I think it's cringey as fuck, but the best part is that he knew it was not funny at all, but he did it anyway, because he also knew that people would laugh at it and that's the best joke: making people laugh out of unfunny stuff, just right after being unfunny on purpose.
That “stand-up” bit in gibberish, but hitting all the beats and inflections so perfectly that it’s as funny as if there were real punchlines there… he literally in real-time distilled comedy to its purest essence: timing, rhythm, and the unexpected. Absolutely genius.
I noticed that! Well said. And imagine the prowess and confidence as a man-as a performer-to be doing and say pure nonsense-getting the audience to say it with you-pure gibberish-but give the audience the standard meatbag noises and cues-and we’ll react like we’re programmed to do. Lady Dada’s Nightmare.
@@JB-xx3dq you have no clue how and the why of his comedy. Your comment alone proves how much smarter and brilliant Kaufman was than you. He just trolled the fuck out of you from the grave.
The thing that bugs me about the cult of Andy these days is that people think he was some kind of misunderstood genius that nobody appreciated. Yes many people didn't understand him. Yes many people didn't appreciate him. But even at his most bothersome he had hordes of fans who worshiped him. Watch any Kaufman clip. The adoring fans are there laughing till their guts bust. The man was a genius. He was ahead of his time. He was nothing less than the father of so much of our modern comedy. But still... Dudes... Stop thinking the people before you were a bunch of slack jawed morons. They loved him too. Not all of them.. But a fucking lot of them. If they didn't, he wouldn't be remembered.
Agree with the sentiment. I do think that it is a bit of a by-product of how hard it is to describe what Andy Kaufman did for TV comedy. He really had a style all of his own. Many people have tried to copy since, many people have incorporated a bit of Andy Kaufman into their comedy personas. But none of them have his unique combination of silliness, subversiveness, vulnerability and misschief. I also think that people's tastes in comedy are a deeply personal thing. As a fan of a comedian you really feel you share some of your own weird sense of humour with that comedian. I can see how that could help to make people think that a comedian so strange and unique must have been completely misunderstood back then, when he was in fact one of the great names in comedy in his time.
If you're a fan of Andy Kaufman then you've likely seen him on Letterman, SNL, Taxi, his NBC special, or performing at Madison Sq. Garden. So I don't think any of his fans would call him "misunderstood", when evidently he was so popular. Obviously American audiences must've liked him, they kept asking him back on TV, after all (and this was back when there were like 5 channels on).
1st bit: It's about having control. He's introduced as a star comedian, so you expect him to be good. But then he's bad. And not only is he bad, but he continues to be bad after the pity laughs. He then realizes nobody likes him and he can't do anything about it. So he pleads his case and forces you to listen when you realize he has had it under control the entire time.
It's subverting expectations. To him it was just boring to go up there and do the standard "here are my jokes...this is where you laugh...goodnight"... He made the entire interaction unexpected and he's got people to laugh at the uncomfortable parts that people hope don't happen... Especially the performer... He leaned into what most stand-ups dread and run from... It's very metta before that got worn out... He managed to make all of the stuff that we laugh at us kids.... Hilarious... He also made us laugh at the presentation and unexpected or ramshackle or meltdown elements of performances...While still being the smartest and most in control in the world. My favorite favorite is when he went on a late night talk show... And he literally just panhandled in the audience 😂 it was hilarious AF and different... He never broke character or smiled/laughed. He just came out there asked for money from individual audience members then left . It was like they came in and expected to see a star do some dog and pony tricks... But they were forced into an uncomfortable situation that they see everyday on the streets... It was like a homeless guy came to the place they at least expected and got money out of them 😂
Why Kaufman is great? Most people see him as a comedian, but he, actually, was not. He was more of a Neo- Dadaistic performance artist. He went against the expectations of the audience and the medium. He brought other reactions to the table other than laughter. He brought awkwardness, uneasiness, disgust, pity, even contempt. And I think, Andy proved something, that even he could bring all these types of feelings, humor can still sprout out of nowhere.
he is weirdly connected to what alan watts preaches in spirit. very intuitive about how the ego thinks in general. he's always seeking to meld the mind of the audience with the performer. and when you "dont get it", he doesnt make it his job to steer you into laughter. he's just being what he finds funny.
I think you meant to say Tony Clifton. Andy Kaufman is the clown that went on at the start of the video and nearly ruined the whole show. He has all but faded into obscurity now, but the great Tony Clifton will live forever.
@George Chiarovano yes but If he's not funny why the hell should I care? It's like a director who makes a terrible film but thats okay,because he likes it.He has all the right to like his own Piece of shit movie,but there's absolutely no reason I have to
2:00 I love this bit so much. It's believable that someone would think they were delivering comedy gold. The sincerely awkward sounding delivery. The way he controls his nervous breathing. The faux confidence when he starts getting into the groove of the bit. It's all brilliant but I just love that corny dad delivery when he says "quite a wallop" then stumbles into the next bit to try and shake off the embarrassment.
Just noticed that Steinberg didn't refer to him as a "Comedian". Kaufman didn't think of himself as a comedian but as one who played with heads of his audience.Props to Dave for giving him that respect.
“How do they clap in Polish, like that?!” *proceeds to swing both arms towards each other and misses* I cried laughing at this and how unnoticed it was
This is a genius loophole for a performance artist. The audience can never undermine this, the artist has nothing to lose and people will be always left wondering how far will he go, anticipating. In the end he has got what he is aiming at which is their attention not their laughter. we have no idea what actually makes us laugh. A great example- minions.
