Andy Kaufman on Letterman (October 15th 1980)

Andy appearing on Letterman's show for the second time. This is two days after his first appearance on the same morning show.

[@NotAfraid280]

The amount of confidence to even attempt something like this is astounding

[@FodorPupil]

It really is

[@evolutiongaming1421]

@@seamusblack5876 u are a narrow minded person

[@bilbobagginses4941]

@@seamusblack5876 Please explain. Who are you calling a moron and why?

[@NYCBG]

@Rick Ton He doesn't know who he is.

[@rooster7131]

Confidence and pure brilliance…there will never be another Andy

[@stianovesen]

When a guy that's clearly established as a comedian says "I'd rather you'd not laugh right now", and he actually manages to instill confusion and uncomfort in the audience as to his sincerity. That's the thing that makes this guy a once in a century phenomenom of a perfomer.

[@mwilliamshs]

*discomfort*

[@FodorPupil]

You are 100% correct. I am rather enjoying the comments here. Andy is still working his magic. It is genius.

[@afterburner2869]

He successfully made me uncomfortable 40 years after this was broadcast, through my phone!

[@DonniDoop]

That is what he did late late at night at the improv. I saw him one night and still remember it. He would tell horrible jokes and the few people left started heckling him. He’d run offstage crying and we in the audience would feel terrible. Bud the owner would come out and say “he’s crying, people.” Misery! Bud: “Look, he wants to do his Elvis impression, can you let him just do that?” And the shamed audience would say sure. (He did a great Elvis.) . The whole thing was so far from any comedy we had ever seen. And that was well before he was known. 1967 or so. Complete manipulation of the audience. Amazing.

[@bmoisgood3228]

The emotion. Art is about emotion. Only emotion. He made it all. Fucking christ.

[@stephenlombardo5505]

Wow_! I was 19 and sitting in the audience, I remember him coming up into the crowd, its crazy to see this again after 41 years in my memory bank!! R.I.P. Andy a true visionary comic

[@drdeath9835]

Buzzy

[@billybatchelor2863]

What a memory of yesterday Stephen

[@mclp-wc8eg]

@@billybatchelor2863 My God!! Lucky Stephen

[@josephherron744]

Very cool! Are you able to see yourself when they pan to the audience ?

[@MH-wm6df]

I never thought he was funny

[@ThomSonnyYeah]

Letterman deserves a lot of credit for providing the set up for this. The whole thing is incredibly nuanced.

[@interludejones]

Fancy seeing you here today. The synchronicity is getting outta hand.

[@fertnerker9878]

I sincerely think Dave had no Idea what was going on

[@lenalives1846]

Dave wasn't in on this, I don't think.

[@Piratebreadstick]

Yes. A lesser talent would have ruined everything.

[@WHDRWN]

@@fertnerker9878 Dave gives him so much time for the eye gag. Listen back and notice how much dave let that breathe

[@TheStinkusofYore]

He looks like he should be playing bass in Nirvana

[@puderjunge]

Haha, totally true!

[@samuelh4758]

He looks like he should be fighting lord voldemort

[@Danny-wv8ec]

All of Andy’s videos on KZbin have this comment.

[@michaelkunz9386]

There's a write up somewhere about Krist Novoselic trying to get into a club and he says, "Dont you know who I am?" And the writer is like, "That didnt seem very punk rock." But then he says, "I'm Andy Kauffman!" The resemblence was something the band knew and joked about.

[@cguittard5494]

Or little dicky

[@bean6377]

The genius of Andy Kaufman is his ability to channel both real emotion and theatrical comedy at the same time. That’s why you can never tell if he’s in character or not.

[@richardmorris7063]

You got that right.

[@srldwg]

Wow. You honestly just blew my mind!

[@joncumber2020]

Loved and breathed ‘anti-comedy’ and good on Dave for getting the unique frequency so early.

[@Tanwolly]

He’s genuinely not THAT good.

[@self-retorik]

Absolutely ! that's it !

[@ericynot]

Kaufman is the only person I've ever seen who could do a whole comedy routine with just eye movements and facial expressions.

[@vivavaldez87]

Rowan Atkinson?

[@ericynot]

@@vivavaldez87 Yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought about him.

[@stt.9433]

@@ericynot Charlie Chaplin?

[@ericynot]

@@stt.9433 Chaplin would have to be on the list as well. Guess my original comment should have said "one of the few people" :)

[@kdhamons]

John Baluchi (maybe misspelling?) was pretty good at it.

[@Geojr815]

Andy Kaufman is an example of the endless possibilities of man without embarrassment holding you back

[@horaceball5418]

He was the modern day Pee Wee Herman!

[@bryantaylor2427]

Kaufman was a genius, but Letterman always did a great job of giving him the room to do his thing, and then play the straight man when Andy needed it.

[@bryantaylor2427]

+Spoo o Haha ya, that was perfect!

[@RoodeMenon]

If the audience is entertained. The show must go on.

[@papanoobz2180]

Rusty how do you rate the whole Carson, Letterman, Leno, Conan(giggle)

[@jjrr1151]

PaPa NooBZ

[@cattathat]

Bryan Taylor Very true!

[@theartfuldodger935]

Kaufman was brilliant. This is 1980. You never saw this on television at that time. He is playing the anti-talk show guest. He is playing completely opposite to the phony, bubbling, energetic self-promotion machines that appear on these programs to plug this or that. Kaufman was an artist. Comedy was his medium.

