January 16, 2018 ▸ People

Episode 265: Andy Kaufman: The Ultimate Comedy Prankster

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On this episode of The Sofa King Podcast, we look at the life, hijinks, stunts, comedy, and influence of the immortal (or maybe still alive at least?) Andy Kaufman. Kaufman is considered a legend of comedy, though many people consider him a performance artist as much as a comic due to the crazy and wild stunts he pulled throughout his career. Most comedians play for the room, but Andy Kaufman seemed to play for the god of comedy or for future generations to marvel at.

What did he do? Well, he started by developing acts that were not necessarily good, but jarringly bad. From his famous Foreign Man to the Mighty Mouse routine he did on Saturday Night Live, he was happy bombing on stage in order to achieve some odd sense of meta-comedy that transcended the mere audience in front of him. He once read the novel The Great Gatsby on stage until everyone in the comedy club left pissed off. He played pranks on his audience, his manager, and the owner of clubs. Eventually, he got a leading role in the ground-breaking sitcom Taxi, and his fame allowed him to play even bigger pranks.

He then pranked the studios by getting money for comedy specials and doing the most bizarre things imaginable on the air. But his biggest goof, by far, was the creation of the rude comic and lounge singer Tony Clifton. Dressed in heavy makeup, Andy Kaufman as Clifton would upset the audience by being amazingly, uncomfortably rude, and when pressed, he insisted Clifton was a real person and not him at all. In fact, his comedy partner Bod Zmuda and his brother played Clifton at times allowing Andy Kaufman and Clifton to show up in the same place.

His behavior on the air led to him being shunned by every network head, permanently banned from Saturday Night Live, and hated by his own audiences. And he was just getting started. He had an infamous career as the Intergender Champion of professional wrestling, pissing off women until they’d fight him, and he would pin them aggressively. He had a feud with Jerry the King Lawler and even fought with him on David Letterman.

This comic genius pushed every boundary, down the fact that many of his closest friends doubted his own death when he (allegedly?) died of lung cancer. It was just the type of stunt he would pull as the ultimate punchline. After this episode, you’ll probably find yourself watching YouTube clips of Andy Kaufman work his unique magic.

Is Donald Trump a creation of the still-living Andy Kaufman? http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-andy-kaufman-disguise-election-502292