Roy Zimmerman

Roy Zimmerman is a brilliant satirist who is probably best compared to Tom Lehrer – scathing yet extremely funny. I think a lot of Swedish (and other) "satirists" would do well to study at his feet for a while; it's not hard to get laughs and adulation from people whose prejudices you cater to, but it's not-quite the same thing as being genuinely funny – for that you need to actually be clever.

The first song, "Chickenhawk", is about those enthusiastic war lovers who were positively rabid about invading Iraq – but who never were quite enthusiastic enough about risking their own hide to actually join the armed forces themselves. Hence, "chickenhawks", a combination of "chicken" and "hawk" (obviously).

Doesn't he look like the sweetest guy in the world?

The second clip deals with the homophobia that's rampant in certain circles. Note how he, unlike this very well-made and funny Swedish effort, doesn't rely on generalizing swipes at large religious groups but mainly attacks an attitude.

Anyway, it's not exactly easy to find his records here in Sweden, but if your record store isn't able or willing to get them for you, you can always buy them online.