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Alas, irreverence has been subsumed by mere grossness, at least in the so-called mass media. What we have now - to quote myself at my most pretentious - is a nimiety of scurrility with a concomitant exiguity of taste.

Tom Lehrer

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Tom Lehrer
Age: 96
Born: 1928
Born: April 9
Lyricist
Mathematician
Pianist
Singer
Singer-Songwriter
University Teacher
New York City
New York
Thomas Andrew Lehrer
Thomas Lehrer
Called
Quote
Funny
Alas
Mere
Mass
Grossness
Taste
Subsumed
Television
Concomitant
Media
Irreverence
Least
Pretentious

More quotes by Tom Lehrer

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Disclaimer: If anyone disagrees with anything I say, I am quite prepared to not only retract it, but also to deny under oath I ever said it.
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Angels we have heard on High Tell us to go out and Buy.
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The reason most folksongs are so atrocious is that they were written by the people.
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Be careful not to do your good deeds when there's no one watching you.
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Don't solicit for your sister, it's not nice. Unless you get a good percentage of her price.
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My last public performance for money was in 1967. For free, it was 1972, with the exception of two little one-shot, one-song things. But that's just for friends, out of friendship for the people involved, and also because it was fun.
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Oh, the Protestants hate the Catholics/ And the Catholics hate the Protestants/ And the Hindus hate the Muslims/ And everybody hates the Jews.
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Well, you ask a silly question, and you get a silly answer.
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And although I'm all for freedom of expression and against censorship, there are certain things I'm not willing to go to jail for.
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Everything is so weird in politics that it's very hard to be funny about it, I think.
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They love us everywhere we go. So when in doubt, send the Marines.
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Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!
Tom Lehrer
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You can raise welts like nobody else, as we dance to the Masochism Tango.
Tom Lehrer
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Don't write naughty words on the wall if you can't spell!
Tom Lehrer
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The people who came to hear me perform or to buy my records were not the type who would be offended [by the song 'The Vatican Rag']. But I gather that there were other people who were offended.
Tom Lehrer
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We are the folk song army, every one of us cares. We all hate poverty, war, and injustice unlike the rest of you squares.
Tom Lehrer
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If, after hearing my songs, just one human being is inspired to say something nasty to a friend, or perhaps to strike a loved one, it will all have been worth the while.
Tom Lehrer
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I didn't feel the need for anonymous affection, for people in the dark applauding. To me, it would be like writing a novel and then getting up every night and reading your novel. Everything I did is on the record and, if you want to hear it, just listen to the record.
Tom Lehrer
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On my income tax 1040 it says 'Check this box if you are blind.' I wanted to put a check mark about three inches away.
Tom Lehrer
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Laughter is involuntary. If it's funny you laugh.
Tom Lehrer