An Anti-Ayn Rand Song Emerges That Murray Rothbard Sang

By Robert Wenzel

I mentioned yesterday at EPJ  that  Dr. Michael Edelstein arranged for Murray Rothbard to meet  the world-renowned psychotherapist Albert Ellis, Ellis was the founder of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and Michael studied under him.

Here is a little of the back story. Michael told me that when Rothbard and Ellis met, they really did not discuss or debate on each others turf, where they were experts. But they found common ground in their reaction to the attempt by Ayn Rand to expect every human move to be analyzed under a microscope in terms of "rational behavior," which actually turns out to be very irrational when one considers the absurd lengths that Rand would seek out "rational justification," for things like tastes in music, clothing etc. Rothbard even wrote a one act play about this, Mozart Was a Red.

Upon hearing that Rothbard wrote such a play, Ellis brought out a song that he had written in the same vein, casting a humorous light on irrational rationality.

Walter Block, who was and still is a close friend of Michael's, introduced Michael to Rothbard and was also present at the Rothbard-Ellis meet..

Michael emails:

“Perfect Rationality” is the song Walter, Murray, and I sang with Al the night we visited him in his office. Al brought it up in the context of Murray and Al bashing Ayn Rand.

PERFECT RATIONALITY

 (Funiculi, Funiculi by Luigi Denza)

Some think the world must have a right direction,

And so do I! And so do I!

Some think that, with the slightest imperfection,

They can’t get by and so do I!

For I, I have to prove I’m superhuman,

And better far than people are!

To show I have miraculous acumen

And always rate among the Great!

Perfect, perfect rationality

Is, of course the only thing for me!

How can I ever think of being

If I must live fallibly?

Rationality must be a perfect thing for me!

In a separate email, Walter adds:

 That was an interesting evening. Michael and me, and our two mentors.

Michael also adds:

 Another one of Al's songs:
WHINE, WHINE, WHINE!
 (Yale Whiffenpoof Song by Guy Scull a Harvard Man) I cannot have all of my wishes filled Whine, whine, whine!
I cannot have every frustration stilled
Whine, whine, whine!
Life really owes me the things that I miss, Fate has to grant me eternal bliss!
And since I must settle for less than this Whine, whine, whine!

 Here’s more of his songs, all written to the music of old standards:http://trop.troy.edu/kness/ellis-ret%20handouts/rational%20humorous%20addiction%20songs%20by%20ellis.pdf

Here's Rothbard's play as it was performed, with I believe Murray present in the audience.




Robert Wenzel is Editor & Publisher at EconomicPolicyJournal.com and at Target Liberty. He is also author of The Fed Flunks: My Speech at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Follow him on twitter:@wenzeleconomics