Andy Kaufman on HBO (1977) pt. 1 of 4

[avel393]

The first time I saw this I was 14 and thought he was bombing big time. I didn't know about his style. but now that I know what he was about ths whole thing makes me laugh my ass off.

[oceankiddd]

i see a comment that "he lost me at the bongos"....i have to say, when i first saw this i thought it was andy genuinely having a hard time with his act. by the time he started the fake crying and brought in the bongo's, it was like fucking magic!

the soft shoe seizure he has across the stage? and the fact that his bongo playing is pretty legit? he FOOLED me, made me laugh, and made me wonder what comedy really is.

in less then ten minutes. not to mention his act was following fucking GALLAGHAR!

[mbolin686]

True comic genius....years ahead of his time



[RobertBalto]

I absolutely LOVE the beginning....absolutely flawless from him deliberately sounding unprepared to his obsessively adjusting the microphone...wonderfully obnoxious (I mean that in a complimentary way) there are two people who would laugh at something like that: people who GET Andy Kaufman or people with an extremely LAME sense of humour.

[TaffyRaphie]

I lost it at the bongos.

[DennisMichaelB]

This guy is fucking terrible. I'm sorry, I just don't understand why people think he is a comic genius. Fucking awful jeeze.

[worktosser]

WTF? That was a terrible act.

[arwalesagain]

@worktosser Brilliant. Even now, he's still getting reactions from people like you.

[pretorious700]

Love the audience's befuddlement. Andy got exactly what he wanted.

[mistaeddiemoney]

It takes tremendous balls todo the stuff that andy did..he loved uncomfortable moments the more uncomfortable the more at home he was. he ws only questioning our idea of what funny or even on a broader level what is entertainment..He was entertaining himself. I think if he didnt get sick and die he would have faked his death at some point. He is the original provocateur and loved to play the villian hence his wrestling character and Tony Clifton. Hate is good as love as long as its entertaining.

[moray111]

Now I need to buy a pair of congos!

[theevilmachines]

"that was quite a wallup! and when i went to see earthquake..." soooooo funny

[bossyboots55]

this clip is reminscent of his type of comedy. he makes a 'real situation 'out of his comedy and then taunts the audience with sarcasm. There is one clip where he went out into the audience to beg for money saying his girl broke up with him and took everything and he didnt have money to eat even. Then he went out to collect money! then the security had to be called in .

[5teampunker]

Oh man that was fuckin'' awesome

[glexmad]

Ehy guys, i'm not english, i really don't understand what Andy says at the minute 3:23. Can some angel write here what he is saying? (From 3:20 to 3:26 so i give you a wide error margin) ^^

I would really appreciate that.

[bossyboots55]

@glexmad

i speak english but i didnt get it eithr. he said he went to see EARTHQUAKE, the movie and when he went int the theatre he saw some white things on the floor of the theatre . He asked the manager what it was ..the manager said' oh thats the furry things' then when its over he saw white things on top of the white things. The manger said óh thats the white things on top of the furry things. (something like that) ! I think that is his brand of comedy.

[elgrannery]

He did it for the lulz.

[brklynsown]

This is hilarious....I see alot of norm in this too ......for those of you who don't get it oh well, but for those of us that do it's gold.

[zachmasterzach]

That was...Gallagher!!!

(at least Andy didn't have to open for him)

[mcschoep56]

Hi Andy :)

[ViralCultureMusic]

bottom of the fifth and the bags are loaded! this must be one of the most multi-layered punchlines i have ever heard. brilliant.

[INRIHAB34]

i mean, just the thought of a guy going out in front of an audience expecting to see a conventional comedy routine and convincingly bombing on purpose just to fuck with them makes me laugh harder than anything in the world. i just wish there were more people out there that could appreciate andy's eccentric style of "comedy". he really was something special.

[mcschoep56]

@INRIHAB34  Very True!

[cky1088]

@INRIHAB34 I completely agree. It only took him his entire career and death to have people finally realize this piece of fact.

[INRIHAB34]

stand up comedy is really such a one dimensional art, it has managed to stay relevant over the years simply because of the vast quantity of performers that are available for viewing, most of which have their own unique style or delivery. but every artist, with the exception of a guy like andy, makes their living by simply standing on stage and telling a series of jokes or stories. andy applied his acting skill to his comedy routine, he thrived on awkwardness and ridiculousness.

