Murdering Music

[UncleEbenezer]

Just heard some reporting on the six o'clock news of the Queen's official birthday.

They described how her band was social distancing while playing for her. But in what they broadcast, what struck me was just how dreary the whole thing was. How on Earth do you take a rousing tune like Men of Harlech and make it quite so bland and insipid?

Mind you, it's far from the worst instance. The 'merkins can take a big occasion and a full should-know-better symphony orchestra and make muzak of their Battle Hymn of the Republic. Perhaps we should be glad that Gawd 'elp the Queen is intrinsically a dirge and no worse for being made one?

[TUK020]

all sounds suitably dismal to go with the forelock tugging

[bungeejumper]

The 'merkins can take a big occasion and a full should-know-better symphony orchestra and make muzak of their Battle Hymn of the Republic. Perhaps we should be glad that Gawd 'elp the Queen is intrinsically a dirge and no worse for being made one?

Well, I'll risk it and say how impressed I was with George Floyd's funeral last week. The gospel wailing was pretty much as expected, but I've never seen a rocking coffin before. I really think the pallbearers were dancing him out of the hall. I could think of a lot of worse ways to make my departure.

BJ

[Rhyd6]

When I go I want a full Welsh male voice choir singing Tom Lehrer's We'll All Go Together When We Go.

R6

[bungeejumper]

When I go I want a full Welsh male voice choir singing Tom Lehrer's We'll All Go Together When We Go.

Great choice. Even though you'll presumably have jumped the starting gun by that stage? Which would be cheating, of course?

One of Lehrer's finest-ever lyrics. "There will be no more misery when the world is our rotisserie." "No one will have the endurance to collect on his insurance." Cracks me up every time. Check it out. https://genius.com/Tom-lehrer-we-will-a ... -go-lyrics

BJ

[Rhyd6]

Wow BJ I'm impressed, a Tom Lehrer fan, I think you're the first person I've come across who has actually heard of him. I love his songs, they poke fun at so many stuffy institutions and often hit the nail squarely on the head.

R6

[UncleEbenezer]

Wow BJ I'm impressed, a Tom Lehrer fan, I think you're the first person I've come across who has actually heard of him. I love his songs, they poke fun at so many stuffy institutions and often hit the nail squarely on the head.

R6

Come on, everyone knows Tom Lehrer. A man whose brilliant words and performance lead one to forgive the ugly voice and inane tunes.

Kind-of opposite to the OP in this thread, about taking a rousing tune and murdering it!

[AleisterCrowley]

I'd definitely heard of him!
My mum told me about him when I were but a wee boy.. I remember he was a mathematician and (just looked it up) worked at Los Alamos and the NSA
Pleased to see he's still with us, at a sprightly 92
"Poisoning pigeons.." and "The Elements" are really well known

[UncleEbenezer]

"Poisoning pigeons.." and "The Elements" are really well known

You can't beat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3f72CTDe4-0

[bungeejumper]

"Vhen ze rockets are up, who cares vhere zey come down?
Zat's not my department" says Wernher von Braun"

BJ

[unperplex]

Yes, I’m a big Tom Lehrer fan too. Some of his lyrics are , naturally , dated, (National Brotherhood Week - Lena Horne and Sheriff Clark are dancing cheek to cheek “; Alma, tell us, all modern women are jealous, you didn’t even use Ponds to wed Gustav and Walter and Franz), however others are quite prescient (Pollution - the breakfast garbage that you flush away, they have for lunch in San Jose‘ you can breathe, long as you don’t inhale”.....)