Thought I’d post a thought on great films, for no particular reason, except that Andy’s life was about the development and performance of characters. So I thought I’d expand that concept to the cinema.
What makes a great film GREAT? In my opinion, it’s (in a phrase) character development. Great films give you a “view” into the soul and mind of a highly aberrant or interesting character (be he a sociopath, a psychopath, a psychotic, a Mafia don, or a pure genius) that you could get in no other way. Here are my favorite films of all time (and the character each allow us to view, in depth):
Apocalypse Now (Colonel Walter A. Kurtz-genius/monster)
Reservoir Dogs (view into the soul of each of the “dogs,” especially Mr. Blond-Michael Madsen)
True Romance (especially the Christopher Walken character AND the James Golfini character)
Godfather Trilogy (Don Corleone, Michael Corleone)
Scarface (Tony Montana-soulless megalomaniac)
Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lector-genius/monster)
Being There (Chancy Gardner-Kaufmanlike man/child)
_________________________________________________
Sorry, Andy, "Heartbeeps" just missed making the list, I'm afraid.
Can't leave Glengarry Glen Ross of this list for the same reason. (Whether is the characters of James Pryce or Alan Arkin, for their weakness, or the characters of Alec Baldwin and Al Pacino, for the opposite reason.)
Here's a sample of my all-time favorites. In my eyes, these are the films that are PERFECT and I would not change in any way. I would like to point out that most of them are old films, that I saw years later, and unlike other films these ones were better the second, third, etc. time around.
I was especially happy to see "The Jerk" on the list. I love Steve Martin's mind. My very favorite of his was "L.A. Story" which took him 7 years to write and produce. Since we're in the comedy catagory, my all time favorite 'silly movie' is Airplane. I must have watched it 25 times!!
Don't have time to make a list right now - I'm on the run, and DON HO, you never answered the question I emailed you twice, and I'm put out about that! Grrrr!
But, on the films...
Man On The Moon certainly had an unforgettable main character...have to point that out...
My favorite recent film is "Magnolia", where ALL of the characters are captavating.
My favorite "classic" film is "Sunset Blvd", and it's 100% for the character of Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson.
Wish I'd gotten the emails in time - I would have used it this week! (I kept thinking, "Why doesn't he want me to use it?")
Glad to know, though, that it's a computer-glitchy thing, and you're still talking to me!
Mary Anne:
I know I'm way behind on our correspondence - SO SORRY! I owe you tons of email and phone calls and stuff! (Been really busy!) I'll catch up with you soon!
I just sent another email with reprints of the other two. Please tell me if you got it. (I'd print out your address here for you to verify, but I don't know if you want it published.)
I was wondering why I hadn't heard back from you!
See how easily misunderstandings can occur. WARS have started over such things, but that's another subject for discussion, one of these days.
And sorry to everyone, but I don't have as much time for being on the net as I would like. I want to let you know here that, if I'm not responding as fast as I should be, it's because I'm not having as much time. I hope the schedule lets up soon!
Hello BSTAK-ers, Fellow Kaufmaniacs, and Friends In Andy!
And Welcome To The Fold, new members Goldstone and Penny Lane!
Some of you have contacted me, letting me know that you received the BSTAK Vol. 2 quizbook, and what you thought - glad to have your responses, and glad also that you generally approve! It gave me a "kick" to write it, and so far, the San Diego distribution goes veddy well!
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The dominant topic for this week is, eventually, "Might vs. Right", although I meander awhile before getting there, including covering some personal stuff. The point of this BSTAK-TOW is specifically to feature a little piece written by Mister Andy, which appears at the end. However, in rereading, I realize that I cover quite a bit of other ground before getting to the short story...so, just trust me, this eventually leads up to AK.
I'm not too worried about the lengthiness of this BSTAK-TOW, because I forsee times in the future when they will be quite brief. (R. Buckminster Fuller, or "Bucky", to whom most of you have heard me make reference at least once, has a decent TOW in three words: "Unity Is Plural." But that's a Thought for a different Week. I digress.) There may even come a week when I decide to take the week off, so I figure I'm giving you some extra now, in advance for then! *_*
Onward!
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I'd like to start by recalling a thread that some of you may remember...the one about "opposites", from several months ago. (It was one of those BBs where people would rather talk about fluff, and I keep herding them into philosophy.) The thread started off by talking about whether there really ~were~ opposites, or whether things that are generally paired, like good/bad, light/dark, up/down, were just more or less of the same quality. More or less good. More or less light. And so on. After some 150 or so posts, the thread wound up being about whether reality is objective, subjective, or an objective base that is invested with subjective meaning.
I don't think we ever answered andy of the questions to andyone's satisfaction, but we got a lot of talking done. (Incidentally, those of you who have seen the second BSTAK book, this was the thread that gave birth to that notion about "Is there an opposite of music", which is posed as part of the "Life Quiz". Nothing new under the sun, you see? *_~ )
Richard Bach's "Illusions" brings up the idea of "Cosmic Advice" from the random opening of a book. The main character is instructed to concentrate upon an issue, and then open a book to a random page; the words on the page would be a cosmic response to the question. It is said, by Bach, to work with andy book or newspaper. I believe this to be a more specific take on the larger, generalized principle of "When the student is ready, the master will appear." (Just one girl's opinion.)
Well, I've been concentrating on this opposites question for several months, as I said. A BSTAK member reccomended a book to me that I now reccomend to all of you: Neale Donald Walsch's "Conversations With God". Believe it or not, right there on page 31, is a straightforward answer to my question, in plain English, about dualities, and three-in-ones (The Triune Truth). As Bucky would say, patterns of twos or threes "that ALWAYS and ONLY co-exist." And it's understandable, and makes sense.
