Tom Lehrer reflecting on his bicoastal life in a 1981 interview for Newsday, he said he planned to keep his Massachusetts home “until my brain turns completely to Jell-O, at which time I will of course move to California full time.”

 

Tom Lehrer, Musical Satirist With a Dark Streak, Dies at 97

A mathematician by training, he acquired a devoted following with songs that set sardonic lyrics to music that was often maddeningly cheerful.

By Richard Severo and Peter Keepnews  July 27, 2025