Andy Kaufman Intros Pretenders on Fridays

[cro44magnum]

Debilitating, but absolutely necessary. Andy Kaufman torments the B. F. Skinner-trained audience by speaking out against drug abuse in a fake botched intro for The Pretenders.

[m00n69]

Someone should have popped him good. On live TV.

[clintbronson5]

I love Ernie Kovacs-Spike Milliagan-Cheech and Chong-Mel Brooks & Monty Python but I have never got the humor of Kaufman?!? Just unfunny and annoying to me. Though I did like him as a actor in movies and tv.  But stand up forget it!

[bojosection]

WWAD?

[BonhamRox]

This had to be a setup. They wouldn't have closed the curtains at his "command".

[wysoft]

Andy Kaufman is Zach Galifianakis

[rederic2004]

Actually I think this is pretty darn funny by any standards. I love this guy oblivious to himself telling us how to live.

[longdong9876]

So ironic that he gives a big speech on drugs and not too long after, James Honeyman-Scott, standing directly behind him, would die from drugs.

[glueforall]

@longdong9876 and Pete Farndon, the bass player

[nascarlurg]

this guy was the biggest tard in the world....complete idiot.

[TheCarrottopfan]

@nascarlurg Weird, and here I always thought that Andy Kaufman and Nascar largely shared an audience

[brainiac554]

@nascarlurg He was considered a comedic genius, and by the way, this was a setup. Just as his first appearance on the show.

[anitan121]

I grew up watching the guy too. I remember being uncomfortable for him during his awkward skits on SNL, Fridays, Letterman etc. His was a different kind of humor, not the "wow, that's funny" type. It was more the "oh my gosh, I can't believe he's actually doing that. that takes balls" type of humor. I'm also not sure I agree with all the people who claim he was comedic genius. He was funny because he didn't mind looking like a total idiot.

[theonlyantony]

Genius

[FungusMossGnosis]

Half of the Pretenders took something to temporarily escape the pain during the commercial break.

[hankseptember]

BALLS!

[iowafilmdude22]

LOL. i love kaufman!

[nowthenzen]

Maybe, he had a point?

[finylvinyl66]

Rather ironic, as half of the Pretenders were soon to be dead from drug overdoses.

[bluestate69]

@finylvinyl66 that's the same thing i thought. the guitarist behind him, james honeymoon scott (visible in clip) died in less than a year, and the bassist, peter farndon died two years later.

[larkstoungeinaspic]

There was something seriously wrong with Kaufman

[bareknuckles2u]

He was funny some of the time, and just plain boring at other times

[BeyondTheTreeline]

Kaufman was shit. I grew up with this guy & he never once made me laugh. If his goal was 'just to get a reaction' than I can't understand why anyone would let him on tv. All of his characters were awful. Garbage - Good Riddance, Moon Man...

[jflinn210]

Kaufman was so so so far ahead of his time.

[kylemumford]

@jflinn210 we still haven't quite caught up to him yet. someday hopefully we can achieve that level.

[NigarT]

Kaufman was the original troll

[jus7o]

lol

[slappyvonslappy]

Fucking Genius!!!

[jerryhello100]

@slappyvonslappy You took the words right off my finger tips.

[seanbeavers3133]

um, didn't andy kaufman die of a drug overdose too? hmmm.

[Riskmangler]

@seanbeavers3133 Cancer.

[ant10279]

@seanbeavers3133 No, He died from cancer, not a drug overdose.

[iampower714]

Never liked Andy. Not funny, just stupid.

[jwild611]

@iampower714 To each his own. I think he was a genius because he excelled in every aspect of showbiz...singing...standup...­acting...improv....but especially performance art like this bit right here. You can call him stupid if you want to but to deny that he was very unique and talented is just ignorant

[Vambo1958]

@iampower714  Screw you!!

[jflinn210]

@Vambo1958: You must like Larry the Cable Guy and Jeff Foxworthy, not to be able to understand the genius of Andy Kaufman's comedy.

[mc2NY]

Rather an ironic spoof by Kaufman with the Pretenders standing in the backround...and two of them dying of drug overdoses within about a year of this....

[andrew5060]

Andy was a genius. Almost everything he did was a prank or to get someone pissed off. For everyone that calls him an asshole or a jerk, you feel right into his trap.