So he explored and exploited new areas of comedy. You know, arguably just finding that "loophole" itself could be argued a kind of performing genius. So I guess if your point was he was a genius it's well made. If your point was that repetition, confrontation/contrarianism and desperately wanting to be taken incredibly seriously eventually becomes hilarious (also like Kauffman) then also well made. I guess like Kauffman's act, your comment can't really lose.😅
Andy just loved not giving the audience what they thought they were going to get. The surprise, and uncertainty over what was act and what was real were the appeal.
I don’t think people realized that every single thing Andy did was completely staged and planned. It was so well acted, nobody could be certain. The guy he pours water on, the women he wrestles with, they're all plants. He was a magician of comedy.
It's the most brilliant thing I've ever heard of. Making people wonder if he's joking or not is why he did what he did, it was fun for him. I don't think he ever had a moment on screen that he didn't plan on. Making us wonder for years and years and years how genuine he really was, that's how he's a legend. Still keeps us guessing. Man on the Moon did a pretty good job showing that.
Chris Taylor the guy he pours water on is Bob Zmeda, a very close friend and one of the three people who took turns playing Tony Clifton... Andy's brother and Bob would take turns so occasionally and could appear while Tony was there
Tate Saywitz you got it... You hit it right on the head... He wasn't there to make people laugh. He loved to entertain people and keep them guessing end make a triple entendre of uncertainty... However he was there to make himself happy
Yep exactly. Just shows how much he kept all this up and the effort he put into it. In an interview with a reporter asking Jerry Lawler about Andy's death, Jerry was like "I don't know why you're asking me. We didn't like each other." and it's just so great how they kept that "feud" going... really a lot of effort
Whei Nurcheez he didn't even have to speak to make the entire audience laugh. There's a video of him on Letterman and everybody cracks up while he only moves his eyes. Truly a genius!
@@truthmonster3290 what's the slav race? Please tell me as I'm the most woke person in my peer group and would just die if they knew I'd watched something racialist!
I don't think Andy was pretentious enough to be a dada artist. He smart and well read, it the things that link everygreat ahead of their time comidean, they do things that amuse themselves, not the audence. Dada is just artists jacking off and blaming world alwar 2
Absolute favorite comedian of all time. His acting is so good and his sets were like a scripted social experiment.. he knew exactly how to trigger the audience reaction he wanted and had so much fun with it…
@@user-rd3rf3ft8ethey fired him just before he got the chance to quit, and he has since spiraled into a deep, dark depression over the missed opportunity for a leg up in the matter.
this is essentially what Tim Heidecker does in his standup, I feel. He of course has his own twist, but the spirit of it is very similar. Love this stuff
What a madman, brilliant comic, never seen anyone who could troll an audience like Andy Kaufman, and always left you guessing how much of the "audience participation" was a part of the act, it's like watching Jerry Springer but with comedy.
@@skipads5141 😂 haha, fair point. I used to like to watch Morton Downy Jr back in the day, that was another one that wasn't really _supposed_ to be "comedy", but was just unintentionally hilarious every time, smoke hanging out of his mouth, yelling at his guests, "shaddup-ya-scumbag!", it was just too funny.
Only Andy, only the genius of Andy Kaufman could pull something like that off. He had total control of the audience the whole time, a natural original. We miss you.
But saying “Thinking outside the box” implies that he’s in the box. A more accurate analogy for Andy Kaufman is that he was several miles away, thinking about all the poor suckers that were still in the box.
If Andy was just starting out during our time (01/13/2024), no chance he’d make it, the left would absolutely destroy the man. Glad he was who he was during the end of an era that could still accept him…
All volunteers are plants, not only Zmuda. Like how Zmuda and the fat guy was supposedly beating the crap out of Tony Clifton at the end. The genius is having only Zmuda as the "outed" plants while they're all plants working together.
Andy blurred the lines between what was his act and reality. He could toy with your emotions in ways that you didn’t expect. He was an art form that we had never experienced before and have not since. Andy was an experience. He left us waiting for more and wondering what it could have possibly been. He lives in my imagination. What a beautiful mind.
This is so interesting. What i think people don't understand when they watch this is how TIGHT the act is. It has the look and feel of something which has a free flow to it but the actual act is very coordinated. Yes there is some improve because it is a live crowd but an act like this involves a lot of coordination and comedic timing. Even his looks and mumbo jumbo talk is very rehearsed and it all happens in a very specific order at a very specific time.
Other perormers that knew Andy Kaufman, upon hearing of his premature death, said to themsleves "good one Andy" and didn't believe he was dead until they saw him laid out at his funeral.
Nothing-absolutely nothing-happens on the stage that is not rehearsed, planned, or anticipated. Andy knew exactly what he was doing and was in complete control of the audience at every second. He represented an intelligence that was at once removed, observant, and planned and also participatory and spontaneous. There’s never been anyone like him since.
This performance needs to be watched cold with no context. The confusion, the feeling of sympathy, irritation, anger, uncomfortable humor that Kaufman elicits from the crowd is legendary. Even today, many years after his death people are split over whether this is comedy. It's not "hard to understand" and it doesn't fly over anyone's head. It's just a particular kind of comedy that comes from his mind. The audience becomes the performer in this, because he depends on the reactions to make it work. It's a risky set but he pulls it off beautifully.
