Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, April 21, 1*82
The Red and FU-ck
Pages
Kaufman’s comedy
should be disturbing
By KEVIN B1CKNELL
Red and Black Slafl W rlter
Andy Kaufman came
onstage Monday night as
Nathan Richardson, obnox
ious idiot entertainer. Giggl
ing hysterically, he made his
way through a tuneless and
high-spirited rendition of
“Jambalaya,” before crack
ing up like a fool. It was very
funny, but as he began yet
another number in the same
character the audience was
vaguely uneasy Was he
really going to do this stupid
stuff all night?
That vague uneasiness is
Andy Kaufman's trade
mark. There is always a
sense of danger in Kauf
man’s work — you never
know if he’s going to do
something totally crazy like
read "The Great Gatsby”
for an hour-and-a-half or
spend the whole evening do
ing a Balinese folk dance.
Kaufman’s best stuff doesn’t
just make you laugh. It
disturbs you and makes you
wonder why you laugh.
Unfortunately, that spirit
surfaced only once more in
Kaufman’s Union-sponsored
show at Memorial Hall when
he impersonated Tony Clif
ton, a Las Vegas-style
crooner who makes up in
unpleasantness what he
lacks in talent. Clifton called
a group of people up on stage
to sing "If You're Happy and
You Know It Clap Your
Hands,” but there was this
poor-fat guy who just
couldn’t help clapping at the
wrong time. Clifton
unceremoniously threw the
guy off the stage.
The audience, one of the
most good-humored in Union
history, immediately started
calling the guy back, and
eventually Clifton brought
him back onstage, only to
pour water on him and again
throw him off. There was
that old tension again.
Everybody knew the guy had
to be a plant — but what if he
wasn’t?
Unfortunately Kaufman
didn’t leave it at that. Later
on a man dressed as a mask
ed wrestler came out and
doused Clifton, whereupon
Kaufman unmasked the at
tacker and introduced him
as both the guy who he kick
ed offstage and his manager,
Bob Smuda Kaufman was
saying that this is all make
believe, all in fun, and I real
ly don't mean any harm,
thus snuffing the power of
the scene.
After that, the show settled
down. It was never less than
funny, but it didn’t shake
anybody up or provoke ner
vous laughter, which is what
an Andy Kaufman show is
supposed to do. Even the
wrestling (arm wrestling —
because of the accident
Kaufman had when a male
wrestler dropped him on his
head a few times and he
wore a neck brace) was
tame. Kaufman didn't have
his heart in it, and even
though he won, he didn’t do
much of his great Dusty
Rhodes-like boasting. He did
his great Elvis
impersonation and he did a
perfect lip-sync to a kiddie
recording of “Pop Goes the
Weasel." He even married a
couple onstage — a mar
riage that would last only un
til 6 am. the next morning —
and then handcuffed them
together.
For the most part, though,
he tried to make the au
dience like him. Kaufman
emphasized the crazy-but-
likable aspect of his persona,
the part of his personality
that bails him out when he
goes too far The problem
was the Kaufman didn't go
too far. It is possible that the
likable side of Kaufman may
dominate his act. That would
make a lot of people com
fortable and would allow him
to become a safe, profes
sional entertainer who
always lets the audience in
on the joke, like Steve Mar
tin.
Kaufman seems to want
acceptance. When the au
dience screamed at him to
wrestle, he said, “I don't
wrestle anymore" in a voice
that sounded weary of the
confrontation comedy that
made his career. It seems
likely that in the future Kauf
man might stop trying to
disturb us entirely, and that
is the most disturbing news
of all.
SUff photo/l-arry < utrhall
Andy Kaufman as Elvis
by man martin
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UGA Today
Sprouting green
The Forestry Club will sell over 17 different kinds
of small ornamental trees for $1 and $2 until Saturday
in Room 115, forestry resources building. Hours are
Wednesday through Friday from 9 a m. to 5 p.m. and
Saturday, 9 a m to noon
Not too late...
For those students who
did not pick up their pre
registration permits for
summer and fall
quarters, the permits will
be available in the
Registration and Schedul
ing office in the Academic
Building.
Towards the end
The Young Democrats of Clarke County will hold a
campaign forum tonight at 8 in Room 404, Memorial
Hall Representatives from all of the Democratic
gubernatorial campaigns will make presentations at
the meeting. College Students in Broadcasting will
meet tonight at 7 in Room 236, journalism building.
Mary Betz, president of American Women in Radio
and Television, will speak. Students for Bo Ginn will
meet tonight at 7 in Room 404, Memorial Hall. The In
ternational Association of Business Communicators
will meet tonight at 7 in Room 412, journalism
building. Dick Hughes of Avery-Knodel TV will speak
on''Selling TV Time in the 80s. ”
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