Here's the relevent quote:
"The Triune Reality is God's signature. It is the divine pattern. The three-in-one is everywhere, and found in the realms of the sublime. You cannot escape it in matters dealing with time and space, God and consciousness, or any of the subtle relationships. On the other hand, you will ~not~ find the Triune Truth in any of life's gross relationships.
...Some of your religionists have described the Triune Truth as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Some of your psychiatrists use the terms superconscious, conscious, and subconscious. Some of your spiritualists say mind, body, and spirit. Some of your scientists see energy, matter, ether. Some of your philosophers say a thing is not true for you until it is true in thought, word, and deed. When discussing time, you speak of three times only: past, present, and future. Similarly, there are three moments in your perception - before, now, and after. In terms of spatial relationships, whether considering the points in the universe, or various points in your own room, you recognize here, there, and the space in between.
In matters of gross relationships, you recognize no 'in-between.' That is because gross relationships are always dyads, wheras relationships of the higher realm are invariable triads. Hence, there is left-right, up-down, big-small, fast-slow, hot-cold, and the greatest dyad ever created: male-female. There are no in-betweens. A thing is either ~one thing~ or ~the other~, or some greater or lesser version in relationship to one of those polarities.
Within the realm of gross relationships, nothing conceptualized can exist without a conceptualization of its ~opposite~. Most of your day-to-day experience is foundationed in this reality.
Within the realm of sublime relationships, nothing which exists ~has~ an opposite. All Is One, and everything progresses from one to the other in a never-ending circle.
Time is such a sublime realm, in which what you call past, present, and future exist inter-relationally. That is, they are not opposites, but rather parts of the same whole; progressions of the same idea; cycles of the same energy; aspects of teh same immutable Truth. If you conclude from this that past, present, and future exist at one and the same 'time', you are right."
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So - dualities are of this earty, and trinities are metaphysical. I'm going to be on the lookout for "threes" as signpost guides pointing towards greater "system integrity" truths.
Bucky identified the triangle as being the "perfect" structure; the strongest, the most efficient, and on, and on.
Bob Dorough, for "Schoolhouse Rock", wrote a song entitled "Three Is A Magic Number". Years later, when I met him, I asked when he knew that "Schoolhouse Rock" was ~really~ going to go, and he replied, when he wrote "Three", and came up with the line, "A man and a woman had a little baby - there were three in the family."
Remember that song???
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OK, so now we've identified what will be called "right", which doesn't mean having the right opinion, or being on the side of right, but rather makes reference to the "higher" truths, and what will be called "might", which points to the "gross" or "earthly" matters. "Right" is the higher, more evolved road. "Might" is much easier, and requires less thought and effort.
It was Abraham Lincoln who popularized the idea, in America, of Right triumphing over Might. And it was Albert Einstein who eventually wrote that concept down in the equation, "E = MC squared".
Energy becomes matter becomes energy becomes matter, but none is ever lost in the conversion.
This means that the physical content of wealth in the Universe can ~never~ decrease, and the METAPHYSICAL content of wealth in the Universe can only, ever increase!!
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Now, Einstein disagrees with Neale Walsch, in that he (Einstein) said that everything humanity does is motivated by either fear or longing. Walsh says that everything is motivated by either fear or LOVE. I am not sure who is correct, yet, but I would like to hear what you guys think, and what your personal experiences are.
Are "longing" and "love" synonymous? ~Can~ they be, when one man is a man of science, and the other a man of philosophy?
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To digress (again), here's a little bit of what "Conversations With God" has to say about the matter of matter and energy:
"Emotion is energy in motion. When you move energy, you create effect. If you move enough energy, you create matter. Matter is energy conglomerated. Moved around. Shoved together. If you manipulate energy long enough in a certian way, you get matter...
...Thought is pure energy. Every thought you have, have ever had, and ever will have is creative. The energy of your thought never ever dies. Ever. It leaves your being and heads out into the universe, extending forever. A thought is forever.
All thoughts congeal; all thoughts meet other thoughts, criss-crossing in an incredible maze of energy, forming an ever-changing pattern of unspeakable beauty and unbelievable complexity."
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Having laid the groundwork for the Might/Right issue, I would now like to share with you one of my favorite short stories by Mister Andy. It's from "Poetry and Stories", and it's a short, ironic gem.
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"Dear Aunt Matilda"
By Andy Kaufman
May 19, 1965
"Dear Aunt Matilda,
I am a lonely soul. Because I am lonesome, I never take a bath or brush my teeth. Because of this, I always have a wonderful aroma surrounding me. At first, I thought that it stank, but now I have gotten used to it.
The other night, my father came into my room and saw me for the first time in three years. While holding his nose, he ordered me to take a bath. When I refused, he pushed me into the shower. I was forced to wash my body and brush my teeth. Ever since, I have been made to brush my teeth once a week and take a bath once a month. Now the aroma isn't around me any more. Every time I try to reason with my father, he put me down as though its unusual for a boy never to take a bath or brush his teeth. I am very frustrated about this. What should I do?
--Frustrated
Dear Frustrated,
Why don't you tell your father where to go? He has no right to tell you what to do. If he objects to you talking back to him, hive him a upper-cut to the right jaw. If he can still beat you up, call me and I'll handle him for you. If he can beat me up, I guess that's tough on you (although it may hurt me too). If that be the case, I think you'd better forget my advice and do as he says. After all, he may be extremely stupid, but he is bigger than you."
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And with that, Ladies and Gentlemen, I bid you a wonderful, happy week!
