Talk:Andy Kaufman/Archive 1

Archive 1

Andy Kaufman: Dead or Alive?

I have to leave for the weekend, therefore since I can't follow this up, please feel free to act as you feel appropriate:

Andy Kaufman died on May 16, 1984. He said that if he were to fake his own death, he'd re-emerge 20 years later (more info in the link). Maybe this can be featured as a brief event notice somewhere on the 'pedia. Some might want to know about it in advance, even if only to remember the character. I didn't know where to put this information, and whether it's appropriate, so here it is, in case anyone cares. --Gutza 13:14, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

One can only hope. Anyway, I mentioned it in the article. Alcarillo 15:37, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Today I read a press release that Kaufman is alive, and May 16 was only a couple days ago. So either the death was a hoax or this "revival" is...which is which? (EDIT: The late Andy Kaufman is, alas, still late. Oh, well.)

--Furrykef 01:07, 20 May 2004 (UTC)

It's a hoax - see the link to Snopes at the bottom of the article. --bodnotbod 00:51, May 21, 2004 (UTC)

I found that (I'm a regular reader of snopes) -- hence my edit to my post. :) --Furrykef 02:05, 21 May 2004 (UTC)

Oops. Sorry. I've just added Snopes What's New to my "Watch That Page" list (non Wikipedia watching device). --bodnotbod 21:31, May 21, 2004 (UTC)

How do we stand if we want to publish a photo of Andy Kaufman? Obviously, we cannot take one and Gnu FDL it as he's gone - are there any photots which may be in the public domain which we could obtain?

Our options are:

1. Get a current photo owner to release one under the GFDL
2. Wait until one enters the public domain (creator's life plus 75 yrs)
3. Try and justify one under fair use. This is problematic at best; talk to User:Jamesday or raise a question on Wikipedia:Help desk and Wikipedia:Village pump.

Good luck, [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 06:52, 26 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Thanks - Andy died some time ago now and it may be difficult to even find the creator of these images. Kabads 07:10, 26 Jun 2004 (UTC)

I changed the following passage on his death:

Kaufman apparently died on May 16, 1984 of lung cancer and was allegedly interred in the Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, New York (Long Island).

To this:

Kaufman died on May 16, 1984 of lung cancer and was interred in the Beth David Cemetery, Elmont, New York (Long Island).

It doesn't really seem to be fitting og an encyclopedic article to be so ambiguous about the confirmed death of a modern celebrity. Peter Isotalo 17:55, May 7, 2005 (UTC)

A lot of people really believe he faked his death, and for NPOV the ambiguity has to exist. Andre (talk) 19:20, May 7, 2005 (UTC)

You can't cast doubts over easily verifiable facts like the death of a person by adding such obvious POV-wording. Either he's dead and buried or someone better present some very credible evidence that he isn't. There is no middle ground here. This kind of wording isn't even used in the article on Elvis, even though the amount of crackpot conspiracy theorists focusing on the second coming of the King must outnumber the "Andy Kaufman lives"-fanclub by at least 1000:1.

Peter Isotalo 15:25, May 8, 2005 (UTC)

Well, then the Elvis article needs work, not the Andy Kaufman article. I myself am not a crackpot conspiracy theorist, but a number of people believe that Kaufman faked his death, and this view should have equality. That's the nature of NPOV. Maybe the way we currently have it is too strong, but I think the way you had it changed to was too weak. Andre (talk) 02:28, May 9, 2005 (UTC)

Let's just dig him up from his grave and check! :P

Additional sources?

Most of the information in this article reads like an abridgement of the biographical movie Man on the Moon. Surely there were other aspects of Kaufman's life detailed in other sources? There are, for example, several books, including one written by his friend Bob Zmuda. I hope that this article is expanded; it could even become an interesting featured article. --LostLeviathan 23:55, 2 September 2005 (UTC)

My Breakfast With Blasse

The entry omits Andy's funniest short film My Breakfast With Blasse. Hard to find, but so freakin funny. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.120.170.197 (talk • contribs) .

• It's mentioned in the article, near the bottom. -- MisterHand 16:09, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Quotes

I am disgusted that there is no Andy Kaufman Wikiquote page...

