(00:00:00) And good morning 6 minutes now past eleven o'clock. And this is midday coming to you on Minnesota Public Radio special. Midday today. I'm Gary eichten glove. So glad you could join us in just a couple of minutes. We're going to be talking with a gentleman that many many many of you have enjoyed for years and years. Maybe it's been many years since you've actually listen to him Tom Lehrer Tom Lehrer one of the great musical satirists of all time will be joining us in just a few minutes here on Minnesota Public Radio as we come to the end of our fiscal year, but Believe it or not talk about people that you've heard in the past (00:00:39) people who who you've enjoyed listening to guess who's back here in the studio. None other than Bob Potter. Good morning. Bob morning Gary. I like a bad Penny. I turned up again. Didn't I? Well, we took a look at the at the huge huge goal here yet to raise today. And we said it's time to bring the bit bring the old guy back and mr. Potter, of course what 20 30 years 30 years more or less 29 actually stalwart here at Minnesota Public Radio. He is now working as a investment advisor for JN be a financial advisors. We called Bob and said Bob we need some at Financial advice. We need to raise a hundred and forty eight thousand dollars by the end of today. Wow, the last day of our fiscal year and well who better to call on than Bob for that little boost 1-800 to to 728 11 is the number to call speak your magic Bob. Okay, folks, you know, it's real simple how this radio station works. It's called by call individual by individual and now especially as we're at the end of the fiscal year. We have simply got to raise the money. It takes to bring you the programming that you've enjoyed listening to all year long call us now 1 800 to 2728 11 and make your contribution to talking about Tom Lehrer there Gary and folks who want to listen to that can get a special thank-you gift if they contribute $10 a month. Yes indeed. We have at the $10 a month level the remains of Tom Lehrer 3 CD box set featuring all of his songs. Well 74 songs all together in some cases. You have to Earth a couple of versions of the song. There's some new material on there all of the songs that we associate with Tom Lehrer available at the Special thank-you gift at the $10 a month level 1 800 to to 728 11 is the number to call not a lot of time today. We're not going to be pledging tomorrow the fiscal year ends today. We don't have any wiggle room. We couldn't be on the are pledging for this fiscal year tomorrow, even if we wanted to so get your membership pledge in we still need to raise a hundred and forty eight thousand $801 by the time of the we closed the books today $20,000 this hour and one caller on the line 1 800 2 to 7 2011 in all Gary. It seems to me if I've been listening right that this is only the second day that we've been on here. Is that right? Right a two-day membership drive at the end of the fiscal year now, it wasn't all that long ago. When an end of the year fiscal Drive meant five six, maybe seven straight days of on are pledging. Now, we've whittled it down to two and I'll tell you we're It right to the nubbin here because we're still a hundred and forty eight thousand dollars to go and this is the last day so call us at one eight hundred two to seven 28:11. There's four people on the line right now, and we really do need to hear from you to wrap it up today 1-800 to to 7811. Now we are how much how much are we asking you to contribute? Well, basically the long and the short of it is whatever you can afford $10 a month. We'll send out to you the remains of Tom Lehrer the complete 3 CD box set if you contribute $20 a month and given the urgency here and given the huge goal that we still have to make by the end of this day. If you can do the $20 a month pledge, we'd really appreciate it. We will send out to you the Tom Lehrer box set plus a CD wallet, which allows you to put your CDs in carry them around a nice and safe and keep them clean and everything and of course the much treasured CD opener you Yep, that baby along and you don't have to wrestle it all the shrink wrap and so on. So that's what we're judging you to do. A lot of people amazingly Bob 43 people have called in and joined us at the leadership level $1,000. And for those of you who have had a good year on the market things have worked out pretty well for you. Why what a significant investment. What a great. Thank you. And we need that kind of support 1-800 to to 7 2011 also got a great. Thank you gift at that one thousand dollar membership level. It's $1,000 worth of gas from Holiday Station stories. That's even if the price of gas today that could last you all year. If you're a very cautious conservative driver or can certainly lasted through the summer driving season here. So call us at one eight hundred twenty seven twenty eight eleven minnesota-based family-owned Holiday Station stores are offering this $1,000 worth of gas for those of you who make a contribution to that level. What he ate 11 we have four callers on the line right now, and we really and truly do need to hear from you this morning. Lots more callers are needed if we're going to make that goal $20,000 this hour alone 148,000 total Tom Lehrer our featured guest this hour of midday and I suspect many of you. Remember Tom Lehrer. If not, here's a sample first we got the bomb and that was good because we love peace and motherhood then Russia got the bomb, but that's okay because the balance of power is maintained that way who's next France got the bomb, but don't you grieve because they are on our side. I believe China got the bomb but have no fears like can't wipe us out for at least five years who's next event indonesia' claimed that they were gonna get one any day. South Africa wants to that's right one for the black and one for the white who's next? It's gonna get one too just to use on you know song. So it Thrills getting tense. Once when in self-defense The Lord Is Our Shepherd says the psalm but just in case we better get a bomb who's next. I'll look some Borgess next to go and who knows maybe Mana called will try to stay Serene and calm when I Obama gets the bomb next Tom Lehrer who's next one of the 74 songs on the three CD box set that we're