Andy Kaufman on Letterman (October 15th 1980)

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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!

[@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

[@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.

[@Pedagogmonster]

Absolutely ! that's 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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Zacktaylormusic]

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

[@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.

[@dimitrispetsalis2462]

He made the crowd laugh non stop for almost 2 minutes without saying a word. Brilliant!

[@doddsino]

Off of a snot gimmick... Gallagher made people bust a gut by busting a watermelon with a sledgehammer. It was the 70's and early 80's. People laughed at everything.

[@HighSpeedNoDrag]

Well in my opinion, he was Hopped Up on something.

[@AmmoGus1]

@Tessmage Tessera so true. Food wasn't poison and nobody was on SSRIs

[@bobbymoss6160]

Those people were probably given PCP when they came into the studio.

[@cammack07]

It was the mannerisms, not the snot. If you went to there and tried to make people laugh off of your runny nose you probably couldn’t do it.

[@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.

[@medusaslair]

Andy Kaufman - the original troller of absolutely everyone and everything. ❤

[@bulletsxdame]

He's the OG of trolling.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@mattheweastel129]

Incredible performance, even today I’m stunned by the originality

[@Bootmahoy88]

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

[@mattheweastel129]

@@Bootmahoy88 for sure

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@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

[@GhostManBrandonDDpre]

Such nervous laughter. This is amazing. Nobody else would dare do this kind of kind of reality alteration, live on tv. He was practicing magick.

[@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.

[@nolestrono]

You could see how close he was to losing his composure throughout the whole show. I think the fact that he was playing a super straight faced and oblivious character, and the whole audience knew it and were cracking up the whole time made it especially hard for him. I don't know how I've only recently discovered Andy Kaufman he's so good.

[@MrParkerman6]

He isn't playing a character, dumbass.

[@kirinrex]

Kaufman was ALWAYS playing a character. This is in 1980: He continued on Taxi until 1983. He never married. He only had one child, who was placed for adoption. This whole routine was just a performance.

[@youjoker9647]

@@MrParkerman6 the irony of you calling someone a dumbass..

[@SuperKiddles]

no shit sherlock @@kirinrex

[@blackswordsman4064]

@SuperKiddles kirin-rex was clearly explaining Andy's routine to the clueless MrParkerman6, not to the clueless SuperKiddles.

[@somedude4774]

Andy Kaufman was a genius the master of making people uncomfortable.

[@mwilliams1330]

Everyone trying to psychoanalyze the performance, and what you said is all of it in a nutshell. He took the perception of those who were against him at the time and refusing to give him work, and simply gave them what they wanted..a penniless oaf begging for money. Bob Zmuda was the first guy handing him money, otherwords..the gags on all of us for falling for it...brilliance.

[@kendallevans4079]

Making people uncomfortable is "genius"? Guess most serial killers are genius'

[@mskidi]

@@kendallevans4079 Most toddlers too. My son acts like a persistent buffoon at times, makes me angry cause he wont stop. Now that I think about it, my little baby is a genius as it seems

[@dermotlynch2223]

What I'll never understand - I think only Andy appreciated it - was the stunt with the vertical hold, that was never explained. I don't know how anyone, even him, got away with that.

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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.

[@bradstewart7007]

The fact that Letterman played a clip of the beginning of this bit on his final show is a testament to how much Dave respected his comedy.

[@dannysantos1266]

Every moment of that piece was brilliant. I’d like to imagine that Andy was thrilled by the fact that people handed over money - giving him validation - proof that they themselves, figuratively and literally bought into the bit.

[@bropous4265]

ALL Shtick. ALL the time. EVERY time. But MAN did this dude know how to make an audience UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!

[@abbyrhodes814]

i still remember the night i watched him when I was in college with Jerry Lawler....holy shit we were totally snookered.

[@Vin-og2dj]

B Ropous I work with a guy who’s just like this. Awkward and socially uncomfortable.

[@najafa3520]

i ADMIT i liked him, but i didn't REALLY appreciate him until AFTER he was gone.