[jacksonninetyfive]

If only those two guys behind him had taken Kaufman's oddball advice to heart... RIP

[masternate61]

Like Andy but what a jerk. I agree with him what he's saying, but not cool to do that to the band

[Paneeks1960]

Even though Andy interrupted one of the greatest bands from the late 70's/early 80's period, he was still one of the most brilliant comedians to ever grace this earth. Only two people in this video, {Chrissie and Martin} can talk about this funny moment today. Andy, Jimmy Scott and Pete are doing their gigs in the sky.

Paneeks/Boston

[rodensweet]

Andy could'nt resist it was LIVE! He was awesome and original and not always funny

[scottmanduzy]

Kaufman and the Pretenders it gets no better!

[SteveAndIdiAmin]

Wow, Chrissie looked good for this perf!

[rog944]

Very strange, yes... twoof the band members were dead of drug overdoses within the next couple of years... and Andy himself (a drug free, vegetarian) died not too long after. I guess the reeal message is, drugs or no drugs, you can go at any time. Andy Kaufman died in his 30s, yet Keith Richards whose done every drug known to man will probably live forever. Oh, the irony of life.

[Stereolabdream]

And, as has been stated, within 2 years of this, both guitarists Honeyman-Scott and Farndon were dead due to drugs...one wonders if something caught Andy's attention backstage...

[Stereolabdream]

While this is, of course, all part of the character/act, Kaufman was genuinely interested in Transcendental Meditation to a very high level in the early 70's...I love the look on Chrissie Hinds face when he asks for the curtain to be drawn! Priceless...

[slalomluke]

I think Andy's certainly showing a bit of his genuine beliefs, and if you listen closely rather than perceive his words as another 'above the influence' billboard, his message is one encouraging positive human growth and in fact a piece of decent advice. Get your life in order and confront your problems head-on.

The only fly in the ointment is his timing, which manages to turn his positive message into 2 minutes of an awkward man pissing off a crowd. Pure entertainment.

[adamant623]

funny..2 of the band members died of drug overdoses..

[adamant623]

funny...2 of the bad members died of drug overdoses..

[audiotrax2000]

What an amazing, offbeat sense of humor.

After a couple of minutes of standing there uncomfortably, you could tell the band "got it". :)

"OK, so we have to go to a commercial now"......BRILLIANT!

[thespiralgoeson]

Watch the body language of the band members. They are pissed.

[rustyshackleford01]

Andy Kaufman was a genius. I admire him so much. Its too bad nobody could distinguish his truth from comedy.

[reh629]

kaufman was straight edge and didnt even know it.

[MiniKirk]

This man is my inspiration =)

[subcoolfl]

The greatest IRL troll to ever grace the earth.

When we troll, we troll for Andy!

[YouzTube99]

What a provocateur!

The man was fearless and brilliant!

[TheRagman13]

Andy is a true and wonderful genius

[thisfriendlyworld]

the best!!

andygkaufmanworld.blogspotDOTc­om

[SoloShow]

wow he is serios

[r2d2ott]

Kaufman is never serious. No matter what. It's all a very intelligent, well orchestrated, hilarious joke.

[doombuggy123]

I disagree. I think he meant a lot of what he said.

[wnseries7]

Agreed...there was nothing funny about this statement...and he fully used the platform that was at his disposal. Another testimonial maneuver in brilliance.

[KobezBro]

i think the band sorta went with it because they didnt start playing when he was talking and chrissie and jimmy were sorta smiling

or chrissie mightve been making that disgusted face like you just asked her for an autograph while she was at the airport

she says shes not a celebrity but she cant fight it

[PeteD07]

'can we close the curtains??'

classic kaufman!!!!

[54spiritedwill54]

andy is a complete genius

[daryl060761]

Am I the only one who thinks that Andy Kaufman was 10 % comic genius on 90% f-ed up a**hole!?!!

[tygersflowerz]

Then you don't get it. And that's fine. He still loves ya.

He got a gut reaction from you. Whether good or bad, that's all he ever wanted.  :-)

[rdw7300]

No, you're not the only one. You can "get" him and still think  that.

[whereamigoingnow]

He(Kaufman) was 100% a F#@! up @s%hole and a boob who would do better sweeping the stage,rather than by introducing a stellar act (which he totally f!*# up!)BOOB!And he was never ever funny to me,Piece of crap!

[shaggywann]

I find it funny that Family Guy has a similar style of comedy by being rude and dragging out the "joke" as long as possible.... and I'm curious how many people here who are saying bad things, likes that show.

[talpajam]

And the bad were in on it, or at least knew who they were dealing with...come on it' fucking Chrissie Hynde the gomdamn coolest broad on the planet still today.