[@diogobatista6844]

The Artful Todger Exactly!

[@theartfuldodger935]

***** the fact that things are lost on you doesn't make them any the less real. must really suck going thru life clueless.

[@theartfuldodger935]

***** I assume from your handle and from the content of your posts that you were left back in the 5th grade. Twice. And that you're still there.

[@theartfuldodger935]

***** Yeah, I'm the only guy in my kindergarten class with a law degree from the University of London and a 162 IQ.

[@theartfuldodger935]

***** The problem isn't with Kaufman. The problem here is that you're just not very bright.

[@bluetrane65]

I know Kaufman is a genius here, but can we give some props to Letterman? The man not only fully understands what Andy is trying to do, but is the perfect comedic companion for this type of humor. Not a lot of late night show hosts have this type of talent (probably only Conan, maybe colbert?)

[@Senriam]

Colbert in his early days. But Conan for sure.

[@brownie3454]

he made him break by offering a mint. Letterman has a great mind

[@mikew7083]

Ferguson

[@Keltibarian]

Jimmy Fallon could definitely pull this off with Kaufman.

[@Bootmahoy88]

A weird portent with the coughing, as he later died of lung cancer.

[@Zacktaylormusic]

Homelessness is a real thing and for him to shine a light on that with this routine is freakin genius, this is amazing

[@darrenskinner3711]

Kaufman doesn't own the room...he owns reality.

[@TheJacklwilliams]

I grew up with him, Robin Williams, so damn many greats. No one could just blow your mind like Andy though. You never had a clue wtf he would do in any given situation. If he showed up, you stopped in your tracks, you couldn't miss it. I think, the closest to him in style over the years played him in man on the moon. Just phenomenal and to this day a damn shame we lost him so early. The other one that ripped my heart out was Robin Williams departure. I'm certain I'll never get past that.

[@solsunson262]

owns the reality at that place in time....indeed

[@timsnizek5144]

what drugs are you on? this shit is not funny at all

[@seamusblack5876]

Moron

[@maxxt3916]

This is not funny, it’s just grandstanding. Today it’s called social media.

[@jmgmarcus808]

2 min in not one word, and got more laughs than one whole Adam Sandler movie. These are facts.

[@guering]

+jmgmarcus because those people were either retarded or they were paid to laugh. That wasnt nearly as funny as they make it sound. Its more awkward than anything. Not sure if it was a big thing in the 80s but if it was it didnt aged so well .. not that Adam Sandler is any better.

[@guering]

meh

[@sewagedump]

+aguering awkward is the joke you dunce

[@guering]

There is lots of Kaufman's fans here, I get it =p

[@kilansgames556]

+aguering The guy was not trying to be funny he said that on many occasions "I am not joking why are you guys laughing" people just thought he was funny

[@marquisdekiel]

This is not just trolling. This shows us how fake and superficial television is. And what we expect from TV. Someone who acts super normal and human looks absolutely out of place. That's Kaufman's brilliance.

[@sarahs5340]

mar, so so true that's what I thought.

[@jeremygesuale8]

People don't watch tv for super normal. They live their life in super normal. Kaufman gets too much credit just for being super rude all the time. Truth is he only cared about himself and once he thought you were getting in on it he changed the rules again to try to piss you off.

[@green323turbo]

His coughing was real though

[@3lc0y0t3]

he's high

[@matthew6905]

I see this as him testing out how it would be if he went out as his normal self. Whether he did it to show brilliance is up to they eye of the beholder. He looks like he is having/had a nervous breakdown.

[@humanbeing2420]

He's getting huge laughs without saying or doing anything. The guy was a genius.

[@tradito]

humans tend to laugh, as a defense mechanism, when they are uncomfortable, that was his genius.

[@aversiac-2]

who knew i was an andy kaufman killer and all i had to do was exist as a high school teenager

[@AnarchAngel1]

I don't think he was very funny personally. To each his own. I get the feeling people laughed at him because they knew they were supposed to. "Their names were Mark and Lisa" - hahaha 🤨

[@HotelAVJobs]

@@tradito BINGO!

[@gypsycat619]

The biggest lesson I learned from him was to be Fearless! He did not give an eff if he Bombed or not and that was the beauty of his wit!

[@JosephWhitworthGaming]

I think the beautiful thing about him....is you never knew when he bombed. He didn't give the audience the chance to not like his routine.

[@ArcanePath360]

I think you hit the nail on the head. This should be top comment

[@tobygray9382]

His genius was making people wonder where the real Andy begins and where his character ends.

[@melihyeniyayla2874]

Absoulatly

[@Furtivo95]

I don’t find either amusing.

[@iga1691]

Similar to Eric Andre, Tim Heidecker, etc.

[@theconsciousobserver6829]

Like the Joker when he tells various stories of his life

[@christopherstephenson254]

Thank Fuck, he was shite. Yanks will laugh at anything...Thank you very much, Hu Hu Hu.

[@sevink4259]

Kaufman subverts the talk show 32 years before Eric Andre.

[@TheEvilWalrusLord]

you're being like a narc right now... you're being so narcoleptic

[@jorger1116]

You should meet his living legacy Felipe Avello, he did all Andy might have

[@gotacallfromvishal]

dumb comment eric andre and kaufman totally different

[@123612100]

@David Gibson Kaufman is in a grave and Andre is ripping him off.