[lameplanet]

I don't know Andy Kaufman at all, but I heard he was "a genius". So I watched this for 5 mins and didn't come close to laughing. I'm not sure what's funny about someone doing a very good impression of someone who isn't at all funny. And what Kaufman's doing doesn't feel like a send-up or an exaggerated version of a mediocre stand-up, it's like a facsimile. Which I guess says a lot for his acting skills. But people are laughing, so I guess it's a personal thing.

[phongbong]

@lameplanet Not sure if you're pulling a Kaufman on me, but if you watched past five minutes you would have actually been brought onto his level and would have finally got his satire in one fale swoop and a Native american Jambury. :(

[lameplanet]

@phongbong yeah, maybe if I watched the whole thing I'd appreciate it better. But I don't have the patience.

[FreddyTheJumpingCat]

Epic fail. When he scripted this he obviously expected the audience at one point to be booing him. They didn't but he had to carry on regardless.

[fossegrim91]

hm.. to be honest i barely have to lauth at Andy's performances, but i find him very interesting though. i really like his shows even though i have no clue why .. just like oferspiegel said below this post, it's more like "meta-comedy" :D

[rhombusskullvsteal]

hahahahaha I just wana ha ba na la ha HEE HEE then making it into a song that's fucking brilliant.

[vokills420]

holy fuck this guy is a genius. the fake choking and telling moderate jokes and just fucking with the audience, losing them almost completely and just drawing them right back in. fucken genius.

[taila1976]

OMG!!!!!! The end with the bongos is pure genius!

[ProjectFlashlight612]

Andy woulda LOVED the Internet...I think it's fair to say he was the world's first troll, and he died basically a full decade before the Web came into being. Genius or madman? I say BOTH.

[martpast1]

@ProjectFlashlight612 why troll? cant u find another word?

[pretorious700]

@martpast1 troll is perfect-he rejects all contemporary notions of "comedy" while embracing them and lampooning them at the same time. Compare him with a clown like Gallegher (who ironically he followed in this show) to get some perspective.

[mistaeddiemoney]

@ProjectFlashlight612 yeah genius or madman or commitment or he should be comitted..its really all in the eye of the beholder which was his whole point..

[Skinzlivez]

Genius



[oferspiegel]

This is Meta-Comedy!

[MrHarrell6969]

man on the moon...brilliant movie. jim carrey is perfect for the role of Andy Kaufman

[MrRealitycheque]

this guy is brilliant!

[gamesplayedHD]

LOL 7:00

[DonRMB]

ANDY KAUFMAN... THE ORIGINAL TROLL....

[martpast1]

@DonRMB what do u mean?--why? there are different trolls--why he is?

[rejectedburrito]

Fart sound coming out of your mouth? That's disrespectful to the butt, which makes the true music of the fart. But for some reason that's all I hear when you try to say anything.

[MegaGonzo420]

congas? thats disrespectful towards the drum and the native people who happen to have reverence towards the drum...whiteboy comedy

[yodabytes1]

Kool video

[PorroFirst]

Andy Kaufman transcends comedy.

[MegaGreengod]

Reminds me of ,Tim Heidecker. . .Stand up. . .

[MegaGreengod]

GALLAGHER!!

wheres that video?!

[rkardos01]

I have always thought he was one of the funniest comedic artist's, not just by standing there and telling jokes, but the thought of someone telling jokes so badly is in fact funny and he was able to bring that to life.

[TheWolfmoon21]

Perceptual Genius

[KingKook]

He's done this routine better. He did it with his whole family on stage & it was brilliant. This time it's a little off the mark. He's a brilliant conceptual artist but his performances were occasionally sketchy. His Mighty Mouse on the first ever episode of SNL in '75 is pure genius. I watched it as a kid & thought that it was one of the funniest craziest things I'd ever seen. George Carlin was on that show but Andy blew him away. He blew everybody away. "Here I Am To Save The DAY!"

[namedULaika]

Wow he is pure genius!

An artist this brilliant comes along only very rarely.

[utahaztec]

He had no fear to try out any routine.

[chiranjit100]

I never had such an overwhelming urge to offer kudos at my computer screen.

[5B4Funky]

How many people can be funny by not being funny at all?

[Sabre809]

That was really something xD

[canyoueatme24]

That thing with the congas was fucking brilliant!!!