offering as a special thank-you gift at the $10 a month level again. If you can do a little extra join us at the $20 a month level will send that out to you plus the CD wallet and CD opener whatever level you can join at seven callers on the line right now, and we need Bob everybody to pitch in here. We're going to make this goal and it's a Monumental task, but I'm confident, you know that we're going to have some history made today here at Minnesota Public Radio. Well, I think we are Gary and that'll happen. If you call us at one eight hundred two to seven 28:11. I apologize a moment ago. I was a little fuzzy on The thousand dollars worth of gas from Holiday Station stores. That is our giveaway. That's the deal where if you call one eight hundred two to seven 28:11, you do not even have to make a pledge but your name will be entered in the drawing for the thousand dollars worth of gas from Holiday Station stores. But I hope if you go to the trouble of calling that you will make a pledge because this radio station really needs your support. That's how we pay the bills here 1-800 to 278 11 John for callers on the line right now. Thanks to those of you who are on the line thanks to all of you who've already called in and become members, but we do need to hear from many many many more of you you have listened to us really just for the last couple of days as Bob was noting we've paired this down to the nubbin and maybe maybe we paired it back too much Bob. I think we may have cut into a little bone here maybe and all but so many of you said g just shorten up those pledge drives. Don't sit there day after day after day. Banging away at us. Just take a couple of days. Give us the phone number will make the call and then you can get back to regular programming. Well, this is the last day no wiggle room here. I would suggest if we could be nice to be on the air tomorrow raising money. But tomorrow we start a new fiscal year and tomorrow is the day the accountants come in and see how much we've raised as of today. So we need your membership pledge right now at 1-800-273-8255. It's time to renew weed. We need a membership call from you. If you're all paid up and can do some extra additional contribution to gift membership. All of it will count every single dollar will help here at one eight hundred two to seven twenty eight eleven ten dollars a month and you get the CD set with the remains of Tom Lehrer. It's a really really great entertaining CD set and along with that comes a book. That is a lot of fun as well. Gary's going to be talking with Tom Lehrer and just a little bit here. So stay with us and meanwhile called. Your membership Legend 1-800 to to 728 eleven ten dollars per month for this special thank-you gift. I guarantee you're going to have a great time putting this in your CD player at home or in the cabin or in your car wherever you may be listening and enjoy the remains of Tom Lehrer at the $10 per month membership level here at Minnesota Public Radio 1 800 2 to 7. 2011 is the number to call and to keep the phone's ringing now, we're going to take a little break from are pledging, but that does not mean that we can afford to take a break from your phone calls. Give us a call with your membership pledge at one eight hundred two to seven twenty eight eleven nineteen thousand dollars yet to raise this hour, we're kind of poking away at the goal. We'll see how we do all together still to raise by the end of this day to balance the books 148 thousand two hundred ninety seven dollars a big goal, but one we can make with your membership call and again a reminder everybody who calls in Will be entered in that drawing for the thousand dollars worth of gas from the holiday station stores. Don't even have to pledge, but we sure hope you will 1-800 to to 728 11 (00:11:17) like to thank a Verizon Wireless for providing free cell phones and cell service to empty our staff during the entire Drive. Dr. Demento in the booklet that accompanies the new 74 song box set. The remains of Tom Lehrer writes that Tom Lehrer is the most brilliant song satirist ever recorded and when you think about it, that really does pretty much sum it up. The songs were brilliant when Tom was recording and Performing back in the 1950s and 60s and when you listen to them today, well, they hold up just as well. Tom Lehrer has been good enough to join us this morning from Santa Cruz, California to talk about his songs and his career and take your questions. So give us a call. If you have a question or comment for Tom Lehrer call us and our regular commentator. Lin line now and that number is six five one two, two seven six thousand 6512276 thousand outside the Twin Cities. The toll-free line is 1-800-222-8477 6,000 or 1-800 to for to to 828 if you have a question for Tom Lehrer, mr. Larry, thank you so much for joining us this morning. Thank you for inviting me Gary now in looking over the booklet that accompanies the box set and the rest and some of the other materials. I noticed that you were saying one of your biggest problems these days is try to convince people. You're not dead but you're still alive and kicking. I don't really try very hard because I find I was hoping you would cut down on the junk mail if people thought I was dead but it didn't work. It didn't work. I'm alive here. I am. This is not a recording now being writing these songs performing these songs as I understand. It was always more of an avocation than a Rear for you, correct. Oh, definitely. I never thought they would sell it all let alone 47 years later or whatever. How did you get started? I just was singing these songs around Harvard and and got tired of it. So I made a record which in those days was feasible. The lp had just come in. So it was possible to do it very cheaply which thank you can't do today and the spread like herpes. How did you end up doing satire as opposed to Sacramento my mind work sacrifice. Probably a strong word and poking fun is a little better set. Tire seems a little serious. Hmm and poking fun and I'm actually making fun of popular song forms at the time or some things that are going on in the news perhaps later on. It seemed like you were right at the height of your career 1967. Then you pretty much stopped performing. Yeah. I was