All roads lead to Rome/Roam
All roads lead to Lenny
All roads lead to Hix
All roads lead to Andy
All roads lead to Other Roads
All roads are a Mobius
Ut! Trvth Is Universal!
Solidarity Through Andy!
Solidarity Through Diversity!
I sent you this thought in an email, but wanted to share it with others, so here it is: LIVE!
Dear Sister Holly,
WHOA! I really appreciate the time you are taking to enlighten the world with the "Thoughts of the Week". I particularly enjoyed this one, because of the lengthy-ness of it. A lot of things you spoke about triggered my memory to the days of studying with my spiritual mentor. The triangle, the trinities ... A lot to talk about. Maybe now that I'll be home more often, we can discuss this stuff via email or telephone.
But to keep it brief, for now, you asked our opinions of fear and longing; or fear and loving. How about a different perspective? Loving and longing. When I thought about this, I thought of my younger days - definitely being motivated by fear and longing or fear and loving. But as I grow older, wiser, and more content, yet still driven (longing) the fear lessens. Do I
dare be silly enough to say "fearless"? I see how life falls into place - and what is there to be afraid about? When I was younger, I feared the
unknown: What will my life be like in 10 years? Will I make it on my own? Now that I know, I can do almost anything in a pinch, well, hey
The good news is that the results of getting what I longed for bring loving. The happier I am, the more I can help other people (the ones who are also longing at this stage of the game).
Feel free to share my thoughts (and name) if you find them relevant. I am very tickled that you used my quote about "when the student is ready, the master appears"
Love and Light,
Mary Anne xxoo
P.S. Keep up the good work. You certainly have my nod of approval and I hope you are saving all these thoughts for a book! Do it!
Thanks for writing this wonderful response. Of course, I want to give the stuff about longing and loving (and growing to be fearless, and being "silly" enough to dare to be fearless) a lot more thought, but for now, I just want to say that I hope to one day be where you are now!
I really loved what you had to say about the “Signature of God.” The divine pattern. God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Man is body, mind and soul. Even the mind (according to Freud) is id, ego, superego. Time is measured by past, present, future: space by height, width, depth. Food for thought (which taps into conscious, subconscious, superconcious.)
I couldn’t help but think about the fact that every genuine article in the metaphysical world also has a counterfeit. How much misery do we cause ourselves by chasing after (in our pursuit of fulfillment) what scriptures call the world, the flesh and the devil? (Counterfeit trinity) Or in recent decades: sex, drugs, and rock & roll?
I loved your explanation of dyads being the earmark of gross (lower) relationships—those belonging to our earthly foundation, and the contrast to triads being the earmark of sublime (higher) relationships. This really does put the quotation of Abraham Lincoln about Right triumphing over Might in America into a very meaningful context! And, yes, that is what Andy’s (short) story is about. Even at 16 years old (and earlier), his mind was actively QUESTIONING the assumptions that most tend to take for granted!
Thank you for that wonderful piece, and the insight it gave me into the developing of that unique Kaufman mind that REFUSED to accept the “reality” that others wanted to impose upon him. That perspective on life, that questioning of reality was just one of the many incredible qualities that made Andy “Andy.”
No, imho, music (rhythm, notes, and melody) belongs to the realm of the sublime (as you put it) and no more has an opposite than deity, mankind, thought, time, or space.
I'm a jerk-off who thinks he knows something about psychology and religion.
I'll use cliche and trite opinion to impose my silly will on all those who come my way.
I suck!!
It must be my terrible abusive childhood, or better yet, my lack of faith in God and Jesus that makes me the way I am! I'm soooo sorry I fail to live up to your expectations. . .
Instead of mocking and ridiculing everything that others say here, why don't you consider coming up with an original thought? Have you ever had one? Do you have the guts to offer one?
If that's beyond your ability, then why don't you go find a hate group (there are plenty to choose from) to post your venom, where your attacks on others would be appreciated and welcomed? I'm sure your wit would be appreciated by others who share your contempt for life.
But this is not such a place. I'm sure that fact just escaped your notice.
I've gotten answers ranging from "random assortments of sounds" to "white noise" to "pure human hatred" etc. but I think I agree with you - it's like the opposite of "time".
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I am glad that we can discuss the physical and metaphysical world, and have exchanges of ideas, rather than being "locked into" the nation's popular ideas of what reality is.
"Man on the Moon" was the best movie I ever saw in my life!! It had a little bit of everything: comedy, romance, and unfortunately sadness. And best of all - it made me THINK!
My favorite character was Tony Clifton. And I thought it was nice that some of the Taxi cast made special appearances. I'll be looking forward to finding the books you mentioned and my membership goodies in the mail. Thanks again!
Glad you saw and enjoyed MotM. I thought the movie fell just a bit short in portraying "the real Andy," but, then, two hours is not nearly enough time, and they did pretty well considering this limitation.
Bob Zmuda's book "Andy Kaufman Revealed" will give any reader a very deep appreciation of the PURE GENIUS that was Andy, and reads easily, quickly, and will have you literally laughing out loud! It was his book that got me hooked for life. I'd recommend it as the next read. Zehme's book is much, much more complete and accurate, but is much more tedius (often maddening) in it's style and content. You may want to read it after you're 'good and hooked'
I, personally, liked the Zemhe better. I know I'm almost alone in this, but to me, he sort of wove a tapestry of words around me, and created this...world...
...just how far this dizzy little geek will go to get attention! Don't worry, Holly. I know the real you, and can spot a poor eemetator when I see him.
Can you imagine a life so dull that causing trouble among people he doesn't even know is his idea of fun? He must have been really rejected and hurt as a child.