[@123612100]

@David Gibson you're lame footage.

[@PaulRoyale]

His name is Andy Kaufman and the man was coughing. He lampooned as a panhandler and everyone fell for it! The bit started as soon as he walkabout, David Letterman set it up beautifully! Pure comedic Genius, from the both of them! Bravo!!

[@southweststrangla420]

a master of awkward comedy. nobody ever knew if he was telling the truth.

[@RodolphosTechchannel]

i think he was being real

[@SteveCowlishaw]

This is the first time I'm looking him up (several videos in). I saw that one Jim Carrey movie once, but yeah. It's obvious he's doing a role, you can always tell if it's a character or real and nothing he's ever done as came across real to me. Compare him to Donald Trump, you hope Trump is doing a comedy role but you get the vibe that it is real, that vibe doesnt exist with Kaufman at all lol.

[@XenomorphLV426]

Reminds me of Tim and Eric

[@jackie5046]

nobody did it like andy. there will never be another.

[@Jeff-BrokenJaw]

@@RodolphosTechchannel It was an act. He never got married and he had plenty of money. It was all a seven-minute setup to panhandle the audience.

[@tintinsnowyful]

Not only was Andy Kaufmann ahead of his time, but we haven't yet reached the time that he was ahead of. I am grateful that I saw many of his live tv appearances. I remember vividly the experience of seeing his Mighty Mouse record performance on SNL. It was so freakish, and no one had ever seen anything like that in their lives, that we were talking about it for weeks in high school. He was living in another dimension, and we got to see little glimpses of his vibratory process.

[@jamiecal11]

you should watch Nathan For You/follow Nathan Fielder.

[@2brosand1up64]

Clifford Young yeah, look it up.

[@vivelajonny]

Clifford Young Can you explain what about that Mighty Mouse bit had you talking about it for weeks?

[@danielwoodwardcomposer2040]

So well put. :)

[@ballsakshafttipspray]

Along with Nathan For You, check out Tim and Eric. They exist because of Kaufman. Nathan For You is run under Tim and Eric's production company. They're the closest thing to Kaufman style humor I've seen.

[@Corvetteman]

Andy Kaufman was both fiction and nonfiction. The challenge for the audience was to determine what was fiction and what was reality.

[@CynicalLlort]

+Corvetteman2013 Good way to put it. He was unique there's no doubt about that.

[@95Grumple]

+Corvetteman2013 I mean, lots of comedians play a character

[@luvbach1]

+Corvetteman2013 I really think he alternated between reality and his performance art (if that's what it was); and at times, himself, was unable to separate the two. I think this appearance was an example.

[@sahilprashar567]

+Richard Hecht Richard wasnt that an amazing performance ,,,,yes even he didnt know fact from fiction,,,he was doing an art form..but he burned his own bridges,,,the gag should of been for the public not on the people who hired him,,thats where the problem was,,,in this example he should of let the staff and dave know that this is a sketch

[@rdecredico]

+anoop prashar They knew. Please.

[@MrSmashingpumpkins12]

This man was an absolute genius of comedy, far far ahead of his time.

[@julieberkowitz2750]

Impossible to figure

[@themoviedealers]

Joaquin Phoenix must have seen this at some point...

[@thatfockinfellasharp241]

Haaaa!!!

[@bigdenver7325]

@The Movie Dealers Kanye West, too.

[@EmEsjay1]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@christopherbonanno1120]

😂

[@le_jaivan]

That's what i was thinking

[@darrenmarchant1720]

Kaufman walks on like he's not sure where he is but he's down with what ever.

[@goodlookinghonkey8382]

Sounds like Peter North

[@jingalls9142]

Thats my general operating procedure. I understand how that is...

[@MultiAlpha11]

Kaufman: Scratches chin *awkwardly* Entire audience: Dies in fits of laughter

[@josephwatson8448]

ls he funny?

[@jamesallen4447]

joseph watson I feel like I'm watching some artistic expression that I can't figure out as well.

[@aquamarine99911]

Me too.

[@charlesleffler586]

one of the greats. you guys must be young.

[@gretahogg4595]

Canned Laughter

[@cerealkiillar]

Kaufman made us rethink the nature of Humanity, questioning who/what/how/why we are/were/will be in THE moment, and we were absolutely ecstatic about it. He was a gift.

[@TheKingmeower]

I remember my friends couldn't understand why I loved Andy. This guy rocked. Its said that Elvis claimed he liked Andy's impersonation of him most of all. .. and did he ever piss off America when he wrestled women. Andy was a great comic talent.

[@richardmorris7063]

That whole bit w/ wrestler Jerry Lawler had me fools for yrs.

[@totaljekkie]

As an artists I think Andy Kaufman made us feel things that we don't feel during other shows. We felt sorry for him, and sometimes disgusted by him. Does this make him an incredible performer who is capable of tricking us into really feeling emotions that we dont often feel? or are these emotions that we dont want to have? Does anyone want to way in on this?

[@totaljekkie]

***** Yea. I think that's what all art should do :) I think there is a large misconception of performance art, especially in theater and we need artists like this to change the mold.

