Ice Cube has never been one to trust the government much, but in the new trailer for a re-imagining of author H.G. Wells’ classic novel War of the Worlds, the rapper/actor slips into the role of top cyber-security analyst Will Radford at a time when his nation needs him the most.
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In the first trailer for director Rich Lee’s adaptation of the 1898 science fiction classic about an attempted Earth invasion by Martians, Cube works for Homeland Security tracking potential threats to national security in the film in which much of the action takes place on computer and smart phone screens.
“The idea was organic,” co-producer Patrick Aiello told Deadline. “When catastrophes happen today, we experience them through our devices. That insight shaped the storytelling and tech used to create this immersive thriller. For the first time ever, a studio-scale sci-fi epic has been produced using a format that places audiences inside the action through the lenses of phones, computers, and tablets. It’s a visceral, first-person experience designed for big screens in a language and format that is now natural within our daily lives.”
Using a massive surveillance program, Cube’s character begins to wonder if the government is hiding something from the world when an unknown enemy attacks. In the trailer, a grey-haired Cube FaceTimes with his daughter — while monitoring her movements — and opening an ominous file about the government’s massive personal information collection as images flood in about a mysterious attack from aliens hungry for human data.
The film due out on Prime Video on July 30 also stars Eva Longoria, Clark Gregg and Andrea Savage. The beloved tale of humans vs. aliens has been adapted for the screen more than a dozen times, including a 2005 version directed by Steven Spielberg starring Tom Cruise and Dakota Fanning.
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In the midst of a growing calls from his own base to release more information about his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump sought to change the subject over the weekend by once again making claims about Beyoncé‘s appearance at a rally for former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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In a lengthy post on his social network, Trump falsely claimed that Beyoncé broke campaign finance laws by allegedly taking home an $11 million check for her endorsement of his democratic presidential rival Harris at her Oct. 2024 rally in Houston. But, as reported by CNN, there is “simply no basis” for the claim that Queen Bey received a multi-million payment from the Harris campaign.
In fact, CNN reported that the only official payment from Harris to the singer was a $165,000 check from the campaign to Beyoncé’s production company, which the campaign listed as a “campaign event production” expense, with a Harris campaign spokesperson telling Deadline last year that due to campaign finance laws, they didn’t pay any celebrity endorsers, but were legally required to cover the costs of their appearances.
The claims that Beyoncé was paid millions of dollars to back Harris began to spread on social media among Trump supporters last year, according to CNN, with a number of fact-checking sites finding no evidence to back it up. When asked for comment, a Harris spokesperson referred to a November Instagram post from Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, in which she wrote, “The lie is that Beyonce was paid 10 million dollars to speak at a rally in Houston for Vice President Kamala Harris. When In Fact : Beyonce did not receive a penny for speaking at a Presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harrris’s Rally in Houston. In fact she actually paid for her own flights for her and her team, and total Glam . They are not only lying and disrespecting Beyonce’s name but they are trying to further discredit the power of our vice president! When does the lies and rumors stop?”
In addition to the appearance, Beyoncé gave Harris clearance to use her 2016 song “Freedom” as the democratic nominee’s official campaign song.
“I’m looking at the large amount of money owed by the Democrats after the presidential election and the fact that they admit to paying, probably illegally, $11 million dollars to singer Beyoncé for an ENDORSEMENT (she never sang, not one note…),” Trump claimed in the most recent Truth Social post, in which he also made unsupported allegations that Oprah Winfrey and civil rights activist Al Sharpton were paid to appear with Harris.
The weekend salvo of claims came two months after Trump’s previous warning that he intended to launch a “major investigation” into his claims that Beyoncé, U2 singer Bono, Bruce Springsteen and Winfrey made what he deemed “major and illegal campaign contribution[s]” to Harris. To date Trump has not provided any evidence of such payments and reps for Springsteen, Bono and Beyoncé have not commented on the allegations. In addition, so far, no news of an such official investigation has surfaced.
