Andy Kaufman lived 35 years. He has been dead nearly that long. Yet...Andy's legacy lives on. As is the case with most entertainers, performances transcend time. Andy's is a different case: there are people who think he didn't die at all. It would be something he would do, wouldn't he?
For the first 10 years of his death, this statement was said, almost wistfully; a roundabout remembrance of a talent gone too soon. It culminated in an NBC special about Andy, and then it ended....until 1999. '99 was Kaufman's best year since, oh, 1981. A movie (which, sadly, was not successful) and two books shared the life and inside tales of the man. It was at a sneak preview screening of Man on the Moon that I noticed the narrative had changed. Bob Zmuda was in attendance and took questions from the audience. Someone asked "So, is Andy still alive?" The audience laughed, and Bob said something along the lines of "you never know," and further stoked the fire.
Maybe this was just to help promote the movie, I don't know. But weird for him to say...
And in this internet age, the rumor, however inane, continues to resurface like a mushroom. Andy is still alive! Andy is going to come back 20 years after his death! No, 25! Wait, I meant 30 years! Hey, that gave Zmuda another chance to remember his friend and make a few bucks.
Did I say make a few bucks? No...this is about legacy. A legacy that could be simply maintained with a website of clips and writings, shared anecdotes...or, in this case, a book of such items. Of course, such a book was already published in 1999, so 15 years later, let's do it again. Maybe Bob made up more stuff - joke's on us! I bet Andy would have loved that. Hey, I bet you and Andy would have even DONE a joke like that!
In the book, Zmuda states that this was written not for attention or personal gain, which is the kind of thing you'd hear from a Beatles tribute band in a casino or any other celebrity impersonator. Having not spoken in private to Zmuda, I don't know if his love of Kaufman has reached Robby Krieger levels...I met him at a bar once where, dressed as Tony Clifton, he entertained us all.
In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Zmuda states "He said to keep a lid on it for 30 years. It's 30 years now...What I'm doing is sending a telegram to Andy: it's time to come in from the cold."
(Telegram?! I'm dying)
The same article quotes Andy's brother, Michael, who wonders why people continue such "conspiracy theories" about his sibling. "They might be attention-hungry, or more likely in need of money. Who knows?"
We know. In Andy's day, we (the audience) were sometimes the last to know, but we all know now. We've known for a while. And we're being told the same joke once again.