[@pajander]

Amy Katrina Bryan I don't wanna get into "What is Art" territory (you could spend a lifetime), but I feel an important part of it is that art makes you feel things you don't usually feel or don't want to feel or have in fact never felt before. So yeah, Andy was a great artist. Which is basically what you just said but oh well gonna post this anyway!

[@wsj1887]

*weigh in. sorry, i had to

[@totaljekkie]

haha much appreciated. But do you want to weigh in?? lol. Because I am waaaaay in.

[@Filipe10102]

Worship me or pity me like you worship me. All artists want these feelings. Everybody wants them, I mean.

[@ramtrucker60]

I loved when he asked the audience not to laugh when he was actually in the middle of his schtick. I was 17 then and loved him. Taxi was incredible. I miss him.

[@richardmorris7063]

Taxi was the one show or one of a few that is just as funny to me now as it was then.What a cast & Latka was the straw that stirred the drink.I loved the split personality bit w/Vic Ferrari / Latka.

[@pseudonymousbeing987]

I loved that moment I was laughing my ass off and there was no audience laughing with me. It felt very freeing

[@whiteyfisk9769]

Schtick??? Quit talking like an animal

[@Pogomix]

This is trolling on a whole different level.

[@JeffFreemanPresents]

Indeed. the troll was a genius.

[@petemarr824]

Totally! Extremely creative. Went to places other comedians didn't. Legendary!

[@andersonomori]

Pete Marr

[@arturoescalante4843]

he was sick at the moment , so its really hard to think how painfull he is

[@SONOFABITCH]

Andy wasn't really sick here. His cancer symptoms didn't appear until 1983, but I'm sure he would be happy to know he's still successfully trolling people 30+ years later.

[@gordongrant444]

It (Andy's work) was experiential theatre. He sometimes had a loose idea of where he wanted to go, but I think most of the time, he just reacted to situations with total transparency. In this moment of his life, he was feeling all that stuff and just let those feelings express the character. - I don't think he knew before he sat down that he was going to end up panhandling the audience. His brilliance was that he didn't need to know what was going to happen next...

[@12abbeyroadable]

This feels like a scene from Joker.

[@noobnoob3489]

Very good point, but even more sad... these people had no clue

[@marcleon1513]

Chris Lopez damn it does haha

[@KReeMMeeNAL]

Chris Lopez the scene from Joker is fully inspired by this event... more dramatized of course

[@gc3k]

The talk show scene from Joker originated in the comic book The Dark Knight Returns, but the writer and director researched a lot of 70s-80s material and probably ran across this interview along the way

[@zazenbo]

like The King of Comedy you mean

[@stevehansen4755]

This is some of the darkest humor I have ever seen.

[@cliffcox7643]

He died in 1984 of Cancer, but maybe was diagnosed at this time, leading to this show, and the coughing bit. He was so brilliant he even made comedy of his situation.

[@eaglemri]

This man was WAY ahead of the times when it comes to comedy.

[@coder928]

the true edge lord

[@muniz27]

don't know why people keep saying that, me personally can't find him funny... Explain why was he ahead of his time? I've been trying hard to find him saying nothing funny but nope...

[@JoeyJplus50lbs]

He was one of the pioneers of a really dry, awkward humor that is huge today.

[@guydecervens]

It's him doing Trump, isn't it?

[@RafaelMMB]

+guitarrmasta U need more iq for dat

[@garyleach2345]

That coughing is so haunting, knowing it's truly what killed him, or well a symptom of what killed him.. so sad

[@outsidethepyramid]

It IS so sad. very very very sad. Poor fellow :(

[@jimmyc1518]

Yup that's what I thought when I saw him cough in this video.

[@trentb3148]

Huh? This is 4 years before he passed, and 3 years before he was diagnosed. It is highly unlikely his coughing here was in any way related with his later lung cancer.

[@JavierGarconOriginal]

@@trentb3148 Cancer takes time, Although those years... seem a bit short, Remember he took those trips to India a sorts. I think he already knew 4 years in.

[@JelqtronZero]

they didnt call him coughman for no raisin

[@tiffanykane692]

Hearing the lady in the back, practically screaming with laughter makes this even more hilarious. 🤣🤣😭😭🤣

[@Howard007]

Not a lot of people can get away with this type of humor but Andy NAILS it

[@AubreyWestlund]

Steven Lathrop One of the only I can think of these days that compares is Nathan Fielder.

[@Howard007]

Aubrey Westlund Yess!! That is so funny because just this week i heard his material for the first time and it's definitely similiar!

[@Howard007]

***** .... HIS humor. You think a lot of comedians are like this?

[@Howard007]

***** Kind of.. not really though!

[@googleiscomplicated9431]

Zach Galifinakis has a similiar subtly about him in some of his skits.

[@lalaalalala]

the genius of kaufman straight up asking for money is in the fact that the average guest appears on this show to promote something, which is essentially asking for money while acting like they’re not.

[@ClearOutSamskaras]

They're not simply asking for money. They're asking for an exchange, they made a product and now they're offering it for sale. "Asking for money" is wanting to get money simply because you've requested it and have no product/service to offer for the money.