A November New York Times investigation found that the celebrity-related expenses at Harris’ rallies went to pay for support staff and production costs, not to the stars themselves. In addition, CNN reported that the White House did not respond to its request for any evidence of a Democratic admission of the claimed $11 million payment. The network also noted that Trump falsely claimed that it is “TOTALLY ILLEGAL” to pay for political endorsements, when, in fact, there is no federal law prohibiting endorsement payments.
The missive came just days after Trump claimed that former President Barack Obama committed “criminal acts,” baselessly accusing the two-term Democrat of “treason” in investigating Russia’s election interference in 2016. The barrage of unsubstantiated claims have coincided with the White House’s weekslong scramble to contain the fall-out from their flip-flop on the release of files related to convicted sex trafficker Epstein after news broke last week that Attorney General Pam Bondi told Trump in May that his name appeared in the Epstein files.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 12:20:522025-07-28 12:20:52Donald Trump Again Calls For Beyoncé to be ‘Prosecuted’ Over Debunked Claim of $11 Million Harris Appearance Payment
Pantera have canceled multiple upcoming shows and postponed others in the wake of Ozzy Osbourne’s death, paying tribute to the metal legend who they called a “mentor” and “brother.”
In a statement posted to Instagram, the band said they would be “taking time to process” the loss, following Osbourne’s death on July 22 at age 75.
“Ozzy wasn’t just a legend who shaped the very foundation of heavy metal and inspired Pantera from the beginning – he was family,” the band wrote. “A mentor, a brother, and a constant presence in our lives both on and off the stage. The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music.”
Pantera had performed earlier this month at the Back to the Beginning reunion concert in Birmingham on July 5 — the historic Black Sabbath event that saw Osbourne reunite with guitarist Tony Iommi for the final time. The show marked Ozzy’s last public performance.
The band has now canceled three concerts and delayed two more. Specific dates affected by the cancellations have not yet been confirmed, though the band’s current European tour routing was expected to continue through August.
“Right now, our priority is honoring Ozzy’s memory and supporting our extended family. We thank our fans for their understanding and promise to return with the same fire and fury — but not until we’ve had time to properly grieve this massive loss,” they added.
Pantera — led by classic members Philip Anselmo and Rex Brown, along with Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante — have been on the road since 2022, following their reunion and the revival of the band’s legacy.
Osbourne’s death has triggered an outpouring of tributes across the rock and metal world, with artists including Metallica, Foo Fighters, and Judas Priest reflecting on his immeasurable impact. His final album, Patient Number 9, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and earned a Grammy Award for best metal performance in 2023.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 09:12:032025-07-28 09:12:03Pantera Cancel Tour Dates to Mourn Ozzy Osbourne
Ed Sheeran is bringing his Loop Tour to Australia and New Zealand in early 2026 — and due to overwhelming demand, he’s now added additional shows in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland.
The stadium tour kicks off Jan. 16 at Auckland’s Go Media Stadium and will continue through New Zealand before heading to Australia for shows in every major capital city. The newly announced concerts include a second date at Perth’s Optus Stadium, plus third shows in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, bringing the total number of dates to 15 across both countries.
Tickets for all dates go on sale Tuesday, July 29 at staggered times, while Frontier Touring members can access a 24-hour pre-sale beginning Monday, July 28.
The Loop Tour will support Sheeran’s next studio album, Play, set to be released Sept. 12 via Warner Music. Described as “an explorative, technicolour pop album that captures the fun, chaos, and heart of an artist reinvigorated by life and travel,” the project includes singles “Azizam,” “Sapphire,” and “Old Phone.” The album marks Sheeran’s first major release since Autumn Variations in 2023.
Already one of the most successful touring acts in Australian history, Sheeran has sold more than 2.5 million tickets across Australia and New Zealand to date. His 2023 +–=÷× (Mathematics) Tour broke records across multiple cities, including the highest single-day ticket sales in Sydney history.