You say there hasn't been anyone like him since and you may be right but I would recommend Stewart Lee. He often breaks his routine which he admits is medocre at best to lambast and criticise the audience for not being clever enough to understand the nonsense on stage, he's observation of the room is absolutely impecible and every apparent flaw in the performance is planned to perfection.
theres a guy called sam hyde, some of his stuff is out there but he goes out and intentionlly bombs just like andy its great. he goes to an art school and its great
Oh my god this man is pure genius. The first 7 minutes you're watching this thinking this guy is busting on stage and then it just turns out that was all build up for that 15 second bongo bit lmao
Fun fact, when the movie Man On The Moon about Andy was released I watched it in a Kingstong MA mall movie theater, tripping on mushrooms, sitting next to Woody Harrelson. Who happend to just randomly show up to watch it.
An absolute credit to the world of comedy. There will never be anyone like him. I was born in the ninety's and would give almost everything to see this man perform in the way he magnifies the art of laughter.
That first bit with transition from crying into a song... I couldn't control my laughter it was that good. Yes it's absurd but also very funny, so I can definetly see Kaufman's genius here.
17:38 honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen. The split second in which he drops character and uses his normal voice when saying "wanna see it again?" is perfection.
Andy was such an absolute genius at comedic timing that he could get the crowd howling with laughter by speaking gibberish and making funny gestures. Lol
Wow The invisible connection between Andy Kaufmann and the crowd, as a performer versus a gathering of real people, was tangible. It's like a relationship between two people, The Performer and The Crowd. I've seen it on Twitch from the chat when a big streamer is on. There's just something about human nature while gathered in a unified way to watch some goofball that makes our minds link up. And being able to direct that energy is a learned skill. An example off the top of my head is like how fighters in Dragon Ball Z can redirect energy and throw it somewhere else. People who can go up on stage and put on a fantastic show are like martial artists who can control the social vibes. Andy was one of the best of them, if a little odd.
Unbelievably unique.....total genius.......ahead of his time.....his audiences had no idea that they were actually part of his "experiment"...............Kaufman's total commitment to his art regardless of the backlash from those that didn't understand, was mind boggling, .....he grew up in my old neighborhood, Great Neck, New York R.I.P Andy 5/16/84............there'll never be another.......
Can someone explain to someone of low intelligence like myself the seemingly self-evident value in keeping people guessing which part of the act is real? I'm struggling to see (because I'm not laughing), are we appreciating his acting?
I think Andy was always trying to get a reaction out of the audience, but that reaction wasn't alway meant to be laughter. You asking this question is also a reaction, you probably find it more confusing than funny because, well...it's a weird fucking performance. You also have to imagine it from the point of view of the audience. Imagine being in this audience and you know nothing about the guy, and he comes on stage and just starts bombing the entire thing, I mean its a stand up and the guy can't even tell a joke. But by minute 7:00 when he starts playing the conga drums, it becomes very clear that it was all one big joke, but the joke was on the audience. I personally find a lot of his acts funny, but I appreciate a lot of other things when I see him perform too. He definitely was a great actor, and I think some of his Elvis impressions are actually moving. So I think there is a lot more to Andy than just comedy. Ok that was long. At the end of the day its not worth analyzing Andy. He created an unique type of weird art, and just like any art, some people dig it and some people don't.
Floyd Patterson II What are you talking about. People knew this was an act. This isn't even trolling because everyone knows what he's doing. I think that you're the one who's he's "experimenting on. He just did this because he gave up on trying and than people like you thought it was some sort of genius comedy and made him a god. He was probably laughing at dull people like you. Everyone knew what he was doing. How's trolling funny if everyone is on to it? It's stupid, anyone can do this but it's humiliating. No one wants to waste actual talents on this because anything is better.
Haven't seen much Kaufman, but watching this I gotta say I get why he's so highly regarded 100%. It's nearly fifty years later and this would be daring comedy even today
"And if you order now you can get Muhammed Ali's greatest hit when he knocked out George Foreman *kchh* That was quite a wallop!" Brilliant. I love how he plays with audience reactions and intermittently pulls the rug from underneath them every now and then.
i saw the tony clifton act many many years ago on tv and I promise to god I tried looking for it over and over on the net and today I stumbled onto it. I actually thought it was eugene levy and searched it via his name! I can't believe I found it accidentally this way. This is very special for me I laughed my ass off then I'm still laughing now.
Undisputed comedic genius. VERY competent on the bongos. He was a guru, in total control of his body. He did a bit on Letterman in a turban, totally bare on top; the physical part of the act was astounding. Swallowed a sword, and THEN sang a Slim Whitman tune. Without a glass of water between....ROFLMAO! BUT, the singing was extrememly good. When you are on a metaphysical plane above, it's wonderful to bless those of us down here in normal. Miss you Andy, wish you were here today!
no because now a days he would be considered even more offensive, rude, mean. People now would be get so bored, since the joke wasn't apparent to them instantly, and then get offended because they missed the joke looking at their phone.
No matter how hard he trolled the audience, there was something fundamentally likable about Andy Kaufman, which was missing from Jim Carrey's rather manic impersonation.
![[Live] : ONE 167 วันนี้!! "ตะวันฉาย vs โจ"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/D9_dvfIa6Ao/mqdefault.jpg)
Bombing was literally part of his act. Imagine starting out with this material.
I'm so glad you said that, because I'm 3 minutes in, and he is bombing so bad...
This is really blowing my mind.
It's like a forced consciousness conversion. I like it! 😅
The way he turned his crying into the beat/chant of his song is fucking amazing.
I think it's cringey as fuck, but the best part is that he knew it was not funny at all, but he did it anyway, because he also knew that people would laugh at it
and that's the best joke: making people laugh out of unfunny stuff, just right after being unfunny on purpose.