[@prohackzorful]

@@ClearOutSamskaras he provided a service, laughter

[@jeffreyrau3454]

@@ClearOutSamskaras he's seriously asking for money The beginning of the show his nose is running like a runny nose. Now I know the runny nose he had was a cocaine induced runny nose like I've had many times before. This whole interview was himself being high on uppers whether it's coke or speed. The ending part of him going into the crowd and asking for money is real. At the end of the video you can see Letterman making sure he got off the set and Andy was escorted to the next room. So, clearly Andy was high and td it like it is.

[@kennybluet5527]

Jeffrey Rau or maybe he was faking.

[@kennybluet5527]

Jeffrey Rau As I watch this further I'm thinking this might be a satirical take on someone who is high on coke.I might be wrong and you might be right but knowing what his shtick was back then I think it's a put-on.

[@hamblyrock]

Kaufmann died 4 years before I was even born, I’ve been watching all his stuff back and this guy was fucking light years ahead of his time. Mighty Boosh, Eric Andre Show and Ross Noble, you can see all of that influence from a few short clips. The man was a genius.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

He's so good I actually believed him towards the end there. haha.

[@HGPTW]

That is one of the most extraordinary bits of television I've ever watched!!

[@Adam-zm6pt]

andy: dies audience: dies of laughter

[@TurtleBoxOfficial]

This isn't even a joke this literally happened when he died everyone laughed because they thought him getting an extremely rare form of cancer and him saying he was going to cure it with undiscovered medicine was a bit.

[@pushthetempo2]

This is what happened to Tommy cooper. Died on stage and people thought it was a joke

[@evet45]

yes, he also sought treatment outside of the US and was begged by friends to get treatment here. He died of small oat cell cancer. It was so sad.

[@laney2773]

His one brother isn't even sure if his death is still a hoax a not along with some other family members and close friends. It all resurfaced when his never heard of daughter came forward and everyone thought that was a hoax he conducted as well.

[@churlskunk]

Andy is alive and well and playing the character "Donald Trump".

[@VangeliRock]

in 1980 I was too young to think that I would have understood this (if it was real or not), This is my first time watching this and of course, it is brilliant...so funny and out there, Andy was a brave entertainer....I bet he's still alive.

[@Genious.]

I can't imagine what Eric Andre, Borat, Tom Green, Tim & Eric, and so many others, would be without Kaufman.

[@claybournebaylock5251]

He looks high as a kite.

[@trevorhock8442]

I wonder the same

[@WillyTheComposerOfficial]

When Andy tells the audience not to laugh it immediately plants the seed of hilarity

[@mossymoose8920]

13randon 13axter >Andy Kaufman >Not genius Nice bait

[@KienDLuu]

@13randon 13axter I cracked up uncontrollably when he finally asked for money with his hand out. The deadpan setup and then awkward punch line is what makes the joke. You're a soulless vessel if you didn't at least giggle. Haha

[@CrimsonRunnerToJesus]

@@KienDLuu Me too... the stoic hand reach as he moved forward to the audience CRACKED ME UP!

[@MrSeankelly68]

@@CrimsonRunnerToJesus b

[@grego6515]

master of the absurd. seeing all of his work on youtube is amazing. when you used to see small doses of him back then it was hard to understand, but when you see different versions of his act now you realize how he played the audience, not just standing there telling jokes, but making you think and laugh, or think but not laugh, or laugh before thinking, or just plain wondering. genius.

[@richardmorris7063]

He did a good parody on Elvis,his talent had few boundries.

[@gregwilliams5637]

I never saw this or even heard of it. Thank you for posting it. Absolutely brilliant man.

[@Learnamericanenglishonline]

David Letterman was at his best when he was on this morning show and the first couple years of the show that came on after Johnny Carson. Andy Kaufman's appearance here represents well those golden years.

[@ROBERT-ml7ml]

Disagree... he was at his best on the late show. This "appearance" doesn't show David's best work at all imo, the conversation was short, 1 way and David didn't even crack any jokes.

[@vicomelgoza9053]

so his golden years were 3 or 4 years before he died. well i congratulate him he accomplished a hell of lot in that short life span

[@shawnmalloy4339]

There was a period there in the 70's when the rebellious and suspicious, and yet youthful attitudes, encouraged all sorts of artists and performers to take chances and hint at their cultural and political...what's the word...unease!??!

[@DOOMJESUS]

@@vicomelgoza9053 WHEN DID DAVID LETTERMAN DIE?

[@JohnSmith-op1tc]

I skipped a University of Michigan history class to stay home and watch the Letterman Morning Show. I did go to the former U.S. Ambassador who taught the class, to get a withdrawal, versus an E. Specificity on the reason for missing his sessions was not addressed. Rich Hall and the other contributors, like Kaufman made it appointment viewing, even for that one semester.

[@quinbagwell7515]

living on the edge of insanity, pushing it to the limit, then just a little beyond. A dichotomy of genius and madman, of absurdity and brilliance. The one , the only Andy Kaufman

[@Templ0]

quin bagwell you really typed this..

[@Simon.Bilina]

that is absolutly great written madam!

[@zakattack0075]

2 years late...but you are brilliant too!

[@KairuHakubi]

Anyone else constantly getting Gene Wilder Willy Wonka vibes? Kaufman was like, one candy factory away from a purple suit and top hat. You really never know if any of what he's doing or saying is serious, you can never tell. and that same weirdly charming doughy-faced semitic sparkle in his eyes.

[@TheVenusBoy]

i love how Letterman is trying so damn hard not to laugh.

