# Andy Kaufman: Comic genius or silly nut **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 1999, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080 "1999-12-23T20:58:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/21 "2012-08-15T18:19:20Z")
[quote=“Rainbowcsr, post:12, topic:17080”] Neither. Pain in the ass. Seconded. I never liked his act, and when he came on I’d simply change channels. > [@](#): > > Calling him a comedian is a mistake-he was a performance artist, and his instrument was the audience. In my opinion his acts were designed to elicit a variety of responses, not just laughter. I agree that he probably was a Performance Artist – but I never heard him called this until after he died. He was “sold” and presented as a comedian. He doesn’t owe his ambiguous reputation to his early death – people were regarding hi m as either an idiot or a genius before he died. To me, it’s telling that SNL did a poll as to whether to have him on again or drop him, and the poll unambiguously axed him. I think most people didn’;t like him. To those who say that it was all conceptual, and that he was playing with people’s expectations and with the verey idea of entertainmemnt, I gotta say that it sounds interesting in retrospect, but it’s hell to have to sit through, and not really entertaining or mind-expanding. I used to wonder why it was that people apparently hated Alexander Calder’s “Circus”. You go nto see it at the Whitney, especially with that film of him performing the live ircus with these ingenius bent-wire-and-fabric figures, and you wonder how people could have been bored by this. Thomas Wolfe devoted a whole chapter to denouncing it in _You Can’t Go Home Again_. And the reality is that the damned thing took forever to set up and to run through and most of the time things didn’t work. People got embarassed, or bored. All of that stuff is edited out of the film you see. I get the impression that Kaufman’s act was like that – if you tell people about it, maybe show them a film of the highlights and then the payoff (when there was one), maybe with a voiceover that explained what the voice thought he was trying to do, well, then your audience might think Andy was one clever guy. But if you made them sit through a tape of the whole performance they’d punch you in the nose. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/22 "2012-08-15T18:31:58Z")
His worst act was playing the Mighty Mouse record. I never saw this as funny. Tony Clifton was an obnoxious Kaufman character. He started brining that character to the Taxi set and nearly got fired. He had the whole cast hating him. [http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc038c770a/andy-kaufman-performs-mighty-mouse-from-andykaufmanfan](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc038c770a/andy-kaufman-performs-mighty-mouse-from-andykaufmanfan) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/23 "2012-08-15T18:36:32Z")
Well, Tony… Kaufman’s appeal isn’t quite as universal as you describe. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/24 "2012-08-15T18:42:46Z")
> [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](#): > > but I think he did what he did for no one but himself. This in a nutshell. I don’t think he ever planned any of his stunts or performances thinking of how he would entertain the audience. I think it always was how would he entertain himself by getting a certain reaction from the audience. He wanted to shock, confuse, anger, scare people and see how they responded. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/25 "2012-08-15T18:49:02Z")
Kaufman as Latka on Taxi was amusing. Otherwise, not so much. Very interesting zombie thread. Especially since it was resurrected by **Tony Clifton**. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/26 "2012-08-15T18:59:52Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > His worst act was playing the Mighty Mouse record. I never saw this as funny. I think it’s hilarious. I remember laughing out loud the first time I saw it. I just watched it again on YouTube and it’s still funny as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/27 "2012-08-15T19:00:19Z")
He had a couple of good bits. Mostly he was moron playing practical jokes on paying customers. The Tony Clifton character was the worst of it. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/28 "2012-08-15T19:02:14Z")
> [@pldennison](#): > > Roger Ebert had a good observation in his review of the movie. He said that Kaufman’s whole career was not so much dedicated to entertaining people as to studying the concept of the relationship between entertainer and audience; I think Ebert was seriously overestimating Kaufman. Sort of like the movie _Being There_, where everyone overestimated Chauncey Gardner. My impression is not that he was “studying the concept of the relationship between entertainer and audience,” but was instead just an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/29 "2012-08-15T19:11:03Z")
I find it interesting that **Tony Clifton’s** post had generally good things to say about Andy Kaufman while the Tony Clifton that Kaufman portrayed NEVER had anything nice to say about him. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/30 "2012-08-15T19:19:42Z")