Egg! 🥚
Chicken🐔🍗😋😋😋😋
Sausage and beans👍👌
Maurice Gibb! 👨🦲🙋♀️👨🎨👩🏭
Laying in bed trying to go to sleep but I can't stop thinking about Andy Kaufman turning his hysterical cries into a song
And the song into an argument between a couple 😂 absolutely ingenious
and that whole bit of him breaking down was nothing other than a reason to make that sobbing song. 😮
Was that whole song improvised? @@jakevendrotti1496
"You really showed me where I'm at.." 😂
Yoooooo same 😂
That “stand-up” bit in gibberish, but hitting all the beats and inflections so perfectly that it’s as funny as if there were real punchlines there… he literally in real-time distilled comedy to its purest essence: timing, rhythm, and the unexpected. Absolutely genius.
I noticed that! Well said. And imagine the prowess and confidence as a man-as a performer-to be doing and say pure nonsense-getting the audience to say it with you-pure gibberish-but give the audience the standard meatbag noises and cues-and we’ll react like we’re programmed to do.
Lady Dada’s Nightmare.
Shut up
this is still way ahead of our time
Gibberish? I understood every word.
@@jasonlee8497Are you from Azerbaijan?😅
"I really shouldn't have done this."
Haha! Ey?
Nouns!
I came here to have fun tonight is gold too
That's the story of my life!
It takes a other level of confidence to do material like this
Apparently he used transcendental meditation to build his confidence
This is sociopathy, not confidence.
@@JB-xx3dq you have no clue how and the why of his comedy. Your comment alone proves how much smarter and brilliant Kaufman was than you. He just trolled the fuck out of you from the grave.
Adam Beck 3 hours meditation and yoga every day!!!
a other
The thing that bugs me about the cult of Andy these days is that people think he was some kind of misunderstood genius that nobody appreciated. Yes many people didn't understand him. Yes many people didn't appreciate him. But even at his most bothersome he had hordes of fans who worshiped him. Watch any Kaufman clip. The adoring fans are there laughing till their guts bust. The man was a genius. He was ahead of his time. He was nothing less than the father of so much of our modern comedy. But still... Dudes... Stop thinking the people before you were a bunch of slack jawed morons. They loved him too. Not all of them.. But a fucking lot of them. If they didn't, he wouldn't be remembered.
Amen.
Agree with the sentiment. I do think that it is a bit of a by-product of how hard it is to describe what Andy Kaufman did for TV comedy. He really had a style all of his own. Many people have tried to copy since, many people have incorporated a bit of Andy Kaufman into their comedy personas. But none of them have his unique combination of silliness, subversiveness, vulnerability and misschief.
I also think that people's tastes in comedy are a deeply personal thing. As a fan of a comedian you really feel you share some of your own weird sense of humour with that comedian. I can see how that could help to make people think that a comedian so strange and unique must have been completely misunderstood back then, when he was in fact one of the great names in comedy in his time.
The jim carrey movie had a lot to do with that too.
If you're a fan of Andy Kaufman then you've likely seen him on Letterman, SNL, Taxi, his NBC special, or performing at Madison Sq. Garden.
So I don't think any of his fans would call him "misunderstood", when evidently he was so popular. Obviously American audiences must've liked him, they kept asking him back on TV, after all (and this was back when there were like 5 channels on).
Agreed. I just despise the fact that Jim Carrey is forever affiliated with Andy. Not good.
1st bit: It's about having control. He's introduced as a star comedian, so you expect him to be good. But then he's bad. And not only is he bad, but he continues to be bad after the pity laughs. He then realizes nobody likes him and he can't do anything about it. So he pleads his case and forces you to listen when you realize he has had it under control the entire time.
Or he's just crap
It's subverting expectations. To him it was just boring to go up there and do the standard "here are my jokes...this is where you laugh...goodnight"... He made the entire interaction unexpected and he's got people to laugh at the uncomfortable parts that people hope don't happen... Especially the performer... He leaned into what most stand-ups dread and run from... It's very metta before that got worn out... He managed to make all of the stuff that we laugh at us kids.... Hilarious... He also made us laugh at the presentation and unexpected or ramshackle or meltdown elements of performances...While still being the smartest and most in control in the world.
My favorite favorite is when he went on a late night talk show... And he literally just panhandled in the audience 😂 it was hilarious AF and different... He never broke character or smiled/laughed. He just came out there asked for money from individual audience members then left .
It was like they came in and expected to see a star do some dog and pony tricks... But they were forced into an uncomfortable situation that they see everyday on the streets... It was like a homeless guy came to the place they at least expected and got money out of them 😂
@@josephharden5592 exactly because forcing people into uncomfortable situations is hilarious
This guy had balls of steel!
Damned. Fucking. Straight.
what was the joke about furries with fringe on top?
Na. People weren't pussies back then.
I think it meant a vagina. @@TheRealRorbo
Hi @@TheRealRorbo I came here for that. Have you got an explanation since ?
Totally blown away by this. First time seeing Andy Kaufman.
So curious what you thought because he was such a trailblazer.
You got to see the movie on his life.
In that case you should watch Taxi-the series, I"d also recommend the movie Man on the moon.
Like many legendary entertainers, Andy was a master of psychology, a prodigy of his craft.
Why Kaufman is great? Most people see him as a comedian, but he, actually, was not. He was more of a Neo- Dadaistic performance artist. He went against the expectations of the audience and the medium. He brought other reactions to the table other than laughter. He brought awkwardness, uneasiness, disgust, pity, even contempt. And I think, Andy proved something, that even he could bring all these types of feelings, humor can still sprout out of nowhere.