[TheCarlScharnberg]

No, I actually didn't think it was that funny, now, that does not mean that I don't get what he's doing, I just don't find it funny.

[TimothyStoll]

His composure is fantastic. I've never seen him lose it or come out of character.

[leftyla]

It's sad that more than half the people there probably didn't know they were in the presence of greatness.

[widerangereaction]

This is one of the funniest skits if ever seen Andy you are the bomb

[duntzwitch]

He was definitely good-looking, and I hate myself for not "getting" comedy, I mean I love to laugh, but I just found him a little more annoying than funny...

[BooJoMan]

Really dont understand how he could do this with a straight face

[dacypher22]

What is actually funny is that he had to do 2 or 3 different "bad jokes" before he actually got any boo's. He probably had about 3 more or so to bait them into boo'ing so he could continue.

[begood20000]

That was genius. He's hilarious

[nmh2112]

FUCKING GENIUS

[Harrymfink]

The joke at 3:40 I dont understand. Someone please explain.

[tonymontana1974]

@Harrymfink Hi i donno if anyones replied to your comment yet but basically andy kaufman is playing a character and when he did that he used to come on and do really bad corny jokes. Kaufman is weird he isnt funny funny more strange funny he sort of wound the crowd up to get them booing him just to antagonize the crowd.

[tonymontana1974]

@Harrymfink Another quick 1 that joke you mentioned at 3:40 there is a song from a film called "oklahoma" the song is called "surrey with a fringe on top" so he changed it to "furry with a fringe on top" for the joke.

[wemusttry]

This is the first time that I have watched Andy Kaufman stand-up, and it is the first time stand-up has ever given me chills.

[CountHarryLime]

a series of bad jokes to turn the crowd against him and make them laugh at his expense only to set up the actual joke where he pretends to be distraught and walks off the stage, comes back and tries to hold back tears, then makes the crying a part of a song on the bongos...

this is why andy kaufman is a genius.

[begood20000]

@CountHarryLime Very well said. That's exactly what it is but you'd be surprised how many people don't get it and are still fooled by his pranks

[reyes1657]

interesting crowd rxn.I think that we,as audiences,have gotten smarter since then.We appreciate different styles of entertainment.I wonder how many people posting on here have seen this after learning about Andy's entertainment style?I probably wouldn't get this either if I didn't know about his style.How many people posting here had the same experience?I like this.those who don't get it aren't ignorant.Get some background info on this man and watch this again.You'll appreciate this some day.

[Kalavedet]

This straight up is NOT funny.

[Killuminati1blood]

I was in japan..... o_0

[503goonie]

eet eet

[shadowofcourage]

this is the best thing ive ever seen

[scourfish]

Andy Kaufman was never a laugh out loud type of comedian. That said, he was a genius at his craft.

[napalmdeathfan13591]

I love how people segregate comedians. It's all about whether you like it or not. I like anything from Andy Kaufman to Mitch Hedberg to Jim Gaffigan to Bill Hicks to (later period) George Carlin. I fucking hate Joe Rogan, though, that dude is a total fucking hack.

[docko84]

Its not funny, when he trys to not be funny

[JeffZHigs1]

I love how he started up a really great joke, like the baseball joke, but then he just adds a terrible punch line that ruins it.

[alexsocc]

LOL i really dont get it

[pelzar200]

lol @ bags loaded at the bottom the of 5th

[fatboymatt]

and that's his opener

[h0ah0ah0ah0ah0a]

magic

[AndysCoffin]

People always say that the joke was always on the audience but it's not true.

When he segue from crying to the congas he completely brings the audience in.

If you don't get him at that point then your just fuckin dense.

[whereisthesanity]

@AndysCoffin I dont think soo. he was the one acting like a fool

id say the joke was on him. Cool ur jets bub. Not everyones fuckin dense.

[AndysCoffin]

@whereisthesanity

If you don't get he's joking by the conga bit, then yes, you are dense. Chill with the adamantium rage, Wolvie.

[whereisthesanity]

@AndysCoffin U tell me to chill one more time and ill shit down ur throat. U dont understand andy like i do cuz ur not jewish. why does everyone in this country always have something to say, like theyre two cencse is all what matters. honestly ust fuck off . uve got alot of nerve throwing around that d word like its candy on halloween ( dense). ur the wone with fucking issues.

