Hey everyone, you can find some information about Andy and also it is his official online memorial where you can upload photos,videos or memories and wishes on this website - memmento.com! Please feel free to express your condolences
Could you tell me what year this was recorded and on what TV show? I'm writing an essay on Andy Kaufman and a lot of it is taken from this video. Thank you!
When he asks, "do you want the record" at 7:24 you can hear at least one person yell, "get off stage!" He looks genuinely annoyed for a second because the audience wasn't behaving completely like he wanted. After that, he goes immediately for the record probably because he didn't want his act to back fire.
@coryrudy98 agree...but at the same time, the point of this bit is he wanted them to 'boo', without the booing he would have no reason to stop and say", im just fooling i wouldnt do THAT", or he wouldnt have a reason to play the record instead which picked up EXACTLY where he stopped reading...those are what got the laughs he was after, he never actually planned on reading the whole thing lol
People may think this is very unconventional but its actually very similiar to the type of audience participation entertainment you would see at a pantomime/circus or from a children's entertainer, subtly getting them to play along to cues he's giving them. The genius of it is doing it in this setting to adults. I think making an audience of adults expecting straight comedy feel like they were all kids again, joining in together to boo and cheer the performer was what Andy wanted.
Completely authentic, completely unorthodox by comedian standards, never been done before (or since). Seriously, this is like a collective joke on the crowd :-D
Man there are so many elements introduced here that you can see in other comedians working today - Neil Hamburger couldn't exist without this. And Tom Waits does a very similar skit with a record player. The whole idea behind the "actual" Andy being a British guy, the most recent example of that is the whole Joaquin Pheonix prank that happened last year. This dude's influence is everywhere.
This is clever because he actually made the audience a part of the joke - without the audience participating in exactly the way he wanted them to, this wouldn't be a sketch at all. That was the genius part of it!
@Dan3515702 He´s making fun of the Audience who are Booing One if not THE greatest Novel of All Time.. Andy was THE ORIGINAL TROLL, He totally Deconstructed Comedy(Kind of like what Godard did with Cinema) and Most importantly Always did whatever the Fuck he wanted.
@Pleaver Calm down, Pleaver. Not everyone has to agree with you. To me, "The Great Gatsby" is art. This was lame. But if you enjoyed it, I'm happy for you.
@Dan3515702 i cant believe you saw one of the best gags as "making fun" of the great gatsby, would you of preferred it if he wasnt joking and proceeded to read the whole book? lets not forget he did comedy pranks
WHAT. A. GENIUS... He turns the audience into the butt of the joke. They expect him to sing and dance and tell jokes like a fucking monkey.. and he just turns around and trolls the shit outta them. Brilliant...
@Aznar245 I still find what he did was admirable. I admire his courage for doing all these weird and quirky things and setting everyones perceptions of, just that, art and entertainment upside-down. Anyways, the joke where he continues playing "Gatsby" on the record made me hysterically laugh, that was a solidly good joke.
Is he supposed to be an English Professor from some colony here? I mean he was a fantastic impersonator, if he wanted to sound English, surely he could've, easily.
People in the audience that day were pissed, but now they can look back and say that they were there the day that Kaufman read The Great Gatsby on live TV. The man was a genius, and half of his genius is only recognizable in hindsight.
Actually, Andy made Gatsby far more entertaining than it actually is....terrific, spirited reading of a work that could bore anybody to death within seconds. I dare say Fitzgerald's masterpiece has killed more interest in reading than any other work in the history of literature...possibly even more than the works of James Fenimore Cooper's or the astounding tedium of Henry James's . Gatsby has tedium rivaling the works of Bret Easton Ellis and Joe Esterhaus...yes, that bad.
@TeenCretin "...has killed more interest in reading than any other work in the history of literature." Clearly no teacher you ever had made you read "Ethan Frome".
@TeenCretin i thought Great Gatsby was a bit terrible for a long while but after three reads or so it made sense to me, especially within it's political and social surroundings when it was wrote. but a hot stove probably hurts a little less if you keep your hand on it for long enough too i guess
I think andy kaufman loved to preform but never liked the actual audience. He must of had some social problem where he felt the need to be the center of the room but resent the people that would indulge him. This would lead him to make the audience the butt of the joke instead of a character or a performer. It makes his stuff that much funnier to look back on and laugh. He was great.
@EmperorEva0001 Omg.. is it possible that he may have had Asperger's Syndrome? (Bill Gates has it and a number of other well-known people). Just occured to me while watching him on Letterman.
@seonfox bill gates doesn't have asperger's dont be stupid....He's a psychopath...it's very simillar...saying that he ha's aspergers is a front so he isn't destroyed
Not this again. Why do autistics feel the need to pass your deficiency onto others? The obligatory self-diagnosed assberger (re: smelly weird guy) in my communications class did an entire speech on all the figures in history who had this wonderful mental disability. Einstein, Franklin, George fucking Washington. It was the funniest and saddest thing I've ever seen.
Playing so many emotions. Watching this, I really don't want to listen to Great Gatsby, because I think it's the type of book to only be read once to get a sense of the times. I'm living for the moments when he steps away from the book. OMG and then the record player starts. It seems so extemporaneous, but then the details show how well he's playing the crowd like a beloved record and how he's planned this performance down to the last laugh!
