Lost in the Funhouse_ The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman - Bill Zehme [18]
entertaining the kids—great performance,
his ego is up—after he leaves then,
he meets future self (star) & is inspired …
He was very inspired, of course. But he had to wait wait wait after that first party and better prepare himself for the next one. He knew this was going to be his racket: the birthday parties. He would be a kid entertainer, making amusement amid cake and candles and ice cream and cookies. (Oh!) Grandpa Paul always created big hambone spectacles at his grandchildren’s parties—he would bring new cartoons for the projector and do old magic tricks and tease the kids and make everyone laugh. What Grandpa Paul did, he could do, too. He just needed a little more practice. Carol watched him practice until he was ready.
April 4-9, 1980 (past midnight), Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa:
Seven months into the novel now, actually writing, finally writing, whenever he could; Huey Williams was him, most certainly; he had been departing from his outline notes, taking more and more unplanned flights directly into barely veiled autobiography. To wit: Little Huey was very very shy, played alone behind schoolyard in woods with imaginary friends (some had names—there was Harry, the nicest guy in the world. Whenever you have a problem, you can just tell him and he’ll listen and try to help you no matter how busy he is; Eddie, who was very mean, so if you’re in a bad mood, you can always pick a fight with him, and if you want, you can always win; and Marcia, the most beautiful girl in the world and she loves you more than anyone has ever loved anyone and ever will love anyone.) There was also a sweet Mommy who called Huey her Pussycat; the Daddy had an irrational temper, screamed often; there was a little brother (Waldo) and baby sister (Kate); and there was a Grandpa who was both Cyril Bernstein (profound love connection with grandson) and Paul Kaufman (wonderful fat irrepressible performer). Now—here in this quiet quiet timeless place where he liked to come and stay and learn and settle himself—he would write about Grandpa’s performances at children’s parties and how he taught Huey to follow suit. Grandpa showed cartoons, of course, and did a strange song and dance involving noodles and wore fangs as he did so. He also had a wind-up phonograph, a Victrola, on which he played funny old-fashioned records, next to which he stood in place, bobbing his roly-poly body up and down, pointing his finger in the air and wriggling it to and fro in rhythm with the music. In the middle of the song, the record had a scratch … and a phrase kept repeating several times as he just kept bobbing and wriggling his finger, until he smiled to attract the attention to his face … He followed with magic tricks which he intentionally messed up which made the children laugh because his face was creased with utter dismay which he put on for their benefit. Also he produced a large peculiar musical instrument called the Wamagadoon and he started banging it in such a silly, untalented way, but with such technique that it fascinated the kids and had them totally entertained. Later, very movingly, in a private moment, he revealed to Huey all his tricks and secrets … how to keep up the people’s attention and fascinate them. He showed him the “art” of playing the Victrola so that