never a performer by temperament. Actually I did it for a while and I'm not 67 was my last paid performance. That's true. Now. It's just it was fun. I liked it, but it was something I wanted to do. I tell people I liked High School too, but I wouldn't want to do that again. But you'd think you'd make your the periodic Cameo performance if nothing else. No, no that that let them think what they want. Now, I've done it. I did a few more songs for this rhino boxset. I recorded the fume with two or three more songs, but their old songs, too. That's it. Do you have a personal favorite? No, it's like asking a mother with her favorite child is you know, you can't do that. No, no one favorite know there's some that I think are cleverer than others and some are more appropriate and so on but I can't really pick out one or two that I like the best. I understand you believe your most controversial song to be the Vatican rag though. Well see that was so controversial in its day. But now you can get away with anything somebody saying it on The Tonight Show to a couple of weeks ago imagine that with somebody dressed up as the Pope dancing around that's that's network television camera, man can imagine that happening 35 years ago when the song came out. Well, we probably should give people a sample of the song. Oh, yeah good (00:15:19) another big news story of the Year concerned The ecumenical council in Rome known as Vatican 2. Among the things they did in an attempt to make the church more commercial. Was to introduce the vernacular and two portions of the mass to replace Latin and to widen somewhat the range of Music permissible in the Liturgy, but I feel that if they really want to sell the product in. In this secular age, what they ought to do is to reduce some of the liturgical music in popular song forms. I have a modest example here. It's called the Vatican rag first. You get down on your knees fiddle with your rosaries bow your head with great respect and genuflect genuflect. Genuflect. Do whatever steps you want. If you have cleared them with the pontiff everybody say is on key really is on doing the bat again, right? Yep, inlining that processional step into that small confessional there the guy who's got religion. I'll tell you if your sins are original if it is try playing it safer drink the wine and chew the wafer 2468 time to transubstantiation. So get down upon your knees, but all with your rosaries bow your head with great respect and genuflect genuflect J by Omega cross on your abdomen When in Rome do like a Roman Ave Maria gee, it's good to see you again. Next time. I got sorted reminder gonna do in the batter gonna write what a classic and they're doing it on The Tonight Show (00:17:26) know they did it Dennis friends did it? I was just thinking I did it myself on public television many years ago and they got swamped with mail today. I'm sure. Email you get will be will be positive. Uh-huh are any subjects off limits these days? Oh sure. It's I would say and Sierra Leone and there's a lot of things in the paper that I think are not I can't think of anything funny to say about is it easier in terms of religions easier to satirize some than others. It seems like the Catholics get picked on quite a bit. Well, no. The reason for that really is that the Catholic ritual has so many things that one can mention. I mean I could I tried to make fun of the Presbyterians. Let's say you can't you there's not enough Presbytery Anna out there to hang on to but this everybody's familiar with a lot of the terms from the Catholic. So that's what I that's why I picked that did you get a lot of heat when the Vatican rag first surfaced? No, not at all become partly the thing in those days those songs were never played on the radio or on television. And so the people that would be likely to hear them would be already on my side. Now you're who knows was listening to you never can tell so, although I'm sure they're often very intelligent and wonderful people. So we will you know, (00:18:36) Tom Lehrer is with (00:18:38) us if you have a question or comment for mr. Larry, give us call six five. One two two seven six thousand outside the Twin Cities 1-800 to for 22828 Dale. Go ahead plays. Hi, you've kind of preempted my question. I was going to ask about any any controversy that might have happened when he first started when I did it. Yeah, go ahead making up songs. Like, you know the old Dope Peddler and the I forget this song about based on my hometown and things like that that you know, the culture has changed in the last 40 years as you pointed out. Yeah, anything goes now, so it isn't as it isn't a surprising the old Dope Peddler. Was that hook quite resonates quite differently. Now, I mean in those days nobody took dope except maybe Jazz musicians or something like that was kind of the mythology and I was trying to pick some some sense of number of the population. Whereas now it's a whole different thing so it doesn't get the laughs next callers from Minneapolis, gr. Go ahead, please. Hey Tom. Hey, I musician and here in the Twin Cities who plays are a number of years songs for people in fact about halfway through our learning the elements right now. And is that really all of them all the songs and all the elements in this hole? Oh, no. No. No, I stopped at a hundred to unfortunate. You can't edit the record the way you can know the book by just putting in a couple of lines and I tried to rewrite it, but there aren't enough rhymes of the new the new see what rhymes with seaborgium. For example. The only way to do it be to completely rewrite it and move them all around and I just didn't have the energy for that. So I passed the torch on to anybody that wants to do that or maybe I'll take it up. It's a lot of work. Yeah. There's a there's a lot more and I keep Changing their names and also they don't the nobody agrees on what the official names are. My question was at Harvard. You understand you did some mathematics or you got a mathematics back when I was kind of curious to know what sort of mathematics it was and I was also curious to know if you've ever gotten any commentary from your mathematicians about Nikolai Ivanovich little pesky now, that's that was a total lie, but I picked his name just because it's it with stanislavski, which is the basis of a Danny Kaye routine and robotically it came out the same but now I was doing probability Theory. I never got a PhD though and now I just teach undergraduate math courses for non mathematicians. Okay? Okay. Well, I really appreciate your stuff of got all three albums and any additional songs get out there film lot on MP3 if you can so we can pick them all go great. Yeah napster's after me metallic on the other one. I have their few more. There are a few more songs, which are on the Rhino box set which weren't on the early ones, but they're not new songs. I mean, there's one for example, I wrote for Garrison keillor's radio show. I'm sure his name is not Known to your listeners, right? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Let's move on to caller from Hudson Karan. Go ahead. Good morning. Good morning. How are you? Tom good enough. It's wonderful to speak to you. I've been a devotee of yours for years. And I think devotee is a word that you use in your songs now and then as I've been on hold, I've been seeing along with the Vatican rag. Your music is still very very timely some of the some of the names of course are changed but in political the Helen Gahagan and Ronald Reagan seem to be on cue a few years ago and I particularly like the boy scout marching song. Well good for you. No next to money. I like praise best. Yeah. I'm sure yeah, but some of the references there the top of the references are dated and nobody knows who Sheriff Clarke is for example, but the topics unfortunately, I must say are the same. Yes. Yes. Do you have plans to do any new material other than what's on the box set? No. I went through everything to see if what was worth what I wouldn't be embarrassed by and only came up with a few that are on there. But but maybe someday when my standards are lower I might take you to go out and other stuff. How would you compare yourself to Mark Russell? I think I'll pass on that one. Well, you know, he's kind of current but ya know I let him more power to him. I'm glad that somebody is doing that. Well I prefer you. Okay, thank you. Thanks. Do you have a favorite comedian? Mr. Lawyer? Oh, I don't know. I kind of like Eddie Izzard. He's just coming along now and he's toxic because he talks about stuff not just relationships and body parts and so on. He talks about actual Now history and so on but they're very few of those around it seems like much of the comedy today is kind of dirty. Yeah. It's so it's easy. Hey, it's because it's easy to get a laugh. If you say something naughty and be the audience for the most part of these comedy clubs don't know anything and so the only jokes Gather jokes about as I say bodily functions and relationships and so on and you can't you can't make jokes about the French Revolution or whatever there. We are. Your songs are suitable for family listening to I definitely except one wouldn't have thought so years ago, but now compared to what's out now that some people were shocked in 1953, but now anything as I say anything goes even on television now politics, I guess people can still make fun of the politicians that yeah, but they don't unfortunately, you know, if you listen to people like Jay Leno and Letterman said, they'll make jokes about Monica or whatever her name was but they won't make jokes about what's going wrong what's wrong with the country? So that's unfortunate because the audience is divided on these issues and it's not as easy as it was in the old days. We knew where we stood Adlai Stevenson. Yay. We are trying to change society. Oh, no, never no. I never thought I was doing anything but not even preaching to the converted but just titillating the converted. I mean the people that listen to that stuff already pretty much agreed with me except maybe on some minor points, but now I don't think anybody agrees with anybody. I'm not sure now one of the songs that you recorded and it's included on your box set took some pot shots at our own Hubert Humphrey when he was vice president. Yeah, unfortunately people who have forgotten forgotten that so I put the ya hear that was a likely Target because he started out so good and then he just became vice president. What can you do? Yeah, let's hear that one. This is a song about Hubert Humphrey when he was Lyndon Johnson's vice (00:24:45) president. I wonder how many people here tonight. Remember Hubert Humphrey. He used to be a senator. From time to time you read something about him pinning a medal on somebody or making a speech or every now and then you read something in one of those. Where are they now columns, whatever became of Deanna Durbin and Hubert Humphrey and so on this became This became quite an issue last winter at the time of Winston Churchill's funeral when President Johnson was too ill to go and somebody suggested that he send Hubert and he said Hubert who? And All America was singing whatever became of you Bert. Has anyone heard a thing once he's shown on his own now. He sits home alone and waits for the phone to ring once a fiery liberal Spirit, but now when he speaks he must clear it second fiddles a hard part. I know when they don't even give you a bow. We must protest this treatment Hubert says each newspaper reader as someone once remarked to Schubert. Take us to your leader. Sorry about that. Whatever became of you Hubert we miss you. So tell us please. Are you sad are you cross? Are you Gathering Moss while you wait for the boss to sneeze? Does Linden recalling when he was VP say I'll do unto you like they did unto me. Do you dream about staging a coup your word? What happened to you? (00:26:55) How long to get to take you to write a song like that? Mr. Larry? Oh, well once I got the basic idea. It wasn't too hard. It's I was probably unfair because he was such a good man, but we had all those 20 years of or more or less of democratic losers. They're running for president. I'd only people who lost I mean losers still more salsa. Jimmy Carter only won cuz he was running against Ford. It's Jimmy Carter had run unopposed he would have lost so that's that's what we were faced with their so I was kind of sad for us when he would come for you went down. Have you been tempted to Pick up the pen and write a song about our governor Jesse