Many people dismiss Andy Kaufman as somehow having no talent and just someone who annoyed his audience, and they are entitled to their opinion. However to get the audience to do exactly what he wanted to do (turn on the record instead of just booing him off) at the right moment to me shows genuine ability.
@airbeyonder18 Not everyone can be as intelligent about the world and its players as those of us who understand where Andy was coming from. As my late friend Nicoletta used to say, "There are leader ants and worker ants and you need to decide who you are going to be."
The greatest part of this is; when you pay money to see a comic, you pay to be amused at the exclusion of everyone else who wasn't there...this is only funny for everyone that WASN'T there. True performance art!!
A true genius. A master of communication and a man who could get inside the brain of the audience and rip it to pieces. An American Spike Milligan, if that makes sense. The John cage analogy is spot on! I don't suppose for one moment that he's still alive, but if he were, wouldn't that be the coolest thing ever in the history of the world?
@evade531 that's the joke, he is playing with the expectations of his audience and completely undermines them. It's awesome. You gotta think about it, though, which a lot of Comedy series today forbid and punish severely.
@evade531 Yeah, you totally get it. You're supposed to take this bit at face-value and realise he's just reading book. Nothing more, nothing less. That's what Kaufmann is all about. Reading books and shit...
does any one agree with me that either directly or indirectly everyone is doing some form of Andy kaufman today? This stuff is so ground breaking. If this came out today it would be even more funny than here b/c we are ready for this stuff now. He was blazing a new trail...
@uneedtherapy42 Yes, Agreed. "Reality TV" is a good example. The writers and producers of these shows know how to play an audience. Nothing is "real" anymore. But the average person still doesn't get Andy. They don't get how its all scripted (tv, radio, etc etc etc) and that they are sheep.
@uneedtherapy42 well a similar form of humor is more accepted by the mainstream these days so it does seem to be everywhere, but nowhere near the uncomfortable absurdity of kaufman.
@uneedtherapy42 But if he wasn't around then to do it and was doing it now, then we still wouldn't be ready, because he wouldn't have done it back then to blaze the trail.
@JoyGrenade John Cage tune right? so funny comment... have you seen that video on here? If not watch but don't watch vid look at comments... funny as hell stuff that people right!
@JoyGrenade YES! John Cage... the tension in the crowd is the joke just like the Cage tune! awesome that someone wrote this here I would have never made that connection.
I have that book and read along with him, and he reads it word for word. A guy like Kaufman would never get away with this in a million years today. Back then coming out of the 60s people were more laid back. Now being laid back is deemed uncool. People would take this seriously.
Plus the subtle humor when he was talking in between as the crowd got impatient, than at the end play the record of him reading The Great Gatsby, now that was funny!
The funniest thing about this is that Andy would have wanted us to bicker and argue about whether it's funny or not. He'd be yacking it up if he were read this. Everyone has an opinion over whether Andy Kaufman is funny or not. It doesn't mean their wrong. He's an aquired taste who appeals to a select number of individuals. I personally love the man's comedy, but I also understand that he's not for everyone.
Honestly, what's funny about that? You don't pay a tradesman to not do their trade. If he is intentionally bombing, then the people who find him funny are laughably giving money to a cheat. The only funny thing this guy has ever accomplished is by showing how the dumb sheeple can truly be.
Maybe if I was 12 I'd find him funny.
I think this guy is serious, I don't think he is trying to be funny...
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Andy Kaufman was a hack. He was fluke and a fad that if you look back on you realize how bad of a comedian he was. And if you think he was funny or is still funny, you are a poser, loser, sheep, bitch, and a lemming. You have no originality or a voice of your own. You are just repeating what others have told because you don't have the balls to speak your mind. Andy Kaufman was not funny.
@hyeonkim0805 So instead of making up my mind, I should go with what you say? I have never seen this man before (I heard his name being referenced by George Carlin as a fringe comedian) and I like parts of his comedy.
In my opinion, I like this guy more than the guy who smashed fruit with a hammer.
@hyeonkim0805@hyeonkim0805 So instead of making up my mind, I should go with what you say? I have never seen this man before (I heard his name being referenced by George Carlin as a fringe comedian) and I like parts of his comedy. This one - not so much.
In my opinion, I like this guy more than the guy who smashed fruit with a hammer.
@mikeochandler The reason you are acting so offended by my comment is because I touched upon something true. But if not and you truly find a guy reading a book or eating ice cream to be funny. You will also find a guy scratching his head, drinking a milkshake, watering a plant, etc funny. Kind of shows how simple minded u dumfcks are to amuse. And don't give me that bs about the joke is so complex it just seems unfunny. Don't try to see something that's not there, that's what religion is for.
@hyeonkim0805 Your point would be valid if this performance of Andy's stood alone. But you need to follow his whole career to see what he was about. He never claimed to be a comedian...he always said he was a performer, and he wanted to keep people on their toes, never knowing what he would do next...so technically this performance isn't a joke, rather just a guy reading a book. And it's because it's not what the producers expected him to do, or the audience that makes it "funny"
@hyeonkim0805 Your point would be valid if this performance of Andy's stood alone. But you need to follow his whole career to see what he was about. He never claimed to be a comedian...he always said he was a performer, and he wanted to keep people on their toes, never knowing what he would do next...so technically this performance isn't a joke, rather just a guy reading a book. And it's because it's not what the producers expected him to do, or the audience that makes it "funny"
In "The Real Andy Kaufman" Andy said that he read The Great Gatsby to punish bad audiences, but this is more like genius than a punishment to me. He could have kept reading I would not mind :)
And oh, I get it. He wasn't smart enough to write good material. That was bullshit not comedy. If you liked it I'm guessing you're either really old or you play world of warcraft.
