Interview with Andy Kaufman pt 2 of 2

[AndrewsOpinion15]

god give us back andy kaufman in return will give u opera winfrey !!!!

[rravi5490]

this interviewer is an idiot and cant possibly understand the genius of andy

[kennedynut]

The first half of this interview seems so straight, but he's obviously not being truthful about wrestling Lawler. I wonder if he was ever 100% real.

[TheDanHarveyChannel]

he died before the 1st wrestlemania!

[snakegirl0223]

What year was this interview?

[HUBWAA]

Wrestling is totally real.

[lanetxgp1]

The interviewer's hair has its own climate.

[JeffRotull43]

I can understand how he came up with all these characters now; kind of boring as himself.

Wonder why he didn't question him about Clifton at all - that was the biggest mystery of his career.

[jerryhello100]

@JeffRotull43 I don't think he's being completely straight. His natural personality is as weird as any of his character.

[JeffZHigs1]

After seeing many different videos of Andy Kaufman and laughing at all of them. After seeing this I can see so many more depths of himself and all his characters. I actually feel more connected to Andy Kaufman after seeing this

[the0prynce]

Andy Kaufman understood the world of professional wrestling beautifully. He understood the psychology so well in a time where the tricks to a crowd reaction weren't such general knowledge. Yet another reason I adore this guy.

[CaptainCrunchOwns]

Andy Kaufman is way before my generation. I've read his wikipedia page and watched some clips about him and Lawler. That's all it took for me to get this subtle, creeping feeling that Andy was completely toying with his interviewer.

[shannon7733]

@CaptainCrunchOwns Oh completely. That's what Andy thrived on. It was almost more about entertaining himself than the audience.

[chainyrabbit]

you should see Man On The Moon, him and Lawler were friends and staged the whole thing fight

[JeffRotull43]

No fuckin' way, man - that's a crazy idea. I don't believe that for a second!

[chainyrabbit]

@JeffRotull43 yeah Lawler actually plays himself in the film

[JeffRotull43]

@chainyrabbit yeah, I was actually going for sarcasm there.

[chainyrabbit]

@JeffRotull43 so was I...................

[inezvelasco]

I used to watch Tom Cottle all the time and I don't remember the picture ever being this bad!

[jcgamer107]

Lol 2:32

"You're welcome."

"...k"

[DanfromDallasTX]

Can anyone know the date of this interview?

[Stereolabdream]

@DanfromDallasTX This would be towards the end of 1983; the wrestling saga was at this time...apparently, the "cold" and the coughing (you notice it here) began to concern his family over Thanksgiving that year, and he went to see a doctor...the rest is, as they say, history. By Spring of 1984 he was no longer with us.

[eagillum]

I think the interviewer did him a huge favor by being bigger than Andy and not getting defensive but giving him the space to be himself.

[Houratsu]

I think hearing about those childhood influences of the "heel" pro-wrester Buddy Rogers, and insisting on supporting Elvis when everyone hated him, really taught me a lot about where he was coming from in his comedy.

[papanchopo]

Está buena esta entrevista, especialmente en la parte del porqué su imitación de elvis es tan buena...leyenda andy, una linda persona, se siente su tos en toda la entrevista... from what year is this?

[bewbzy]

he is sort of putting this guy on. it's great, because if

you didn't know anything about this, it would seem

pretty sincere. i wonder if he'd have responded differently

had the interviewer not kept throwing in how weird what

he does is compared to the norm.

andy knows what he's doing is different. that's his

thing. he enjoys reaction. thanks for sharing this clip.

[mokbass]

ha ha andy is totally stringing this guy along,brilliant!!

[joshwuh88]

You think so? It seems to me this interview is him being pretty close to himself (whatever being himself meant for Andy Kaufman).

I don't think he's playing a character here.

[klwewf]

He's being himself - yes. But, the things coming out of his mouthin this interview are only 50% true.

[CarlGomes]

Be wiser separating what's true and what's not.

[redtron]

Notice his subtle coughs:(

[ButterOnCorn]

fake coughs

[Ebonykiss5]

when did this interview take place?

does anyone know?

thanks for the upload!

Love Eb<3

[thisfriendlyworld]

May 26, 1983.

[lucybean975]

well--he is lying about Lawler --if he hadn't, he would have ruined the experience for the audience. (why go to a wrestling match you know for certain is staged?) but maybe that was part of the fun of wrestling for Andy: even the most devoted fan doesn't really "know for sure" how much of it is rigged, how much is real.

[ALittleBitOfGreen]

of course he had to lie.

nowadays it is said that he never broke his neck that it was faked. And Lawler and he were actually friends..