So create one, whoever you are. Tvoz 02:40, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Jim Carrey

The Jim Carey claims seem to be based on a forum posting at imdb[1] Does such a wild theory, based on a internet forum posting really deserve such a large mention on wikipedia? I think not. --Windsok 23:38, 2 July 2006 (UTC)

It's Jim Carrey. C-A-R-R-E-Y. Moncrief 02:14, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Direct contradiction in first two paragraphs

Paragraph 1: He graduated from Grahm College.

Paragraph 2: He dropped out of Grahm College after one year.

WHICH IS IT?? You don't graduate from a college unless you earn a degree from it. This is a sad article for a subject so notable. Moncrief 02:10, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

You know what? All you had to do is Google it - I did, and 2 seconds later discovered that Grahm was a 2-yr college which he did graduate from in 1971. So I fixed it. The article needed work, true, but you could have improved it by finding the information and correcting it rather than just criticizing. Just saying. Tvoz 02:38, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Peer review

This article is in DIRE need of peer review. Moncrief 02:14, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

Elvis impersonation

This article fails to mention what he did after his Elvis impression had convincing the audience that they had been tricked. He would end the act by approching the mic with "Foreign Man" mannerisums and say, "Thenk you veddy much", leaving the audience doubting they had actually been tricked. --Zerothis 19:37, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Laurie Anderson

I took out this reference to her spoken word:

Possibly romantically linked with him as well (implied by the spoken word recording Ugly One With the Jewels in which she talks about him).

As a fan of both performers, I was surprised not to have noticed this earlier. Except that it's not in the song mentioned: [link to copyvio website removed] Brodo 18:07, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

That's not referring to a song but actually the album with that title, which contains songs such as The Rotowhirl that mention him. I don't see anything about romance, though. Andre (talk) 22:32, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

The Great Gatsby

I think he usually read the entire book to the audience, not just "extensive passages." It is a fairly short book. I am looking for a source on this. 67.185.99.246 09:54, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

I believe you're right - that was the point. (At least that's what the Carrey movie depicted.) Tvoz 10:11, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

Foreign Man = Latka?

User 216.55.199.122 posted a claim that the text regarding Latka being a reprise of Foreign Man was wrong, and that Kaufman "maintained" that they were separate characters. No supporting citation is given - nor did I find any. Just stating it doesn't make it so. If you have a source, please share it. Tvoz 22:21, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

And then same anonymous poster says it again, still without source. So I found the references - Latka was indeed a reprise of a version of Foreign Man, as our text said. I'm reverting again and posting the citations now. Tvoz 19:24, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

"Andy Kaufman returns" hoaxes

The sections about the various andy-is-alive hoaxes were, in my opinion, way too long and full of hard-to-follow, repetitive, minute detail - far more than is needed to make the point. So I significantly cut that part down into one small section. If others disagree, I hope rather than just reverting you'll edit the old sections to make them more comprehensible, less repetitive, and in appropriate proportion to the rest of the article. I don't think we need more than we now have, but others might not agree. If so, good luck with that - I found it nearly impossible to work with the info dump Tvoz 02:50, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Andy's Funhouse

Merged this into main article. Tvoz 22:23, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Pronunciation

Was he "Korfman" or "Kowfman"? Both are heard in Man on the Moon. Lfh 11:22, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

Performance art citation?

User:WoodenTaco - not sure what citation is being requested - that he engaged in performance art? that he didn't self-identify as a comedian? please clarify what you're looking for. Tvoz | talk 06:36, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Response from User:WoodenTaco follows - if any editors find citation, please add. Tvoz | talk 18:05, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

I was asking for a cite that Kaufman didn't self-identify as a comedian. From what I understood, that wasn't particularly true. While some called him a performance artist, he certainly didn't take that title, and I would be surprised if he didn't prefer comedian. User:WoodenTaco 16:02, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Photo

Maybe there should be a change of photo to a non Latka one? Although Andy is best known as Latka it might good to find one of Andy as Andy?Djarra 20:12, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Lol. Even when Andy was Andy he may or may not have been Andy.... —  MusicMaker 08:35, 16 June 2007 (UTC)

Belt

Was there ever an intergender belt that Kaufman held? Tim Long 22:55, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

no. just the title —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.188.226.50 (talk) 02:13, August 27, 2007 (UTC)

The Sando (talk) 05:12, 18 November 2007 (UTC)Yes there was, Andy had one made which he wore to Letterman and to various wrestling events, it was made of Solid plastic though. It's mentioned in Life in the Fun House... Actually alot of the stuff with citation needed is mentioned in that biography.

