Andy Kaufman Returns After 20 Years (WTF?!?!?!)

PRWeb via Yahoo ^ | 5.19.2004

[NYC GOP Chick]

Andy Kaufman Returns After 20 Years

Wed May 19, 9:00 AM ET

New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years."

Andy Kaufman's official site has been launched at:
http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com/

Even though he has technically returned, Andy says that he plans to maintain his low key lifestyle that he has led for the past twenty years. He has resumed contact with friends and family. Fearing the possibility of this scenario and the potential for another hoax, Kaufman's family has contracted with independent auditors Ernst & Young to determine if this in fact the real Andy Kaufman. He has subjected himself to medical examination and submitted DNA, hair, blood and fingerprint samples to the auditors. Ernst & Young and the Kaufman family report that with a 99% probability, this is indeed the real Andy Kaufman. His mother says, "It's good to have Andy back."

In 1999, a new crop of Kaufman fans were born after Jim Carrey starred in the hit film Man on the Moon. "Andy's bizarre mix of comedy and performance art will inspire fans and comedians alike for generations, especially after this stunt," says Jim Carrey.

Andy says he will make only occasional public appearances, sometimes in disguise so that you won?t know if it?s really him or someone else. Kaufman was famous for pulling this stunt with the Tony Clifton character, sometimes played by good friend Bob Zmuda.

Andy says fans should tune into his website for ongoing updates to his adventures in life. As always, Andy's stage has been the world, testing the boundaries of our beliefs, our sources of information, and our perception of reality. "It's good to be back," Andy writes on his website.

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Andy Kaufman
E-mail Information

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[Redcoat LI]

This is supposedly him in a recent photo at the Moonlight Bunnyranch.

I posted this picture in the interest of finding the truth of this matter.

[FreeReign]

Wouldn't it have been weird if he faked his death, planning to return in 20 years and then died some quiet, anonymous death in the meantime?

Yes, that would be weird.

And what if the anonymous death in-the-meantime also turned out to be a hoax and nobody knew about it.

Everybody would still think his first death was his only death, yet he would have died twice -- both times being a hoax.

Andy Kaufman was...ah, is... funny.

[Klaus D. Deore]

I'll tell you what's freaky about it: how totally and completely un-funny I found him.

I agree... He was pretty lame, compared to his contemporaries (Carlin, Pryor, and Kinison)

[Destro]

Man if Andy and Elvis were both alive what a great thing though, eh? Imagine the concert?

[bannie]

After his initial couple of shows on "Taxi," he only got two "rises" out of me: One, to arise to change the channel. The other, the "rise" of the contents of my stomach if I didn't get up in time to change the channel.

After the novelty of him (quickly) wore off, there just wasn't anything.

(I don't believe this website--Just someone cashing in.)

[lavrenti]

Whoever it was did a fine job. Probably someone who knew the M.O. pretty well.

[cincinnati65]

Is it a hoax???? You betcha. And I don't even think it's Zmuda. What was the big tipoff? In his pictures at the Bunny Ranch, he refered to Tony Clifton as a "character". Tony was NEVER a character; he was a completely separate person in Andy's world. Zmuda knew that.

[flashbunny]

Well, I can tell you that there are alot of fake things in that photo...

[NYC GOP Chick]

What does it mean?

[bannie]

I know you didn't just have that in your back pocket!

[NYC GOP Chick]

Definitely someone who studied his work!

[lavrenti]

That's correct. But Zmuda wasn't the only Tony Clifton.

[Redcoat LI]

What could you possibly be referring to?

[pepperdog]

Who is/was/is Andy Kaufman?

[lavrenti]

Like skank. Disgusting. Trashy. Courtney Love-like. Tree Lounge barfly at 2 AM. One who sleeps w/the cabbie kind of person.

[Lancey Howard]

Ummm....
The problem is that because the subject is Andy Kaufmann, anything is possible. Even this.

[cincinnati65]

I have to admit that I would've loved for it to be a hoax, but I'm not seeing it. If it were a hoax, I don't see Andy coming out on some internet site. He'd want something with a BIG stage, and his appearance would be the capstone of the evening.

[bannie]

haha...BIG, fake things! Bunnies are certainly mammals!!!

[daler]

I guess humor (like beauty) is in the eyes/ears of the beholder.

I'm not easily amused, but I often found him hilarious, particularly when he did the Elvis thing.

It's not necessarily "humor" (although Rich Little and Frank Gorshin might argue), but I recall watching some network show back circa 1976 where they introduced "Elvis" as their special guest (I was dumbfounded), and it wasn't until the closeup that I realized it wasn't the genuine article.