Has anyone seen Andy Kaufman do this?

[songs4u]

This is a very different impersonation of Elvis than I've ever seen Andy Kaufman do.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PLlR...d&search=elvis

[Dovey]

Well.... it was hard for me to watch this one and I almost clicked it off before it was even half over. .. but then decided to watch it.... Albert Goldman sure was a jerk (to say the least) but I did like the end of the video. (would not watch it again.. I do not like to see people making fun of Elvis in any way. )

I have never seen this one before. Thanks for posting it Gayle...My feelings towards the video have nothing to do with you. I did not know there were video out there like this one.

Dovey

[TCE]

It's easier to make fun of someone, than to respect someone. I liked the outfit a lot, though. It sure would have looked great on Elvis.

Christel (TCE)

[Diane]

I have seen Andy impersonate Elvis before but this was different for sure. I didn't like it either. Impersonators always disappoint me and make me appreciate Elvis all the more.

My speakers were'nt working so I couldn't hear and that's probably a good thing.

[Jim Saidhello]

I think Andy's intentions were good. He seems to be a huge Elvis fan, as he says. I think he wanted to show how absurd it was to portray the King behaving in such a tawdry manner - in the same way it was absurd to see Elvis clucking like a chicken. (as Elvis would say, "it's just impossible.") Andy's criticism of Goldman at the end is quite sincere.

Unfortunately, I think the actual sketch just plays out as a cheap laugh at the expense of Elvis' ALLEGED sleazy behavior. I don't think that's what Andy wanted, but I do agree that watching it nowadays, it just comes across as offensive.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I remember seeing this sketch when it was originally done, and it was good to revisit it to see what Andy was actually up to.

[songs4u]

I wanted some of you to see it so I could ask a question of you. Who is this Albert Goldman he talks about? He wrote a book about Elvis? Do ya'll know what it was about? That's one of the things that interested me. I'm still learning about all the books, cds, and dvds from ya'll.

Dovey - no offense taken.

[Jim Saidhello]

It does my heart good to know that there's a generation of fans who know nothing of Albert Goldman, and I'd almost rather keep it that way! However, since you asked...

Soon after Elvis' death, a journalist named Albert Goldman started interviewing people who had known Elvis, and in 1982 he published a book simply called "Elvis." This book was the first major retrospective biography of the man; unfortunately it was also extremely negative to the King's memory, accusing him of just about every vice you could think of, and then some. Excerpts from the book were published in "respectable" periodicals, and the book (briefly) was regarded as factual.

Almost immediately, those who really knew and loved Elvis started to challenge the "facts" Goldman had published, and caused the authority of the work to be questioned. Nowadays the work is dismissed as a scandal-mongering hatchet job, and is rejected and vilified by "true" Elvis fans. The King deserved - and got - better biographies, such as Peter Guralnick's reliable two-volume history.

Please continue to ignore Goldman's book - it doesn't deserve a place on your shelf.

[Diane]

Thank you Jim, no one could have said it better.

[songs4u]

Thank you Jim for explaining all this to me.

You'd think people would have some respect for those that have passed away. He was Elvis but, he was a human being, also. I've recently checked out some Elvis websites and read some articles and it seems to me just about everyone that said "Hello" to Elvis has written a book. I believe it would hurt him to see all these people that cared about him capitalizing on their friendship with him now that he's gone.

How many do you think loved and cared for him deeply just for the person he was (besides his mother)?

[Albert]

At first, I hated ALbert Goldman for the lies and the negative way he wrote about Elvis. But now, with more books and stories available from people around Elvis, or by good journalists (like Peter Guralnick), I understand what Elvis really meant with "It's hard to live up to an image".

Albert Goldman went to far, but did open up the eyes for quite a lot of fans that ELvis was not perfect and had some real problems.

It's also about the same reasons why people hate Red and Sonny West for. Of course not everything they wrote was the truth, and of course it may not have been written by the motives they said, but still..... it did gave us a glimp of the person behind the image.

It's like feeling the sadness when you heard Santa is not real. You kinda knew it already, but the truth still hurt. Deep inside, you sometimes prefered the lie.

[Terry the Ted]

Thanks for posting the video Gayle, we need to remember that Andy Kaufman was a true Elvis fan, he really was dedicated to him, just look at the way that he has mastered that walk and has one of the best suits that I have ever seen on any impersonator!
I think the chicken clucking was just a touch of Andy's humour added in and the ending was a very sincere stab at Albert Goldman.
I'll try to find the links to some other of his impersonations and a very touching letter that he wrote to Elvis as a teenager, watch this space...

[JDD]

While I hate ( which isn't a completely accurate word for me but its the closest thing written there is) Albert Goldman for his always kick them when they're dead books, as he did the same thing to John Lennon, It really doesn't make me like Andy's act anymore. I just never really found him funny at all, and I don't believe he really wanted me to either. It always felt clear to me he was an antagonist.

[THENATUREBOY]

I've never thought Andy Kaufman was at all funny, and this skit is pretty stupid in my opinion, but I do think that Andy was sincere at the end of it.

[Menwithbrokenhearts]

It was a bit shocking but I think it was Andy's point to portray the shocking and rediculous claims of Albert Goldman. He had an odd sense of humor but I believe he was sincere in trying to express his disapproval of the book.

[TCE]

It was a bit shocking but I think it was Andy's point to portray the shocking and rediculous claims of Albert Goldman. He had an odd sense of humor but I believe he was sincere in trying to express his disapproval of the book.

I couldn't said it better. First of all I must admit I never heared of Andy before. And firstly I was shocked that another guy made fun of Elvis, but after reading the reactions I watched the show more serious and I looked in another way to Andy. Andy even says at the end of the act he not only disaproves the book of Albert but also disapproves the act he did. It was just to show the folks how redicilous that book was. I must admit I was impressed by his sincerety at the end. Although I didn't liked the act a bit. But there's no better way to prove something , I think, than to just show it. It impresses more then just words.

Christel (TCE)

[songs4u]

I was surprised at what Andy did at the end. I didn't see that coming. I know Andy was supposed to have been a huge fan of Elvis' and I think he showed his respect to Elvis in the end. He's still Andy Kaufman and really a crazy guy so maybe this was his way of defending Elvis. It got people's attention to the point where he could make that last statement. I think that's what he had planned.

[mozzarella]

I started this topic recently but then it didn't get popular... I'm so HURT Anyway Andy was a huge Elvis fan, so we can forgive
There are more Andy doing Elvis on www.youtube.com Nice

[Elvisman76]

I watched the video twice to get a better feel for it. I have heard that Andy was a very sincere person. To me his statement at the end made up for the act.
If we read i between the lines, we can see what Andy was really trying to say...
"see how stupid some people can be when they write about Elvis"

Mark
Vegas

[keelerphoto]

how many people here watched it "live" on tv in the 70s,,,i did,,,the 70s were very different than today,no internet,no video games, no computers, no blogs, no cell phones,no microwaves, no rappers,, look at it from that point of view,,,,

BTW elvis sold out concerts every time he toured,,,,

[EnigmaticSun]

no rappers...

What a peace of mind that would give.. Maybe there are some good rap-artists, but the majority is about pimps & ho's and the all-encompassing boom boom boom boom bass rhytm..

Sorry for getting off-topic..

I didn't really like the act, but maybe it's true that Andy is indeed defending Elvis.. in his way..