[lucybean975]

yes.. fun!  i like that Lawler kept Andy's secret for so many years. he really could have cashed in if he'd wanted to, but didn't. that's loyalty...

[jerkfaceloser]

andy's choice of interviewer is genius. a dope with ridiculous hair that swallows everything. so brilliant!

[Pallindrom27]

Andy knew how to take people in the direction that he wanted them to go and how to leave them wondering what was real and what wasn't. That was PART of his brilliance and it made it ALL THE MORE satisfying when the dupes were ABSOLUTELTY 100% CONVINCED that they had it ALL figured out.

;)

[tbizone2002]

6:19min: "...ajnd I don't want harp on the theme that you're wierd or anything....BUT..." LOL!!!

This interview is enthralling. A glimps behind the act into the psyche' that IS Andy Kaufman.

[tygersflowerz]

:-)

[noonward]

He is probably lying throughout this entire thing. Awesome.

[qarusel]

That's exactly what I was thinking. He probably thought such interviewing was silly, so he went a leap further.

[noonward]

Yea man. For sure.

Fast reply huh?

[tygersflowerz]

I'm currently reading the book "Was This Man A Genius?" by Julie Hecht.... let me tell you, it is a scream. This guy was nuts. But in a GOOD way. ;-)

The author speaks in first person, and you read all her private thoughts and reactions. Andy kept people around him constantly on their toes; constantly thinking and wondering.

But I gather that he did so to weed out who has the right sense of humor. Who could handle him for the long haul. I think he only "tortured" who he liked. ;-)

[klwewf]

If he only "tortured" the people he liked, that means he must have "loved" working on Taxi & everyone there.

[tygersflowerz]

He liked the people he worked with, yes, that's a well-known fact.... among fans....

[klwewf]

It's a well known fact he loved his supporters (fans), and sometimes even his haters - lol But, liking the people he worked with (Taxi cast) is not a well known fact. 1). It's "documented" & often "stated" he hated working on Taxi & didn't feel close (& barely communicated) w/ the cast & crew.

Then, 2). it's also known he had good friendships w/ all the members (especially Devito, Lloyd & Henner - then later on Kane & Danza). The 2nd one is the truth of course.

[tygersflowerz]

bye bye

[klwewf]

thanks for reading it. lol

[jerryhsu007]

Who is the Congo Drummer Andy Says? Please help.

[shadesofjae]

Olatunje

[jerkfaceloser]

drums of passion is the classic album.

[KeithMozingo]

All people who do not get what Kaufman was doing should watch this as he explains his entire act via Buddy Rogers.Kaufman was more interested in situations that could be entertaining and funny rather than be a guy who told one liners like other comics.

[Pallindrom27]

Excellent point. He liked to defy expectations as well. I think that a major reason that he went along with the whole Latka thing in the first place was so that he could THEN turn around and go in the totally OPPOSITE direction with Tony Clifton and wrestling women.

[Pallindrom27]

You need help.

[Pallindrom27]

YOU"VE got friends?

(LoL)

[Pallindrom27]

Apology ACCEPTED!

[Pallindrom27]

I'm big hearted enough to not only forgive you, apology or no,but to wish you and yours a happy holiday season. And btw, I was joking before by accepting the apology that you never offered as I was in the demanding of it in the first place,in Andy's honour.

[Pallindrom27]

Ditto.

[tompeoples]

"I used to pretend I was a famous African drummer."  touche, Andy.

[vitorakeda]

he must have thought "oh gosh, another dumbass who believed it.. and i´m discussing my life with a dumbasss.."

it´s fun to mix reality with fantasy in your head. it´s easyer to lie, gives the feeling you are actualy a good actor.... he´s always searching for the point when it almost passes the commom sense that that´s fake, he almost always keeps it in a level where himself can belive it´s true.

[casualties92]

dude the interviewer has fucked up hair lmao

[DreamMaster78]

The REAL Andy Kaufman.

[hoss1962]

Partly - but at this satge he was still pretending tha this "feud" with Lawler was real. So it raises the question how much more of this interview was opart of the persna that Kaufman was trying to promote. I think most of us will nver really know the "REAL" Kaufman - maybe Zamuda did but maybe not his own family...

[TyghtAlso]

Andy's act was almost fully formed by the time he met Kaufman and his "biography" of Kauf is ridiculous...

[TyghtAlso]

Zmuda met Kauf after his act was fully formed(apart from the Tony character) and his "biography" of Kauf was a joke(not in a good way).I'm sure LOTS of people new the "real" Andy(assuming there is a real anyone)but Zmuda wouldn't be high on my list.