Great note, thank you!
Someone read a wiki entry
he is weirdly connected to what alan watts preaches in spirit. very intuitive about how the ego thinks in general. he's always seeking to meld the mind of the audience with the performer. and when you "dont get it", he doesnt make it his job to steer you into laughter. he's just being what he finds funny.
Nah he’s funny. I lol to his stuff. He’s an unconventional comedian but a comedian nonetheless.
@@Zzzinnn haha. Yes that sounds about right
"bottom of the fifth and the bags are loaded."
done.
It was like the only joke lol
Kim Clay it’s just a play on the bases being loaded, or in other words every base would have a player on it.
@Coitus Handguns Fake news! An american would know what bases loaded means lmao
Thanks for that. I didn’t get it either. We don’t have baseball in New Zealand. Not even on television. I’ve literally never seen a game in my life.
@@camogrrl You re not missing anything x
The master of confusing and getting reactions from crowds. He was such a genius
Did he said so? Cause he actually looks sick.
You look but do not see
"Thank you very much. Right now, I'd like to do a comedy routine..."
Simplistic genius.
I'm Polish and I can confirm that we clap like this in Poland.
Hell of a bongo player too.
get with the program, They're not bongos, They're Conga Drums.On top of that,He couldn't play the damn things.Seriously.
S.F. Warriors 2019 Not really giving a flying fuck about your program. And he played pretty good.
you're such a dumfuck ,you don't know the difference between bongos and congas or what it takes to play them.You fuckin hack.
S.F. Warriors 2019 This is the field upon which I grow my fucks. Lay thine eyes upon it for you shall see that it is barren.
Da fucken blue balls. Da fucken blue balls. Da fucken blue balls. Da fucken blue balls. Da fucken blue balls.
Having just watched a full half hour of Andy Kaufman, I can now safely say he is a full blown genius. So sharp, so witty, so ahead, what a man.
I think you meant to say Tony Clifton. Andy Kaufman is the clown that went on at the start of the video and nearly ruined the whole show. He has all but faded into obscurity now, but the great Tony Clifton will live forever.
He’s dead
andy kaufman was not funny
Truth Monster he was funny to him, that’s all he cared about, he didn’t want to be loved
@George Chiarovano yes but If he's not funny why the hell should I care? It's like a director who makes a terrible film but thats okay,because he likes it.He has all the right to like his own Piece of shit movie,but there's absolutely no reason I have to
the bewildered audience reaction is part of the entertainment. that was his genius
A true comic genius if there ever was one. Andy was one of a kind. 🙏♥️✌️
2:00
I love this bit so much. It's believable that someone would think they were delivering comedy gold. The sincerely awkward sounding delivery. The way he controls his nervous breathing. The faux confidence when he starts getting into the groove of the bit. It's all brilliant but I just love that corny dad delivery when he says "quite a wallop" then stumbles into the next bit to try and shake off the embarrassment.
Just noticed that Steinberg didn't refer to him as a "Comedian". Kaufman didn't think of himself as a comedian but as one who played with heads of his audience.Props to Dave for giving him that respect.
Jackknifegyp imo he was an actor or performance artist
“How do they clap in Polish, like that?!” *proceeds to swing both arms towards each other and misses*
I cried laughing at this and how unnoticed it was
This is a genius loophole for a performance artist. The audience can never undermine this, the artist has nothing to lose and people will be always left wondering how far will he go, anticipating. In the end he has got what he is aiming at which is their attention not their laughter. we have no idea what actually makes us laugh. A great example- minions.
Huh?
So he explored and exploited new areas of comedy. You know, arguably just finding that "loophole" itself could be argued a kind of performing genius. So I guess if your point was he was a genius it's well made. If your point was that repetition, confrontation/contrarianism and desperately wanting to be taken incredibly seriously eventually becomes hilarious (also like Kauffman) then also well made. I guess like Kauffman's act, your comment can't really lose.😅
@@tttm99 You've put it so well.
Yeah, it's easy-mode, duh.
@@purvaahuja3527 - it reads worse than if A.I. had written it.
Andy just loved not giving the audience what they thought they were going to get. The surprise, and uncertainty over what was act and what was real were the appeal.
This is the skit that made me an Andy Kaufman fan for life.
Holy shit that jibberish bongo song caught me so off guard. I've never been so uniquely tickled :D
That Tony Clifton routine is pure performance art!
I don’t think people realized that every single thing Andy did was completely staged and planned. It was so well acted, nobody could be certain. The guy he pours water on, the women he wrestles with, they're all plants. He was a magician of comedy.
It's the most brilliant thing I've ever heard of. Making people wonder if he's joking or not is why he did what he did, it was fun for him. I don't think he ever had a moment on screen that he didn't plan on. Making us wonder for years and years and years how genuine he really was, that's how he's a legend. Still keeps us guessing. Man on the Moon did a pretty good job showing that.
Chris Taylor the guy he pours water on is Bob Zmeda, a very close friend and one of the three people who took turns playing Tony Clifton... Andy's brother and Bob would take turns so occasionally and could appear while Tony was there
Tate Saywitz you got it... You hit it right on the head... He wasn't there to make people laugh. He loved to entertain people and keep them guessing end make a triple entendre of uncertainty... However he was there to make himself happy
Yep exactly. Just shows how much he kept all this up and the effort he put into it. In an interview with a reporter asking Jerry Lawler about Andy's death, Jerry was like "I don't know why you're asking me. We didn't like each other." and it's just so great how they kept that "feud" going... really a lot of effort
but it is not funny
when you can make everyone in the room laugh in a made up language...you're a genius
Whei Nurcheez he didn't even have to speak to make the entire audience laugh. There's a video of him on Letterman and everybody cracks up while he only moves his eyes. Truly a genius!