The new dates once again see Sheeran performing in massive stadium venues, including Sydney’s Accor Stadium, Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium, Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, and Adelaide Oval. All shows are licensed all ages, though children aged 14 and under must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The tour is presented by Frontier Touring and MG Live, with full ticketing information and VIP options available at frontiertouring.com/edsheeran.
Ed Sheeran 2026 Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates
Jan. 16 – Go Media Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Jan. 17 – Go Media Stadium, Auckland, NZ
Jan. 21 – Sky Stadium, Wellington, NZ
Jan. 24 – Apollo Projects Stadium, Christchurch, NZ
Jan. 31 – Optus Stadium, Perth, WA
Feb. 1 – Optus Stadium, Perth, WA (New show)
Feb. 13 – Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Feb. 14 – Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW
Feb. 15 – Accor Stadium, Sydney, NSW (New show)
Feb. 20 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD
Feb. 21 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD
Feb. 22 – Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, QLD (New show)
Feb. 26 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, VIC
Feb. 27 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, VIC
Feb. 28 – Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, VIC (New show)
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 07:45:262025-07-28 07:45:26Ed Sheeran Expands 2026 Australia and New Zealand Tour
A representative for Phil Collins has shut down online rumors that the legendary singer and drummer is currently in hospice care, confirming that the 73-year-old artist is instead in the hospital for a knee surgery.
Speculation surrounding Collins’ health began circulating online this week, with some social media users falsely claiming that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer had entered hospice — a facility typically reserved for end-of-life care. However, a rep for Collins confirmed to TMZ that those rumors are unfounded.
The spokesperson clarified that Collins is currently hospitalized, but only due to a recent knee operation, and not due to any terminal condition.
Concerns over Collins’ health have been ongoing in recent years. The former Genesis frontman has openly discussed his medical challenges, many of which stem from a serious spinal injury he suffered in 2007. Complications from that injury led to nerve damage and drop-foot, a condition that has left him with little to no sensation in one of his feet. Since 2015, Collins has used a cane to walk and has had difficulty standing for extended periods.
In his 2024 documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First, which premiered on Dec. 18 on the Drumeo YouTube channel, the musician gave a candid update on how his health has impacted his life and career.
“I’ve spent all my life playing drums. To suddenly not be able to do that is a shock,” he said in the film. “If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything. If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
Collins, who officially retired from performing with Genesis in 2022 following a seated farewell concert, also shared in past interviews that he had postponed recording new music due to feeling “very sick.”
His final Genesis performance in London saw him joined by longtime bandmates Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks, and was marked by an outpouring of love from fans. At the time, Collins joked to the crowd, “After tonight, we’ve all got to get real jobs.”
Collins has achieved remarkable success on the Billboard charts throughout his career, particularly during the 1980s. As a solo artist, Collins earned seven No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now),” “Sussudio,” and “Another Day in Paradise,” which spent four weeks at the top.
His 1985 album No Jacket Required dominated the Billboard 200, earning diamond certification and winning the Grammy for Album of the Year. With Genesis, Collins reached No. 1 with “Invisible Touch” in 1986.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 07:13:002025-07-28 07:13:00Phil Collins Is in Hospital for Surgery, Not in Hospice, Rep Confirms
A veritable treasure trove of unreleased and unheard Billy Joel material has arrived alongside the conclusion of the music legend’s And So It Goes documentary.
Celebrating the life and over 60-year career of the Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Billy Joel: And So It Goes made its debut on HBO on July 18, with its second and final part premiering a week later on Friday, July 25.
Just hours after the conclusion of the film, an extensive 155-track “musical companion” was uploaded to streaming services, compiling six-and-a-half hours of unheard material and live performances from Joel’s storied career.
Alongside early tracks from his time as a member of groups such as The Hassles and The Lost Souls, the 115 songs are also accompanied by audio clips of Joel and others providing introductions to the following selections.