@ChiDaze If you watch any interview with a comedian, if they are asked about Andy, they love him. This is really smart comedy. You probably don't know comedy unless shit, fuck and pussy is mentioned in every sentence.
@jerryhello100 lol no not really. Btw comedy with shit, fuck and pussy could be funny. Thats how i know you know nothing about comedy. Because it's art and not all art is meant to be pretty so if they swear it can still be art. This guy does stupid shit on purpose and thats supposed to be genius, ok i get it but that's not funny its fuckin dumb lol
@ChiDaze I'm not saying that dirty comedy isn't funny; it is. It's just that that is easy to do, and that people naturally laugh at taboo stuff. Whatever, man, you don't like him. But obviously he has accomplished his goal, because he is having an affect on you. You go out of your way to comment on him.
@jerryhello100 I dont mind going out of my way you know lol This is youtube there's a comment box for a reason I guess. And ya he probably does have an affect its only my opinion
@ChiDaze True true. His style of comedy is, sort of, to annoy the audience. What is funny is that he is not giving them what they want. I laugh at the nerve it takes to do this. It's anti-comedy sort of. It isn't a constant stream of laughs like some comedy, but you, I at least, can't help but be amused by the strangeness of it.
@ChiDaze sorry dude but ur arguements dont stick up. Either really old or play WoW ? What the hell? Not to mention, even the audience he has is laughing at times, just because you dont understand it, dosnt mean your narcissism has to take over, and go on a crusade to take it defined by law, as not funny ? "man gettin hit in the balls" .. <-- Classic "funny clip" .. And whats involved ? One person experiencing pain, here you have a crowd, that them selfs, can see the funny it in. ? :)
@skvakagud Like I said to the other guy it's only my opinion. I don't think he's funny. I know what he is trying to do but I dont think its funny! And I'm pretty sure if I showed this to 10 people none of them would find it funny lol you people must be huge dorks lol
@ChiDaze well, since you compare WoW players, with old people.. Then i think you are too busy watching cartoons with ur m8's and playing ignorant :) So ill take it as a compliment that no people with brain, wants to hang around you, and that must be why none you know. Would find it funny..
@skvakagud Why are you hanging on what I said about wow players. How about I change it to dorks who don't know what funny is because that would make a lot more sense. And how I am ignorant for not thinking this stupid shit is funny lol you're the one who's ignorant. The people I was talking about are all in college whom most are going into nursing and biology ya real dumb huh No smart person would think this is funny only losers like yourself
@ChiDaze Cartoons m8's? What the hell are you talking about? Go on my channel look at the kind of music I listen to it's all hip hop. Do I seem like the kind of guy who would watch cartoons or think this guy is funny?
@ChiDaze See, this is where you're really WRONG. Smart people think this is hilarious and stupid people listen to Dane Cook or Jeff Dunham or whoever it is YOU listen to. Anti-humour and irony and really sort of post-modern things like this take a lot of talent and are incredibly funny if you're smart enough to appreciate them. The goal isn't to make you lol, it's to make you think about what it is he's really doing. If you notice, the crowd laughs the first few lines he reads. They're lost =)
@ShizukaNaAme Dude I don't think those comedians you mention are funny. Andy did something different but ITS FUCKING STUPID. NOT FUNNY AT ALL ANTI FUNNY. No shit he's trying to piss the audience off and its worked, but just because it worked doesn't make it funny. And you're over here telling me if I don't like it I'm not smart? So if someone watches the godfather one of the greatest films ever and dont like it they're not smart because they dont like it? Dude you need to seriously get a life
@ShizukaNaAme Get a life and seriously quit arguing that not liking andy makes you dumb. Do you see how childish that makes you look? So i don't like it who fucking cares get over it bro. Are you like that obsessed over the fact I dont like this? I bet you're like 15.
@ChiDaze You just wasted three comments making yourself sound even stupider than you did previously. Instead of actually addressing what I said, you decided it would be clever and original to tell me to "get a life," as if I'M the one taking more than one comment to say what I have to say. It's perfectly alright if you can't understand or appreciate metahumour, but srsly, you don't have to be a fucking prick about it. Let those of us who actually have senses of humour beyond South Park enjoy it.
Just skip to 6:27 if you want to enjoy life for 4 additional minutes
ViceWorld 2 weeks ago
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ceskabomba2 3 weeks ago
OOOOOOOOOOOOOONLY GATSBY!
SagaciousSilence 3 weeks ago
JERICHO did this on Raw LOL
Joeki11a 3 weeks ago 3
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Could you tell me what year this was recorded and on what TV show? I'm writing an essay on Andy Kaufman and a lot of it is taken from this video. Thank you!
