by Bob Zmuda
I just got another call from that agent who’s dying to sign you. He said he could get you a quarter million dollars if in your first interview when asked, “What’s the first thing you’re going to do now that you’re back from the dead?” you say, “I’m going to Disneyland!”
And the big question that I’m going to want to know is … was Lynne in on it or not? Some days I think she might have been because she’s so good at keeping these things hidden (after all, she’s “old school” wrestling), so maybe this “died of AIDS” thinking is just part of her smokescreen to throw off Dr. Zmudee from suspecting her involvement. If she really didn’t know and you fooled her like you did everybody else, be prepared for her to be really pissed at you. Andy, she deeply loved you. Still does. I know you both had dreams of marriage and everything, and some are going to look at what you did as pretty rotten and mean. And I must admit there’s some degree of truth in that, although I do consider the bigger picture. So I’m hoping she was in on this whole thing all along.
Welcome back!
Other Kaufman Books
Was This Man a Genius? by Julie Hecht (Random House, 2001)
Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts! by Lynne Margulies (introduction) (Process, 2009)
Lost in the Funhouse, by Bill Zehme (Delacorte Press, 1999)
Andy Kaufman Revealed! by Bob Zmuda (Little Brown, 1999) Out of print—Signed hardcover copies by author available on www.AndyKaufmanReturns.com
Acknowledgments
Bob would like to thank a number of individuals without whose support this book would not have been possible:
First and foremost, my lifelong friend, author, and past publicist, Jodee Blanco, whose inexhaustible devotion to this project knew no bounds, starting with her insistence that BenBella publish this book. (I owe you a dinner date with Richard Gere.)
To Glenn Yeffeth, publisher of BenBella Books, whose last name is impossible to pronounce. Thanks for doing the book and for editing out most of Lynne’s and my sour grapes. You’ve assembled a great team at BenBella, who cheerfully took me through all the publishing steps and never got tired of my asking, “When did you say the deadline is?” They include Brian Buchanan, Jennifer Canzoneri, Sarah Dombrowsky, Alicia Kania, Katie Kennedy, Adrienne Lang, Lindsay Marshall, Jessika Rieck, and Jenna Sampson.
To Mike Miller, who found time between his executive responsibilities with Comic Relief to go through hundreds of pages of my at times undecipherable writing, which only he can somehow manage to read, even when I myself no longer can.
To Dr. Joe Troiani, associate professor of psychology at Adler University, for his psychological insights into both Andy, who he knew personally, and his wealth of knowledge on post traumatic stress syndrome in his role as the founder of the military psychology program at Adler.
To Judd Apatow, who started with Comic Relief over twenty-eight years ago and went on to become one of Hollywood’s top writers, producers, and directors, for graciously finding time to write the foreword.
To Phil Davis of Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp, not only my lawyer for over fourteen years, but a good friend who protects me from … what else? … Other lawyers.
To RoseMarie Terenzio and her team, whose professionalism and expertise gave us clear direction on how to deal with the media for such an unprecedented event, and to Brian Gross.
From HUKA Entertainment, Chairman & CEO AJ Niland and Ryan Chavez, VP Tony Clifton Management, who have the balls to book Tony Clifton, stating it’s “the greatest act we’ve ever seen.”
To Wally Wingert, a Kaufman/Clifton aficionado extraordinaire, who began as a fan, but now is family. Wally, thanks for bringing the talented Shirley Borchardt to my attention.
To Frank Weimann of Folio who also agented my first book, Andy Kaufman Revealed! (Little Brown).
And to Tony Clifton, who keeps us grounded by never letting us forget that “LIFE’S BULLSHIT!”
A special thanks to those other individuals who brought their talent and/or support. They include Terry Badgett, Gabe Bartalos, Dan Funk, Asa Gilmore, Jeremy Johnson, Bill Karmia, Joe Lauer, Steve Levine of ICM, Jeff Margolis, Robyn Nash of Gersh Agency, Susan Patricola, Amy Shoun, Todd Whitman, Jason Doyle, Don and Carol Peterson, and two new members of the family, Addie Daley and Jack Soraparu.
I am especially thankful to my good friends Dennis Hof, Suzette, Domino, Sophie, and all the staff and girls of the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Carson City, Nevada. And Ruby, my neighbor’s dog, who demands that I stop writing and take her for walks.
And lastly, to Carrie Badgett, Richard Crowe, and Bill “the Moose” Skowron, who may no longer be with us but whose support and inspiration I still feel.
Lynne wishes to acknowledge:
My brother Johnny Legend, who introduced me to Andy; my beloved husband Lon Osgood who, all these years after Andy’s passing, has given me back the joy for life and love; and of course, Andy himself.
Thanks for the short, wild roller coaster ride, Andy! Miss you.
About the Authors
Andy Kaufman and his writing partner, Bob Zmuda, changed the worlds of comedy and performance in the 1970s, showing fans and friends alike a determination to follow put-ons into territory no one had ever even considered “comic” before. Their fervor was so intense that when Kaufman passed away suddenly in 1984, it seemed as if his death had been staged, with the reveal soon to come.
Zmuda met Kaufman in 1974, when Zmuda was a struggling comic himself. Soon he began writing for Andy until his (supposed) death in ’84. Bob also wrote briefly for Rodney Dangerfield and was the late, great Sam Kinison’s producer, “another gifted provocateur,” said Zmuda.
For nearly thirty years, Bob Zmuda has been the driving force behind one of America’s most beloved charities, Comic Relief, probably best recognized for their telethons on HBO hosted by Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billy Crystal. As president and founder, he and his fellow comedians have raised over $80 million for those in need.
A Grammy nominee and Emmy Award winner, Bob is also a bestselling author. His book Andy Kaufman Revealed! made top 10 lists nationwide. Two-time Academy Award–winning director Milos Forman said, “I was so fascinated by the melding of Zmuda and Kaufman’s minds that I spent two years of my life making a movie about them, Man on the Moon.” The film starred Jim Carrey as Kaufman and Paul Giamatti as Zmuda. Zmuda also coexecutive produced the film with Danny DeVito and Jersey Films.
On television, Bob has hosted several series for Comedy Central and A&E. His television appearances include Saturday Night Live, Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and all the Comic Relief telecasts. His acting credits include Punchline, Batman Forever, Man on the Moon, D.C. Cab (which he also wrote), and The Number 23, again with Jim Carrey.
For the last few years, Zmuda has been producing Kaufman’s alter ego, international singing sensation Tony Clifton, to sold-out audiences. He is currently working on mounting the largest star-studded fund-raiser ever for endangered wildlife worldwide.
Lynne Margulies, artist and filmmaker, was Andy Kaufman’s partner, caretaker, and the love of his life until his death from lung cancer in 1984. Courtney Love portrayed Margulies in the Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey. During the film’s production, Margulies worked closely with Carrey, giving him rare insight into the human side of Andy Kaufman. Margulies teaches fine art at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She is the codirector of the documentary film I’m from Hollywood, which chronicles Kaufman’s foray into the world of professional wrestling. Her latest art project is The Book of Steve, a four-foot by three-foot book which tells the story of her brother’s descent into mental illness. Margulies, her musician husband, and their eight cats live on the Oregon coast.