A number of live cuts from notable performances such as Joel’s appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test and some recorded the day he signed with Columbia Records, are also present, as is the debut rendition of “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” – recorded on May 6, 1977 at C.W. Post College in Long Island.
“I always wanted to write a cinematic type of song about the lives of people I knew in high school,” Joel explains of the song. “People who peaked too early.”
Though never released as a single, the near-eight-minute song was later released on The Stranger that same year and would become one of Joel’s most revered songs, along with his most-played.
Produced by Steve Cohen, Bradshaw Leigh and John Jackson, the new collection is likely to be accompanied further releases of similarly unheard material in the future. “There’s a ton of stuff that’s in his personal vault and there’s a ton of stuff that’s in Sony’s vault, with not a ton of overlap,” Jackson told Ultimate Classic Rock. “We are determined to go through both things in the coming years.
The premiere of the new documentary comes just months after the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer canceled all of his upcoming shows due to his diagnosis of normal pressure hydrocephalus, writing in a statement at the time, “I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding.”
His team also shared at the time that he would be undergoing “specific physical therapy” to combat the disorder, which has affected his hearing, vision, balance and performance capabilities.
Joel provided an update as to his current health status during an appearance on Bill Maher’s Club Random Podcast just last week on July 21. “I feel good,” he explained. “They keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I’m feeling.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 06:01:052025-07-28 06:01:05Billy Joel Complements ‘And So It Goes’ Documentary Release With 155-Track ‘Musical Companion’
Unveiled on Saturday (July 26), the event was a variation from the station’s normal countdowns, which have been held annually since 1993 as a way to determine the listener base’s favorite track of the previous calendar year.
Other one-off events have taken place over the years, with their most recent occurring in 2023 when the station counted down the listener-voted poll of the best performances from their regular Like a Version series.
However, while January’s 2024 countdown revealed that listeners loved Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” the most, it also resulted in the lowest showing for local artists in 29 years. With triple j also celebrating their 50th anniversary that same month, it was announced in June that a new poll would take place focusing solely on Australian artists.
Topping the list of homegrown favorites was INXS’ 1987 track “Never Tear Us Apart,” taken from their Kick album, which gave the Sydney group a career-best when it peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 upon its release.
While the record spawned four charting singles – including “Need You Tonight,” “Devil Inside,” and “New Sensation” which hit the top three spots on Billboard’s Hot 100, respectively – “Never Tear Us Apart” was the record’s least-successful, hitting a still-impressive No. 7.
The band’s appearance in the poll was the first time they appeared in a Hottest 100 countdown, ultimately placing twice alongside the aforementioned “Need You Tonight” at No. 59.
The remainder of the top ten featured South Australian hip-hop pioneers the Hilltop Hoods at No. 2 with “The Nosebleed Section,” and sibling duo The Veronicas at No. 3 with “Untouched,” which had previously peaked at No. 17 on the Hot 100 in 2009.
Missy Higgins’ “Scar” and Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (No. 2 on the Hot 100 in 1987) rounded out the top five. Meanwhile Powderfinger’s “My Happiness” (which had previously topped the station’s annual poll in 2000) followed at #6, before back-to-back placings by pub-rock stalwarts Cold Chisel were joined by Paul Kelly’s perennial seasonal anthem “How to Make Gravy.”
The top ten was capped off by Gotye’s 2011 chart-topper “Somebody That I Used to Know,” while the only other track in the countdown to have previously topped the Hot 100 was Men at Work’s 1981 single “Down Under,” which reached No. 21.
The final tally was the result of 2.6 million votes, with the average year of songs featured being 1999.
triple j’s sister station, Double J, are presently in the process of counting down the songs that placed in the 200 – 101 positions throughout the coming week, before an additional airing of those songs takes place on Saturday (Aug. 2).