SarahSarah3512 1 month ago
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SarahSarah3512 1 month ago
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capnfooDRIVEin 1 month ago
I like how he fucks with their expectations
MightyQuinn2021 1 month ago
Wow this guy was daring!
debluemonkey 1 month ago
When he asks, "do you want the record" at 7:24 you can hear at least one person yell, "get off stage!" He looks genuinely annoyed for a second because the audience wasn't behaving completely like he wanted. After that, he goes immediately for the record probably because he didn't want his act to back fire.
ezmorningrebel 2 months ago
I loved Andy's small smile at the end, he just couldnt help himself
and I waited for him to add "now, now class.." xDDD I swear this reminded me of middle school all over again!
AShelf 2 months ago
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@coryrudy98 agree...but at the same time, the point of this bit is he wanted them to 'boo', without the booing he would have no reason to stop and say", im just fooling i wouldnt do THAT", or he wouldnt have a reason to play the record instead which picked up EXACTLY where he stopped reading...those are what got the laughs he was after, he never actually planned on reading the whole thing lol
crisycat21 2 months ago
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crisycat21 2 months ago
People may think this is very unconventional but its actually very similiar to the type of audience participation entertainment you would see at a pantomime/circus or from a children's entertainer, subtly getting them to play along to cues he's giving them. The genius of it is doing it in this setting to adults. I think making an audience of adults expecting straight comedy feel like they were all kids again, joining in together to boo and cheer the performer was what Andy wanted.
damres 3 months ago 5
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damres 3 months ago
This is just amazing. Andy was miles ahead of the curve. Modern comedy owes so much to him.
FerenswayRecords 3 months ago
Completely authentic, completely unorthodox by comedian standards, never been done before (or since). Seriously, this is like a collective joke on the crowd :-D
oshomroni 3 months ago
Andy loved to push the audience's buttons
stargazerlily86 3 months ago
The original troll himself...Andy Kaufman
Tinils 3 months ago
Man there are so many elements introduced here that you can see in other comedians working today - Neil Hamburger couldn't exist without this. And Tom Waits does a very similar skit with a record player. The whole idea behind the "actual" Andy being a British guy, the most recent example of that is the whole Joaquin Pheonix prank that happened last year. This dude's influence is everywhere.
MrEarlander 3 months ago
lol "im only fooling I wouldnt do THAT to you"
LaughingatpainUSAway 3 months ago
love the boos
LaughingatpainUSAway 3 months ago
I'm kind of angry at the people in the audience. I would have been there telling them all to shut up.
coryrudy98 4 months ago
@coryrudy98 but you must admit, they do respond positivly to the paranthetical aside @ 3:50
Jessymandias 3 months ago
This is clever because he actually made the audience a part of the joke - without the audience participating in exactly the way he wanted them to, this wouldn't be a sketch at all. That was the genius part of it!
thescrewydame 4 months ago 6
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Making fun of "The Great Gatsby"? ... One of the greatest novels of all time? So uncool.
Dan3515702 4 months ago
@Dan3515702 - He's not making fun of the book. He's punking the audience. It's brilliant.
bjjolley 4 months ago
@Dan3515702 He´s making fun of the Audience who are Booing One if not THE greatest Novel of All Time.. Andy was THE ORIGINAL TROLL, He totally Deconstructed Comedy(Kind of like what Godard did with Cinema) and Most importantly Always did whatever the Fuck he wanted.
A Genius, so Ahead of his time.
DonRMB 4 months ago 7
@Dan3515702 It's art. Relax.
Pleaver 4 months ago
@Pleaver Calm down, Pleaver. Not everyone has to agree with you. To me, "The Great Gatsby" is art. This was lame. But if you enjoyed it, I'm happy for you.
Dan3515702 3 months ago
@Pleaver The Great Gatsby is art. I don't find this funny, but if you do, good for you.
Dan3515702 3 months ago
@Dan3515702 your sad
ColdVet 3 months ago
@ColdVet Thanks, ColdVet. Have a great day.
Dan3515702 3 months ago
@Dan3515702 i cant believe you saw one of the best gags as "making fun" of the great gatsby, would you of preferred it if he wasnt joking and proceeded to read the whole book? lets not forget he did comedy pranks
ColdVet 3 months ago
@ColdVet I'm sorry if my comment offended you. I'm glad you enjoyed the sketch, ColdVet. Have a great day.
Dan3515702 3 months ago
I would love to have him read The Great Gatsby to me. My favorite book!
SagaciousSilence 5 months ago
he's so cute lolz
SquirrelGoneBananas 5 months ago
genius. This was my first time ever seeing this bit and I haven't laughed so hard in years
minusrhs 5 months ago 2
Not his best bit but arguably his most influential bit.
WatchVenusSpa 5 months ago
I like his European accent.
chequamegonguy 5 months ago
@chequamegonguy It's a British accent! Europe has so many non-English speaking countries, so there is no "European" accent.
SagaciousSilence 5 months ago
crowd of asses
rklebario 5 months ago
WHAT. A. GENIUS... He turns the audience into the butt of the joke. They expect him to sing and dance and tell jokes like a fucking monkey.. and he just turns around and trolls the shit outta them. Brilliant...
DonRMB 5 months ago 4
not exactly talent. I could make an entire crowd boo me for reading a book. there's no fucking science or art at doing that.
Aznar245 6 months ago
@Aznar245 He made mockery of the whole entertainment thing... people expect him to "dance and sing" like a monkey... but no, he will read a book.
aakkoin 6 months ago
@aakkoin its still weak...
Aznar245 6 months ago
@Aznar245
The science is the body language and the dialect, and the art is the impression. The timing of the recording at the end was spot on too.