The sad thing is that he probably actually thinks this sick behavior is funny. I guess one man's trash really is another (sick) man's treasure!
A bunch of us were sitting around talking about what we would have done
differently in our lives, if we had them to do over; what choices were the
wrong ones, etc.
After listening to a few stories, and thinking it over, I realized that...I don't
think...I would really change andything at all in my life. I am pretty sure that I
would live it all over again exactly the same way, and make all the same
choices.
The opinion was expressed that this was ~horrible~...after all, if I wouldn't
make changes in how I had lived, then I hadn't learned from my mistakes!
While I see the point, after mulling it over for a few daze, I still agree with my
original impulse on this, which is: it isn't ~horrible~, it's ~wonderful~! I am happy
with the choices that I have made, and have no regrets.
What do you guys think? Would you do thinks differently? Is it "better", when
thinking things over, to be desirous of having made different choices in life? Or
"better" to be happy with the choices one has made? Or somewhere in the
middle ground?
You get a life! You're the pathetic moron. This girl, Holly, sounds like she is very happy.
BTW - I'm new to the board. I just discovered Andy Kaufman on a show from the early '80s called "Taxi". I started watching it early in the morning before I get ready for school. I'm excited to learn more about Andy and am anxious to watch Man On The Moon. My boyfriend is renting it for us to watch tonite! I have a lot of reading to catch up on here, but I hope all the posts aren't as negative as this one! Yeesh!
I hope you and your boyfriend enjoy MOTM...may I also reccomend the biographies of Andy Kaufman to you? One is by his best friend, Bob Zmuda, and the other is by journalist Bill Zemhe.
They are available at www.AndyKaufmanInPrint.com, along with the three books that Mister Andy wrote: "Poetry And Stories", "God", and "The Huey Williams Story".
If you would like to join our little informal "fanclub" for Mister Andy, "BSTAK" (The Brotherhood And Sisterhood of the Temple of Andy Kaufman), please drop me a line at the linked edress. Each week we open up a new Andy-related "thought" for discussion and e-bate. We also have several "goofs" going on IRL, which include printed booklets and stickers, reminding people of Andy Kaufman! All in good fun...and it ~IS~ good fun!
I, for one, am ~always~ ready for some good Andy dicsussion! Hope to see more of you in the future! *_*
Yes, I would like to join the fanclub. I didn't realize Andy was so popular!! He's so adorable - I love him! Is the fanclub expensive? I'm a senior in high school and only work part time. Is there really a temple for Andy?!
This is so exciting! I will email you now, and I'll let you know how I liked "Man On The Moon" tomorrow! Thanks Holly =-)
Andy Kaufman obsession disorder (AKOD) is highly contagious and is incurable! Welcome to the club!
We welcome your ideas here as well as questions (we never run out), and observations. The more I learn about Andy, the more my admiration (and obsession) grows.
And you are quite correct--Holly is not only one of the happiest, but one of the brightest and most interesting people I've ever encountered. Because of her questions here, I spend far more time these days thinking about things that really matter in life.
As to the negativism, this is a brand new thing here. It's ironic how often his (this heckler's) remarks are self-depricating without his even realizing it. For example he throws out "birds of a feather..." from his little perch amongst the flock. Then he says "Get a life," when it's perfectly obvious to the rest of us that apart from making spurious attacks from his keyboard, with NO thought or substance behind them whatsoever, HE HAS ABSOLUTELY NO LIFE. If he did, he wouldn't need to seek attention in this way.
Ignor him, or better yet, show him that you are not intimidated, and hopefully he will go find somewhere else to spew his poisonous bile. He's a coward hiding behing an anonomous keyboard.
I'm sending Holly an email so I can join the fan club if it's not too expensive.
You are right about ignoring the anonymous poster. I was just surprised that I clicked on to this board for the first time and saw somebody acting so mean. I only know about Andy from the show "Taxi" (so far!) and I thought it was weird that someone would be so mean on a site in honor of an actor that died a long time ago. And I enjoyed reading Holly's post - it made me smile!
I absolutely agree with your central point. The only way one can have regrets, is if his(her) life has been lived in contradiction to one's basic values. I've made many mistakes, and will make many more in my lifetime(often wrong, but never in doubt), but have lived in accordance to what I value. So how can I regret that?
BUT the one thing I DO regret is opportunities missed--things I could have done, but didn't. When it's all over for me, I will only truly regret what I DIDN'T do in this life. That covers everything from adventures, travel, experiences of various kinds--to speaking up and speaking out at a time when it was needed, or I could have grown from the experience.
**BULLETIN** New "BSTAK Phase 2" Booklet! Massive Snailmailing Underway!
by
Dear BSTAK-ers And Kaufmaniacs!
I have some exciting news: I have written a follow-up booklet to the first BSTAK booklet! Volume 2 is called "Andy's Little Life Quizbook" and I have drawn a picture of TONY for the front cover!
The book contains some of the basic info on Andy and BSTAK, reccomended AK websites, reccomended "other websites for thinkers", and...a quiz.
The quiz asks a number of philosophical questions, and keeps promising an answer key at the back. I won't tell you what the answer key says, but I will let you know that...it's a goof.
