Andy Essays/Papers/Articles/Letters, Page 5
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Who Killed Andy Kaufman?
By Don Mead-Waikiki
Andy did. Not intentionally and not consciously, but he did
so, just as
surely as he played Carnegie Hall. Here's why I come to this conclusion:
Have you ever had an aunt or uncle, or grandparent who spent a lifetime with their spouse, then lost the spouse
to death? Then, mysteriously, the
surviving spouse dies within months of the first death? I can think of a half
dozen cases in my family, or among friends, where I've heard of this
happening. Can you? What's with that?
Here's my theory, and how this relates to Andy Kaufman. I think that being
secure in our identity (whatever that may be) provides us with comfort and
security-and protects us! Our identity is a sort of "cocoon" or shell that
shields us from stress. When we are psychologically and emotionally secure,
our bodies are far more resistant to attack from foreign, often-fatal
infections and diseases (like cancer, for example).
Often (perhaps usually) when a couple is married for 30, 35, 40, 50 years or
more, this union BECOMES their identity. When the spouse dies, that identity
is stripped away, and the surviving spouse is left naked and defenseless.
Often death quickly overcomes this weakened mind-body.
So what was Andy Kaufman's identity? And who took it from him?
David letterman said, " When you looked into Andy's eyes, it was like someone else was driving." Others
have said that Andy was always "on," always into one character or another. Others have said that Andy
would NOT break character(whatever character he was doing) for anyone, ever. Others have said 'there was no REAL
Andy Kaufman'-he WAS his characters, that WAS his identity. Andy would joke about "Who is Andy Kaufman?"
or "OK, now I'm going to show you the REAL Andy Kaufman," then he'd launch into another character!
My point is that ANDY KAUFMAN"S IDENTITY ~WAS~ HIS ACT AND HIS CHARACTERS. They were him. And he was them.
Now, the interesting part. From Zheme's book (Lost in the Funhouse)-talking
about Andy's eminent taping for the "Catch the Rising Star" tenth Anniversary show in September 1982:
"The material-everyone said there was nothing new, that he needed something new." "So he decided
to KILL IT OFF, to put the material out of it's misery, to expose it as the charade and the lodestone it had become."
(Remember, this is Andy's IDENTITY he's talking about.) "He planted Zmuda up front and had Rick Newman make
sure that the microphone was hidden somewhere on Zmuda's body so that Zmuda could be clearly overheard as the material
was drained of it's blood and left for DEAD."
Now for the next few minutes Zmuda stood and did something far worse than heckling. He, line by line, did Kaufman's
act from the crowd, ahead of
Kaufman by a second or two: Tenk you veddy much-Tenk you veddy much. EES de traffic-Ees de traffic. Take my wife-Take
my wife. Eemetations-Eemetations. He was relentless - line upon line. Kaufman would try to ignore it, but Zmuda
kept on.
"And Andy was wet: his face was soaked with flop summoned from trained
synopses and abetted by blistering lights and he had to say something to stop this man in front from ruining everything.
And he said, "Is there a problem?"
ZMUDA: No, there's no problem. The only problem is that I'm doing your act
for you. If you did some new material, then I wouldn't know what you're gonna do next.
ANDY: Well, uh I was asked to do this material tonight, okay? This is what
the club asked me to do, and I'm doing it.
This interchange goes on for a while, then Zmuda reveals his planted
microphone and says "Look-there's a little mic on me, you see this? He hired
me tonight to come here and criticize him, you know? See today he was saying to me "Zmuda, here's what we're
gonna do. I'll take my old material and I'll call it Variation on a Theme." The theme is old material and
the variation is that I'm told to sit here and criticize it. <To Andy> well, it's true. Am I being honest?
Am I a plant? Is this another Kaufman put-on? Be honest-am I a plant? Tell the people. There's a Mic here.
ANDY: Yeah. <sotto voce> you're not supposed to say anything.
ZMUDA: Fine, then just cut it out <of the tape>.
This was highly abbreviated, but my point is this---ANDY WAS KILLING OFF HIS CHARACTERS--HIS ACT-- HIS IDENTITY.
He was destroying his shell or cocoon that had protected him from disease and death.
One final example, from a PBS Soundstage performance in late 1982 (snipped):
FOREIGN MAN: You know, I don't care what you do to yourself, but you, you've not only ruined your career, but you've
ruined mine, too!
AK: So what? Who cares?
FM; Because of you, everybody doesn't like me, either. Why do you do thees? I think I know why. It's because you
are really, underneath it all-I don't think you're such a bad man.
AK: Oh, thank you.
FM: I think you are a shy little man. A little, scared little man.
AK: What do I have to be scared of?
FM: You're afraid of being hurt.
AK: Get outta here-go away!
FM: Because deep down inside you have a gentle soul. And that's why you have
put on thees tough-guy fascade. Because you hide your inseecurity.
AK <starting to cry> Really?
FM: You know, when you come to terms with your own deficiencies, then you'll be able to accept your true self and
won't have to hide behind thees macho act!
He never did. Instead he purposely killed off HIS OWN IDENTITY. He
deliberately destroyed his security and his cocoon, which had previously
shielded him from stress, disease, even death.
Why? I can only suppose that he felt that it was time for them to die, in the
interest of artistic integrity. And I think that he fully intended to replace
them with new characters, or to fill his life with a new identity, but never
got the chance. I think he purposely KILLED 'phase one' of his career and
UNintentionally HIMSELF in the process.
Sadly, we will never get to see the bigger, brighter, even more awesome
'phase two'.
It died with Andy.
Submitted 4/2001
_____________________________________________________________________The Silent Theater:
by Chrissy Dom-
No more "Saturday's". No more Latka Gravas stolen
broken heart dreams. No more best friend betrayals and punch-out scenes. No more puppets with attitude, reality,
fantasy and all the in-betweens. No more Pet-Detective never believers, or Transcendental masked conceivers. No
more mirror's image Bugsy boy, or record players- your favorite toy. And sister Carol didn't know she had a one
man encore show. Now Santa Claus is coming soon. There is no man upon the moon. I hear it in your favorite tune.
The candle's burnt before high noon. Alex Reger's jealousy and Mr. Clifton's anarchy. Bobby's glasses help him
see the King of Memphis, Tennessee. Famous Amos bakes a batch of cookies with the drug attached. Since Caspiar's
on the ocean floor, and DeVito's shorter than before. Jerry thinks he one the fight. You fooled them all again
tonight. Marry you on Letterman. You never sa! ng with R.E.M. The Friendly World begins again. If tobacco smoke
pollutes the lungs. She took the kids, but all in fun. Presley's day is almost done. Johnny Carson's head's to
high. You never got to say good bye... Tony laughs but always cries, cuz' you were too young to have to die. Your
eyes grow wide. You make the choice. Please Andy, let them hear your voice...
See him with your heart until the day we are re-united!
_____________________________________________________________________
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