[@merendobereglidditz9304]

@@najafa3520 Real comedians had a difficult time.

[@schvanger]

If it's all shtick, all the time; is it really shtick?

[@chavezsofie]

Most awkward funniest thing I have ever seen. Andy Kaufman panhandling his audience. What a genius!

[@travzimmerman1340]

Meh. .. . .

[@GhostNote42]

@@travzimmerman1340 Now try it in a whole [English] Sentence. ThX

[@stephencraig5938]

I love the old guy solemly handing Kaufman a note. To extract that level of interaction is cerebral.

[@grease112]

genius? He just comes up with the most annoying things and executes them with a dumb face. Far from genius

[@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?'.

[@MrSmashingpumpkins12]

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

[@julieberkowitz2750]

Impossible to figure

[@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.

[@SAVikingSA]

all the man did was sit down and he got over a minute of laughs that's genius

[@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

[@baccaratfitness2360]

What makes this so mesmerizing is Letterman’s perfect straight man complimentary to Kauffman’s character. I wish they’d done more two shots.

[@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...

[@ktpat4449]

I just watched Man on the Moon. What an incredible man.

[@TimsFoyleHeadgear]

+KT Pat That movie brought me here.

[@SOUPRUN01]

+KT Pat Neil Armstrong was good.

[@muppetonmeds]

+KT Pat yess he was so strange and lovable lol

[@WesHuntermusicman]

+KT Pat he really was and Jim did a great job portraying him, Jim C said his life has not been the same since he took on the role.

[@ktpat4449]

+Kevin Curtis I can imagine. The nuances of his character were so subtle and obviously very difficult to achieve. It definitely made me respect Jim Carry a whole lot more as an actor.

[@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.

[@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.

[@robertglass3944]

I'm pretty sure that was all improv. Love him or hate him, he was a true master of the craft. RIP, Andy

[@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...

[@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.

[@TheArtofGuitar]

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

[@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:..

[@GlobalMiles]

Genius. And, unbelievably...this aired on a daytime slot. LOTS of conversations ensued behind the scenes, with the network.

[@astral_fetus]

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".

[@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

[@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!

[@TheVenusBoy]

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

[@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.

[@stevehansen4755]

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

[@anonymouse1289]

"Id rather if you not laugh because Im not trying to be funny", WHILE doing a stand-up bit on a late night show...

[@tonyz376]

That was Letterman's morning show.

[@idkjustchangingmyname7343]

He did almost break saying it tho... still hilarious.

[@maxdoubt6504]

I don't really agree with all these "trolling" comments. Trolling is generally intended to irritate or annoy. Andy just wanted to confuse and entertain.

[@aisbaby9288]

It's cringetroll

[@theanswertois-fq7pd]

Good trolls are entertaining themselves

[@JonathanOvnat]

I agree. Plus he's in character. Plus it's he's show time, it's not like he's making a comment ..

[@magnetmannenbannanen]

i heard he saw no reason not to have fun himself with what he did, so most of his pranks and jokes was things he enjoyed, like here, to pretend to be totally destroyed, begging for money. i think he would have fitted in with the jackass crew really well.

[@ricbachman1727]

he did a lot of irritating and annoying. Jerry Lawler legit hated him for one.

[@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.

[@GordiansKnotHere]

Andy getting some laughs from his cough due to cancer... That's some hardcore performance art right there.

[@GabrielEtsHokin]

He didn't have real symptoms until a few years after this. I don't think his cancer was incubating with a slight cough for that long.

[@jackandblaze5956]

If you try hard enough, you can eventually manifest your reality

[@danielshannon6027]

That cough was almost prophetic.

[@burttheman3697]

They sprayed him with chemicals with a fire extinguisher during Taxi. Been coughing ever since.