right? I'm actually a fan of your Governor. I must I must confess. I hope that doesn't divide your audience into I think I like people to come out and say stuff as opposed to just say whatever the polls tell him to say that week. Hmm. Let's go back to the phones here last go ahead, please. Hi. I'm a musician to somebody else was I guess they're called and I play a lot of holiday parties in December and we are always short of Hanukkah song. Ah, and I understand that you wrote one called Hanukkah in Santa Monica. Yeah. I think that's on the box set as that was the one that I wrote for Garrison keillor's show and I decided to put that on there and as an answer to White Christmas and I hope it will become a standard and sell millions of copies. Next what I'd love to get a copy of it. Is there some way to get a chance on the box set. Oh is it I used to I haven't done it for the past few years musical theater. Yeah. And by the way your voice you have a really nice voice and you sing on key, which is very nice. That's not all you guys do. This kind of material so I wish you the best. Oh God trip back to California. You're in California in California. God gave me this glorious voice and who am I to criticize for? Well, it's better than you think it is. So thanks very much for all your great stuff. Okay. Bye speaking of Glorious voices. I was surprised to find out that Bing Crosby sang one of your songs. He actually did he sang pollution on the TV show The Craft what have Hollywood Palace years ago. I was told I was so thrilled Bing Crosby singing one of my songs. Imagine that did he do a good job. Yeah it curiously they had a change the the word crud which I'm sure you're allowed to say now was on in the song and ABC called and said, we don't we can't use the word crud on network television. I could you change it to something else. So we did Horrors isn't that terrible? That's only that's 1970. You couldn't say to that and you caved in of course I caved in when Bing Crosby says he's going to sing one of my songs. I say whatever you want to do it change it change the key change the words. I don't care. Do it Jane your question, please. Good morning. So good to hear you. Mr. Leer years ago and in the sixties at the University of Illinois, I had a professor of Sociology Professor who began every day of our class with one of your songs. Oh and he did it because he was trying to stir up the at that time. We were folks that had come out of the 50s and were into the previous Nam era of the 60s and he wanted to shake us up and said think so. He always started with one of your songs and one of his favorites. I wish he were alive today to hear you again was taking tacky and I remember that I used to get the biggest kick out of that because actually that had been a 50s ideal to have one of those ticky-tacky houses. Well, I hate to say this interrupt this but that I didn't write that Malvina Reynolds wrote that was that what well it's called Little Boxes, but we were all in the same group that we thank you. Let's move on to Duncan. Who's got a question for Tom Lehrer Duncan. Hello? Hello. Well, I was raised in stifling good taste in New Haven, Connecticut. No, I've heard of that. Yeah, it's you wouldn't want to go there. No, no and in the 1950s when I was of a tender impressionable age one of your 10 inch records right rescued me from a life of stifling good taste and it's well 40 40 odd years later. I wanted to thank you for that. You're still all right, it's saved my life you and Stan freberg you in the next one. I discovered an honor to be put in the same group with him. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Great. You know, I was one of the Flotsam in the 60s that would wander around Mount Auburn Street and looking for Joan Baez. Yeah after the coup never club 47 was gone, but I wondered if it was ever disheartening that a lot of those songs, which you would hope her so dated by now, you could maybe change one or two words and they would be just as current as they were 30 or Two years ago, I mean is that I agree with you that's tragic. It's too bad that these problems of pollution is just as bad as it was nuclear. The threat of nuclear war of course is different now, it isn't from the Soviet Union. It's from the nut Nations, but still it's there and so the problems unfortunately did not go away. I can't think of any of them that did well, he's gotten better. We hear a lot of complaints about the level of discourse in society. Now that we have come to uncivil. Would you agree? I agree totally yes civility. That's the big issue that people just insulting each other in certain instead of art instead of discussing. They're arguing. No, so even though so many people think of you as kind of a sharp witted pointed satirist. In fact little civility goes a long way. Oh, yeah, I wouldn't I wouldn't do it say any of the things that some of these people are saying now and as somebody said you can say things in the you say things in public now that you wouldn't dream of saying in private so I know I would be very restrained. So I probably wouldn't sell millions of Records like Adam Sandler. Well, you have sold a couple million records though. Well over the yeah, but it took me 50 years as I say, it's herpes. Not Ebola John your question, please. Yes, please. Good morning. Good morning. Yes. I was kind of raised with Stan freberg and your albums. My father who was an engineer General Electric and always loved them and just within about the last six months had played some for my 17 year old daughter and her comment was very simple as what happened to Comedy like this where it could be done with some intelligence took it to school for report. I failed miserably and was asked not to bring the album back then got reviewed and said, well no will give you a decent grade anyway, but I just said it has always enjoyed your music and you know, just wanted to say hello and well complement you and say, please keep it up. You warm my heart there bless you. Do you hear a lot from fans do they keep it? No, not much. They leave me alone. Just just buy the record folks. That's enough. So your loyalty you don't want people I don't want them coming to my door. No and your next go ahead, please. Hi. Hello. Mr. Larry go talk to you. Thank