Andy Kaufman's death can be described as the ultimate rickroll. Even though he died 30 years ago, there's a nest of fans who still love to believe that he's still around and kicking, this time in New Mexico. Maybe it is the myth that a man who created a career around confusing audiences left the ultimate performance piece. With the recent release of his posthumous debut album "Andy and His Grandmother," all it does is fuel the conversation with questions of "Why now? Why not 20 years ago?" At times it leaves the sense that the release itself is a con, meant to ploy money from innocent bystanders for a product that is not actually from Kaufman. The good news is that Drag City Records and the people who slapped this together are giving you a bigger con: the wish that there was more.
The album seemed to come out of nowhere when it was announced earlier this year. Compiled by Wonder Showzen's Vernon Chatman, the album is a compilation of conversations and skits that Kaufman recorded on a tape track recorder. From a reported 83 hours, this 47 minute collection is supposedly the best of the best. It is hard to tell how much truth is in this theory, as Kaufman's surrealism manages to be entertaining even as it becomes meandering. He always lived to screw with your head, and what better way than with an album of moments?
Along with narration by Bill Hader, the album only uses the Grandmother aspect as a gimmick. As Kaufman himself states early on, people would think that this action would be hilarious. There is very little actual talk with relatives on this CD, and instead is spent talking to people that are labeled on the CD as [Honk], [Dog], Hookers, and even a brief, absurd conversation with animals. To say the least, the 17 tracks don't ever run out of ideas for moments. He is heard getting kicked out of a theater (violently) and does a performance piece called "Sleep Comedy," which is insisted that you be asleep for.
The most brilliant part of the album is that it feels like unadulterated Kaufman. Bits like "Slice of Life" reflect the performer discussing the process of conversation in a way that builds until his initial thesis is made true. Pointless conversations about sex can lead to far more interesting topics. It doesn't so much work as comedy, but neither did he. What it works as is the existential study of a performance piece. His dissection is absurd, sometimes to the point of mental illness, and that is where the entertainment lies. It is just more amazing that his sincerity can deliver it in a believable manner.
The bigger question is that if this was supposedly collected from recordings, why does some of the production sound so good? The "Sleep Comedy" segment does seem produced to feature additional music and cues that would almost seem impossible to edit by the minimalist standards that were claimed to record this. Were these artistic choices made by the album's compilers? It doesn't matter, as the results sound great and are actually benefited by them. Also, it just will serve ideas to the nuts who still think he is alive.
It is also ingenious to get Vernon Chatman to compile the audio. While Kaufman's performance absurdity has become almost too commonplace, it takes a specific mindset to choose what is the best from the Taxi star's collection. It is also left vague enough that there is hope that this is only the beginning of a collection on the comedian's work. There must be another solid hour of material from the 83 hours that he supposedly recorded. Even then, the hilarious ending of "I Want Those Tapes" features an act that almost seems to be of extortion ad Kaufman refuses to give a person an incriminating tape. The fact that almost everyone recorded on this record is opposed to being on the record only makes it more fascinating. It should also raise controversy when it is stated on the record that he actually was recording a record for Columbia Records. Was that a real thing? Even in death, he manages to make a new controversy.
Kaufman is a great performer who never let you too close to his reality. With grandiose acts that chose to mislead and often anger, he was an expert of deception. It is only a shame that this album is so brief. But from what is on here, Kaufman fans will adore and listen to repeatedly, finding new sustenance to laugh over and just believe that he is still alive. Maybe not in person, but through this record, he leaves a template for why he was great. It works more as a study on the creative process than a comedy album, but what a funny one it is. He was one of a kind and this record is likewise. Fingers crossed that by stating that there's 83 hours of unused material out there, that there should be something waiting sometime soon.
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