[@jackandblaze5956]

@@danielshannon6027 His name was prophetic

[@HGPTW]

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

[@gregwilliams5637]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@puertoriconnect4611]

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

[@loveunderstars]

Knowing he died from lung cancer, the coughing is so depressing

[@bradmodd7856]

@@douganderson7002 He was weird like that, going through chemo when he was healthy was just one of his quirks

[@calebproductions5970]

Its Hollywood no one dies they just retire

[@ItsMeMissV369]

Same thought, died of lung cancer & never smoked a cigarette in his life. This is so sad.

[@snoolee7950]

It is weird as hell. Just read that it was a rare form of cancer and he went to doctor because he could not stop coughing. This video here is soooo weird, like foreshadowing in a movie.

[@smadaman101]

@stangmaster 2 it's so cringe when people state things as facts, when they obviously don't know something.

[@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

[@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.

[@tiffanykane692]

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

[@kpohajda]

Andy Kaufman: *does nothing* Audience: HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@gmee123]

Yea....i don't get it..... to me this seemed awkward and not humorous. I even grew up in this area... I guess the humor is lost on me.

[@jordanghost26]

Shoulda seen em when he died 💀😂

[@Idilsor]

I'm living in New York now. HAHAHAHAH

[@HerecomestheCalavera]

@Főfasírozó You said it. They will laugh at fucking anything a famous person says. Seriously, a famous comedian could come out on stage and say "Hi everybody! Pee-pop-poop-poop I just pooped my britches!" And the audience would bust out laughing like it was the funniest joke ever. You only have to be funny to get on TV. Once you are on TV you no longer have to be funny because people will laugh at anything you do just because you are on TV.

[@jacobpickens4731]

Thats the joke. He was nown for breaking the third wall. And making everyone uncomfortably laugh.

[@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

[@talk2bpcable]

He flipped the entire interview format on its head. Genius.

[@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

[@reejones1713]

He was such an amazing and beautiful man. RIP.

[@SciyonGenysis]

Hes not dead

[@DavidPerez-zk8co]

+SciyonGenysis true

[@cityhawk80]

+SciyonGenysis Don't believe anything Bob Zmuda says.

[@canigetanyofyoucuntsadrink8043]

Ree Jones yeah if he’s even dead.

[@KienDLuu]

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

[@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.

[@junbug1love]

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

[@panagiotisdedes7975]

He almost gets out of character when letterman told him if he can get him a mint

[@stevenbuckley5677]

He's always been a moron not funny

[@FT-op4do]

@@stevenbuckley5677 fuck you

[@EnzoFuturistic]

@@stevenbuckley5677 FUCK YOU.

[@Unsung_Earth]

Letterman is always cool

[@notsure6187]

"out of character"?

[@TonyTreasureHunterNasr]

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

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@joelzenny]

The man was a genius. Always pushing boundaries, blurring the lines between real and fake.

[@edjwise]

blurring the lines is a good observation. It really is what he did. You never knew if it was an act or not.

[@patsirianni7984]

Genius or Creepy and crazy

[@sickntired6241]

My god this man is a genius ! Shear brilliance!! on a level that’s just untouchable by anyone before or after. The raw talent and pure confidence to pull this off is remarkable!

[@nyastclair8174]

The thing about Andy and his friend Bob Zmuda is that they were only concerned with entertaining themselves. Basically trolling at every appearance. Guaranteed before he came on the show they said something like "Wouldn't it be hilarious if I came out on Letterman with snot on my face?" then go from there.. lol

[@rdecredico]

+Nya Stclair This.

[@luislizard2626]

Definitely

[@karlypearl9701]

That was drugs dripping out of his nose.

[@jeremywynohradnyk4993]

Karly Pearl Constructive Consciousness he looks coked out of his mind

[@jeremywynohradnyk4993]

Karly Pearl Constructive Consciousness or it could be him making fun of other guest appearing under the influence...alluding to that possibly

[@froggore52]

The template for the Joaquin Phoenix interview.

[@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.

[@Plathismo]

Not one "joke" told. Doesn't even speak a word for the first two minutes. Quite possibly the greatest talk show appearance of all time.

[@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

[@nothosaur]

Trolling Level: Demigod

[@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.

[@ChescoYT]

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