When you make a career of demeaning the Slav race that makes you a racist, not a genius, a racist
Bloody weirdo if you ask me!
@@truthmonster3290 what's the slav race? Please tell me as I'm the most woke person in my peer group and would just die if they knew I'd watched something racialist!
Some Entitlement issues Europe has three main linguistic and racial groups, Germanic, Latin and Slav. Go get a refund from your "schools".
Pure insanity. I don't even know what to say except I think that I enjoyed it.
It’s not just comedy…this is dada at it’s best… an original art form.
I don't think Andy was pretentious enough to be a dada artist. He smart and well read, it the things that link everygreat ahead of their time comidean, they do things that amuse themselves, not the audence. Dada is just artists jacking off and blaming world alwar 2
@@fujifilm5127 fool detected lol as if dadaists were not smart or well read...
I am addicted to watching this tape
Awesome performance. Andy always pushed that barrier between reality and fantasy.
where is this funny... never thought this guy was funny
Sjhhhhhh
@@AiVaultGuyi think of the emperor s new clothes and i think andy actually thought the audience were morons.
He looks actually sick
@@AiVaultGuythat’s the point
People should stop calling him “the first troll” he was more than that guys.
Yeah, he was more of a song and dance man, people are just addicted to their caps locks.
They're clueless morons to say that it doesn't even make sense.
Because people on TH-cam can only relate things to internet culture
He was a pos not a troll
Ggg
Absolute favorite comedian of all time. His acting is so good and his sets were like a scripted social experiment.. he knew exactly how to trigger the audience reaction he wanted and had so much fun with it…
I wouldn’t say I’m laughing my ass off but this is definitely very very unique and entertaining in its own way.
Captivating
I’m laughing my ass off
Definitely seems more like you had to be there
@@jeebuz6627yeah big time
I wouldn't say I'm laughing my ass off but I'm definitely laughing my tits off
I was dreading going to work tomorrow as I am about to quit the job but this really made my day 😂
How did it go, pal?
@@user-rd3rf3ft8ethey fired him just before he got the chance to quit, and he has since spiraled into a deep, dark depression over the missed opportunity for a leg up in the matter.
Please tell me you did it by crying a song!
@@steve_bal4 🤣🤣🤣
@@user-rd3rf3ft8e I quit!!!
this is essentially what Tim Heidecker does in his standup, I feel. He of course has his own twist, but the spirit of it is very similar. Love this stuff
He wants to be Andy so bad it’s painful.
@@thosemonstersTim is funnier for sure.
@@rudeboyjim2684 Tim isn’t funny at all. Andy is a comedy icon for a reason on the other hand. But you believe whatever you like kid.
Tims funnier than Sam Hyde.
Haha
What a madman, brilliant comic, never seen anyone who could troll an audience like Andy Kaufman, and always left you guessing how much of the "audience participation" was a part of the act, it's like watching Jerry Springer but with comedy.
I always thought Jerry Springer was comedy.
@@skipads5141 😂 haha, fair point. I used to like to watch Morton Downy Jr back in the day, that was another one that wasn't really _supposed_ to be "comedy", but was just unintentionally hilarious every time, smoke hanging out of his mouth, yelling at his guests, "shaddup-ya-scumbag!", it was just too funny.
Only Andy, only the genius of Andy Kaufman could pull something like that off. He had total control of the audience the whole time, a natural original. We miss you.
This guy looks like he's just having the time of his life and I love it
He's brilliant. Everything is very well planned and orchestrated. Fearless. Nobody can take a crowd on a wild ride like Andy!
Holy hell, it really takes a minute but watch for long enough and you're drawn to the inescapable conclusion that this man really is a comic genius...
Really? Boring as shit
The ending is actually gold
@kerr.y Probably the only serious line in that entire bit... unless it wasn't
A man who was so far ahead of his time, he could pretend to be behind it and still be beyond it.
not really but tremendous talent all the same
That sounded way better in your head when you were high.
Andy Kaufman is the definition of "Thinking outside the box"
👏🏼👏🏼 beautiful definition
But what is in the box? WHAT'S IN THE BOOOOX?
But saying “Thinking outside the box” implies that he’s in the box. A more accurate analogy for Andy Kaufman is that he was several miles away, thinking about all the poor suckers that were still in the box.
One of the best videos on the internet.
Oh man I love him so much. Never has anyone made so many laugh, then promptly feel guilty for it.... Haha oh man he was 30 years early
I think he's still ahead of even our time
And the real genius was that he was decades ahead of his time but still thoroughly entertained people in his own time.
If he was alive today, he would still be ahead in the times. Nobody has or is anything close to this man. The word "Genius" describes him perfectly.
If Andy was just starting out during our time (01/13/2024), no chance he’d make it, the left would absolutely destroy the man. Glad he was who he was during the end of an era that could still accept him…
@@davidj.steiger3178ok grampa let’s get you to bed
First volunteer on stage was Bob Zmuda Andy's good friend who helped him plan most of his acts and was always in on them.
All volunteers are plants, not only Zmuda. Like how Zmuda and the fat guy was supposedly beating the crap out of Tony Clifton at the end. The genius is having only Zmuda as the "outed" plants while they're all plants working together.