Another goof is that the questions are numbered "out of order". It will be a little bit difficult for the uninitiated to make sense of it...which is exactly what I was going for. It mirrors one of the points that I am making in the book about Mister Andy: that he would deliberatley "flub up" in order to get the audience to believe that he didn't know what he was doing...or did he? Question reality! Question everything! *_*
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If your name appears on the following list, you have the new books and a template en route to you via snailmail right now:
Chris Saunders
Chrissy Snow
Dawn Kaplan
Backwash
Kate Sith
Kelley Jarvis
Mary Anne Christiano
Paul Dillery
Shepard Fairey & Amanda
Grant Pominville
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If your name appears on the following list, you will have the new books and a template mailed to you in the near future:
Mister Milich
Steffan Boule
Leslie Richards
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If your name is NOT on either of the above lists, that means that you don't have ~ANDY~ of the materials yet, and you have a lot of catching up to do: there's the first and second little booklets, good for leaving in public places like bathrooms and phone kiosks to get people to wonder about life's illusions. There's the BSTAK stickers, and the template and instructions, so you can print your own. There's a color template of the "Mister Clifton Is A Sex God" series...the nine paintings of Tony. The idea is to xerox those off, and post them around. The only caption for the pix is an email edress, and "Mister Clifton Is A Sex God". Veddy enigmatic.
However, if your name is NOT on either of the above lists, all is not lost - it's not too late! I am still sending out the materials for free, gratis, pro bono, to each and every one of you who wants them. Just send your snailmail address (preferably PO Box or MBE) to this return email edress, and I'll send out the stuff ASAP.
Caveat: The list is getting longer and longer, and (oh, how wonderful!) I now have to send out these emails in two groups. There ~will~ come a time in the future that I won't be able to offer these materials for free, because the cost will simply become too prohibitive. I want to make sure that everyone knows...this offer won't last forever! (I feel like a used car salesman, but I spent the day putting together the mailers, and at the end of the day, I'm thinking...that's a lot of mailers, man!) If you want the stuff, let me know soon, before the big rush! *_~
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I hope all of you get a lot of pleasure out of the new booklet! I had much fun writing it, and much fun assembling the mailers! (You all know how much I love sending and receiving mailers!) If all goes well, the fun I had will be passed along to you via "good vibe osmosis"!
Much love, and best wishes to all!
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All roads lead to Rome/Roam
All roads lead to Lenny
All roads lead to Hix
All roads lead to Andy
All roads lead to Other Roads
All roads are a mobius
All roads are an illusion
Ut! Trvth Is Universal!
Solidarity Through Andy!
Solidarity Through Diversity!
Question: Andy, Negative Vibes, And Rare Forms Of Illness
by Holly
* People say that, if you get a group of people "praying" or thinking positive thoughts for you, it can actually improve your well-being.
This makes me wonder something:
AK died young, and of a rare form of cancer. He was a firm believer in "positive energy" as a source of good health, and in MOTM, there's a
comment about how he has to get away from the negative energy, and also about (since he has created such a stir of "hatred" with his fans) how he is "the king of negative energy". (That would be because of the "villian" characters he has created, that people actually "fall for", and hence hate.)
Now, I don't know if there's andything to this positive/negative energy thing, but...
...if there is, can performing night after night to a showroom/nightclub/auditorium filled with people who are directing hateful, negative energy at you (your character, whom they assume to be you)...can that actually do something to cause an illness? If you are predisposed to an illness, can the negative thoughts of lots of people make
you worse?
Andy did. Not intentionally, not consciously, but he did so just as surely as he played Carnegie Hall. Let me explain. (I’ve been thinking about this for a long time, and this question motivated me to focus, then write out, my thoughts.)
Have you ever had an aunt or uncle, or grandparent who spent a lifetime with their spouse, then lost the spouse to death? Then, mysteriously, the surviving spouse dies within months of the first death? I can think of a half dozen cases in my family, or among friends, where I’ve heard of this happening. Can you? What’s with that, anyway?
Here’s my theory, and how this relates to Andy Kaufman. I think that being secure in our identity (whatever that may be) provides us with comfort and security-and protects us!. Our identity is a sort of “cocoon” or shell that shields us from STRESS. When we are psychologically and emotionally secure, our bodies are far more resistant to attack from foreign, often-fatal infections and diseases (like cancer, for example).
Often (perhaps usually) when a couple is married for 30, 35, 40, 50 years or more, this union BECOMES their identity. When the spouse dies, that identity is stripped away, and the surviving spouse is left naked and defenseless. Often death quickly overcomes this weakened mind-body.
Who was Andy Kaufman? What was his identity? And who took it from him? David letterman said, “ when you looked into Andy’s eyes, it was like someone else was driving.” Others have said that Andy was always “on,” always into one character or another. Others have said that Andy would NOT break character (whatever character he was doing) for anyone, ever. Others have said ‘there was no REAL Andy Kaufman’-he WAS his characters, that WAS his identity. Andy would joke about “Who is Andy Kaufman?” or “OK, now I’m going to show you the REAL Andy Kaufman”, then he’d launch into another character!
My point is that ANDY KAUFMAN”S IDENTITY WAS HIS CHARACTERS-HIS ACT. That was it, pure and simple.
Now, the interesting part. From Zheme’s book—talking about Andy’s eminent taping for the “Catch the Rising Star” tenth Anniversary show in September, 1982: “the material—everyone said there was nothing new, that he needed something new…” “So he decided to KILL IT OFF, to put the material out of it’s misery, to expose it as the charade and the lodestone it had become…” (Remember, this is Andy’s IDENTITY he’s talking about.) “He planted Zmuda up front and had Rick Newman make sure that the microphone was hidden somewhere on Zmuda’s body so that Zmuda could be clearly overheard as the material was drained of it’s blood and left for DEAD….”
Now for the next few minutes Zmuda stood and did something far worse than heckling. He, line by line, did Kaufman’s act from the crowd, ahead of Kaufman by a second or two: Tenk you veddy much-Tenk you veddy much. EES de traffic-Ees de traffic. Take my wife-Take my wife. Eemetations-Eemetations. He was relentless—line upon line. Kaufman would try to ignore it, but Zmuda kept on.
