Voting Station

Paul Hume

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Critic

The Resume

    (December 13, 1915-November 27, 2001)
    Born in Chicago, Illinois
    Critic and music editor for the Washington Post (1946-82)
    Professor of Music at Georgetown University (1950-77)
    Wrote a negative review of a recital by Margaret Truman (December5, 1950): ‘Miss Truman cannot sing very well. She is flat a good deal of the time.’
    President Harry Truman wrote an irate letter in response: ‘Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes, and perhaps a supporter below! [Westbrook] Pegler, a guttersnipe, is a gentleman alongside you.’

Why he might be annoying:

    Despite a long and distinguished career, he is remembered almost entirely as the target of President Truman’s wrath.
    Washington Post publisher Philip Graham nixed printing Truman’s letter, but Hume mentioned it to the music critic at the Washington News, who went to his editors, who ran the story.
    Defenders of President Trump cite Truman’s bashing of Hume as proof that the Donald’s Twitter outbursts are not unprecedented.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was an organist and baritone soloist at Washington National Cathedral.
    He directed the Georgetown University Glee Club for 25 years.
    He received a Peabody Award for outstanding achievement in music criticism (1977).
    He commented about Truman’s letter, ‘I can only say that a man suffering from the loss of a friend* and carrying the burden of the present world crisis ought to be indulged in an occasional outburst of temper.’ (*Truman’s longtime friend, Press Secretary Charlie Ross, had died a few hours before Margaret’s recital.)
    While in St. Louis to cover a concert by Maria Callas, he drove out to Independence to see Truman; the two reconciled and played a duet on the two pianos in Truman’s office (1958).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 9 Votes: 88.89% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 18 Votes: 55.56% Annoying