And played Tony Clifton after Andy passed to throw fire into the fake death conspiracies
Andy blurred the lines between what was his act and reality. He could toy with your emotions in ways that you didn’t expect. He was an art form that we had never experienced before and have not since. Andy was an experience. He left us waiting for more and wondering what it could have possibly been. He lives in my imagination. What a beautiful mind.
Just don't want him as your upstairs neighbor.
This is so interesting. What i think people don't understand when they watch this is how TIGHT the act is. It has the look and feel of something which has a free flow to it but the actual act is very coordinated. Yes there is some improve because it is a live crowd but an act like this involves a lot of coordination and comedic timing. Even his looks and mumbo jumbo talk is very rehearsed and it all happens in a very specific order at a very specific time.
And his breathing and body language - all exquisitely and delicately weighted.
"bottom of the 5th and the bags are loaded". that was a clever joke
Other perormers that knew Andy Kaufman, upon hearing of his premature death, said to themsleves "good one Andy" and didn't believe he was dead until they saw him laid out at his funeral.
This man had his own stratosphere of comic genius.
There is only 1 stratosphere not multiple.
He was so convincing with everything he did you never really knew how he was actually feeling. He had the ability to put on an impenetrable mask.
Here's to Andy Kaufman, the world's first troll in America
Damian Rice hardly.
That’s exactly how I explain him to people 😂
best description of him I have heard...a compliment really, as he made trolling into art and entertainment at a higher level.
Damian Rice trolls go back to the dawn of time
Haha yeah!
I'm starting to think Reggie Watts had a huge influence by this man.
Yeah I thought that too, and Norm Mcdonald, Jim Carey, Galifanakis, Tom Green, etc...
Eric Andre
For your health
I was thinking the same thing when watching this, never thought about it before.
Nathan For You
Nothing-absolutely nothing-happens on the stage that is not rehearsed, planned, or anticipated. Andy knew exactly what he was doing and was in complete control of the audience at every second. He represented an intelligence that was at once removed, observant, and planned and also participatory and spontaneous. There’s never been anyone like him since.
he’s on lsd
This performance needs to be watched cold with no context. The confusion, the feeling of sympathy, irritation, anger, uncomfortable humor that Kaufman elicits from the crowd is legendary. Even today, many years after his death people are split over whether this is comedy. It's not "hard to understand" and it doesn't fly over anyone's head. It's just a particular kind of comedy that comes from his mind. The audience becomes the performer in this, because he depends on the reactions to make it work. It's a risky set but he pulls it off beautifully.
You say there hasn't been anyone like him since and you may be right but I would recommend Stewart Lee. He often breaks his routine which he admits is medocre at best to lambast and criticise the audience for not being clever enough to understand the nonsense on stage, he's observation of the room is absolutely impecible and every apparent flaw in the performance is planned to perfection.
Most overrated comedian ever.
@@donny303 You prefer dick jokes?
Dude had mad bongo chops and a great voice. Can't believe he brings that Clifton guy with him, though...
Don't knock Clifton.
Imagine the stuff he'd be doing today.
Why do you assume it would be better? The world has gone backwards in a lot of ways since 1977.
@@djackman4229 sasha baren cohen ripped off him so just look at him
how? he's not even alive
theres a guy called sam hyde, some of his stuff is out there but he goes out and intentionlly bombs just like andy its great. he goes to an art school and its great
Haha, like what?
Oh my god this man is pure genius. The first 7 minutes you're watching this thinking this guy is busting on stage and then it just turns out that was all build up for that 15 second bongo bit lmao
I was so confused, everyone in the comments was praising him and I'm just thinking what is this shit😂😂
pause ⏸️
I love how he turned the tables on the audience and made them feel awkward when normally it’s the comedian that risks feel awkward on stage.
Probably the most brilliant comedy performances of all time.
this dude is fucking CRAZY, he makes zach galifianakis look tame.
Loved him in Nirvana
lol it's true
Shame Kurt made him lose the bongos.
Hahahah Touché
or in ferris bueller's day off
Krist Kaufman
Paving the way for baren cohen
More like hannah gatsby
At least spell the name right.
More like donby latardo
I loved Andy. You never knew what nutty thing he'd do next.
Holy shit this is way to convincing. He's way to good at acting
'Too'...
Oh my god performing this must've been TERRIFYING
Not if you're crazy
Not if you took public transit in Detroit or NYC in the 70s.
Fun fact, when the movie Man On The Moon about Andy was released I watched it in a Kingstong MA mall movie theater, tripping on mushrooms, sitting next to Woody Harrelson. Who happend to just randomly show up to watch it.
That's pretty wild
A true comedy genius. We miss you Andy.
Insert "Genius" and "Ahead of his time" comment
Are you gonna do it or are you waiting for someone else to do it? That's why your life is like that.
An absolute credit to the world of comedy. There will never be anyone like him. I was born in the ninety's and would give almost everything to see this man perform in the way he magnifies the art of laughter.
That first bit with transition from crying into a song... I couldn't control my laughter it was that good. Yes it's absurd but also very funny, so I can definetly see Kaufman's genius here.
17:38 honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen. The split second in which he drops character and uses his normal voice when saying "wanna see it again?" is perfection.
Jesus if you're thought that was the 'funniest' thing you ever seen then I feel for you.
@@elbo7755 Thanks man!
@@honeytlbadger4365 No worries are kid.
@@elbo7755Nasty person
I totally caught that and yes, so much happened in that split second!
