Latest news with #NationalRecordingRegistry
USA Today
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tom Lehrer, singer and influential political satirist, dies at 97: Reports
Singer-songwriter Tom Lehrer, a satirist who gained prominence in the 1950s and 1960s for his acerbic take on politics and social life, has died, according to reports. He was 97. Lehrer died on Saturday, July 26, at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lehrer's friend David Herder confirmed to The New York Times and The Associated Press. A cause of death was not disclosed. Representatives for Lehrer were not available for comment at the time of publication. Born in New York City to parents Morris and Anna Lehrer in April 1928, Lehrer showed a penchant for musical composition early on. The precocious musician began studying classical piano at the age of 7 and later pivoted to pop music. Around this time, Lehrer began composing show tunes, which would become the basis of his songwriting prowess. Lehrer displayed a similar level of mastery in his academic life. After graduating from the Loomis Chaffee School, a college preparatory school in Windsor, Connecticut, Lehrer enrolled at Harvard University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Lehrer's musical direction began to take shape during his time at the Ivy League university. He often wrote comic songs to entertain his friends, including the satirical college fight song "Fight Fiercely, Harvard." Lehrer later put together the "Physical Revue," a compilation of his academic satire songs named after the scientific journal Physical Review. Lehrer performed his parodies at coffeehouses and student gatherings throughout the Cambridge, Massachusetts, area. As interest in his music grew among the Harvard University student body, Lehrer went into the studio and recorded his debut album, "Songs by Tom Lehrer." Ozzy Osbourne dies: Black Sabbath singer and heavy metal icon was 76 The 10" LP, recorded in a one-hour studio session that cost $15, quickly sold out its 400-copy pressing and, after several reissues, reportedly went on to sell 350,000 copies. The album was rereleased in 1997 and inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2004. In a retrospective review of the album for the National Recording Registry, author Ronald L. Smith reflected that Lehrer pioneered the "sick" comedy genre. "The love song 'I Hold Your Hand in Mine' was about a severed hand. 'Be Prepared' urged Boy Scouts to pimp their sisters," Smith wrote. "'My Home Town' gleefully recalled a collection of idiots, perverts and the store owner named Dan: 'He was swell. He killed his mother-in-law and ground her up real well. And sprinkled just a bit over each banana split.'" Lehrer obtained a master's degree from Harvard in 1947 and remained in the school's doctoral program for several years, even amid his burgeoning music career. He also taught at universities such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his own alma mater, Harvard. Malcolm-Jamal Warner dies in drowning: 'Cosby Show' star was 54 Tom Lehrer becomes satire legend despite short-lived career Aside from his intellectual and musical pursuits, Lehrer also enjoyed a two-year stint in the U.S. Army after he was drafted in 1955. His military experience, which involved working at the National Security Agency, provided ample inspiration for his songwriting. Lehrer's sophomore album, 1959's "More of Tom Lehrer," featured the track "It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier." Lehrer released his final album, the live record "That Was the Year That Was," in 1965, which earned him a top 20 entry on the Billboard 200 chart. Following a tour of Sweden, Denmark and East Germany in 1967, the witty singer-songwriter retreated from the spotlight, per the National Recording Registry. Lehrer didn't leave music fully behind, however. The musician, joining the faculty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 1972, taught a musical theater course in addition to teaching mathematics. Despite his relatively short career, Lehrer has inspired several musicians and satirists over the years, including "Weird Al" Yankovic, Swedish actor Lars Ekborg and Argentinian singer Nacha Guevara. Lehrer was not married at the time of his death. He had no children.
USA Today
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Steve Miller Band cancels all upcoming tour dates due to extreme weather
Steve Miller is flying like an eagle away from his 2025 tour dates. The 81-year-old musician's Steve Miller Band said in a statement on Wednesday, July 16, that all of its upcoming tour dates have been canceled due to various extreme weather events. "The combination of extreme heat, unpredictable flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and massive forest fires make these risks for you our audience, the band and the crew unacceptable," the statement said. "So ... You can blame it on the weather. The tour is cancelled." USA TODAY has reached out to the Steve Miller Band for additional information. "Don't know where, don't know when ... We hope to see you all again," the message, which was signed by Miller, the band and its crew, also read. Steve Miller Band is hitting the road this summer: Where they'll play, how to get tickets In May, the Steve Miller Band announced their 31-date tour was set to begin on Aug. 15 in New York and wrap on Nov. 8 in California. Along the way, stops were planned in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Florida, Arizona and more states. As of July 17, no tour dates were listed on the band's website. The Steve Miller Band was originally formed in 1966 and is known for hits like "Rock'n Me" and "Fly Like an Eagle," the latter of which was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry. In 2024, the group joined Def Leppard and Journey on a summer stadium tour. Miller "and his four-piece band offered an invigorating 60 minutes of fingers dancing across the fretboard ('Fly Like an Eagle'), sizzling harmonica ('Living in the U.S.A.') and funky hi-hat work and handclaps ('Take the Money and Run')," USA TODAY music writer Melissa Ruggieri said in a review of a July show in Philadelphia. In the comments of the band's tour cancellation announcement on Instagram, fans expressed confusion over the decision. "This seems like an odd reason to cancel a tour," one user wrote, while another comment read, "Is this real? Must be a joke? If this is a serious statement, it's the craziest press release I've ever seen for a tour cancelation." Steve Miller recalls late '60s San Francisco music having 'a dark side' but 'so much beauty' "What a joke. If this is a real reason why are you the only band/touring act to cancel a tour right now?" another comment read. But other fans defended the move. "Steve has been doing this for decades and has earned the right to play by his own rules," one follower wrote. "Have some class, people." Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY
Hamilton Spectator
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Marc Maron to end his ‘WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, actors, musicians, Obama
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. Maron used a simple interview style to get guests to share stories they'd rarely told elsewhere. Seeking to know the biggest influences on their lives and careers, Maron would ask, 'Who are your guys?' Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 'GLOW.' The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 'Lock the gates!' in his role as a promoter in the film 'Almost Famous.' The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction. Maron gave tearful tribute to his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton , in the episode after her death in 2020. 'People who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it's all good. They have a relationship with me that's one sided, but it's real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,' Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 'My particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it's very personal and usually that's a good thing. But I've had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.'