“And Andy was wet: his face was soaked with flop summoned from trained synopses and abetted by blistering lights and he had to say something to stop this man in front from ruining everything…. And he said, “Is there a problem?”
ZMUDA: No, there’s no problem. The only problem is that I’m doing your act for you…If you did some new material, then I wouldn’t know what you’re gonna do next.
ANDY: Well, uh I was asked to do this material tonight, okay? This is what the club asked me to do, and I’m doing it.
This interchange goes on for a while, then Zmuda reveals his planted microphone and says ”Look—there’s a little mic on me, you see this? He hired me tonight to come here and criticize him, you know? See today he was saying to me “Zmuda, here’s what we’re gonna do…I’ll take my old material and I’ll call it Variation on a Theme…” The theme is old material and the variation is that I’m told to sit here and criticize it. <To Andy> well, it’s true. Am I being honest? Am I a plant? Is this another Kaufman put-on? Be honest—am I a plant? Tell the people. There’s a Mic here…
ANDY: Yeah…<sotto voce> you’re not supposed to say anything.
ZMUDA: Fine, then just cut it out <of the tape>.
This was highly abbreviated, but my point is this---ANDY WAS KILLING OFF HIS CHARACTERS--HIS ACT-- HIS IDENTITY. He was destroying his shell or cocoon that had protected him from disease and death.
One final example, from a PBS Soundstage performance in late 1982 (snipped):
FOREIGN MAN: You know, I don’t care what you do to yourself, but you, you’ve not only ruined your career, but you’ve ruined mine, too!
AK: So what? Who cares?
FM; Because of you, everybody doesn’t like me, either. Why do you do thees? I think I know why. It’s because you are really, underneath it all—I don’t think you’re such a bad man.
AK: Oh, thank you.
FM: I think you are a shy little man. A little, scared little man. <<my note: naked and defenseless without the cocoon of his identity—his characters> >
AK: What do I have to be scared of?
FM: You’re afraid of being hurt.
AK: Get outta here—go away!
FM: Because deep down inside you have a gentle soul. And that’s why you have put on thees tough-guy façade. Because you hide your inseecurity.
AK <starting to cry> Really?
FM: You know, when you….come to terms with your own deficiencies, then you’ll be able to accept your true self and won’t have to hide behind thees macho act!
He never did. Instead he destroyed—purposely killed off---- HIS OWN IDENTITY. He deliberately destroyed his security, his shell, and his cocoon, which had previously shielded him from stress, disease, and death.
Why? I can only suppose that he felt that it was time for them to die, in the interest of artistic integrity. And I think that he fully intended to replace them with new characters, or to fill his life with a new identity, but never got the chance. I think he purposely KILLED ‘phase one’ of his career and UNintentionally HIMSELF in the process. Sadly, we will never get to see the bigger, brighter, even more awesome 'phase two'. It died with Andy.
Thanks, Holly. It's funny how often our minds run in the same direction. Maybe it's Andy's influence. Maybe we're fans of AK because we think in a certain way. But when I read your post, it got me to focus and clarify my thoughts on the subject of Andy's death that I'd been holding for a long time.
Let's never stop asking those kinds of questions!!!
Phase two WAS started, but it was too late. He could only realise this during phase t(w)oo late. He was treading the short path to becoming a parody of himself. One of his biggest fears-:
A has-been. Cue 'cancer and 'death'!
There IS and always was a 'REAL' Andy all along. You just didn't get to see him much. And why should have you?
I have recently been working on a creative project that involves BSTAK, and to which all BSTAK members will eventually become privy. It's not quite ready yet, but I've been throwing myself into the project so much that just ~had~ to give you the news that...something...is going to happen...at some point!
(How's that for a teaser, eh?)
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This week's quotes are taken from the book, "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", by request. Brother Don, from Hawaii, especially enjoyed the Richard Bach quote (from "Illusions") last week, and suggested that "Seagull" contained many ideas that related to courage, individualism, and Andy. I've thrown in a few Buckminster Fuller quotes, just for the hell of it. Look into Bucky here: www.bfi.org
Here are a few choice quotes for your consideration, discussion, and e-bate. Enjoy, Kaufmaniacs!
-------------------
[Jonathan, when chastened by the Gull Council Flock for "irresponsilbility", something I am sure that Andy caught nine kinds of hell for all through his childhood...and perhaps later. Jonathan is also told that "we are put into this world to eat, to stay alive as long as we possibly can."]
"Irresponsibility? My Brothers! Who is more responsibile than a gull who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years, we have scrabbled after fish-heads, but now we have a reason to live - to learn, to discover, to be free!"
[Bucky, paraphrased by me.]
"Darwin thought that only the 'fittest' would survive, but he did not take into account the technological and design revolution...war and selfishness are now obsolete...the key is ~ephemeralization~ --- doing more and more, with less and less!"
[Chiang (The "Yoda-Gull) tells Jonathan about heaven. This passage is about limitations, both outside and self-induced. Andy is a great one for not limiting his potential - EVER.]
"...there is no such place. Heaven is not a place, and it is not a time. Heaven is being perfect...You will begin to touch heaven in the moment that you touch perfect speed. And that isn't flying a thousand miles an hour, or a million, or flying at the speed of light. Because any number is a limit, and perfection doesn't have limits. Perfect speed, my son, is being there."
[Bucky.]
"Knowing what you feel, or thinking about what you feel, isn't the same as feeling. When you feel is when you are closest to the system integrity that is 'you'...Love is omni-inclusive, non-exclusive, gentle, tender, and fiercely attunned to other than self."