You don't know what you're talking about.
peeeesh 6 months ago 3
@peeeesh Blow hard.
jrdaly83 5 months ago
@Aznar245 I still find what he did was admirable. I admire his courage for doing all these weird and quirky things and setting everyones perceptions of, just that, art and entertainment upside-down. Anyways, the joke where he continues playing "Gatsby" on the record made me hysterically laugh, that was a solidly good joke.
MorrowindGamer 5 months ago
@Aznar245 but you didn't conceive nor did you carry out the idea.
frylauriesoopytwist 4 months ago
Genius, getting an audience to boo at the greatest novel ever written
Klimseven 6 months ago 2
The original troll.
kommiekazi 6 months ago 46
IRL trolling at it's finest.
MrSpence341 6 months ago
Is he supposed to be an English Professor from some colony here? I mean he was a fantastic impersonator, if he wanted to sound English, surely he could've, easily.
mackeymkay 7 months ago
People in the audience that day were pissed, but now they can look back and say that they were there the day that Kaufman read The Great Gatsby on live TV. The man was a genius, and half of his genius is only recognizable in hindsight.
myglockgopoppoppop 7 months ago
That was incredibly beautiful.
EvilDudeoftheDead 7 months ago
Actually, Andy made Gatsby far more entertaining than it actually is....terrific, spirited reading of a work that could bore anybody to death within seconds. I dare say Fitzgerald's masterpiece has killed more interest in reading than any other work in the history of literature...possibly even more than the works of James Fenimore Cooper's or the astounding tedium of Henry James's . Gatsby has tedium rivaling the works of Bret Easton Ellis and Joe Esterhaus...yes, that bad.
TeenCretin 7 months ago in playlist Andy Kaufman
@TeenCretin "...has killed more interest in reading than any other work in the history of literature." Clearly no teacher you ever had made you read "Ethan Frome".
GGWarrior 6 months ago
@TeenCretin i thought Great Gatsby was a bit terrible for a long while but after three reads or so it made sense to me, especially within it's political and social surroundings when it was wrote. but a hot stove probably hurts a little less if you keep your hand on it for long enough too i guess
pajammin 6 months ago
@TeenCretin I dare say you're stating opinions as facts.
civilwarhat 5 months ago
Most of this is just head puzzling and not that funny, but the pay-off is just 100% solid gold genius! Hats off to him sir!
TheLloydy007 8 months ago
I think andy was from the future, man.
HellFireKane 8 months ago 3
GREATEST IRL TROLL
westben2000 8 months ago 18
I think andy kaufman loved to preform but never liked the actual audience. He must of had some social problem where he felt the need to be the center of the room but resent the people that would indulge him. This would lead him to make the audience the butt of the joke instead of a character or a performer. It makes his stuff that much funnier to look back on and laugh. He was great.
EmperorEva0001 8 months ago 2
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57sicko 8 months ago
@EmperorEva0001 Omg.. is it possible that he may have had Asperger's Syndrome? (Bill Gates has it and a number of other well-known people). Just occured to me while watching him on Letterman.
seonfox 8 months ago
@seonfox bill gates doesn't have asperger's dont be stupid....He's a psychopath...it's very simillar...saying that he ha's aspergers is a front so he isn't destroyed
NEJC360 8 months ago
@seonfox
Not this again. Why do autistics feel the need to pass your deficiency onto others? The obligatory self-diagnosed assberger (re: smelly weird guy) in my communications class did an entire speech on all the figures in history who had this wonderful mental disability. Einstein, Franklin, George fucking Washington. It was the funniest and saddest thing I've ever seen.
MrKetnis 5 months ago
What-uh..... what on earth is this? xD
Xylogeist 9 months ago
Complete Genius.
brianbry93 9 months ago
I love this. What unusual manipulation....and GUTS.
jihan27able 9 months ago
Playing so many emotions. Watching this, I really don't want to listen to Great Gatsby, because I think it's the type of book to only be read once to get a sense of the times. I'm living for the moments when he steps away from the book. OMG and then the record player starts. It seems so extemporaneous, but then the details show how well he's playing the crowd like a beloved record and how he's planned this performance down to the last laugh!
eavening 9 months ago
Andy Kaufman wasn't from another planet. He wasn't from another dimension. They don't have a word for where is was from.
BoozehammerOfGalem 9 months ago
One of the funniest trolls of all time.
lenowin 9 months ago
Subtle, and brilliant. Stick with it to the end, you'll be rewarded.
billsoman 9 months ago
Only Andy Kaufman would have the balls to stand on a stage and recite The Great Gatsby in front of a booing crowd for 5 minutes.
progressiverockfan08 9 months ago 4
im just watched man on the moon i had a smirk on my face when they inclueded this
smcauley600 10 months ago 3
Many people dismiss Andy Kaufman as somehow having no talent and just someone who annoyed his audience, and they are entitled to their opinion. However to get the audience to do exactly what he wanted to do (turn on the record instead of just booing him off) at the right moment to me shows genuine ability.
TheCrowebar123 10 months ago 2
this is a great bit, but the sound and resolution suck.