you for your very witty and funny songs over the years. Now. I have a question for you about one song that I heard you wrote but that I heard that you maybe didn't want to own up to it's called I got it from Agnes. Yeah. Can you tell me a little bit about it? Yeah. Well now I wrote that in the 50s and it's on the it's on the record because it's there but because it was recorded but it's not a song I would do today because of AIDS. I mean this was written long long before I was ever heard of and it's a song about contagion and I think people would interpret it in that way may not think it's as funny but I figured what the hell will put it on and and what can I say? I can't I can't my only apology is that I wrote it in the 50s. Murray you're next. Mr. Leer. Good morning. I'm so glad that you're still alive. I'm very much alive. I think I'm wondering if you're familiar with the television show. That was on I think the early 90s called Picket Fences owed. I heard the yes, I heard the Vatican rag on there. He's a big fan. I'm happy to say I've never met him and so he snuck several songs into Picket Fences and into Chicago Hope as well. Oh, well, I just I heard a Wombo singing the Vatican Reagan. Yeah our one night and I would always pleased to hear the music and so pleased to hear that you're still with us. Thank you very much. Thank you. Yes, I was I was very delighted to hear that song Sometimes out of nowhere probably delighted to know you're still with us too. Oh, yes. Well, I'm even more delighted than you are considering the Alternatives. Yeah. Let's get one more caller on your before we wrap up Phil. Go ahead. Please. Let me follow on that last. One of the Groucho Marx that the best compliment he ever got was from a woman who came out doing the street one day and said never die. And I think I'd have to say the same thing to you. But the best way to keep you alive, obviously the players play your songs for kids, which I'm doing for my young ones and they were quite get it yet, but they'll learn to that's good spread the word. I don't plan to die by the way. No, don't don't it's not on my agenda. I looked at my list good a couple of comments in one question. I asked you to advance that imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism and I'm sure you didn't do this intentionally, but Hanukkah and Santa Monica was the name of a review that Mickey cats wrote I heard about that. I never saw her was it recorded? Do you know? Yes, it was I have the record but I certainly didn't invent the rhyme no first, but I don't but I've heard somebody tell me about Mickey cast but no I have to claim right and then originality and then Jesse Ventura. I'm sure you only liked him because you don't have to live under him. Oh, well, I yeah, that's right. It's easier to sit here in California, but I just like Look what he just the fact that he says something even if I totally disagree I have the same feeling about Alan Simpson who might disagree with and on every possible issue, but it's nice to hear somebody actually command only this stuff. I certainly agree with him on religion better than us. Right right that man does speak his mind in a way that sometimes very sympathetic and then finally my question which is what I'm a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, although I really are but yes before you ride on the scene and I'm wondering what Drew you there was it was the intellectual climate of salubrious as as in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or did you just want to escape publicity or what was the I wanted to skate snow which is the main right? And I did that and then I found out it was a lot of fun here. So I've been coming back for 28 years. Any what's the future hold for Tom Lehrer. Now, you said you're not going to perform any more. I don't even know what I'm going to have for breakfast tomorrow. So I can't I don't I don't know what the future holds I never would have thought that the two years ago that there would be a box set with all my stuff on it with all this thing going on, so I can't predict you secretly. Write songs and just don't do anything with them. No, not really maybe titles or one-liners but not not full songs now. Mmm. Well, thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you Gary Lair appreciate it. And and thanks so much for some brilliant work over the years. Well, I hope you raise a lot of money. Well we do too. Thanks a lot and stay alive. Okay, I promise. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye Gary Tom Lehrer joining us during this hour of our midday program. And if you would like to pick up a copy of Tom layers new 3 CD box set its called the remains of Tom Lehrer. All you have to do is give us a call and make a membership pledge this being the last day of our membership Drive the last day of our fiscal year. The need (00:38:13) is a real one. Here's a great opportunity (00:38:15) a little incentive a little thank you gift pledge $10 a month and we'll send that out to you if you join us at the $20 a month. (00:38:22) Level will not only send you out the (00:38:24) Tom Lehrer 3 CD box set (00:38:26) but we'll also include a CD carrier in a CD opener for you 1-800 to to 728 11 is the number to call 1-800 to to 728. 11. Bob Potter is back Bob. Of course a main stay here at Minnesota Public Radio 4 years and years the hours those early morning hours. Finally got to Bob and he went off to pursue his dream and he's now a financial advisor investment advisor for J & B JN be a financial advisors, but you know given the financial situation here at MPR end of the fiscal year. We had to call Bob back in. Well, I got it. I got to say that phone number, you know, I mean, I may be gone now from NPR, but I will never ever forget the telephone number and I hope you won't either it's one eight hundred to two hundred seventy eight eleven ten folks on the line right now at a quarter to twelve here on Friday afternoon. Last day of the membership drive at Minnesota Public Radio the last day of the fiscal year with about a hundred and forty two thousand dollars yet to go before we can wrap it up. Do your part 1-800 to to 728 11, you know, Bob the tough thing here is that we fell so frankly. We just fell too far behind and we shorten the drive up substantially as it was I mean, this is only the second day in the only two days of total and midday that were pledging which shorten it up so much and then we fell behind and you've been through these drives before, you know, you just can't do that, but we need to catch up because we need actually need to balance the books out this word February we could say well we'll get as close as we can and then we'll come back later in the year and try to try to finish off the business, but unfortunately, there is no literally no tomorrow to this fiscal year at ends today this last day. Yeah. I mean we are right up against the wall here folks. So this is the time we need you to call 1-800 to to 7. 