Total waste of space. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/31 "2012-08-15T19:43:36Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > I think it’s hilarious. I remember laughing out loud the first time I saw it. I just watched it again on YouTube and it’s still funny as hell. I agree. The guy was funny as shit. Love his subversive, absurdist, uncomfortable humor. I’m no Kaufman expert, nor am I particularly intimate with his ouvre, but pretty much everything I’ve seen has been right up my alley. I wish there were more comedians like him around today. Most comedy bores the shit out of me, to tell you the truth. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/32 "2012-08-15T20:50:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I wish there were more comedians like him around today. Have you seen [Tim and Eric](http://www.timanderic.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/33 "2012-08-15T22:04:35Z")
> [@Studi](#): > > Why can’t he be a comic genius _and_ a silly nut? Or comic nut and silly genius? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/34 "2012-08-15T22:08:21Z")
He was funny sometimes and annoying other times. A lot of people would say that about him, but they wouldn’t agree on what was funny and what was annoying. For a comic, that’s pretty good. For a cutting edge comic, that’s outstanding. I first saw him on SNL doing Mighty Mouse. Cute little bit of comedy, but just a little skit. Next time I saw him was on SNL again, starting out with foreign guy doing bad impressions, and then he said he’d do an impression of Elvis. He turned around, transformed himself, and did very good Elvis imitation. Not out and out humor there, just impressive and showed his ability to entertain. Over the years I watched him go through his phases of humor, some brilliant, some stupid, but he kept on going and was always willing to try something else and push the envelope a little further. Too bad he decided to leave everything behind and go live in a monastery in Tibet. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/35 "2012-08-15T22:22:24Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Have you seen [Tim and Eric](http://www.timanderic.com/)? They would only compare to Kaufman if you really, \*really \*hated Kaufman. And then they wouldn’t even be that good. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/36 "2012-08-16T00:59:49Z")
Before I read the thread I’ll chime my perspective. I think most of his comedy was lost on people. Because, the lack of set up to the punch line. What he did was go _straight to the punch line_ instead, and all the rest of the act was all disembodied filler after the fact. Like as if it was his first time preforming, always a little hesitant, unaware of how to get the audience prepared for the kill shot…in which made most people go…"was that funny? 😕 ", when he did his performance. That what what he did. He played the really bad comic trying to be funny. I was a kid when he was on SNL, too young to understand what it all was about, but old enough to see him on taxi, and I was fine with that. His schtick wasn’t from a book called, “So you want to be a Comedian”. Here’s the top ten ways to preform. He did _Anti Comedy_…“How to do Stand-up Comedy completely the wrong way and still be funny…especially to people that are really high.” Sorta like, how Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart was to pop-music, Andy was to standard stand-up Comedy. I never found him all that funny but I can appreciate it, same with the aforementioned musical artists. I don’t think the word _Genius_ applies in these contexts. “Different”, as in anti-“x” is more applicable. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/37 "2012-08-16T01:09:17Z")
I often find myself telling young practical jokers what I learned at slightly more than their age that there are a lot of ideas that are funny to talk about, but not funny to actually do. Andy Kaufman’s act was funny to hear about, but not funny to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/38 "2012-08-16T01:22:22Z")
I got suckered into a thread from the last millennium. :rolleyes: Funny how Zappa kept coming up though. ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/39 "2012-08-16T04:07:04Z")
Silly nut with an inability to self-edit. A lot of comics come up with unfunny bits, but most of them are smart enough to know when one doesn’t work. Andy threw the kitchen sink at the wall and very little stuck. Overrated in the extreme. ---
**Author:** ![denquixote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@denquixote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/denquixote)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080/40 "2012-08-16T06:16:44Z")
[quote=“astorian, post:6, topic:17080”] Andy Kaufmann was a lot like Frank Zappa, and I DON’T mean that as a compliment. I tend to agree with you except that Zappa was funnier. If you ever saw the Reuben and the Jets album, the liner notes were hilarious. On the other hand Andy seemed to me more talented musically with the Elvis impersonation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-comic-genius-or-silly-nut/17080.md?page=3)