Lost in the Funhouse

Rating:
Summary: An excellent look at Andy Kaufman
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Best Read on Kaufman, Beats "Revealed" by Far
Review: Between, Lost in the Funhouse, and, Andy Kaufman Revealed, this is by far the superior book. It has far more info about Andy. Even though footnotes and sources are nonexistent, when differences in stories occur between the books, Funhouse comes across as far more believable. Unlike Bob Zmuda's, Revealed, Funhouse does not try to dazzle you with the brilliance of Zmuda or the Zmuda /Kaufman team.

Some people found the writing style annoying and at times it is. There were some sentences I read 3 or 4 times yet never did understand. But if I only read writers whose style I liked I'd do very little reading.

This book painted a somewhat unflattering picture of Kaufman and so ultimately did Zmuda's although in the latter it may not have been intentional. Both books led me to believe Andy was not a very nice person. But I'll never know the truth and for those of us who only knew him through TV the question is irrelavent. What is relavent is that he was and remains - interesting.

Rating:
Summary: Andy Kaufman Captured!
Review: I was never much of a Sinatra fan until I read Zehme's last book. It was so terrific and original that I developed a whole new appreciation for Sinatra. So, when this book came out, I have to say that I was more interested in reading Zehme's writing more than I was in his subject (Kaufman). I was not disappointed. I just finished the book tonight, and while I can't say I was transformed over Kaufman as I was about Sinatra, I can say that Zehme has written something extraordinary here. Around about half way through, as I was marveling at Kaufman's frenetic and madcap life on and off stage, it occured to me that it was Zehme's prose--also frenetic and madcap at times--that gave a compelling portrait of this unusual man. I had almost a visceral response to this book. It moves like a runaway freight. I have read a lot of biographies lately, Guralnick's Elvis and Thurman's Colette, and as good as those are, this is easily the best written. If you enjoy excellent writing, and in this case about a most unusual subject, don't hesitate to get this book.

Rating:
Summary: The North Star
Review: I've read this book and it is a gem. Having kept the flame of Andy's legacy alive on the World Wide Web for the past four years, I must say that I read this book with a little more of a critical eye than your average Andy Kaufman fan. Bill Zehme did not let me down and I am happy to have a copy of this fine book in my possession. Bill's biography is fascinating and sheer poetry.

I know that Andy's family loves the book because I've spoken to them and they've told me so. I don't think a writer can receive higher praise than to receive it from the immediate family of the subject.

This biography will stand the test of time and years from now will surely serve as the only comprehensive biography of Andy Kaufman. Zehme is the guiding light, the North Star when it comes to the life and times of Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman.

Thanks Bill, I wish the movie "Man on the Moon" would have had half the content, spirit and meaning of your fine tome.

Rating:
Summary: Deserved Pulitzer Nomination
Review: Strike that, it deserved to win the Pulitzer.

Rating:
Summary: A complete study of Andy Kaufman
Review: This book bounces around a whole lot, which isn't a bad thing at all. It's actually more entertaining than Bob Zmuda's "Andy Kaufman Revealed!". Zehme's account is based on research and interviews compared to Zmuda's straight personal approach, so there are more perspectives to learn from. Overall, it was a splendid read, one that I'd suggest for anyone facing time at home after oral surgery or a case of mononucleosis perhaps. I am out.

Rating:
Summary: ... on paper
Review: This book seems like it was written from newspaper clippings.

It is a terrible biography. After I finished I felt so cheated I had to destroy the book. I ripped it to shreds!!! It felt good!

Read Bob Zamuda's book, it is superior.

Rating:
Summary: Andy Kaufman a "Stand Up Guy"
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Bill Zehme: America's Worst Living Writer
Review: Wow. I read a lot of books, from a lot of different sources. So I don't feel as though anything has gone over my head here. But I can say in ALL HONESTY that I have never been so enraged trying to get through a book. The sad fact of the matter is, is that this is the only Kaufman biography around (Zmuda's now being out of print apparently) and it is a terrible read for the following reason:

Consumers be warned, the author thinks HE is more important than his subject. and to make matters worse he is a pedantic, pretentious, tiresome writer. He may have done lots o' research, but it's all burried by an extremely poorly written stream of bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, I wish I was Faulkner rhetoric.

I won't spend any more time on this review, but it's a shame that most people seem to know Jim Carrey's Andy Kaufman more than Andy Kaufman's. And believe me, they are very different animals. This book's author should realise that a biography is like a documentary. You get out of the way and let the subject speak for itself.

This is a TERRIBLE book. and an embarrassment of a biography.

Rating:
Summary: Andy Kaufman a "Stand Up Guy"
Review: 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?"