Lost in the Funhouse_ The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman - Bill Zehme [186]
Shapiro/West & Associates: Howard West, Aimee Hyatt
The Transcribers: Eugene Corey of Brave New Words, Cindy Price of Purposeful Journey, Amy Goldstein, Marcia Smith, and Genelle Izumi, who began it all.
This book would not exist without the herculean fortitude and journalistic virtuosity of Mike Thomas, ace among copilots, who performed scores upon scores of key interrogations, chased the unchasable, ordered the morass, held the fort, sent for reinforcements, felt the pain and kept his wits about me. (He presently seeks professional counseling.) Chris Calhoun, of Sterling Lord Literistic, came into my life with the birth of this project six years ago; he believed first and has never stopped crashing surf for which I am grateful. At Delacorte, Jacob Hoye—my trusted partner in funhousing—has edited with wisdom and devotion, sustained shrapnel wounds, and made me think very extremely fast; Leslie Schnur took the leap that made the difference. Also Irwyn Applebaum and Nita Taublib were most patient in the face of delay. Richard Sakai of Gracie Films—who was a youth on the set of Taxi and who shared his stories first—gave me the idea that Andy belonged in my life; I think I thank him very much. David Hirshey, the Sleuthing Jew (as he wishes to be known), cased Kaufman and Clifton as others might have only dreamed/feared for Rolling Stone, then insisted that I take over the job; I think I thank him, too. Webmaster Brian Momchilov—whose Andy Kaufman Home Page, Goofin’ On Elvis, (http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com) keeps the torch aflame with uncompromised integrity—is owed a special thank-you for his support and assistance. Ditto Mark Warren at Esquire. For their goodwill or enthusiasm or concern or all of the above: David Granger, Mike Sager, Steve Randall, John Rezek, David Rensin, Sandy Holzbach, Melissa Hellstern, Richard Hull, Donna Tadelman, Bill Tonelli, Michael Angeli, Paige Smoron, Richard Raymond, Judd Klinger, Jim Agnew, John Davies, Ilene Rosenzweig, Chris Pallotto and Hugh M. Hefner.
Moreover, I cannot begin to express my love and appreciation for my family, who helped me survive the straits and perils of this journey. And Carrie Lynn Secrist, who bolsters my heart and teaches me life, I thank you for waiting in the tunnel of love.
SPECIAL NOTE: Three volumes of Andy’s own writings—The Huey Williams Story, God and Other Plays, and Poetry and Stories—are now available for ordering at http://AndyKaufmanPrint.com or, for further information, contact Zilch Publishing, 1465 Route 23, Suite 101, Wayne, NJ 07470.
A note about source material: In addition to the two hundred-plus interview subjects who recreated their colorful memories of Andy Kaufman for this project, it should be stated that virtually every one of his television appearances described in this book and countless personal audiotapes of concert performances were meticulously transcribed to serve the author. Furthermore, hundreds of print reviews—scores upon scores of which are cited in the text—were also plumbed for content. (Frankly, there are simply too many to list here.) Besides having access to thousands of magical pages that contained Andy’s private writings (which opened secret portals into his unique sensibility and fully inspired the intimate prose style of this work), the author found essential pieces of the subject’s own musings and recollections captured in the print reporting of the following brave souls:
Allen Steve. Funny People: Chapter: “Andy Kaufman.” Stein & Day: 1981.
Blumenthal, John. “We Wuz Robbed!: In One Corner a Playmate, In the Other, the Intergender Wrestling Champion of the World.” Playboy: February 1982.
Bonko, Larry. “Unfunny Funny Guy—That’s Kaufman.” Ledger-Star: March 7, 1979.
Boosler, Elayne. “Andy: A Farewell to Andy Kaufman—By One Who Shared the Ride.” Esquire: November 1984.
Carter, Betsy. “Hide-’n’-Seek in Andy Kaufman’s Fun House.” Washington Post: July 1, 1979.
Christgau, Robert. “Andy Kaufman’s Miracle Show.” Village Voice: May 14, 1979.
Clifton, Tony (no really). “Laughter from