- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Delta (Jan 9 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0385333722
- ISBN-13: 978-0385333726
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 386 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#611,691 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #61 in Books > Entertainment > Television > Biographies
- #61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Television Performers
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Bill Zehme's biography of comic actor/performance artist Andy Kaufman (subject of the feature film Man in the Moon) is a meticulously researched, eminently readable, and very strange book--this last being perhaps no surprise given its subject. Written over a six-year period, Lost in the Funhouse is crammed with details gleaned from interviews with the actor's family, friends, teachers, coworkers, and unwitting participants in Kaufman's pranks. In particular, the book provides great insight into Kaufman's early life in Great Neck, NY, his relationship with transcendental meditation, and his first forays into nightclubs in the early '70s. Zehme, author of The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin', weaves together multiple narratives from varying perspectives, including passages in which the author appears to have entered his subject's brain. Zehme did have access to unpublished letters and manuscripts (which fans would certainly like to see published on their own one day), but the only person who could legitimately verify the accuracy of these passages is no longer with us.
At its best, the book approaches that apex of artful celebrity bi-fiction, Nick Tosches's Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams. The transitions from one perspective to the next are a bit jarring at first, but once the reader gives in to Zehmes's collage of multiple personalities, one is considerably closer to understanding the book's subject. Kaufman was nothing if not a collection of various intense personalities: the young boy continually mourning his grandfather's death; the likable and naive Foreign Man; the talentless and irascible lounge singer Tony Clifton; the bliss-seeking student of TM; the devoted and loving son who never had anything to do with his own child; and world champion of inter-gender wrestling. Lost in the Funhouse is the one Kaufman tome that will please neophytes as well as those with their own Andy Kaufman Web sites. --Mike McGonigal --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Already the subject of Bob Zmuda's recent memoir, Andy Kaufman Revealed, the avant-garde comedian receives more straightforward treatment at the hands of journalist Zehme (The Way You Wear Your Hat). Yet while Kaufman's life may be open to scrutiny, cracking the weird intricacies of his personality and motives is another matter. Growing up in Great Neck, N.Y., the young Andy honed his performance skills by hosting children's birthday parties before striking gold on the New York comedy scene with his creation of Foreign Man, a sweet, bumbling immigrant who would bomb with a series of unfunny jokes ("Tenk you veddy much"), only to veer into an uncanny impersonation of Elvis Presley. The character landed Kaufman a recurring guest spot on Saturday Night Live and a benchmark role as Latka Gravas on the sitcom Taxi. Eventually, his obnoxious alter ego, lounge singer Tony Clifton, and Kaufman's obsession with taunting and wrestling women audience members spurred Saturday Night Live viewers to vote by a wide margin to kick Kaufman off the show in 1982. A year and a half later, he was dead at the age of 35, the victim of lung cancer. Through the entertaining recollections of numerous friends, colleagues and family members, Kaufman comes across as either a genius or a lunatic, most likely a bit of both. Unfortunately, Zehme's mannered writing style (on Kaufman's part-time busboy job: "Plus, he could do funny things in the course of a shift not to be funny no really") detracts considerably from what is otherwise a balanced portrayal of his tumultuous career. 36 b&w photos not seen by PW. Agent, Chris Calhoun, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Dec.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
He came late. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index
He came late. Read the first page
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Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Andy Kaufman a "Stand Up Guy",
By A Customer
This review is from: Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (Paperback)
What a great comedian and "thespian" A man of many faces moods and contrasts. I never will forget his "Saturday Night Live" debut. Great book I highly recommend.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent look at Andy Kaufman,
By A Customer
This review is from: Lost in the Funhouse (Hardcover)
Better than Zemuda's book. I would recommend this book even if you are not a fan of Kaufman. The story of a very unique man, gain insight as to just what was going on in his mind as he managed to confuse most everyone who saw him.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Kaufman defined,
By Arnie Bernstein (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (Paperback)
Zehme is given a seemingly impossible task: get into the mind of Andy Kaufman and interpret his life in a popular biography. The approach here--switching narrative styles and stream of consiousness in a standard celebrity profile format--may alienate some readers but stick with it. Given the dada nature of Kaufman's work and the multifaceted world that was Andy Kaufman Zehme's take on the material is right on the money. While he never quite gets under Kaufman's skin (and who could?) Zehme tells a compelling story of a man who lived life to extremes. Kaufman's genius comes through, as does his ying-yang nature, his childlike qualities, and his savvy assault on show biz cliches. This book is well worth the ride. Zmuda's book is a fun read, but Lost in the Funhouse comes much closer to answering the question: "who was Andy Kaufman?"
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