Tenk You Veddy Much!

"That's one big hat, pardna"












Right when I am supposed to be back at my graduate studies, and also some upcoming T.A. duties, I become obsessed with something based upon my previous posting. Now I think that Andy Kaufman could maybe still be alive (?). There's a fair amount of info out on the Web pointing in this direction, including a very interesting website. That site is fascinating! Now, I don't know. I even checked out a 1999 biography on Andy, as I became very interested in what exactly made (makes?) him tick. The Kaufman Lives site is being run by an "Enrique", who also calls himself KING. Not, as he says, a king, or the king, but KING ("Enrique" is a name known to have been used by Kaufman as one of his many, many characters and put-ons). KING, as in Elvis was the King?(Andy loved Elvis). KING as in Kaufman Is Not Gone?

Whatever the deal is, I loved his work. He never wanted anyone to call him a comedian, and would reprimand anyone who did. He preferred the term, "song and dance man". In one of his early appearances on his college television station, he became "distraught" over "bombing" in this early appearance. No one was laughing at the (awful) jokes, and he began to berate the studio audience, saying, "I need this job you rich bastards, I'm trying to work my way through college". Then, he pulled out a gun and fired it at his own head, just as the host of this campus talk show tackled him to prevent the suicide. They immediately cut to a station break, and when they returned, Andy is sitting up on the stage conversing with the host in the Johhny Carson-like setting, as if nothing had happened, in his very genial, polite Andy personality. The guy did stuff like this all through his network TV career, and he was absolutely fearless. The number of "fights", "arguments", and other outrageous behaviors that he pulled off on network TV was truly extraordinary.

He told several people he would fake his own death, as the ultimate "stunt". He stated he would pull it off in the exact way that he supposedly died, in 1984, before said event occurred(?) He played with reality and illusion, and he wanted to be known as the ultimate performer; to do what no one else ever would, or could, do. He wanted to be KING, like Elvis, but then again, not a king, not the king, but KING.

It seems that Andy can be reached at: andrewgeoffreykaufman@yahoo.com. I've already sent in my email. Haven't heard back yet; one rumour is that he lives amongst the Amish, and therefore does not use modern technology. He communicates back to the website and by email, through a mediator. I'll be waiting here, graduate studies piling up.