[@Quixoticah]

"I'm not trying to be funny." So evil.

[@ThePEAnderson]

+Quixocrates Yes, that is my favorite part.

[@stephenpoole6415]

He’s pretty strange.

[@jackie5046]

HA!!!!

[@garyrahn2172]

He was being serious, his cough was from the lung cancer that took his life.

[@RemAtmos]

Trying to confuse and cause the audience to doubt themselves. Like they don't know if he's serious. Then if they do happen to laugh at what he says, they may feel bad.

[@stevendavid5370]

Sure miss Andy a bunch. He was so talented, unusually talented. Master the art of silence and made it funny. Rest In Peace Andy.

[@Ugo2sleep]

He faked his death btw, this was news a few years back

[@dfl4701]

His art was genius. Making people feel uncomfortable with laughter. He was way before his time.

[@dollydagger4306]

You haven't heard of Lenny Bruce? Now HE was ahead of his time.

[@richardmorris7063]

He was 1 of a kind & they threw away the mold.

[@derekvalenti9365]

Maybe he was after his time:..

[@nervesconcord]

So many comedians jump around the stage shouting, trying to get a laugh. Andy gets continuous laughter from 0:27 to 1:44 and the only word he says is a mumbled 'What?'.

[@BenCulture]

Andy Kaufman should have portrayed Syd Barrett in a biopic.

[@pushthetempo2]

Amazing idea. If they ever make a biopic of syd. There will probs be one after the rest of pink floyd have passed

[@BenCulture]

***** Oh, yeah, that'll happen soon enough. The legend of Syd Barrett -- whether accurate or not -- will be told for a long, long time.

[@pushthetempo2]

title will be: Shine On You Crazy Diamond. I called it!

[@sydbarrett5]

Ben Culture Good call.

[@Staszu13]

Ben Culture Great casting idea

[@toddlevine9377]

Only a genius like Kaufman could take the uncomfortably and insecurity felt by a live performer and so effectively hang them around the necks of his audience. Brilliant stuff. Cheers!

[@Senriam]

I think Eric Andre has quite the knack for it as well.

[@andrewm5612]

Great way of putting it

[@richardmorris7063]

Andy Kaufman WAS Taxi,very good cast of talented characters who used that show to springboard their careers. When Andy was Vic Ferrari that was genius.When he was Lacks he was genius.Great comedians seem to have a shelf life like professional wrestlers..not long!

[@gghowlinbeatbox8559]

David: "You used to be on Saturday night live alot." Kaufman: *Gets emotional* "I don't know I really dont have any control of that." This whole bit has me dying lmao!

[@geoycs]

That has to be one of the most amazing things ever on tv!

[@TonyTreasureHunterNasr]

This is the best humor. When people don't know or can't tell your joking. Amazing.

[@kallianke]

Kaufman was a fucking genius. Gone at 35, fucking hell.

[@platinumpete5160]

as a 16 year old, kaufman’s material back in his day seems like all the stuff you see today. I haven’t seen many comedians from his time, but from looking at what we have now, Kaufman was way ahead of time.

[@ronklijn5454]

People saying he's not funny. He was funny. You just don't get it. His timing was perfect. One of a kind talent. He makes the audience laugh not because he makes a joke, but because he plays with their mind like a concertmaster plays the violin.

[@richardmorris7063]

Ehh, comedy is so subjective. I loved his work & Chris Farley but never cared for Robin Williams. I thought he was immature.And stars like Believing I loved back in the day I find silly now.Eddie Murphy was good too.Gleason and Art Carney I found very funny too.

[@richardmorris7063]

Belushi not beleiving..autocorrect got me.

[@vonmilash823]

I actually never knew that Letterman had a morning show.

[@JoeyJplus50lbs]

Filmed in the morning, shown later that night.

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

Donald Trump never knew he wanted to destroy the world until President Obama insulted him.. that is true

[@brattleborovt]

no, it was in the morning.

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

John Donaldson .. wow.. Great fact checker.. You are an intern Monica your entire life? We all loved Dave ... I saw him live once at the comedy store with jj walker.... the fun is letterman was filthy rich and ashamed his son while he had sex with interns... Everybody wants to be rich and famous until they are famous.. no one understands that phrase

[@brattleborovt]

Hi, no, I was just a fan. I remember seeing it.

[@overthehills_faraway8320]

Some people don't understand that it was always an act with him.. that is why he was so fucking good he was one in a billion comedian.

[@TimsFoyleHeadgear]

overthehills_faraway And he was brilliant enough to make people doubt IF it was an act, and yeah it was.

[@overthehills_faraway8320]

johana77 It was an act but I have to say as far as I can figure out genius and craziness are very closely related things in human psyche. I think he was both.

[@TimsFoyleHeadgear]

overthehills_faraway Maybe, but even if he was crazy, he knew how to channel it.

[@My100277]

+overthehills_faraway indeed they are closely related. feed of itself even.

[@insaneartist8381]

Even though he's the biggest prankster in the world, you could never tell if he was joking or not. That's why Andy Kaufman was a genius.

[@puertoriconnect4611]

This is my favorite appearance of Andy on letter. Perfectly encapsulates everything I love about Andy.

[@ATMAtim]

He was such a master of deception. The guy could control an entire audience!

[@valuecalc]

Latka from Taxi needed a shave, too. He is so disgusting here.