[Chiang again, on perfection.]
"To fly as fast as thought, to anywhere that is, you must begin by knowing that you have already arrived...forget about faith! You didn't need faith to fly, you needed to understand flying."
[Jonathan Seagull, on why we don't need to be sad that Mister Andy and others that we love are gone.]
"If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own Brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?"
Whew, Brothers and Sisters! That's a lot for one week! I hope we all get some interesting discussion from this...or at least, something upon which to meditate. Mind and soul food.
Is everyone distributing the BSTAK tracts and stickers? Does andybody have stories? Tons of interesting and cool things happen to me while I'm out "posseing" for Mister Andy...in fact, I've ~met~ some of the newer BSTAK members while out "posseing" for Mister Andy! *_*
If you don't already have the tracts, stickers, and templates for making them, drop me a line at this edress, and I'll send you some, gratis, post haste! (Don't know how long I'll be able to keep doing this for free, so get in on it while you still can! Come one, come all, don't be left out of the fun!)
I'll be in touch again when the "new and creative BSTAK project" can be...unveiled, so to speak! (If not sooner!)
Have a magical week!
------------------------
All roads lead to Rome/Roam
All roads lead to Lenny
All roads lead to Hix
All roads lead to Andy
All roads lead to Other Roads
All roads are a Mobius
Ut! Trvth Is Universal!
Solidarity Through Andy!
Solidarity Through Diversity!
Love,
Sister Holly, The Garrulous
PS. This week, the list of BSTAK-ers has grown so long, that I had to send the "thought" out in two seperate emailings! Huzzah! *_*
>>Jonathan, when chastened by the Gull Council Flock for "irresponsilbility","Irresponsibility? My Brothers! Who is more responsibile than a gull who finds and follows a meaning, a higher purpose for life? For a thousand years, we have scrabbled after fish-heads, but now we have a reason to live - to learn, to discover, to be free!"<<
Wonderful quote!! What a great way to start the week. So much I want to say about this, when I have a few extra minutes.
When I read this, I think of the comedians at the Improv, or even SNL, rehashing (for the 10,000th time) new variations on old worn out jokes and skits, saying, "Kaufman doesn't understand that this stuff isn't supposed to be performance art. Doesn't he know that comedians are supposed to tell jokes?" LOL
...when someone starts telling you the "rules" of how things are "supposed to be"...to me, that acts as a big neon sign pointing at a convention or perceived reality that is ~begging~ to be broken. Then again, I have a reputation as being the family "black sheep", for just that reason.
Heh! They're lucky I don't go further out than I already am!
Check your Webster's. I don't three constitutes a "bunch." If I bought a bunch, and only got three, I'd bitterly complain. But, then, I guess bunches vary from state to state and country to country. Maybe where you come from, they sell "short bunches."
"If our friendship depends on things like space and time, then when we finally overcome space and time, we've destroyed our own Brotherhood! But overcome space, and all we have left is Here. Overcome time, and all we have left is Now. And in the middle of Here and Now, don't you think that we might see each other once or twice?"
I see Andy, over and over, HERE (in this group) and NOW, as I read it. Every time we ask questions, push bounderies, have the courage to reveal our inner selves in public, reach for a higher plane of existence, Andy LIVES, here and now.
....when we look at the night sky, we are seeing light from stars....some of which aren't even there andymore...and the light is just now reaching the earth...they are "gone", and yet they are never gone!
Well, since you opened Pandora's box, I'll give my opinion on this one, too. I’ll repost my response to Tony Weier’s idiotic “revelation” of 9-14:
Snipped from his post:>>>>>>>>>>I'm sorry, but I will no longer engage in ignorant pissing matches here on the n.g. that resolve nothing (because people enjoy pseudo-confrontations as BAD Andy wannabes and psychodramas are just so fun) and have little if anything to do with Andy Kaufman, the subject of this newsgroup.<<<<<<<<<
(His full post then went on to, person by person, PERSONALLY rip apart newsgroup members)
(My response): I really see an major inconsistency here!! First you criticize personal
confrontations, then you make a number of personal comments that are intended
to be confrontational. And assuming this has not been altered, it looks like
that has always been your plan: (The following was an email from Tony Weier):
>>>>>>>>Subj: Re: Okay, it's me
Date: 2/29/00 3:11:20 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: somedaze@erols.com (T. wEieR)
To: TenkYouVeddyMuch@aol.com
Thanks, Tenk. And thanks for working with me. I hope that our little fight
in some way helped rejuvenate the newsgroup. It was partially my intent
that the controversy would do just that.<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
(My comments again):I really would love to see PERSONAL FIGHTS go away!! Forever!! They do not
belong here. They do not rejuvinate anything but ill will and hatred!! They
are destructive. And they remove any chance this group may have for
Constructive, creative discussion!
So, I take you at your word on this:
>>>>>>>>>I will no longer engage in ignorant pissing matches here on the n.g.<<<<<<<<<
Congratulations on your CAKS scam. I did always think it weird that first you
two were bitter enemies, then all of the sudden, mutual promoters. I am glad
that you are going to set up a link to the American Cancer Society. At
least one positive element comes out of all of this.
D
_____________________________________________________________________
I hope THIS Discussion Forum NEVER, EVER degenerates to the disturbing level of personal attacks, fights, ego- strutting, and childish behavior that we’ve been seeing on alt.fan.andy-kaufman newsgroup for the last couple of months.
I think everyone involved in those fights should be forced to watch “Magnolia” NONSTOP until they get it!