[talpajam]

I'm from texas, and yeah I have to go to the elite/educated N.E. to hang with my friends to find a general populace who get it...u either do or you don't. Shakespeare would have absolutely adored this guy...turning the audience into the theatre...genius.

[deathbox75]

Well said; Kaufman was one of a kind. He LOVED to rile up the audience; love him or hate him, he got a reaction out of you.

[TalkingDevoB52]

it's called dragging out a joke and its only funny a few times not when thats basically all you do, Pythons are great examples of dragging out jokes well.

[doctorspankluv]

To the few comments that didn't get "it". You...have not gotten a life.

Kaufman=genius ezzes

[livbreas]

fabulous

[theillestphewl]

lmao

[TexasPsychoK]

Chrissie Hynde rock out? Hahahahaha... this guy was better than that gay ass band The Pretenders. They're a dime a dozen and only a moron can't see Andy Kaufman was brilliant and once in a lifetime.

[gatitoesucaroso]

you are a douche! andy and chrissie are both genius at what they do.

[rabidgoldfish65]

@TexasPsychoK way to wish cancer on someone, you c*nt.

[DermochelysCoriacea]

hahahahahahaha they're so excited about the band. there is no reason to open the curtain at that time. hahaha he was a damn mastermind.

[M0Echitlins]

I think he pulled this on his own and the pretenders just went with it...I would have counted off 3 and blew him out

[KobezBro]

i was waiting for chrissie to do something like that and it looked like she was she was kinda fondling (lol) the guitar debating on it...

[rabidgoldfish65]

I never thought him very funny...would have liked to have seenn Chrissie Hynde rock out instead.

[amigodasophia]

Who said he was supposed to be "funny"? He's not a comedian.

[rabidgoldfish65]

I never said he was funny. He thought he was funny, or maybe I never got him. No, he wasn't my idea of a comedian at all.

[SgtTravisBickle]

I'd say that The Pretenders were in on it, or at least Chrissie was. It's fitting because he's talking about drugs and what they can do to you and maybe this was a message for those in the band who would soon die of overdoses.

[Jerzkid609]

ANDY, Was funny!

[lhcarter]

close the curtains please!

[serf3469]

Andy is the greatest, I love how he pisses people off, he actually is doing self comedy, where he is making himself laugh it is brillant.

[wilthiswork]

Not sure why everyone think Andy was ONLY joking here. It was obviously his style to antagonize the audience, but he worked out a deal where he didn't have to play "stoned" in the Friday's sketch with Michael Richards. Andy was very into Transcendental Meditation, and he wanted to go the naturalistic route in his treatment for cancer. Granted, this type of act was consistent with Andy's style, but it appears that he really didn't like doing "drug" comedy.

[PhantomDog]

And what was his point in pissing people off? Who really cared about him after a while? Thinking outside the box was what Lenny Bruce was about. Andy Kaufman seemed more mentally estranged than funny after a while.

[stangspade]

i love how far he goes to f with ppl

[garrettkarls]

Andy Kaufman Funniest man Dead he was awesome

[killer1177]

Blades. you dumb ass. He wasn't doing it to make the people laugh. He was doing it to mess with the audiences minds and not to mention The Pretenders were as confused as the audience. That's why he's so special, he turns the show into the audience. It isn't what he does, it is how we react to it and the more confused and outraged we are, the more happier Andy is.

[Blades420]

Whatta fcuking Moron.. NEVER WAS HE FUNNY.. GRRRR!

[JoanneChristie]

Now YOU ARE CORRECT IN SAYING HE WASNT FUNNY!!!!! ITS DISGUSTING WHAT THEY DO TO THE "stars" THEN THEY KILLED HIM! AND THEY HATED HIS comment ON THE PHARMACIST!

[goldy07]

You people realize the fight scene with michael Richards was planned. I'm sure this was as well. Still gives me a laugh because the audience and people at home were stewing.

[GBJPhotoWorks]

My friends and I were watching to see The Pretenders. By the time he said, "Could we close the curtain please?", my friends and I were already going ballistic. It's a moment I'll never forget. By the time the "Marijuana sketch" came on, we'd already turned it off.

[Yoders]

you and your friend's are morons. even if you were watching it purely to see the band play, most people would've atleast saw the funny side of it.

[manwithnoname123]

Great stuff. i love it."can you close the curtain, please?!!" ha ha ha! Kaufmann proves again how he was the master of confrontation, always placing the audience in uncomfortable situations with himself as the agent of their angst. yeah, he definitely enjoyed pushing things to the breaking point - the comedian as provocateur...

[LikeRain797]

Wow - interesting.

