Roy Zimmerman

Roy Zimmerman is an American folk satirist who sings primarily political songs from a left-wing perspective. Before going solo, he was in a band called The Foremen.

Discography

• Comic Sutra (1998)
• Homeland (2004)
• Security (2004)
• Peacenick (2005)
• Faulty Intelligence (2006)
• Thanks for the Support (2008)
• Real American (2010)
• You’re Getting Sleepy (2011)

Tropes Used by Roy Zimmerman

• Album Title Drop: The lyric “you’re getting sleepy” appears in the song “Vote Republican”.
  • "Thanks for the Support" shares its name with a song on the album, as does "Peacenick."
• Anti-Christmas Song: “Christmas Is Pain”
• Armoured Closet Gay: "Ted Haggard is Completely Heterosexual":
  • "He preached the gospel message of intolerance and self-loathing..."
• Audience Participation Song: "The Singalong Second Amendment"
• Bourgeois Bohemian: This stereotype appears in "To Be a Liberal":
  • "I hit a speedbump and spilled my chai latte all over the hemp-covered seats in my Prius..."
• Double Entendre: "I'll Pull Out" contains several of these including the title which is a reference to both "Pulling Out" of Iraq and the Withdrawal Method.
• Heteronormative Crusader: Parodied in "Defenders of Marriage".
• Hurricane of Euphemisms: “Firing the Surgeon General” is a song made up of several euphemisms for masturbation.
• Hypocritical Humor: in "To Be A Liberal":
  • "And in yoga today, I got bent out of shape, ‘cause the guy doing bow-pulling pulls in front of me was intolerant, which I hate!"
• In the Style Of: "What If The Beatles Were Irish?"
• Light Bulb Joke: In the song "Socialist!" Relating to how many socialists and capitalists it takes to screw in a lightbulb.
• New Age Retro Hippie: Discussed in the song "Psychedelic Relic", a song about a drug addled aging hippie.
• Pedophile Priest: Referenced in the song "Love Your Neighbourhood Priest".
• Protest Song: Much of Roy Zimmerman's catalogue is this:
  • Criticism of George W. Bush and the war in Iraq, notably "Chickenhawk", "Thanks for the Support", "Saddam Shame".
  • "Hope, Struggle and Change" is a song written for Occupy Wall Street.
  • "Homeland Security" is a song criticising the US response to 9/11.
• Religion Rant Song: "Jerry Falwell's God" is a type 3 Take That at Jerry Falwell.
• Song Parody: "Eine Kleine Barackmusik" to Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusic".
• Stupid Sexy Flanders: "Dick Cheney":
  • "I'm not gay...but there's always that one guy...Dick Cheney, ain't he, the sexiest man alive?"
• Subject 101: "Creation Science 101"
• Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: In many of his songs, but most notably in “Ted Haggard Is Completely Heterosexual”
• The Man Is Sticking It to the Man: Parodied in "Think Different"; the title references an Apple slogan.
  • "Think Different, cos some 24-year old silk suited substance abuser who'd shove his mother down an escalator for a shot at the Nabisco account told you to!"
• Too Much Information: The song "T.M.I." is about a guy who has some unfortunate conversations with random strangers about their problems.
• Unusual Euphemism: “Firing the Surgeon General”
• War Is Hell: "I Won't Be Home For Christmas", "Thanks for the Support" and "The Last Man".
• You Know Who Said That: This appears in "That is The War On Terror":
  • "There's this great quote about war, and I'm tryin to remember who said it, the people can always be brought to do the bidding of the leaders, you just tell them they're under attack, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, now who said that? Oh yeah, it was Hermann Goering.