Social Security Death Index (absence in)

The article says that there is no entry for Kaufman in the Social Security Death index. It also says that a citation is needed. Does it really need a citation? I think that should be removed. Imagine if there was only one phone book for the entire world. If I said, "Joe Smith's phone number is 555 555 5555" in an article, would you say that it required a citation? Probably not, because the authoritative resource for checking that fact is well-known. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Pqrstuv (talk • contribs) 05:21, 22 March 2007 (UTC).

Sadly some people are useing the Citation needed thing everywhere. Take it off it isn't needed there. Some bios even have it next to the person's name. It's a form of vandalism that is ruining Wiki.Djarra 07:50, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

As a regular contributor to Find-a-Grave (http://www.findagrave.com), I have found that the California Death Index is usually more useful than the SSDI for deaths occurring in California. I added a citation to the CDI.

Dick Van Dyke Variety Show

Why is there no mention of Kaufman on the Dick Van Dyke variety show (circa 75-76)? My earliest memory of him was when he 'lost' an Elvis look-alike contest on the show to an African-American gentleman with a large Afro-haircut. If I remember correctly (30 years later) Dick told the seemingly-dejected Kaufman to "come back anytime" which was the supposed excuse for Kaufman to pop up from time-to-time in the following weeks. He primarily played the Foreign Man during these skits. I have read that these were Kaufman's first prime-time appearances. Dick must have been somewhat connected to the SNL crowd back then because I think Chevy Chase's first primetime appearance was on his show too. --Drunken Corgi Master, 9/4/07 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Drunkencorgimaster (talk • contribs) 14:05, 6 September 2007 (UTC)

Film appearances as self

I removed the implication that Andy Kaufman appeared in Man On The Moon as himself. This is highly improbable, considering he passed away nearly 15 years before the movie was made. As well, there is no mention of him portraying himself on the movie's page, so I removed it. Stop with the conspiracy theories, people... SkittlzAnKomboz (talk) 05:34, 30 December 2007 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Andy Kaufman/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

somewhat comprehensive article into the life of Andy Kaufman, although lacking a little in citations/references in the latter part of the article, an article on his impact on popular culture/legacy, influences, and last part is somewhat NPOV.— Preceding unsigned comment added by Berserkerz Crit (talk • contribs) 01:36, 9 January 2007‎

Last edited at 21:31, 21 April 2013 (UTC). Substituted at 14:13, 1 May 2016 (UTC)

Inter-gender wrestling section

This section contains absolutely no sources and complete speculation. I plan on deleting it entirely if no sources are provided within one week. Stanley011 17:45, 27 August 2006 (UTC).

I just saw Man On The Moon, and it appears to me that many of the anecdotes from Kaufman's life, are actually taken from the film (F Scot Fitzgerald, Clifton in Taxi), but no-on knows how far the film was true to its subject. --145.99.202.92

I don't see any point in deleting the section altogether. What exactly is mere speculation in your opinion? You never know the complete truth when it comes to Andy, but from what is known today, the section is accurate. I have added an article from "the Other Arena" and a Memphis newspaper in which Lawler is interviewed about the whole story to the link section.88.217.35.137 08:22, 31 August 2006 (UTC)

Jerry Lawlers book was cited. In an interview on Dave Meltzers radio show Lawler admitted the whole thing, including the Letterman incident, were scripted. Naturally, all of the actual wrestling appearances were worked. DJTodd 20 September 2006.

This entire bio has been sanitized. No hint of the rage that often erupted over his performance art. It's not clearly expressed that when Andy died he had alienated so many people, his death was widely treated with indifference or as another hoax. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.228.241.221 (talk) 10:51, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

DNA testing

The resurface of 'Kaufman' and his subsequent DNA testing under his prior solicitor and all that crap that went down with the media where he rocked up, was like "LOL, HAI!", took a DNA test, said he didn't want to be contacted any further and vanished again doesn't have a mention in this article .. why? Even if it wasn't him, it was the most notable 'return from the dead' saga since Christ. With more evidence too, if there was a DNA test done, as signed under statutory declaration by his lawyers and the testers, and distributed around the media? Can anyone fill in the blanks? Jachin (talk) 01:31, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Personal life

Shouldn't there be some information this page about his personal life? Wife (was he married), kids (I saw a grandchild mentioned somewhere online), other family, friends? Agerard (talk) 06:47, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