The full list of triple j’s Hottest 100 of Australian Songs can be found via the station’s website.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 03:53:562025-07-28 03:53:56INXS Top Triple J’s Inaugural ‘Hottest 100 of Australian Songs’ Poll
Jennifer Lopez faced a wardrobe malfunction that left her on stage in her underwear at a concert in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday night (July 25) — by shrugging it off with a smile.
Emerging from backstage following a wardrobe change, she found herself surprised with a “Happy Birthday” sing-along by her backup singers, dancers and the crowd at PGE Narodowy. But everyone in the room seemed surprised when the star’s gold skirt fell to the floor.
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“Oh!” she said. “I’m out here in my underwear. That’s gonna be everywhere.”
When the garment couldn’t easily be reattached, Lopez — who turned 56 earlier in the week, on July 24 — simply threw it into the crowd.
“I’m glad that they reinforced that costume,” she joked. “And I’m glad I had underwear on. I don’t usually wear underwear.”
Whichever fan caught the skirt got to go home with a one-of-a-kind souvenir from J. Lo’s Up All Night Tour: “You can keep it,” Lopez called out. “You can have it. I don’t want it back.”
“You can have it, forever and ever,” she added with a laugh.
A good sport, Lopez uploaded a video of the whole ordeal on her official YouTube channel.
In the clip, she also told her fans and tour crew how appreciative she was of the everyone’s support.
“I am so thankful to be here in beautiful Warsaw on my birthday,” the singer announced. “I gotta tell you, surrounded by my incredible dancers, my band, my crew, everybody — I am so blessed. I don’t usually give any advice to anybody because I feel like we’re all on our own specific journey. … If I had one little piece of advice for you, it would be to do what you love, find what you love, do it, and do it with people that you love, and then you will have the most amazing life. I can say that firsthand.”
She said, “And I also want to say that I believe that the amount of happiness that you have in your heart is, is tied directly to how free you feel, and I wish you guys all the same happiness and freedom and the way you made me feel tonight. … I want you to be feel free to love, free to be who you are, free to just follow your dreams and do all the things that you want to do. I just want you to feel free.”
An “unseen ferry schedule” has gotten in the way of Monday night’s Drake concert in Manchester, England. The July 28 gig at Co-op Live, which was meant to be the third of a trio of concerts the rapper had scheduled at the arena, was called off on Sunday in an announcement posted on the venue’s website.
“Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow’s performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled,” said the statement. “The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it’s set to be an unforgettable night. All tickets remain valid for the new date—we can’t wait to see you there!”
Drake was already set to perform again at Co-op Live on Aug. 4, so his return to Manchester will now be a two-night run. In between his July and August Manchester concert dates he’ll perform in Amsterdam.
Earlier this year Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR released $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, their collaborative album that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and No. 3 on the U.K. Official Albums Chart. It marked Drake’s 14th No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and PARTYNEXTDOOR’s first.
This week in Drake news brought new track “Which One” with Central Cee, which made its official premiere during the second episode of Drake’s Iceman stream — following Drake’s recent three-night headlining run at Wireless Festival, where Central Cee made a guest appearance.
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 03:01:102025-07-28 03:01:10Drake Postpones Manchester Show Due to ‘Travel Logistics’
Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97.
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Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death.
Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return.
A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. His songs included “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “The Old Dope Peddler” (set to a tune reminiscent of “The Old Lamplighter”), “Be Prepared” (in which he mocked the Boy Scouts) and “The Vatican Rag,” in which Lehrer, an atheist, poked at the rites and ceremonies of the Roman Catholic Church. (Sample lyrics: “Get down on your knees, fiddle with your rosaries. Bow your head with great respect, and genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.”)
Accompanying himself on piano, he performed the songs in a colorful style reminiscent of such musical heroes as Gilbert and Sullivan and Stephen Sondheim, the latter a lifelong friend. Lehrer was often likened to such contemporaries as Allen Sherman and Stan Freberg for his comic riffs on culture and politics and he was cited by Randy Newman and “Weird Al” Yankovic among others as an influence.