[romiguma]

@whereisthesanity chill

[loko5555]

@whereisthesanity well if you think that kind of humor will work try to see micheal richards now. Your only funny to yourselfe, thats the diference in this type of comedy, you have to control the hole, thats the trick. For example when you let yourself go just cuz one person is telling you to chill, well your not controling the situiation, the situiation is controling you even if your not aware of.

[amidoingthis]

@AndysCoffin you're*

[AndysCoffin]

2:45 is my favorite part.

His nervous laughter and body language is perfect and extremely believable.

Later on in his career it was still good but it started to look more like choreography and less natural.

And the joke was crappy but it wasn't blatantly lame. It was believable that someone would come up with that and think it's good.

[kaboogle]

For those who do not understand this, i truly pity you.

For those who do, BLOODY BRILLIANT!

[mattsvallecilla]

@kaboogle fuck yourself faggot, this guy sucks period.

[kaboogle]

@mattsvallecilla so amusing is the lack of intelligence in this one,

[mattsvallecilla]

@kaboogle so amusing how much of a pretentious uppity full of himself artsy fart you are. Seriously, I'm not surprised such a lame "comedian" Andy Kauffman would 'tickle your fancy' fancy pants. If you want something intelligent, I suggest you get your over sized head out of your shitty ass and check out some some real intelligent comedians such as George Carlin, Joe Rogan, Bill Hicks.

[billyshitcheese2]

In saying this, the greater retard is you.

[MRPOOPDOG100]

@kaboogle i understand the comedy he is putting on an act but i snigger i dont laugh out loud

[borass69ass]

@kaboogle you truly pity people why because you are so above any one for believing that this bullshit is actually funny check your little hipster ass at the door

[kaboogle]

@borass69ass and what does that make you now? a close-minded douchebag who is so set on negativity that you cant even find the smell from your own ass funny once in a while. I'd pity you but some people are just far too pathetic.

[frrrrrunkis]

@borass69ass Kaufman was a better troll than you'll ever be, so just quit trying and get your ass back to /b/.

[frrrrrunkis]

@borass69ass Kaufman was a better troll than you'll ever be, so just quit trying and get your ass back to /b/.

[Concertardis]

@kaboogle I get it... he's just not that funny

[Bassbait]

@Concertardis You clearly don't like anti-humor, in which case, you have a weak sense of humor. Regardless of how funny he is, he was one of the greatest comedians of all time because of what he did to the art of comedy, especially pioneering anti-humor. His charisma makes people think he's funny, but he never really cracked any jokes in his entire career, which is what made him such a unique comedian. He's funny because he knows how to make something not funny FEEL funny.

[Concertardis]

@Bassbait no, see... not telling jokes isn't funny Anti comedy has does nothing for comedy. People say Andy Kaufman was "brilliant" but really he was just a sub par comedian that people tried to read into too much. A better skill than making something not funny "feel" funny is making something not funny ACTUALLY Funny

[Concertardis]

Also i don't want to get into an Internet Argument where we call each other faggots so i probably won't reply if you send another message

[Bassbait]

@Concertardis I never call anybody that ever. And apparently you're willing to defend your decision because you're unwilling to try to see why he IS funny. But hey, I hate George Carlin, so I'll call it even.

[thegunclub123]

@Bassbait-Love George Carlin and Kaufman-and hey neither one really cracked jokes in the traditional "setup-punchline" formula.

[frylauriesoopytwist]

@Bassbait Hi. Absolutely in agreement with you. I think of him as a performance artist because he played with the boundaries of audience expectation. When somthing is unexpected it becomes absurd and absurdity makes us laugh.

[MegaGonzo420]

@kaboogle ur pity doesnt exist..its nothing but self importance.i understand this by the way...

[CaptainDesiderio]

@kaboogle I don't understand it at all. But I can not stop laughing.

[LoganMalloy]

@kaboogle I definitely like some of Andy's material, but brilliant? C'mon man. This is some of his more pedestrian stuff.

[AndysCoffin]

This is so great I was begging "thisfriendlyworld" to upload the full show and he never did.

So this is fantastic thank you.

[DeadJ0ker27]

Thank you so much for uploading this. I've been looking for this forever.

Can you please put a torrent up of it?

[brandonallman111]

thank you for uploading this, i wish more people woould watch this