MrDevin1125 10 months ago
22 people do not get his genius.
airbeyonder18 10 months ago 2
@airbeyonder18 Not everyone can be as intelligent about the world and its players as those of us who understand where Andy was coming from. As my late friend Nicoletta used to say, "There are leader ants and worker ants and you need to decide who you are going to be."
lisarayone 9 months ago
The greatest part of this is; when you pay money to see a comic, you pay to be amused at the exclusion of everyone else who wasn't there...this is only funny for everyone that WASN'T there. True performance art!!
masteroftheobvious86 10 months ago 9
This is the highest form of art.
ohhthecheat 10 months ago 2
A true genius. Brilliant!
neilswann80 10 months ago
and all he's doing is reading a book in public. it causes pandimonium.
TheLiesette 10 months ago
the people in this audience make me sick, but I suppose It would not be half as funny without the fools....
welwise 10 months ago
This is one of the greatest routines in comedy. He was having a blast!
ronoliver1972 10 months ago
was real*
xallyouneedislove 10 months ago
hah yes :)
juuuuust wondering, the whole Lorne Michaels coming out what real right?
xallyouneedislove 10 months ago
Great payoff.
adamrstreicher84 10 months ago
A true genius. A master of communication and a man who could get inside the brain of the audience and rip it to pieces. An American Spike Milligan, if that makes sense. The John cage analogy is spot on! I don't suppose for one moment that he's still alive, but if he were, wouldn't that be the coolest thing ever in the history of the world?
richardabbott1966 10 months ago
Andy Kaufman, trolling the common people before the internet was invented.
J14ngL00 11 months ago 9
This and the Mighty Mouse bit were pure genius.....he was way ahead of his time!
Jerkingitforjesus 11 months ago
hahahahaha i love this........(: locked in the punch alright <3
BeatleMonkeegirl15 11 months ago
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this is stupid he is reading a book ?! lose the goggles an see this for what it is , not funny
evade531 11 months ago
@evade531 that's the joke, he is playing with the expectations of his audience and completely undermines them. It's awesome. You gotta think about it, though, which a lot of Comedy series today forbid and punish severely.
sickcellmate 11 months ago
@evade531 Yeah, you totally get it. You're supposed to take this bit at face-value and realise he's just reading book. Nothing more, nothing less. That's what Kaufmann is all about. Reading books and shit...
Yep, you're on to him.
lessthanpinochet 9 months ago
Whenever you feel like criticizing someone, he told me... *glares at the hecklers*
gladrial89 11 months ago
I love The Great Gatsby! I would have loved to hear it!
SagaciousSilence 11 months ago
does any one agree with me that either directly or indirectly everyone is doing some form of Andy kaufman today? This stuff is so ground breaking. If this came out today it would be even more funny than here b/c we are ready for this stuff now. He was blazing a new trail...
uneedtherapy42 1 year ago 52
@uneedtherapy42 Yes, Agreed. "Reality TV" is a good example. The writers and producers of these shows know how to play an audience. Nothing is "real" anymore. But the average person still doesn't get Andy. They don't get how its all scripted (tv, radio, etc etc etc) and that they are sheep.
famousdeadpeople 11 months ago
@uneedtherapy42 well a similar form of humor is more accepted by the mainstream these days so it does seem to be everywhere, but nowhere near the uncomfortable absurdity of kaufman.
msa1985 9 months ago
@uneedtherapy42 if people were ready for it, it wouldnt be so funny
putin94 5 months ago
@uneedtherapy42 But if he wasn't around then to do it and was doing it now, then we still wouldn't be ready, because he wouldn't have done it back then to blaze the trail.
StoneColdCraze666 5 months ago
This was the 4'33" of stand-up.
JoyGrenade 1 year ago 72
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uneedtherapy42 1 year ago
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@JoyGrenade John Cage tune right? so funny comment... have you seen that video on here? If not watch but don't watch vid look at comments... funny as hell stuff that people right!
uneedtherapy42 1 year ago
@JoyGrenade YES! John Cage... the tension in the crowd is the joke just like the Cage tune! awesome that someone wrote this here I would have never made that connection.
uneedtherapy42 1 year ago 4
@JoyGrenade - not quite
ArxVirtus 11 months ago
@JoyGrenade well John Cage and Andy are peers of different arts.
Brilliance is all to often unappreciated in their own time.
Dreadnaught1985 4 months ago
I have that book and read along with him, and he reads it word for word. A guy like Kaufman would never get away with this in a million years today. Back then coming out of the 60s people were more laid back. Now being laid back is deemed uncool. People would take this seriously.
JamesTKirkCobain 1 year ago
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He was merely a "song and dance man"
evanthrock 1 year ago
my only criticism is the posh-irish accent. otherwise he was a a great performer up until he went nuts - the later wrestling days.
er3L 1 year ago
I used to not understand him but now I see how brilliant he is. Truly one of a kind. There will never be another like him.
Aprilshowersss 1 year ago 3
Plus the subtle humor when he was talking in between as the crowd got impatient, than at the end play the record of him reading The Great Gatsby, now that was funny!
STEVEMOR909 1 year ago 2
It's a gag! It may not be funny but it's purpose was to stir a reaction from the crowd.
STEVEMOR909 1 year ago 2
He is an incredible artists! watch the whole video!