[@ItsNotRealLife]

Which he did to perfection in this video

[@Dinckelburg]

Anyone hear the cat at 6:13?

[@acommonspat5253]

Dude......I literally read that and heard the cat.......

[@user-qh2wp3xn9u]

Yeah that's my cat, he likes to watch KZbin with me

[@mrmustangman]

now that you mention it, yes....

[@cupcakejonez7923]

Kane Danaher that was wierd.

[@steffikollek637]

Yes!

[@ChescoYT]

Now we understand Andy's brilliance all these years later, id love to hear Letterman give his current opinion on Andy

[@EverDownward]

I get the distinct impression everybody here is in on the joke, except Kaufman himself.

[@ubbgn]

Hes high ASF on coke!

[@milesaboveu]

What? This is like one of his best skits.

[@theheadphonea-hole4133]

You sound stupid

[@EverDownward]

@@theheadphonea-hole4133 You're probably right

[@froggore52]

The template for the Joaquin Phoenix interview.

[@brian1005]

What a lad. Sad he’s not around now

[@deborahcaleo558]

A TRUE ARTIST - HE WAS NEVER OUT OF CHARACTER IN PUBLIC - GOD BLESS ANDY KAUFMAN AND THE LAUGHTER HE SHARED - THANKS FOR SHARING THIS VIDEO

[@1969ryson]

He truly crossed the line between life and art. He was always in control, the laugh was on us at all times and I think he loved it. He loved making people uncomfortable. I truly wonder what he was like just as "Himself" when he wasn't on. Bob Zmuda was probably one of the few people who knew the real Andy. Like when he said here "Don't laugh, I am being serious now." You never knew when has being serious and when he wasn't.

[@SuperBarytone]

Comedy is serious and Andy knew that. :)

[@sarasmith5564]

I feel like he was always "on". Kinda like Robin Williams

[@junbug1love]

41 years ago and this guy would fit in just perfectly now people would love him just the same way

[@TheEifeltower]

The brilliant way Andy potrayed insanity is unmeasurable.just read his eyes as he responds too the audience, he realizes the perception if him is taking as hilarious and that is comedy genius.he told them the truth which is rare.when he asked for money I fell out of my chair.

[@themadpioneer7650]

You know you're a comedy genius when you make people laugh like that for the first 2 minutes of the show and not even say a word

[@the406seadonkey6]

That doesn't make for "comedy genius". You're just trying to be in on a 'joke' that didn't exist. Get over yourself.

[@Jt-ut1kk]

Forced laughs by the audience nothing funny about making stupid faces or using fake accents.

[@grai]

he was totally fearless

[@CaminoAir]

I've started re-watching 'Taxi' and Kaufman was the actor/character I was least looking forward to seeing again. Well, all I can say now is that Kaufman was truly remarkable in that role and I have to just watch in admiration anytime he's on screen. He completely immerses himself in the role.

[@KalOrtPor]

There's a bizarre but interesting interview of Kaufman with Orson Welles who critiques how well he played a more dramatic storyline on Taxi, and a rare moment of genuine Andy in appreciation from such praise coming from a film master like Welles. It's true, he fashioned his characters with depth and inhabited them as fully fleshed-out distinct people.

[@NR1853]

Kaufman was brilliant. There was no limit to what he would do to get laughs.

[@RikkieRokks]

We all know Letterman was no actor. So other than giving Andy a platform, Kaufman just absolutely took his show over and handled the host and the audience like a confused little child. An incredible artist who was way ahead of his time.

[@Weird_but_neat]

fuck me this man was brilliant he just didn't give a shit I love it

[@paroutdiok_awesome]

"The cough he cannot contain is the one that ultimately takes his life. " He had lung cancer guys...this is not an act. Broke me up when i found out.

[@TheLordsweapon]

All I can say is accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior because once your heart stops on this filthy sinful planet it will be too late to accept life everlasting through Jesus, the Lord of Lords and the king of Kings.....

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

He did not have cancer when recording this. The cough is part of the act.

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

@@TheLordsweapon Jesus? A muslim told me yesterday that it was Allah. Make your minds up, you religious fanatics!

[@gengraded]

@@TheLordsweapon Accept the flying spaghetti monster as your lord and savior, only his noodly appendages can save you.

[@beenmicrophone5817]

I dunno about u guys.. but im all in on this easter bunny fellow.. he'd be a great comic improv.. I hear he's real quick on his feet 🦆

[@magictransistorradio4933]

Andy Cough Man

[@VultureClone]

It's amazing how far he went to make it all so believable. I don't blame people back then for thinking it was all real.

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

We Loved Andy on Taxi, Then Andy became the boy who cried wolf from the fables. When we heard he was dead we felt sympathy but then said we will not be fooled again, You better stay dead We still think he is faking

JazzKeyboardist1 why do you keep writing this just slightly different on comments here? thats fucking weird

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

*****,,Let me get this straight, You See My screen name and my silly picture icon and then you continue to read stuff you don't like? That's freaking weird?