I, for one, though I may openly disagree with ideas posted here, and may give alternate perspectives, opinions, and ideas, hereby pledge NEVER to PERSONALLY attack any member of this forum. I hope others, here, agree. For some reason, many on the (alt.fan) newsgroup cannot seem to distinguish between these two approaches.
‘Nuf said. “In this friendly, friendly world….with each night so full of dreams…..why should any heart be afraid?”
Better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness...
by Holly
...you stupid darkness!!!
--------------------
OK, dunno who this guy is, and can't get into the place to see for myself what the shouting is all about, but I can say this much:
Andy wasn't about pissing people off. He used pissing people off as part of his repertoire, in order to get people to question reality, and make them think. Examples of this are Tony Clifton, and Mr. Hollywood, The Intergender Wrestling Champion Of The World.
-----------------------
If one have a reason to argue/debate/e-bate, or if one is doing a character/persona which has a specific purpose, that's all fine and cool.
But if one thinks that one is being like Andy (whom I would assume the person in question would admire, hanging around an Andy Kaufman newsgroup), well, he's not. That would be just using one (of millions) of the great ideas Andy had, until it loses all meaning, and packs no "punch".
Arguing for the sake of getting attention makes one a "one-trick pony".
---------------------
Don, everybody ought to watch "Magnolia" a million times, just for the pure pleasure of it!
>>Don, everybody ought to watch "Magnolia" a million times, just for the pure pleasure of it!<<
I agree with both points-the one above and your point about the true spirit of Andy Kaufman. Unfortunately, this guy really believes that the way to revive a lackluster newsgroup is to have everybody go at each others' throats. Sort of like the character in "Needful Things." But we all know what that characters' true adgenda was!
What I meant was they should watch "Magnolia" until they understand the 'forgiveness' thing. Btw, I'm still formulating my thoughts and response about that. Been thinking about the oppression of the "Children of Israel" (and Exodus 8:2) and how that may relate to the oppression of children in the movie. Facsinating stuff! Once again, thank you for the mental stimulation!
Of course!!! Now, that makes sense!!! Thanks, Don, you're the greatest!
---------------
Stuart R.: What's "wrong" with being "weird"? I think that Mister Andy would be considered pretty "weird" by most of the "normals", and I don't think it's a bad thing.
I was re-watching my "Magnolia" DVD tonight...kind of had your idea about the "Children of Israel" in the back of my mind.
Know what I found? A signpost that points directly to the fact that your idea is correct. In essence, lines in the script that support the theory, and are intended to get us looking in the right direction.
I am referring here to the bar scene, when Quiz Kid Donnie Smith stumbles out drunkenly, giving a kind of impromptu speech. He argues with Henry Gibson's character about whether or not it is "dangerous to confuse children with angels".
It has to do with what Henry Gibson says about "spokes on a wheel-things go round and round and round." (One generation to the next to the next, ad infinitum.) Then Donnie Smith (as he's throwing up) says something about "The sins of the father are visited on the sons." (The children wallow in misery because of-as a result of-their PARENTS sins.) Then the song that everybody sings: "It's not going to stop until you wise up!"
Well said, and probably true, Stuart. But I hope my weirdness (unlike Tony Weier's) serves a POSATIVE purpose. Andy Kaufman, by the standards of our society, was definately weird. Fortunately for us, however, his determination punched through his reluctance to be laughed at for that weirdness. Otherwise, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now.
And that is one HUGE reason that I admire Holly so much!!! She has the guts to ask questions and open up discussion that others would be afraid to express in a public forum.
One GREAT thing about this forum (unlike the newsgroup lately) is that we can express ideas, no matter how weird, freely, and safe from personal attack. Creativity and originality flourish in such an atmosphere.
Long Live the Spirit (Courage and Creativity) of Andy Kaufman!!!!
If you'd read the parts on Jonathan Livingston Seagull, you see that you just MADE the very point that we have been promoting. ...leaving the "flock" behind to fight over scraps.
Forward: Virus Warning! (Just got this emailed to me)
by Holly
Very Urgent!!!!!!!
> > > >> >
> > > >> > PASS THIS ON TO ANYONE YOU HAVE AN E-MAIL
> ADDRESS FOR.
> > > >> >
> > > >> > If you receive an email titled:"It Takes
> Guts to Say Jesus" DO NOT
> > >OPEN
> > > >> IT.
> > > >> > It will erase everything on your hard
> drive. This information was
> > > >> > announced yesterday morning from IBM; AOL
> states that this is a
> > >very
> > > >> > dangerous virus, much worse than
> "Melissa," and that there is NO
> > > >Remedy
> > > >> > for it at this time.
> > > >> > Some very sick individual has succeeded in
> using the reformat
> > >function
> > > >> > from Norton Utilities causing it to
> completely erase all documents
> on
> > > >the
> > > >> > drive. It has been designed to work with
> Netscape Navigator and
> > > >Microsoft
> > > >> > Internet Explorer. It destroys Macintosh
> and IBM compatible
> > > >computers.
> > > >> > This is a new, very malicious virus and not
> many people know about
> > >it.
> > > >> > Pass this warning along to EVERYONE in your
> address book and please
> > > >share
> > > >> it
> > > >> > with all your online friends ASAP so that
> this threat may be
> stopped.
> > > >> > Please practice cautionary measures and
> tell anyone that may have
> > >access
> > > >> to
> > > >> > your computer.
> > > >> > Forward this warning to everyone that might
> access the Internet.
> > > >> > Joyce L. Bober
> > > >> > IBM Information Systems
> > > >> > Pittsburgh Mailing Systems
> > > >> > 412/922-8744
> > > >> > 412/937-1730 Fax
> > > >> >
> > > >