NBC News
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast this fall, citing burnout
Marc Maron announced Monday that he would end his acclaimed podcast, "WTF With Marc Maron," after nearly 16 years. In the latest episode of the popular show, Maron said he and producer Brendan McDonald made the decision to end the podcast sometime this fall. 'It was not some kind of difficult decision, necessarily,' Maron told comedian John Mulaney, who was his guest on the episode. 'Neither me nor Brendan, who are the only people in charge of this operation on every level… we both realized together that we were done.' Maron's show, which celebrates its anniversary Sept. 1, broke ground while the medium of podcasting was still in its infancy. Since its launch in 2009, Maron has recorded more than 1,600 episodes, with guests such as former President Barack Obama, rock star Keith Richards and comedian Carol Burnett. An episode he did with Robin Williams was entered into America's National Recording Registry as the first one-on-one podcast episode. Maron's decision to end the "WTF" podcast comes as podcasts are taking over TV screens amid video formats' increasing popularity. The medium first emerged in the mid-2000s and remained a small, niche market for years before several hits, including 'Serial,' gave the medium a jolt of attention and gravitas. While 2023 was a tough year for podcasts as a whole, popular podcasts retained — and in some instances grew — their audiences in 2024. 'We're tired, we're burnt out, and we are utterly satisfied with the work we've done,' Maron said during Monday's episode. 'We've done great work.' However, Maron said that he is not necessarily retiring from podcasting. "This doesn't mean I'm never going to do something like this again," he said. "It doesn't mean I'll never, you know, have talks like I do here, or or some kind of podcast at some point in time. But for now, we're just, uh, we're wrapping things up. It's OK. It's OK to end things." "And thankfully," he said, while talking about McDonald, "we both realized together that we were done."
San Francisco Chronicle
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Marc Maron to end his 'WTF' podcast after 15 years of interviewing comics, actors, musicians, Obama
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comic and actor Marc Maron said Monday that he's ending his popular and influential podcast 'WTF with Marc Maron' after nearly 16 years. Maron said on a newly released episode that the last of the nearly 2,000 episodes he has hosted will be released later this year. 'Sixteen years we've been doing this, and we've decided that we had a great run,' Maron said. 'Now, basically, it's time, folks. It's time. 'WTF' is coming to an end. It's our decision. We'll have our final episode sometime in the fall.' The 61-year-old Maron said he and producing partner Brendan McDonald are 'tired' and 'burnt out' but 'utterly satisfied with the work we've done.' Maron was a veteran stand-up comic who had dabbled in radio when he started the show in 2009, at a time when stand-ups were trying out the form in big numbers, and many listeners still downloaded episodes on to iPods. The show early on was often about Maron talking through his beefs with fellow comedians, but it soon stood out and became a widely heard and medium-defining show with its thoughtful, probing longform interviews of cultural figures. It became a key stop on press tours for authors, actors and musicians and reached a peak when then- President Barack Obama visited Maron's makeshift Los Angeles garage studio for an episode in 2015. Other memorable episodes include a 2010 personal and emotional interview with Robin Williams that was re-posted and widely listened to after Williams' death in 2014. The episode earned a place in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Maron kept doing standup specials and expanded his acting career while the show aired, including a three-season run on the Netflix series 'GLOW.' The show's guitar-rock theme song opened with a clip of Maron shouting, 'Lock the gates!' in his role as a promoter in the film 'Almost Famous.' The solo episode openings became a confessional space for Maron where he talked about his life, relationships, years of doing stand-up comedy and struggles with drug addiction. Maron gave tearful tribute to his girlfriend, director Lynn Shelton, in the episode after her death in 2020. 'People who listen to the podcast know me pretty well, and it's all good. They have a relationship with me that's one sided, but it's real and I try to be as gracious about that as possible,' Maron told The Associated Press in 2019. 'My particular little slice of the show business world is very me specific and it's very personal and usually that's a good thing. But I've had to learn how to balance how much of my life I reveal and what I keep to myself, and try to find a little space.'
