Hugh Cornwell

Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky? 

He got an ice pick 

That made his ears burn

From the Stranglers' 1977 single, "No More Heroes."

Leon Trotsky was a major figure in the Russian Revolution, second only to Lenin in importance.  But when he opposed some of Stalin's policies, he was exiled from the Soviet Union, and resided in Turkey, France, Norway, and Mexico successively.

At the first of the Moscow "show trials" in 1936, Trotsky was sentenced to death in absentia for having conspired to assassinate Stalin.  Trotsky was murdered in his home in Mexico City 1940 by a Soviet secret police agent who whacked him on the head with an ice axe.  Not exactly the same thing as being stabbed in the ear with an ice pick, but we must allow a little artistic license.

Today is the 62nd birthday of Hugh Cornwell, the founder of the Stranglers and the lead singer on "No More Heroes."