Yet, in truth, satire—at least satire of great quality—lives just as long as any other kind of art. It keeps its objects alive by lampooning them and, wrapping itself around the subject, fossil-like,

Brief though his career as an entertainer was, Tom Lehrer inscribed his signature on a brainy, no-holds-barred brand of political and social satire whose influence could be discerned decades later in the likes of Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, and Samantha Bee.

What made Lehrer unique was his dual identity as both an entertainer and academic. Despite his success in music, he chose to return to teaching mathematics at Harvard University a