me, or else they did when I first heard them and there's plenty more where they came from.
He didn't write 'funny' songs, but the satire could cut your legs off.
The year before I moved to London I was working in their home while the Festival of Fools was being performed
In the evenings I went in to see the Festival and meet the Group and some of the people who turned up.
Night after night I watched audiences curl up during the "Greet Grootingbrit" scene, a satire on British and American imperialism - not a song but a solo recitation - I never saw it bettered , before or since.
He wasn't known particularly for his humourous songs, and occasionally they could be heavy handed, but no humour - you must be talking about someone I didn't know,
Jim Carroll