Andy Week

There are Andy Kaufman events at a gallery in my neighborhood every night until the 24th.

I've now gone two nights in a row.

The first night, Andy's brother, Michael hosted.  There were home movies and TV clips.  Andy's sister was there sitting in the same row as--wait for it, yes--Laurie Anderson.

Tonight Lynne Margulies, Andy's girlfriend, hosted.  (She's played by Courtney Love in Andy's biopic, The Man on the Moon.)

I learned that Andy Kaufman and Andy Warhol bonded over Howdy Doody.

They were similar artists, in that they made ordinary things feel less ordinary.


I learned that Andy was into transcendental meditation.

Both last night and tonight, I laughed my head off.  Seriously.  I really did.

Andy never considered himself a comic.  He didn't tell jokes. He loved hoaxes and playing practical jokes.  He got famous by just performing the little acts and songs that he had always performed in his childhood bedroom.

Remember what I said about paying attention to one's childhood obsessions?

I relate to his voice very much.