TvideoB7 1 year ago
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Andy sucks so hard that's how he got lung cancer.
jmart680 1 year ago
The funniest thing about this is that Andy would have wanted us to bicker and argue about whether it's funny or not. He'd be yacking it up if he were read this. Everyone has an opinion over whether Andy Kaufman is funny or not. It doesn't mean their wrong. He's an aquired taste who appeals to a select number of individuals. I personally love the man's comedy, but I also understand that he's not for everyone.
evanthrock 1 year ago 4
what isn't funny about this? ;) i can see Rowan Atkinson doing something similar (especially in the 70s), and it being just as funny, hehe =)
rofflemows 1 year ago
duchebaggs
soriku132 1 year ago
Cant you people see that he meant to stir extreme emotion, so you HATE him or LOVE him.....Pure GENIUS!!!!!
tomhopwoodful 1 year ago 4
I'm not sure if I'm laughing at the crowd or Andy
koppen67 1 year ago
Brilliant!
EventHorizonFotos 1 year ago
The reason this is soo funny is because he is intentionally BOMBING its funny because he just doesnt give a fuck.
whereisthesanity 1 year ago
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@whereisthesanity
Honestly, what's funny about that? You don't pay a tradesman to not do their trade. If he is intentionally bombing, then the people who find him funny are laughably giving money to a cheat. The only funny thing this guy has ever accomplished is by showing how the dumb sheeple can truly be.
Maybe if I was 12 I'd find him funny.
I think this guy is serious, I don't think he is trying to be funny...
druesaunders 1 year ago
comedic perfection
brewcakes 1 year ago
Miss you Andy!
xaviervonrottie 1 year ago
THIS IS AMAZING
chives422 1 year ago
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Andy Kaufman was a hack. He was fluke and a fad that if you look back on you realize how bad of a comedian he was. And if you think he was funny or is still funny, you are a poser, loser, sheep, bitch, and a lemming. You have no originality or a voice of your own. You are just repeating what others have told because you don't have the balls to speak your mind. Andy Kaufman was not funny.
hyeonkim0805 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805
Glad to that know-it-all cocksuckers like yourself can judge others by what comedians they like or dislike.
Americansince91 1 year ago 3
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@Americansince91 I just kno Andy Kaufman was not funny. If u find reading a fcking book to be funny, ur the poser b*tch with a cock in his mouth.
hyeonkim0805 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805 You obviously don't get it.
pocoboba 1 year ago 5
@hyeonkim0805 bahhh genius bahhhh
Fallinldols 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805 So instead of making up my mind, I should go with what you say? I have never seen this man before (I heard his name being referenced by George Carlin as a fringe comedian) and I like parts of his comedy.
In my opinion, I like this guy more than the guy who smashed fruit with a hammer.
TheScottKirk 1 year ago
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@hyeonkim0805 @hyeonkim0805 So instead of making up my mind, I should go with what you say? I have never seen this man before (I heard his name being referenced by George Carlin as a fringe comedian) and I like parts of his comedy. This one - not so much.
In my opinion, I like this guy more than the guy who smashed fruit with a hammer.
TheScottKirk 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805 You're a fucking deadbeat degenerate loser. Kill yourself now.
fas11030 1 year ago
@fas11030 ok joe pesci. did u just watch casino or something? YUH DEGENERATE!
whereisthesanity 1 year ago
Andy aside, who are you to judge other people for what they like or don't like. go F*ck urself. You self rightious, opinionated, hater.
mikeochandler 1 year ago
@mikeochandler The reason you are acting so offended by my comment is because I touched upon something true. But if not and you truly find a guy reading a book or eating ice cream to be funny. You will also find a guy scratching his head, drinking a milkshake, watering a plant, etc funny. Kind of shows how simple minded u dumfcks are to amuse. And don't give me that bs about the joke is so complex it just seems unfunny. Don't try to see something that's not there, that's what religion is for.
hyeonkim0805 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805 Your point would be valid if this performance of Andy's stood alone. But you need to follow his whole career to see what he was about. He never claimed to be a comedian...he always said he was a performer, and he wanted to keep people on their toes, never knowing what he would do next...so technically this performance isn't a joke, rather just a guy reading a book. And it's because it's not what the producers expected him to do, or the audience that makes it "funny"
tararmt 1 year ago
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@hyeonkim0805 Your point would be valid if this performance of Andy's stood alone. But you need to follow his whole career to see what he was about. He never claimed to be a comedian...he always said he was a performer, and he wanted to keep people on their toes, never knowing what he would do next...so technically this performance isn't a joke, rather just a guy reading a book. And it's because it's not what the producers expected him to do, or the audience that makes it "funny"
tararmt 1 year ago
@hyeonkim0805
People who don't get how funny he was make it so much funnier!
he is makin fun of you and you simply don't get it
robzecc 10 months ago
He is a fucking genius
poopoos 1 year ago 2
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He is a fucking moron
MrTangoer 1 year ago
he was a unique and rare gift for the human kind!!! thank you andy!!!
gabrielclements69 1 year ago
3:06 is 'my' stop.