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He mocked the forms of music he didn’t like (modern folk songs, rock ‘n’ roll and modern jazz), laughed at the threat of nuclear annihilation and denounced discrimination.
But he attacked in such an erudite, even polite, manner that almost no one objected.
“Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded,” musicologist Barry Hansen once said. Hansen co-produced the 2000 boxed set of Lehrer’s songs The Remains of Tom Lehrer and had featured Lehrer’s music for decades on his syndicated “Dr. Demento” radio show.
Lehrer’s body of work was actually quite small, amounting to about three dozen songs.
“When I got a funny idea for a song, I wrote it. And if I didn’t, I didn’t,” Lehrer told The Associated Press in 2000 during a rare interview. “I wasn’t like a real writer who would sit down and put a piece of paper in the typewriter. And when I quit writing, I just quit. … It wasn’t like I had writer’s block.”
He’d gotten into performing accidentally when he began to compose songs in the early 1950s to amuse his friends. Soon he was performing them at coffeehouses around Cambridge, Mass., while he remained at Harvard to teach and obtain a master’s degree in math.
He cut his first record in 1953, Songs by Tom Lehrer, which included “I Wanna Go Back to Dixie,” lampooning the attitudes of the Old South, and “Fight Fiercely, Harvard,” suggesting how a prissy Harvard blueblood might sing a football fight song.
After a two-year stint in the Army, Lehrer began to perform concerts of his material in venues around the world. In 1959, he released another LP called More of Tom Lehrer and a live recording called An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer, nominated for a Grammy for best comedy performance (musical) in 1960.
But around the same time, he largely quit touring and returned to teaching math, though he did some writing and performing on the side.
Lehrer said he was never comfortable appearing in public.
“I enjoyed it up to a point,” he told The AP in 2000. “But to me, going out and performing the concert every night when it was all available on record would be like a novelist going out and reading his novel every night.”
He did produce a political satire song each week for the 1964 television show That Was the Week That Was, a groundbreaking topical comedy show that anticipated Saturday Night Live a decade later.
He released the songs the following year in an album titled That Was the Year That Was. The material included the song “Who’s Next?” that ponders which government will be the next to get the nuclear bomb … perhaps Alabama? (He didn’t need to tell his listeners that it was a bastion of segregation at the time.) “Pollution” takes a look at the then-new concept that perhaps rivers and lakes should be cleaned up.
He also wrote songs for the 1970s educational children’s show The Electric Company. He told The AP in 2000 that hearing from people who had benefited from them gave him far more satisfaction than praise for any of his satirical works.
His songs were revived in the 1980 musical revue Tomfoolery and he made a rare public appearance in London in 1998 at a celebration honoring that musical’s producer, Cameron Mackintosh.
Lehrer was born in 1928, in New York City, the son of a successful necktie designer. He recalled an idyllic childhood on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that included attending Broadway shows with his family and walking through Central Park day or night.
After skipping two grades in school, he entered Harvard at 15 and, after receiving his master’s degree, he spent several years unsuccessfully pursuing a doctorate.
“I spent many, many years satisfying all the requirements, as many years as possible, and I started on the thesis,” he once said. “But I just wanted to be a grad student, it’s a wonderful life. That’s what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can’t be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time.”
He began to teach part-time at Santa Cruz in the 1970s, mainly to escape the harsh New England winters.
From time to time, he acknowledged, a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs.
“But it’s a real math class,” he said at the time. “I don’t do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly.”
https://i0.wp.com/neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/station.nez_png.png?fit=943%2C511&ssl=1511943Yvetohttps://neztelinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/nez_png.pngYveto2025-07-28 03:01:092025-07-28 03:01:09Tom Lehrer, Song Satirist and Mathematician, Dies at 97