[hoss1962]

I'm hearing you ...

[klwewf]

I'm pretty sure his family AND Zmuda knew the real Kaufman. Sometimes, it was just probably hard to tell with some of those things on TV. Like the Lawler fight on Letterman. I think his family bought that one hook, line & sinker. The only reason Zmuda didn't fall for it. Is because he was told about it. When Zmuda first met Kaufman he TOTALLY fell for the "foreign man" bit.

[plesma13]

Is he being serious?

[dal8823]

You notice how Andy coughs occasionally during this interview? This was taped only 6 months before he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

[HtotheB]

Good stuff, SCI!

[chewtheredpill]

Cottle is nauseaing but it's great to see Andy Kaufman speaking sincerely since you never know when he is being serious

[matthardy1984]

Im amased at how honest hes being considering he got such a kick of letting the audience believe things that werent true this is very interesting its almost as if he knew he was going to die a year later!

[hoss1962]

How honest really? You could never tell with Kaufman - though there is clip of an interview taken after a live show - where he seems to relax and be himself - you can find it on Youtube if you search. On this TV interview though he was still spinning the line that his and lawler's feud was real - sounds more to me like he was planning to continue that ruse, rather than "clearing the air" before he passed away...

[TyghtAlso]

Hey i didnt mean to leave two messages just the first one messed up.I think what Kauf says here is pretty much the first 5 minutes of man on the moon.The film is all over the place factually-Thankyou Mr Zmuda(and lets be honest we wouldnt want it any other way)so you'de have to assume that this is "the party line" on his childhood-and that the "lie" was repeated in the biog and the movie.

Both of those things are entirely possible but i prefer to suspend disbelief cos he is so cute about it all

[klwewf]

Yes. That was the only bit he was doing in this interview (the Lawler fight). Everything else was legit.

[hoss1962]

You might be right - but how can you tell? How could anyone ever tell with Kaufman - the ultinate wind-up artist. I think the closest we have to a "legit" interview with Kaufman was the one filmed backstage after a gig where he seemed to be relaxed and out of the Kaufman stage persona and really seemed to speak as himself.

[klwewf]

I agree about the backstage interview. That was about 97% "real" Kaufman. But, the reason I mention the cough being real is due to me reading up on cancer patients that start off with that subtle cough......I don't know. I suppose with A.K., anything is possible. But, personally, I think the man died of cancer - unfortunately.

[024yeknom]

actually, he kinda left the lawler fight open, he never admitted it was a hoax, and never really said he wasnt. From what I heard he did really get hurt, but it was all staged.

[MisterOoh]

This first aired on May 26, 1983 according to The Andy Kaufman timeline. It was one of Kaufman's final television performances before his death.

[davidnc76]

Thank you posting this interview. LONG LIVE ANDY!!!

[maatt2413]

thx for posting this...this is great .

[pbmachinima]

Why is the guy with the eraser on the top of his head calling Andy "weird?"

[maatt2413]

...Andy was a genius.

[Tyrow]

I've always been very interested in Andy Kaufman. I hope he pops up one of these days and pulls off the biggest prank in entertainment history! Thanks for the vid

[hoss1962]

It would have been a very cruel joke on his family though...

Not sure I would find the funny side of it...Shame he passed away so young though.

[Pallindrom27]

The only thing though is that part of the theory that he faked it is that his father KNOWINGLY identified the body of Nathan McCoy as being his son Andy. So IF that's true, then Stanley would be lying.

[Pallindrom27]

Nathan McCoy is supposedly the name of a man who was stricken with cancer that Andy befriended in order to pull off the death hoax. And "lies"? You ARE familiar with Andy's work aren't you? Even in this very serious interview,he's still only telling PART of the truth sprinkling lies throughout it. That's part of who he was/is.

[Pallindrom27]

Feel free NOT to respond, though I think it's frankly childish. YOU are looking at the "official" version, whereas I am CONSIDERING the possibilities. And btw,since you DONT know anything about me,you DONT know what I DO or DONT know about Andy's life. ONE of us thinks that they KNOW what happened,while the other is open to different scenarios depending upon the evidence. Which one of us is being close-minded?

[Pallindrom27]

I'll leave you alone when you STOP insulting me! You say I called Stanley Kaufman a liar? I refer you to my original comment where I said, and I quote "IF that's true,then Stanley would be lying". Notice the "IF" modifier? You ALSO recklessly accused me of disrespecting the fans who believe him dead AND say that I'm disrespectful all around IN ADDITION to calling me close minded!! YOU sir owe me an apology!