Andy Kaufman Revealed ! [Hardcover]

Bob et al Zmuda (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Little, Brown (1999)
• ASIN: B000O6IOTY
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,701,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent anecdotes, good insights, questionable narrative, January 4, 2000

By 

Paul Pearson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells All (Hardcover)

One thing Zmuda's book does that "Man on the Moon" did not is outline the M.O. for Andy's stunts, although it still doesn't really establish a reason for them. Of course, maybe there wasn't one. Andy tried to erase the boundary between comedy on the screen and comedy in the field, but whether or not there was a point to his efforts isn't completely decided in this book -- he still could have just been an idiot savant for all we know. The stories behind Andy's best-known antics are wonderful; he and Zmuda really did operate a precise machine of real-life theatre that, for better or worse, set a lot of precedents in show business. The Jerry Lawlor passage puts to rest one of the entertainment questions I've been wracking myself about for many years.

I also liked Zmuda's chapter on his adventures with Mr. X (btw, Mr. X is allegedly Norman Wexler, who wrote "Serpico" and "Saturday Night Fever," according to Roger Ebert); if it doesn't obviously show the inspiration for Tony Clifton, it's still a great story. But I also agree with many other readers that Zmuda intrudes a bit too much of his own biography upon the story of Kaufman's, and succumbs to cliches, and sometimes embarassing details, about his own sex/love lives too much for my taste.

I haven't read the other bio on Kaufman yet, but I suspect that seeing "Man on the Moon" and reading this book might provide you with a good summary of Kaufman's life and importance. Of course, what's really needed is a comprehensive video release of his television history -- a great idea would be a compilation of his appearances on "Saturday Night Live" and "Fridays" if such a deal could be worked out. Not a bad reference, and definitely an entertaining and quick, if flawed, read.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Revealing but not in the way intended., May 21, 2001

By 

"vinces" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells All (Paperback)

I read over the most negative customer reviews of this book because even if I don't agree with them they generally tend to be more thought provoking than the positive reviews. So far I haven't found anything in them to disagree strongly with. I wanted to give Zmuda the benefit of the doubt though. His own life is somewhat interesting and I don't care much if he claims too much credit for Andy's work. And I'm willing to accept that this is a book about Zmuda's experiences with Kaufman rather than a Kaufman bio. But the guy really grates on you after a while. By around page 90 I'd decided Zmuda was an amoral slug, a boor and a bore. I finally lost all patience with his implied revelation that he was as good in bed (with women) as Andy. Was he trying to convince himself? To hear him tell it, Zmuda is not only a comic genius and a rockin'stud but also a "guerrilla comedy" trailblazer, stickin' it to The Man while expanding everyone else's mind. But he seems more like a 60's hedonist minor jerk who never grew up. The most revealing thing this book has to say about Andy was that he hung out with someone like Zmuda. Three stars because it does have great Andy stories.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Bob Zmuda's Ego Revealed!, January 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Andy Kaufman Revealed!: Best Friend Tells All (Hardcover)

Anyone who wants the inside story of Andy Kaufman's genius should buy "Lost in the Funhouse" by Bill Zehme. While Zmuda's book disguises itself as a Kaufman bio, it's nothing more that Zmuda talking about his life and taking credit for concepts that Andy developed years before meeting Bob. The stories of Andy are entertaining, but the book leaves a bad taste in your mouth, much like the film "Man on the Moon". Buy Zehme's book instead - you'll be glad you did.