027220 1 year ago
audience got freakin owned.
jezzr101 1 year ago
But hating Andy Kaufman DOES make you dumb, ChiDaze. Are you from the South or something?
revedvinehamner 1 year ago
@revedvinehamner haha lamao. I hate southerners too. I lived in thethe south and the people really are dumb! and super conservative.
whereisthesanity 1 year ago
@revedvinehamner
he'll never get it
robzecc 10 months ago
balls beyond believe.......love it
xLCB1975x 1 year ago
he was a performance artist, always wanted to push the audience, frustrate and annoy them. comedy wasn't something passive.
deemilieu 1 year ago
In "The Real Andy Kaufman" Andy said that he read The Great Gatsby to punish bad audiences, but this is more like genius than a punishment to me. He could have kept reading I would not mind :)
kaitlinan 1 year ago
19 people are as sublte as a jean claude van damme movie
stevied86 1 year ago
And oh, I get it. He wasn't smart enough to write good material. That was bullshit not comedy. If you liked it I'm guessing you're either really old or you play world of warcraft.
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze If you watch any interview with a comedian, if they are asked about Andy, they love him. This is really smart comedy. You probably don't know comedy unless shit, fuck and pussy is mentioned in every sentence.
jerryhello100 1 year ago
@jerryhello100 lol no not really. Btw comedy with shit, fuck and pussy could be funny. Thats how i know you know nothing about comedy. Because it's art and not all art is meant to be pretty so if they swear it can still be art. This guy does stupid shit on purpose and thats supposed to be genius, ok i get it but that's not funny its fuckin dumb lol
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze I'm not saying that dirty comedy isn't funny; it is. It's just that that is easy to do, and that people naturally laugh at taboo stuff. Whatever, man, you don't like him. But obviously he has accomplished his goal, because he is having an affect on you. You go out of your way to comment on him.
jerryhello100 1 year ago
@jerryhello100 I dont mind going out of my way you know lol This is youtube there's a comment box for a reason I guess. And ya he probably does have an affect its only my opinion
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze True true. His style of comedy is, sort of, to annoy the audience. What is funny is that he is not giving them what they want. I laugh at the nerve it takes to do this. It's anti-comedy sort of. It isn't a constant stream of laughs like some comedy, but you, I at least, can't help but be amused by the strangeness of it.
jerryhello100 1 year ago 3
@ChiDaze sorry dude but ur arguements dont stick up. Either really old or play WoW ? What the hell? Not to mention, even the audience he has is laughing at times, just because you dont understand it, dosnt mean your narcissism has to take over, and go on a crusade to take it defined by law, as not funny ? "man gettin hit in the balls" .. <-- Classic "funny clip" .. And whats involved ? One person experiencing pain, here you have a crowd, that them selfs, can see the funny it in. ? :)
skvakagud 1 year ago
@skvakagud Like I said to the other guy it's only my opinion. I don't think he's funny. I know what he is trying to do but I dont think its funny! And I'm pretty sure if I showed this to 10 people none of them would find it funny lol you people must be huge dorks lol
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze well, since you compare WoW players, with old people.. Then i think you are too busy watching cartoons with ur m8's and playing ignorant :) So ill take it as a compliment that no people with brain, wants to hang around you, and that must be why none you know. Would find it funny..
skvakagud 1 year ago
@skvakagud Why are you hanging on what I said about wow players. How about I change it to dorks who don't know what funny is because that would make a lot more sense. And how I am ignorant for not thinking this stupid shit is funny lol you're the one who's ignorant. The people I was talking about are all in college whom most are going into nursing and biology ya real dumb huh No smart person would think this is funny only losers like yourself
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze Cartoons m8's? What the hell are you talking about? Go on my channel look at the kind of music I listen to it's all hip hop. Do I seem like the kind of guy who would watch cartoons or think this guy is funny?
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze See, this is where you're really WRONG. Smart people think this is hilarious and stupid people listen to Dane Cook or Jeff Dunham or whoever it is YOU listen to. Anti-humour and irony and really sort of post-modern things like this take a lot of talent and are incredibly funny if you're smart enough to appreciate them. The goal isn't to make you lol, it's to make you think about what it is he's really doing. If you notice, the crowd laughs the first few lines he reads. They're lost =)
ShizukaNaAme 1 year ago
@ShizukaNaAme Dude I don't think those comedians you mention are funny. Andy did something different but ITS FUCKING STUPID. NOT FUNNY AT ALL ANTI FUNNY. No shit he's trying to piss the audience off and its worked, but just because it worked doesn't make it funny. And you're over here telling me if I don't like it I'm not smart? So if someone watches the godfather one of the greatest films ever and dont like it they're not smart because they dont like it? Dude you need to seriously get a life
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ShizukaNaAme Get a life and seriously quit arguing that not liking andy makes you dumb. Do you see how childish that makes you look? So i don't like it who fucking cares get over it bro. Are you like that obsessed over the fact I dont like this? I bet you're like 15.
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze "The point isnt to make you lol." LMAO Well I rest my case.
ChiDaze 1 year ago
@ChiDaze You just wasted three comments making yourself sound even stupider than you did previously. Instead of actually addressing what I said, you decided it would be clever and original to tell me to "get a life," as if I'M the one taking more than one comment to say what I have to say. It's perfectly alright if you can't understand or appreciate metahumour, but srsly, you don't have to be a fucking prick about it. Let those of us who actually have senses of humour beyond South Park enjoy it.
ShizukaNaAme 1 year ago
@ShizukaNaAme LoL relax kid
ChiDaze 1 year ago
this is horrible
ChiDaze 1 year ago
Ok, that was hilarious.
Nanaman12345 1 year ago
How come only morons got to attend that show?
oYoYebutu 1 year ago