There should be such information on the article. He never married; he had one child, who was put up for adoption. He had a brother and a sister. He predeceased both parents; mother is now dead, father is alive. Nietzsche 2 (talk) 01:04, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

"...traced her biological roots by winning a petition of the state of New York..." This wording sounds very strange to me. Could we say "...traced her biological roots after petitioning the state of New York..."? Lisapaloma (talk) 15:06, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Regaring Reference 14, this is incorrect. I grew up with Andy, and we went to the same high school (Great Neck North), where we attended many of the same classes and dated in our junior year. First off, serious correction to the citation. Olatunje did NOT come to our high school but was playing at the World's Fair in Flushing Meadow when we were high school juniors. For those who do not know, Olatunje played a range of drums from a small conga (NOT bongo, as in the article) drum to an enormous one over 6 feet high. Andy was anxious to see him perform so we went together. We arrived in the late morning and attended ALL of Olatunje's performances until the Fair closed for the day, perhaps around 11 p.m. Throughout every one of Olatunje's performances, Andy would jump up and down in time with Olatunje's jumping up and down to reach his largest conga drum. Somewhere in the early evening, after I don't know how many performances, Olatunje finally invited Andy up to play the drums with him. Andy was thrilled, of course. Arriving at the L.I.R.R. station we discovered we'd missed the last train back to Great Neck. We hung around the station platform until the first train arrived early the following morning - around 5. The biggest joke was my mother, who had waited up for me and was furious. I was only 16 and had an 11 p.m. curfew. "WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUT SO LATE?!" "I was at the Fair with Andy, Mom. We missed the last train back and had to wait until the first one arrived. Then I had to walk back from the station." "DO YOU KNOW WHAT KIND OF THINGS I'VE BEEN WORRYING ABOUT?!" "Mom," I said, "with ANDY????" His "innocent little boy" image was already a predominant persona that everyone was aware of.--Annaclewis (talk) 03:04, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

I don't see any reference or citation in the Wikipedia entry about Andy's reading of The Great Gatsby, which is also depicted by Jim Carrey in The Man in the Moon. The joke behind the scene is that the book was required reading at our high school, and the Kings Point area of Great Neck is the accepted location of Gatsby's house (West Egg). Everything Fitzgerald describes and criticizes was true of Great Neck during our time as well, and our hippie generation therefore felt strongly supported and encouraged by the book. The teacher who was most popular among us and who taught the book, whom Andy refers to in the film, was Henry Reznick, perhaps Andy's earliest adult admirer, who appreciated his humor when all the rest of us just thought he was cute but nuts.--Annaclewis (talk) 03:04, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

Obviously these are direct personal recollections so I cannot cite any other source, but if you ask anyone who went to high school with Andy, they'll confirm the truth of them. I mention them because there is a lot of talk about just how 'meshuga" Andy genuinely was. Personally, though I knew him and was his confidante for over a year, I could never figure it out. --Annaclewis (talk) 03:04, 27 October 2016 (UTC)

Krist Novoselic:Trivia

"Strangely, Kaufman and Krist Novoselic in many pictures, look almost indentical. " -- This is trivia at best and certainly doesn't need to be in the lead. -- 201.17.36.246 (talk) 22:05, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

2008 return?

Should we put up the rumours about Kaufman's alleged apparent return? Some people have been receiving Andy Kaufman figures with an e-mail address. Others have been visiting AndyKaufmanLives.com. There's a YouTube documentary coming up soon about Kaufman's return. A few other notable occurrences have happened, and the whole thing was covered on a Current TV news pod not so long ago. It seems to smell of hoax, but it's a rather elaborate one if you ask me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.209.160.196 (talk) 03:36, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

Lookalike ?

This guru looks a _lot_ like Andy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqtF4MWmkDA — Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.71.91.40 (talk) 22:32, 16 September 2011 (UTC)

Andy's Funhouse availability

Has Andy's TV special ever been released on DVD? Shown again? Are there any known copies, or anything? I can't find anywhere on the 'net. @_@ The entire show is up on YouTube, but I was wondering if it was ever officially released to the public, beyond its initial airing? -98.228.122.251 (talk) 17:42, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

How did he contract lung cancer?