[daleroes]

good joke on the audience -- cruel joke on the pretenders

[JoanneChristie]

No NOT REALLY THEY WANTED THE audience TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! PEOPLE ARE SO FUCKING BRAINWASHED, POISONED, AND ALMOST RETARDED!

[NappyHeadedHorse]

"We're going to have to cut to commercial now"

[Obelisk2290]

and then farndon and honeyman scott died within a year

[speedcrayzy]

rock and roll pain in the .

[MartyRotten]

Also, don't worry, the Pretenders did play for real after the commercial break.

[MartyRotten]

I have heard that Andy was really down on drugs and drug abuse. He was into transcendental meditation.

[56BUICKRiviera]

He is actually serious.

[PSchneeman]

Can I have my two min back?

[stephenpaultaylor]

jesusdinosaurs, are you serious? it was a joke...

[jesusdinosaurs]

I think he was a much better entertainer after he converted to Christianity, with a much more important message.

[apdos]

HAHAH GENIUS!

[fluffo75]

hahahahahaha HA close the curtains please...

holy moly....good man

[johnnymarr105]

andy is a complete genius

[NoGuff]

Andy thought it was funny that he made people wait for the band politely while he droned on and on. Ha-ha, that's really funny, Andy. Not.

[toucansam3]

Andy didn't want it to be funny. He did the things he did for his entertainment, not the audience's. He liked the idea that people like yourselves took him seriously, because that was what he was shooting for.

[NoGuff]

Like I said. And just like Danny DeVito said in the movie about Kaufman. The crap Andy and his friend did are only funny to two people in the entire world. Them. Ergo, not funny. I can't believe the producers let him do them, especially this one.

[ostrogodo]

andy did for us to laugh, right now. I´m LOL. That´s Vanguarda. That´s a genius.

[greendaise82]

'funny' usually isn't for everyone

[toucansam3]

He was a comedian's comedian. Comedians loved him, it was the main stream that didn't get him. Andy's act wasn't funny, it was how people reacted to his act that was funny.

[dalisman]

stop whining about him if you don't like him, then. jiminy christmas. I'll never understand people who waste their time on things they don't like.

[kwz3]

they are trolls

[KYLECHEATHAM]

Did you know that two of the members of The Pretenders that were on that stage died of drug overdoses within several months of this airing of Friday's? I thought not. Andy was being TOTALLY SERIOUS. DRUGS KILL.

[Arkady63]

Kaufman was serious in what he was saying. It seemed that he considered himself better than his audience.

[CelebrityHotTub]

I think the opposite...He brought the audience into the formerly segregated entertainment world. Broke down the barriers.

[CelebrityHotTub]

This was really a comment on his second part, when he goes into the audience and has them join in his song. So no direct argument with you, Arkady...

[noodles90210]

man, some videos here are just too good. :-D

[randrewrussell]

How strange, wierd and oddly prophetic considering the band. Two members dead from drug overdoses within 2 years of this.

[Buddah999]

wow... Yeah, that's pretty trippy

[captainplanet29]

he's fuckin hilarious

[kentj1]

reminds me of borat

[CelebrityHotTub]

I always felt Andy was doing it not for them then but for us now. And look what we have to show for it...Borat!!

[shwilly]

amen!

[richardmcboingboing]

any irony in him doing this monolouge before the orginal pretenders?

[hamwinkie]

No, maybe coincindence? Rumor is he always got to know his cast before shows, during the week of rehearsals that were part of these shows. Maybe he partied with them boys all week? They obviously had problems. He licked his ten years earlier. So irony? No. Maybe just typical, they ignore ALL warning signs.

[10470693]

brilliant

[handofshame]

tom cruze tried this but it didnt go over as well as this.

[videoaudiomaster]

funny shit

[kurt72]

another, you could never tell if he was being seious, or trying to be funny. like when he made an appearance at a college and just read the great gatsby!!

[kurt72]

yeah, bryno, no balls today. ppl. would shit if a celeb tried to do this on a live tv show today.

[Farfalotis]

He still sucks.

[cziffra1980]

This is fantastic.

[1Vurgas1]

what did he do at his first appearance?

[thorneybob]

If you do a search on youtube for Andy Kaufman Fridays you can find the clip of what he did on his first appearance.

[smichelle65]

could someone post Andy's 'tearful' 'apology' on Fridays the week after the 'incident'?

[cl0118x]

this is so funny.

[bryno]

No way anyone would have the balls to do this today.

[dazenweeks]

lol wicked...i wanted to say genious, but i dont know how to spell it