I was born in 84 this guy and his humor is weird ,it's crazy ......love it!
Andy was such an absolute genius at comedic timing that he could get the crowd howling with laughter by speaking gibberish and making funny gestures. Lol
You mean exactly like a clown?
Wow
The invisible connection between Andy Kaufmann and the crowd, as a performer versus a gathering of real people, was tangible. It's like a relationship between two people, The Performer and The Crowd. I've seen it on Twitch from the chat when a big streamer is on. There's just something about human nature while gathered in a unified way to watch some goofball that makes our minds link up. And being able to direct that energy is a learned skill. An example off the top of my head is like how fighters in Dragon Ball Z can redirect energy and throw it somewhere else. People who can go up on stage and put on a fantastic show are like martial artists who can control the social vibes. Andy was one of the best of them, if a little odd.
Kaufman was absolutely brilliant.
Unbelievably unique.....total genius.......ahead of his time.....his audiences had no idea that they were actually part of his "experiment"...............Kaufman's total commitment to his art regardless of the backlash from those that didn't understand, was mind boggling, .....he grew up in my old neighborhood, Great Neck, New York R.I.P Andy 5/16/84............there'll never be another.......
Floyd Patterson II a
Can someone explain to someone of low intelligence like myself the seemingly self-evident value in keeping people guessing which part of the act is real? I'm struggling to see (because I'm not laughing), are we appreciating his acting?
I think Andy was always trying to get a reaction out of the audience, but that reaction wasn't alway meant to be laughter. You asking this question is also a reaction, you probably find it more confusing than funny because, well...it's a weird fucking performance. You also have to imagine it from the point of view of the audience. Imagine being in this audience and you know nothing about the guy, and he comes on stage and just starts bombing the entire thing, I mean its a stand up and the guy can't even tell a joke. But by minute 7:00 when he starts playing the conga drums, it becomes very clear that it was all one big joke, but the joke was on the audience.
I personally find a lot of his acts funny, but I appreciate a lot of other things when I see him perform too. He definitely was a great actor, and I think some of his Elvis impressions are actually moving. So I think there is a lot more to Andy than just comedy.
Ok that was long. At the end of the day its not worth analyzing Andy. He created an unique type of weird art, and just like any art, some people dig it and some people don't.
Floyd Patterson II What are you talking about. People knew this was an act. This isn't even trolling because everyone knows what he's doing. I think that you're the one who's he's "experimenting on. He just did this because he gave up on trying and than people like you thought it was some sort of genius comedy and made him a god. He was probably laughing at dull people like you. Everyone knew what he was doing. How's trolling funny if everyone is on to it? It's stupid, anyone can do this but it's humiliating. No one wants to waste actual talents on this because anything is better.
so much talent. this guy is such a deep genius. his jokes aren't for the masses.
Damn. He’s definitely groundbreaking for comedians pushing limits, i can’t remember laughing so hard at something lol, this shit is great! 😂
I am amazed at how much of Andy Kaufman's career is based on the contents within this video.
The not yet fully developed Tony Clifton. We're seeing the early stages of him. This is classic.
First time seeing an Andy Kaufman video and am now a fan. True genius
Rediscovering Andy again and thinking he may be the comic genius of all time. You have to go along for the ride with him and you are better for it.
Indeed. You get it.
Haven't seen much Kaufman, but watching this I gotta say I get why he's so highly regarded 100%. It's nearly fifty years later and this would be daring comedy even today
This guy was so brilliant that he turned his death into a routine.
He had a lot of courage.
Kinda sad, don't ya think... ?
"And if you order now you can get Muhammed Ali's greatest hit when he knocked out George Foreman *kchh* That was quite a wallop!"
Brilliant. I love how he plays with audience reactions and intermittently pulls the rug from underneath them every now and then.
I never know wether to cry or laugh, thats how brilliant he was
Haven't seen this in years. Hes good on those bongos.
He was getting’ down
i saw the tony clifton act many many years ago on tv and I promise to god I tried looking for it over and over on the net and today I stumbled onto it. I actually thought it was eugene levy and searched it via his name! I can't believe I found it accidentally this way. This is very special for me I laughed my ass off then I'm still laughing now.
Brilliant
omg every thing he did was so unique. Even when you don't laugh you are laughing in your mind. I love him
Undisputed comedic genius. VERY competent on the bongos. He was a guru, in total control of his body. He did a bit on Letterman in a turban, totally bare on top; the physical part of the act was astounding. Swallowed a sword, and THEN sang a Slim Whitman tune. Without a glass of water between....ROFLMAO! BUT, the singing was extrememly good. When you are on a metaphysical plane above, it's wonderful to bless those of us down here in normal. Miss you Andy, wish you were here today!
"...it's not working... I really shouldn't have done this"
His delivery here is outstanding.
Man, he was too early.
no because now a days he would be considered even more offensive, rude, mean. People now would be get so bored, since the joke wasn't apparent to them instantly, and then get offended because they missed the joke looking at their phone.
Tyler Moore Spot on :)
he wasnt. Who would this be appreciated by now? He was just right
Rafael Mertin have you been on the internet? He is the original troll. He was early as fuck. Thank goodness we have clips of him.
ChiefBrodyRules we havent even caught up to him yet. The internet has in a way but not mainstream
Say what you want his courage and performance art, but he was amazing at slapping those bongos.
No matter how hard he trolled the audience, there was something fundamentally likable about Andy Kaufman, which was missing from Jim Carrey's rather manic impersonation.