28:11, you know just listening to that last half hour there where but on Minnesota Public Radio. Would you hear a conversation like that and have the opportunity to visit with a guy like Tom Lehrer? It just doesn't happen anywhere but on public radio that's the kind of thing that is done uniquely by Minnesota Public Radio. And that's why we encourage you to support it with a membership pledge at 1-800 to to 720 811 and especially having had the fun of listening to Tom Lehrer and visiting with him for a while wouldn't you like to have for a $10 per month contribution our thank you gift of three CD box set the remains of Tom Lehrer with all of the what is it? 74 75 songs, uh, seventy four songs. And of course, there's the booklet which and the great thing. Is it like a book actually, I mean, it's yeah, there's a great long essay in there by dr. Demento talking about Tom Blair's career. There's all kinds of illustrations. There's a internet chat. Some excerpts from that with Tom Lehrer. There's a the lyrics though. It's a great booklet and all part of the package at $10 a month. And again because of the situation here. Normally we would leave it at that but I'm going to go the extra step here and urge everybody to try to join a $20 a month level if they can afford it because we still have to raise a hundred and forty two thousand dollars by the end of today today to balance the books 1-800 to to 728 11 and whatever you can afford really that's the important thing. The important thing is that you call us 14 callers on the line right now room for you know, Busy Signal's you'll get right through and make that membership pledge. It takes two or three minutes of your time. Mr. Potter is here. He has brought his green eyeshade in he's here looking over the numbers looking over the books and his financial advice is call now folks all now because I'll tell you the books. I'm going to balance the way it's looking right now hundred and forty-one thousand dollars to raise before the end of the fiscal year and that's today. So we really got to hear from you at one eight hundred two to seven twenty eight eleven there 15 callers on the line right now. We hope that everybody who's calling is pledging at the maximum. They can for his or her budget. I mean, we don't want somebody to go way overboard but on the other hand, you got to think you can spare 10 bucks a month for Minnesota Public Radio that's less than the cost of way less than the cost of your cable TV subscription way less than the cost of your newspaper and look at the variety and look at the flexibility and all of the quality you get at Minnesota Public Radio and it's here when you want it call us at one eight hundred two to seven twenty eight eleven and do your part 1 800 to to 728 11 now besides this overall goal, which is really the thing that counts the basically hundred and forty two thousand dollars by the end of this day the other thing to focus on the Broken it down by hourly goals to make make it a little more manageable so that they can keep keep have some idea of whether we have any hope of making this goal. And for this hour we should we were supposed to raise $20,000. We still we're about halfway halfway and we still got 10 minutes to go but there are enough you listening right now. I know there are who haven't had a chance to become a member yet regular listeners to mid-day. Give us a call here at one eight hundred to two thousand seven 28:11 1800227. (00:43:55) 2811 and Bob we should remind everybody that everybody who calls and even if they don't (00:43:59) pledge will be entered in the drawing for the thousand dollars worth of gasoline courtesy the holiday station stores blowing at the price of gas today. Wouldn't that be a benefit now? Somebody's going to win this. Yeah. There's no question about that in the way to give yourself a chance is to call and get your name in the kitty now. Obviously, let's not kid ourselves here. We want you to The Pledge when you call but you don't have to now in addition to getting a chance to win the thousand dollars worth of gasoline if you call us we will also enter your name in the drawing for the Northwest Airlines Orient Express giveaways, what do you win their well round-trip airfare for to courtesy of Northwest Airlines two days you spend in Singapore you'll hold up at the deluxe Hotel InterContinental then my favorite part of this trip Bob two days you hang out in this luxurious State cabin meals included, of course on the Orient Express Railway boy now, that's that's travel. That's that's your big shot operations. And then where do you end up at but in Bangkok Thailand for four days staying at the Peninsula Hotel and sightseeing and shopping the whole business somebody's going to win that too and give yourself a chance get your make sure your name is in the drawing at one eight hundred two to seven twenty eight. But today is the last day to enter the drawings. Today is the last day to do any of this is it's all done tomorrow. So if you if you want a copy of the Tom Lehrer CD box set right now is the time to call 1-800 to to 728 11 glad to talk with you tomorrow. Glad to talk with you Monday be great fun to talk with you and take your membership of we can't offer any of these special deals because now we're into the new fiscal year now, that's right, and I'll tell you what we got to do is balance the budget for this fiscal year and worry about next fiscal year starting next month 15 folks on the line here at 1-800-273-8255 halfway little better than halfway to the goal for this hour. I'll tell you you could help us