To have lung cancer that young is rare - what caused it? Nietzsche 2 (talk) 01:13, 19 January 2009 (UTC)

It's quite likely that no specific cause can be found. Cancer occurs randomly. It's not like a contagious disease that's invariably caused by a specific infection. Young people get lung cancer less often than old people, and non-smokers get it less often than smokers, but the risk isn't zero for anybody. In two words, "shit happens." 216.59.242.26 (talk) 04:45, 14 March 2010 (UTC)

Watching a documentary, "The death of Andy Kaufman", they were interviewing Kaufman's brother who stated that Andy did smoke in high school. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:306:BD07:A60:ACD7:E233:FABF:1EE8 (talk) 18:45, 25 May 2014 (UTC)

Claims of resurfacing

The Claims of resurfacing section is tagged with an original research template. Does that mean everything in that section is completely made up or is there some truth to it, but it needs citations? By the way, this talk page is getting to be really long. --Crackthewhip775 (talk) 02:04, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Man on the Moon

Perhaps the movie "Man on the Moon" should be mentioned earlier in the article and also clearly state something along the lines of "Man on the Moon (1999) is a biopic of the American entertainer Andy Kaufman." Currently the article seems to assume this is common knowledge. Kwinky (talk) 14:29, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

I agree, I find it very strange that Man in the Moon is not more prominent, it is almost mentioned as an afterthought. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.57.239.228 (talk) 21:53, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Posting andykaufmanlives.com promotional material

Please don't continue to try to use the Andy Kaufman article as a promotional platform for your website andykaufmanlives.com. This is the same website that attempted to do this late last October in this article, touting that Kaufman had "re-emerged" and was holding a press conference near Rutgers. See October 28, 2008 in the articles history for instance. Wikipedia should not be used to drive traffic to a website for promotional purposes. thanks Deconstructhis (talk) 19:25, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

Elvis' tapes

The article says:

When Kaufman visited Graceland after Presley's death, it was discovered that in the singer's home were several VHS tapes of Kaufman.

This smells very fishy. Elvis died in August 16, 1977, just a month after the VHS was introduced in the USA. One month to record several tapes of Kaufman? Not likely. Maybe Kaufman was mistaken, and Elvis actually used some older format like Betamax or U-matic. Or maybe the information is just bogus; it's troubling that the provided source [2] does not mention those tapes. -- Stormwatch (talk) 03:15, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Jim Carrey

Please remove Jim Carrey's filmography from the bottom of A.K.'s page. 64.168.91.156 (talk) 23:03, 28 September 2009 (UTC)

SSDI

Andy Kaufman appears not to be listed in the Social Security Death Index. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.86.92.198 (talk) 17:15, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

Category: TM practitioner

I just added this category to the article. I am surprised that this aspect of Andy's life is not already in the article. Shall we add something? Here are some sources. I can find more if you need them. [3] [4] [5] [6]

• From the BBC link: "In college, Andy discovered a movement called 'transcendental meditation'. He used it to build confidence and take his act to comedy clubs. For the rest of his life, he practiced this, meditating and doing yoga three hours a day. He was a very important figure in it, starting in the sixties when it first came to America"

-- — Kbob • Talk • 21:45, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

10 years vs 20 years claim

A quick reminder to the editor editing from 70.53.147.88, please keep in mind that Wiki's policies indicate that we should extend "good faith" in our dealings with others here in the encyclopedia. I was already aware of the distinction between "diagnosis" and "prognosis" conceptually; to tell you the truth, the reason I reverted it in my copy edit was because in my opinion, it rang as a little attenuated in the context it's found in; to each their own. To me it reflects a difference of writing/editing styles between the two of us more than anything else and I don't have any problem with it remaining. However, I believe the "10 years vs 20 years" point is somewhat different. Before it was initially changed (and I changed it back) the article claimed "Kaufman himself even said that if he were to fake his death, he would return 10 years later", which was then altered to read "...20 years later", but was changed without providing a reference to support the alteration. It's important to remember that when changing specific figures in an article, especially those figures that have stood for quite awhile; that a specific supporting citation should be included with the change. Otherwise other editors are left in a quandary about whether or not the new figure is simply made up, this is especially true when the edits are made through anonymous IPs, not totally fair perhaps, but certainly a common practice. In this instance, there actually are references which point toward the 10 year figure rather than 20. Here's one for instance, from a New York Times source [7]. (I intend to add that one to the article) That doesn't necessarily mean that's the final word on the subject, but it is a reliable source in support of the 10 year figure. I've also encountered sources online that do point to a 20 year figure, as a reflection of Andy purportedly changing his mind from his initial 10 year estimate of the required time frame necessary for the hypothetical "project" upward, but to tell you the truth, I'm kind of dubious about their reliability. What figure does Zmuda's own 2001 book cite? If you have a copy of it, the citation would make a useful addition as reference for the higher number. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 05:47, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Kaufman Cabs

