Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind Of Andy Kaufman

(Paperback)

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Description

In the 1970s, a handful of young American comedians revolutionized US comedy. At the forefront was Andy Kaufman. From his debut on "Saturday Night Live", lip-synching Mighty Mouse's cry of "Here I come to save the day!", to his role as Latka on the sitcom Taxi, Andy was breaking new ground, and hiding a vastly darker side. Whether creating an alter-ego - lounge lizard Tony Clifton - or wrestling women, whatever the "gag" was, Andy Kaufman was living it. Part performance artist and part prankster, Kaufman lived his life as a relentless performance, and he inspired, and enraged those around him in equal measure. So when he was diagnosed as having cancer at 34, hardly anyone believed him, not even when they saw his body in the coffin. With the full cooperation of Kaufman's family, friends and colleagues, this is a trip into the dark side of a comic genius.

Reviews

"Fascinating ... Engrossing ... The closest thing we are ever likely to get to a definitive account of his life."
--" The New York Times Book Review"
"In daring to crawl beneath Kaufman's psychic skin, armed with eyewitness accounts of his exploits, the book gets closer to the truth than we are otherwise likely to get."
-- "Chicago Sun-Times"
"Incisive, tellingly detailed."
-- "Rolling Stone"

Author Bio

Bill Zehme is the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin. His celebrity profiles have appeared in Esquire, Rolling Stone and Playboy, among others. He lives in Chicago.