get along way to that goal. If you would in a position to contribute $1,000 to Minnesota Public Radio as 44 people have done so far these past couple of days that works out to $84 a month. We've got a very nice. Thank you. That level 10000 World perks miles from Northwest Airlines you can use those World perks miles, of course on Northwest but also on America West on Big Sky on Malaysia Airlines and on Continental so for a $1,000 contribution of Minnesota Public Radio, I thank you gift is 10,000 World perks frequent flyer miles and the knowledge that you're really doing something very beneficial to Minnesota Public Radio. Not entirely sure what happened just there Bob but we had 27 callers on the line. They dropped the 16 and the now we're heading back up again 1-800 to to 728 11 with this kind of support. We might be able to make some history here at Minnesota Public Radio to my knowledge the concept of raising what amounts to a quarter of a million dollars in one day. Well, it's just beyond the pale, but we have a chance to do it today. You have a chance to do it still $139,000 left to raise by the end of this day we have about 10,000 left to go this hour. There are 30 callers on the line at 1 800 2 to 7 28:11. Thanks to Northern Lights school of massage for providing free massage therapy to volunteers and staff during the entire Pledge Drive the Gary's taken advantage of that a number of times. Yes. Absolutely kind of a last call here on these Tom Lehrer songs the box set the Tom Lehrer box set again available as a special thank-you gift at the $10 a month level and if you join us at the $20 a month level will send out the box set plus the CD wallet and that ever-popular CD opener so you can actually get the get the CDs open. You can't beat it with a stick 1-800 to to 728 11. If you visit American city, you will find it very pretty just two things of which you must beware don't drink the water and don't breathe the air pollution pollution. They got Smog and sewage and mud turn on your tap and get hot and cold running crud. See the Hollywood's and the sturgeons are being wiped out to buy detergents Fish Gotta swim and birds gotta fly, but they don't last long if they try pollution pollution. You can use the latest toothpaste and then rinse your mouth with Industrial Waste just go out for a breath of air and you'll be ready for Medicare. The city streets are really quite a thrill if the hoods don't get you the monoxide will pollution pollution wear a gas mask and a veil then you can breathe long as you don't inhale. Lots of things there that you can drink but stay away from the kitchen sink the breakfast garbage that you throw into the bay. They drink at lunch in San Jose. So go to the city see the crazy people they like limes to the slaughter. They're drinking the water and breathing the a twisted mind all very clever stuff very very clever stuff indeed 1-800 to to 7 2011 Bob Potter three and a half minutes to go here and we're about eighty eight hundred dollars short of our goal for this hour, but twenty four callers on the line right now. We're going to get there. I think we can if you will do your part. Let's get it up to 30. We had 32 there at one point. So make the call to 1-800 to to 728 11. Do help us reach the goal. It's an important goal, you know every single dollar that you contribute to Minnesota Public Radio comes back to you over the air and over the internet at our website throughout the year every single penny of it. 1-800-222-8477. Very smart investment. 1-800-273-8255. People are on the line right now 25 people deciding. Yeah. This is something that makes sense. What they're talking about does make sense because I have to pay for all the other news and information that comes into my house. Might as well pay for this Minnesota Public Radio news and information as well 1-800 to to 728 11 keep those phones ringing here. We've got 27 callers on the line and $8,400 yet to raise now again, it's hard to know how much those people are pledging. But we have a chance here to keep up make our goal the total goal for those of you keeping score at home on this very last day of our School year $137,000. That's the amount it's going to take to balance the books. The accountants will be here tomorrow wanting to know if we have raised enough money from listener memberships through the course of the year to pay for the programs. And right now we still have to raise a hundred and thirty seven thousand dollars by the end of this day a big goal and it'll be tough. But if you call and make your pledge get your new membership in get your membership renewed it can be done history can be made here June thirtieth two thousand down in the record books 1-800 to to 728 1127 people on the line. Well, you know, I was here for 29 years Gary and I've never seen a goal as big as this at the last day that's just brutal hits, but, you know folks it's a it's a brutal goal, but this is the second day and it's the last day and that's a big big change from as little as five years ago, and we used to go on and talk and talk and talk about membership in definitely now. This is the second and last day. So do do what you have to do this afternoon. Call us at one eight hundred two to seven 28:11. Keep Minnesota Public Radio strong. I suppose there's some thought Bob. Well gee, why don't you lower the goal at just as tomb? Well, the point is that this is what we need actually pay for the programs and already spent. Yeah, it's not like this is just some number that somebody pulled out of the air. This is money. We actually need to raise and today's the last day to do it our fiscal year ends midnight tonight 1-800 to to 728 11 is the number to call if you have not yet had a chance to make your pledge if you've not yet had a chance to pick up a copy of the Tom Lehrer 3 CD box set give us a call at 1-800-222-6950 come stance, but we're suggesting 10 or $20 a month is not an unreasonable amount. If you can do a lot extra 44 people so far have joined us at the thousand-dollar leadership level 1 800 to to 728 11 now the we're going to break for some news headlines, but our volunteers are here keep the phone's ringing will let you know if we made the goal for this hour will keep you posted on the overall goal as well 1-800 to to 728 11.