In the Grand Theft Auto video game series, there is a cab company that goes by the name Kaufman Cabs. Could this be a reference to Kaufman and his work on the show Taxi?Cathys Son (talk) 22:54, 29 June 2010 (UTC)

I suppose it's possible; but "Kaufman" is also a fairly common name in some parts of the country. Regardless; before it could be added to the article, a reliable source would have to be provided that indicates the name being used in the game is referring specifically to Andy Kaufman. cheers Deconstructhis (talk) 01:01, 30 June 2010 (UTC)

Relationship with Lynne Margulies

Just finished watching Man in the Moon, where his relationship with Lynne Margulies is a major part. However there is no mention of any romantic relationships in this article or on his imdb page, was the relationship invented or exaggerated for the movie? If it's true, why isn't it mentioned? How they met is an interesting story. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.10.160.17 (talk) 04:47, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

Occupation?

"While often referred to as a comedian, Kaufman did not consider himself one"

Since this is the case, is it accurate to list as his occupation, "Actor/Comedian" ?

I'm not sure that I have any better suggestions. Maybe "Actor/Performance Artist" ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.105.241.199 (talk) 20:13, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

He should be listed as Master Prankster Nomotopo (talk) 17:03, 15 April 2011 (UTC)

Trivia

How does a biopic about Kaufman qualify as trivia? When it comes to popular culture, the usual standard I've seen is that mere mentions are trivial, but that songs, books, etc that are about the subject are non-trivial.   Will Beback  talk  01:52, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

• Biopic isn't trivial. The rest are just one-off mentions and are unsourced. Kill them or find a source. Ten Pound Hammer, his otters and a clue-bat • ^{(Otters want attention)} 02:01, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

You're looking for a source that says a song titled "Andy Kaufman" is about Andy Kaufman?   Will Beback  talk  02:12, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

I'm looking for a reason to include every song that mentions him in some way. Is the song individually relevant? No. Including songs about him is WP:IINFO unless the song somehow had an impact on him; otherwise it's just a big ol' list of trivia that clogs up the article. Ten Pound Hammer, his otters and a clue-bat • ^{(Otters want attention)} 02:45, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

I don't understand. The subject is dead. Nothing has an impact on him anymore. Are you saying that only popular media concerning him that was released before his death and had a measurable impact on his life are acceptable? I agree that we should set the bar high, but that seems excessive.   Will Beback  talk  07:45, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

No, I'm saying that just because someone makes a song about him doesn't mean he's notable. There are probably dozens of songs about a certain figure, but we don't need to list every freaking one of them. Ten Pound Hammer, his otters and a clue-bat • ^{(Otters want attention)} 19:31, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Agree with you on this, Ten. No need to mention "every freaking one". --BwB (talk) 20:10, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

A song written about the subject may not be the reason for his notability, but it is an element of it. We should not include songs that only mention the subject in passing, but we should include those that are about him, just as we'd include books or films about him.   Will Beback  talk  21:31, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

Reasonable suggestion, Will. --BwB (talk) 09:58, 21 November 2010 (UTC)

I disagree. Every freking song that is about him recorded by some label and produced and distributed should be listed. -magermagician — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.42.51.27 (talk) 21:11, 22 May 2013 (UTC)

WP:EL section clean-up

Per Kouvf's tag, we need to clean up the EL section to comply with WP:EL policy. While we discuss what links to include in the article, I am parking the current links here. --BwB (talk) 14:09, 30 November 2010 (UTC)

Which of these are non-compliant, and why?   Will Beback  talk  00:41, 1 December 2010 (UTC)

Current EL list

• Goofing On Elvis: The Short and Extraordinary Life of Andy Kaufman
• Snopes' report on his 'return'
• Transcript: Andy Kaufman and Jerry Lawler on Letterman, 1982
• Andy Kaufman at IMDb
• The Kaufman Chronicles
• Kathie loves Andy (fictional account inspired by the Andy Kaufman-Kathie Sullivan romance hoax)
• The Memphis Flyer: "We were Friends" by Jackson Baker, 1999
• Find a Grave: Andy Kaufman
• Fridays Incident Video
• WGA story on Andy Kaufman's Last Performance
• Andy Kaufman on the Dating Game Show
• Foreign Man: cannonball story accessed 30 October 2010

Penas?

