Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?

Subject: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: Cool Beans
Date: 16 Apr 09 - 11:07 AM

They're playing in my area this weekend. Are they worth seeing in 2009?

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: GUEST,TJ in San Diego
Date: 16 Apr 09 - 01:56 PM

Tommy is still doing his "Yo-Yo Man" routine. They may have cut their schedules back some. They seem to play the Tahoe - Las Vegas circuit a lot. I used to sell wine for Dick and for the late Pat Paulsen (whose ghost ran for President in the last election). I haven't talked with Dick in years, but I see ads for their shows from time to time.

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 07:42 PM

I just saw a video. Yes I know they have retired, and the video is not new either but it is from 2007, which is not as long ago as that.

Dick Smothers introduces Tom Smother's solo, in the middle of their live performance. They are said to be in Las Vegas where this video was filmed. After Dick steps to one side,

Tom Smothers sings a tune, authored by Bret Martin, called
Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend?

Has anyone else seen this video? (I am no good with blue clicky links.)

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 07:59 PM

Dear Keborxu,

Nice to see you at mudcat cafe.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

A little more riper...a little more stale, a little more putrid ...and the stamp would have been applied.

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 08:04 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZEjxwsT7ak

There's the link.

Subject: ADD: Who Do I Have to Hate to Be Your Friend?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 08:22 PM

The Smothers Brothers Website has a page dated 2011 that says they are no longer touring. Lake Tahoe is just up the hill from me, and I sometimes thought of going to a performance. Never did.

Here's a 2007 performance of Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend? from a Las Vegas show.

Who Do I Have to Hate to Be Your Friend?
(Bret Martin)

Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?

Hello Mother, alone, we regret to inform you
That someone you love is not coming home.
Charles and Maggie, Thomas and Stephen,
Body for body, we call it "getting even."
Ahmed, Mohammed, David and Abdul,
Along with Jameela, won't make it to school.
Boaz and Leah, Jonas and Chavez are carried away.
Tell me which ones to grieve and which ones to celebrate.

Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?

Rage, like poison, we swallow the pill,
Making us sicker each day,
When it's them we are trying to kill
We build a wall that's unbending with shame.
Lands and languages differ but our pain is the same.

Haasad is wailing and mourning Ameer,
Joseph's son Joseph is supposed to be here,
The blast – it happened so fast, Johnny could not get clear,
And the cry of his newborn son he'll never hear.

Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
When are we gonna see us is them?
Unforgiveness is the prison we are living in.
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?
Who do I have to hate to be your friend?

(These introspective words were written by Bret Martin, aka "The Cancer Crooner," from Santa Rosa; Tommy Smothers performed "Who Do I Have To Hate To Be Your Friend?" during a 2007 Live Vegas Stage Show at the Orleans Hotel, the video can be viewed HERE.)

Source: http://www.smiledsoul.com/who-do-i-have-to-hate-to-be-your-friend/

Not formatted for submission to the DT because I didn't verify these lyrics. I'd question some spellings, at the very least.

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 08:35 PM

Bret Martin, I believe, has an Internet presence, and if you could contact him then maybe he could directly verify the lyrics?

Another video of the same song was made, by the author rather than Tom Smothers. He made it a cappella, at the request of some Muslims who can listen to words but not to instrumental American accompaniment? or something like. So this video version is on youtube where it has comments posted to it by Muslim posters thanking him sincerely for making a video that they are allowed to listen to.

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 21 Nov 15 - 11:03 PM

I don't have time to verify lyrics for the thousands of songs I come across, keberoxu. I do verify lyrics for songs that I have a particular interest in, but this isn't one of them. is a little over the top for me. But whenever we post lyrics, it's important to cite the source, as I have here.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Nov 15 - 03:52 PM

Thank you, guest Gargoyle, for your gesture of welcome to the forum.

Subject: RE: Anyone see the Smothers Brothers lately?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Nov 15 - 02:24 PM

Worth noting that while the lyrics may be over the top taste-wise, Tommy Smothers' performance is not. It's just him with his guitar at the microphones, and he strums and sings very quietly so as to MAKE the audience quiet down and listen to every word. By the time he is done singing it is very quiet in there.