A whole collection of rare footage of Tom Lehrer on YouTube, apparently with his permission.
Thanks, BDan!
As I noted when I saw one of these linked from io9, I've been listening to Tom Lehrer since I was a kid, but I don't think I've ever seen a video recording of him performing before. I may never even have seen a close-up photo before. It's a little disconcerting, to hear that very familiar voice coming from that unfamiliar face.
Fantastic. Thanks so much for the link — watching those was a kick.
I can’t remember ever having seen period video of his performances, either, or a good photograph. He’s not what I pictured at all. He’s more clean-cut, somehow.
Wow, those are just amazing. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a picture or anything, but he doesn’t look substantially unlikely what I might’ve pictured — except for looking a *log* younger than I would’ve expected! I have no idea why, but I somehow assume he’s been in his fifties for the past sixty years or so. :^)
Thanks for the comments. Yes, Tom Lehrer is OK with The Tom Lehrer Wisdom Channel, although it initially was an illegal posting. But Lehrer is a very kind man. The 12 songs are not commercially available, and I think Lehrer’s fans should enjoy the possibility of seeing Tom Lehrer doing those 12 gems in September 1967 😉 In my opinion Tom Lehrer is one of America’s greatest satirists, and I would like him to be remembered and also to be discovered by more people in the US and elsewhere.
Tom Lehrer on TV: Tom Lehrer will appear on TV nationwide in the US in January 2009 in the series ″Make ‘Em Laugh – The Funny Business of America″. Lehrer has also agreed to let the BBC (UK) and the ZDF (Germany) air portions of the 1967 performance in full broadcast quality 😉