Under "Appearences" it says "Although Kaufman made a name for himself as a penas alongside the Not Ready For Primetime Players..." (my emboldenment). What should this actually say?Moletrouser (talk) 06:18, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

Early life - meaningless qualifier?Pirate hamster (talk) 16:04, 17 March 2011 (UTC)

"(his mother was quite Jewish)"

What does this actually mean, given that it comes directly after the statement that his family was Jewish. If it is a quote of some kind what is its point and why isn't it attributed?

Topics to Add: Criticism and "Kaufmanesque" Humor

I'm posting this as the start of a discussion on how to add a criticism section. I'd like to hammer out the basics of the section without any needless edit warring or disputes. Kaufman was and remains a contentious figure, and was widely disliked by large numbers of people, including members of the entertainment industry and members of the public/general viewing population. As it currently stands, I think this article has some POV issues, because it mentions the various hoaxes, pranks, tantrums, etc. that defined Kaufman's career without really discussing much of the backlash. The SNL vote is, I think, a good indication that at the very least the public was quite split on him, and it seems reasonable to suggest that we expand the negative reactions and criticisms into a proper section.

Also, I think the popularity of the term "kaufmanesque" to describe comedy or performance in general deserves mention. Many writers, columnists, and so forth have couched the qualities/characteristics of more recent comedic trends (millennium onward) in the context of Andy Kaufman's persona and style. Many independent films and series have been called "kaufmanesque" by reviewers, and the word pops up in relation to Adult Swim shows all the time. There are plenty of refs for those with the time to seek them out.

98.217.75.153 (talk) 04:35, 31 July 2011 (UTC)

Is h2g2 a Reliable Source?

We have text about Kaufman and TM referenced as a BBC article on the h2g2.com web site. Is this a Reliable Source? --BwB (talk) 18:54, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

I would say no. The disclaimer on the bottom of the web page indicates it's about as reliable as Wikipedia, which cannot use itself as a source, or IMDB. User-generated content with little to no editorial oversight. Doc talk 18:59, 31 March 2012 (UTC)

Smoking?

It is said Kaufman was a non-smoker. But it doesn't figure when you look at his appearances. For example as Tony Clifton he allways had a cigarette. And if you look at his acts, he looked familiar and convincing smoking cigarettes. A convinced non-smokers would be disgusted and not inhale. Ok, maybe he was "into character", but a real non-smoker wouldn't take a pull on a cigarette. So he smoked (at least) on stage. If you have a predisposition, a couple of cigarettes could be already enough to get lung cancer. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.4.83.60 (talk) 05:48, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

A more interesting bit of original research: what if he got lung cancer from secondhand smoking? He played in lots of clubs where people smoked freely for years. This theoretical possibility, along with the above from the IP editor, is original research. Reliable sources state he was a non-smoker, and people who don't smoke can also develop lung cancer. I'm getting the feeling we've discussed this before, but I will have to check. Doc talk 07:07, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

He smoked herbal cigarettes as Clifton and other characters, it's shown in the film and other places. This was actually quite common practice in TV at the time Andy was around as the thicker white smoke actually shows up better on the colour film stock used before video. As for the other thing about him performing in smoky clubs, it probably was a factor and their have been other comics and musicians who have stated that as the case. Andy never did and there was no medical investigation into the cause. 86.4.142.102 (talk) 14:02, 26 July 2013 (UTC)

If it's relevant that Andy's dad was a jewelry salesman, it's certainly relevant that he had three Purple Hearts.

I'm not understanding why you keep deleting that. And I would appreciate it if my citations of page numbers from Lost In The Funhouse are not reverted.Thebluenun (talk) 20:47, 29 August 2016 (UTC)

Parents' professions are routinely given, since it's a different environment if your father was a retailer, a construction worker, a comedian himself or (see Nick Kroll) the head of a multinational corporation. What their fathers did during the war, or during college, or after they divorced mom and remarried is tangential trivia. --Tenebrae (talk) 22:30, 29 August 2016 (UTC)