JazzKeyboardist1 Hey thats a good defence mechanism there m8, turning it around and making it about how IM actually the one who did something weird. It probably could have worked to change the subject about your own weirdness without actually admitting to anything, but your point was incredibly weak 1/10 sry. No, it's actually not weird at all that I read your comments. I have peripheral vision, and it only takes me a glare to realize your comment is the same. Of course you already know this and was just desperatly looking for an insult and failing misserably. And I never said I didn't like your comment (not that I do, but I never said or implied that), just that it's weird that you are posting it over again just slightly different. inb4 stalking my profile for something to diss me over, I'll spare you the embarrassment.

[@JazzKeyboardist1]

***** How old are you? Fun to Laugh at You. Did you say anything witty there? Saying something is "weak" is the weakest thing in the history of human events My first comment was to the Vulture commentator. Young little kids like Mitch Conner don't understand why we loved Andy and some people "Did think it was real" as Vulture stated about Andy's shtick . Since you are probably a teenager you never fell in love with the Taxi show around 1978, Pot smokers loved the Christopher Lloyd character best but there was a character for everybody, Hopefully you will follow Jeff Conaway's Lead,,LOL Andy was the boy who cried wolf from the Fables,,, That was probably an original idea of mine, The "We won't be fooled again" is a quote from the famous Who song.. Fun to laugh at you, You must be a little girl

[@allanfifield8256]

3:40 "Can I get you a mint?" Andy almost lost character.

[@allanfifield8256]

3:30

[@escaton74]

is it a role ?

[@borizovskimilan]

Many people did not realize what Andy wanted to show the public. He was given a script, and he won't stick to it, everytime, he wanted to show real show that was in the moment, so he did not have a character to loose that way, he was Andy.

[@nahtesalinas1917]

Yep...he almost lost it.

[@green323turbo]

@@allanfifield8256 Andy almost laughed , but kept it together. Got to love Letterman, he's witty

[@oldirtybrza]

This is such well-performed dead-pan humor mixed with all the other elements. I know Kaufman didn't (doesn't?) consider himself a comedian, but he usually did things that made many people laugh, just not always in a "funny ha ha" sort of way, but often in an awkward sense. The ending is typical of some Letterman skits (awkward exit that isn't really funny at all) which only adds to the feeling of weird.

[@ilovethetampabaylightning92]

I would be very uncomfortable around him.

[@goodbyspam]

This is Kaufman resurrecting Charlie Chaplin's 'Little Tramp' for the modern age That's why "security" must show him the door - just as the Tramp is shooed away from a park bench. I do understand why people might say he was "ahead of his time" but actually he was also way behind his time- before the antiseptic televised experience became (as David Foster Wallace might say) the 'water' in which we all swim. Andy was showing us a fish out of water twice over: once as a floundering man who we can emphasize with (as Chaplin did - overtly) and then again as a performer going meta with the medium as Marshall McLuhan would have appreciated. (I can still see Jack Benny looking into the camera lens). I think when people feel this a 'funny' they are reacting to all this contrived incongruity with that awkward kind of laughter that is just saying "this is sooo weird" and the one response that they have available is nervous laughter. To me Gene Wilder does 'funny' while Kaufman provides an Escher-like staircase where our thoughts can cycle endlessly. Anyway, if you like Kaufman I think you would also appreciate Charlie Chaplin.

[@Skelldr]

He almost broke character when letterman asked if he wanted mint 😂

[@mikehirsh1896]

It was alllllllllllll an act he knew exactly what he was doing. ... He invented this comedy ....

[@Skelldr]

@@mikehirsh1896 WHAT??!! Noooo for real 😱😏😂

[@mikehirsh1896]

@@Skelldror maybe not

[@fullbag50]

Wardrobe = 50% banana, 50% bottle of Pepto Bismol. Comedic persona = 1000% unparalleled.

[@jcho806]

For Andy, no difference between art and life

[@henn863]

The only entertainer who valued laughs and boos equally.

[@hippieluv]

He had a bad cough. R.I.P. Andy

[@capes_and_tights]

1:25 i feel like you can almost see Kaufman smile when letterman says some people eat breakfast during the show

[@davecerrito5147]

yep, he looks like he may blow it

[@stigmahkrook5228]

Capes & Tights yh

[@drxcreatures]

Yea :)

[@NeonShadowsx]

he was smiling with his eyes! but forcing the frown haha

[@AndieBlack13]

@Russell Barnes At 3:38 "can I get you a mint?", again, Andy is amused briefly by the timing & wit...super subtle facial "giveaways"...Many ask, is this the real Andy Kaufman?...his talent was, you could never decipher, who he was...

[@edwinmoore3160]

"don't laugh, I'm not trying to be funny..."

[@charlottmattisson8955]

This was weird ..

[@rossman1rb]

He could barely keep a straight face when he said that. Look again XD

[@KienDLuu]

It's even funnier when you think that the entire interview was a setup to a panhandling joke. Hahaha fucken brilliant hahahhaa

[@spirit-walkerwaters4521]

This was historical! How far he was willing to go for dramatic comedy! Absurdity meets its match with Andy's comedic nerves vs. what the hell's really going on! LOL!

[@thejmmx1]

Dam, I forgot Letterman initially had a morning show back when. That was surreal in and of itself, lol

[@chrismars3312]

They don't make 'em like that any more

[@vjm3]

I think part of the "genius" of this, if you can call it that, is not only that we're not sure if it's genius at all...but also that he can so effectively manipulate our emotions. Part of a successful actor's profile is the ability to do this, and he certainly did. Very weird example of art transcending into life...well...maybe.