| Andy and His Grandmother | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | July 16, 2013 |
| Recorded | 1977–1979 |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Length | 48:00 |
| Language | English |
| Label | Drag City |
| Compiler | Rodney Ascher and Vernon Chatman |
Andy and His Grandmother is the posthumous debut album from American comedian Andy Kaufman, released on Drag City on July 16, 2013. Composed of recordings that Kaufman made on microcassette from 1977 to 1979, the album was created by several of Kaufman's friends as well as contemporary comedians.
Kaufman recorded over 80 hours of material with the intention of recording an album similar to Steve Allen and Jerry Lewis' prank call comedy records [1] —his tapes include explicit instructions on how the album should sound. [2] Kaufman's girlfriend Lynne Margulies kept the tapes for decades but never found the opportunity to release them until she published a 2009 book of letters sent to Kaufman and her publisher put her in touch with Drag City. [1] The album was compiled by editor Rodney Ascher and comedian Vernon Chatman with narration between tracks by comedian Bill Hader and liner notes by Kaufman confidant Bob Zmuda. [3] The album includes Kaufman's potential plans for faking his own death—a long-rumored prank that he has allegedly pulled on the public for over 30 years. [1] Chatman is contractually barred from commenting on whether or not Kaufman in fact faked his death. [2]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 62, four reviews [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Boston Globe | Favorable [5] |
| Consequence of Sound |   [6] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.2/10 [7] |
| PopMatters |   [8] |
The album has received mixed and positive reviews—review aggregator Metacritic has given it a 62 indicating "generally favorable reviews". [4] Nick A. Zaino III, writing for The Boston Globe called the compilation "undoubtedly one of the strangest albums in recent memory" making for a "perfect tribute" to Kaufman. [5] Matt Melis of Consequence of Sound also drew parallels between the ambiguous nature of Kaufman's anti-comedy and these recordings. [6] Ryan Dombal's review for Pitchfork Media emphasizes the timing of the recordings and how Kaufman's act changed from a kid-friendly to an adult-themed performance and notes that this album documents his increasingly provocative act. [7] Charles Pitter of PopMatters gave the compilation a mixed score saying, "much of the content is either the start of an idea or what could be considered unfinished business. Despite this, if you're a huge Kaufman fan, it's likely to be of great interest, but potentially it may cause you a wave of depression." [8] Writing for Grantland , Alex Pappademas called the album a "landmark" and "part of Kaufman hasn’t been fully present in any of his work before". [9]
Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman was an American entertainer and performance artist. He has sometimes been called an "anti-comedian". He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, once saying in an interview, "I am not a comic, I have never told a joke. The comedian's promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him. My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can."
Tony Clifton is a character created by comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s. An absurdly foul-mouthed and domineering lounge singer claiming to hail from Las Vegas, the tuxedo-clad Clifton often led unsuspecting audiences through awkward yet elaborate lounge singer performances. Kaufman appeared as Clifton on stage and on television programs ranging from The Merv Griffin Show to The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show.
Bob Zmuda is an American writer, comedian, producer, and director best known for his collaboration with comedian and performance artist Andy Kaufman.
Man on the Moon is a 1999 biographical comedy drama film about American entertainer Andy Kaufman, starring Jim Carrey as Kaufman. The film was directed by Miloš Forman and also features Danny DeVito, Courtney Love and Paul Giamatti.
Fridays was a late-night live comedy show that aired on ABC on Friday nights from April 11, 1980, to April 23, 1982.
Michael Anthony Richards is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.
The Jerky Boys were an American comedy act from Queens, New York City, New York, whose routine consisted of prank telephone calls and other related skits. The duo was founded in 1989 by childhood friends Johnny Brennan and Kamal Ahmed. After Ahmed left the act in 2000, the Jerky Boys continued on as a solo act featuring only Brennan, before going on a 19-year hiatus after the 2001 release of the franchise's penultimate album, The Jerky Tapes. Brennan released a follow-up album of new material in November 2020.
Neil Hamburger is a standup comedian and singer character created and portrayed by Australian-American entertainer Gregg Turkington. Distinguished for his misanthropic jokes and anti-comedy style, Turkington has released a number of albums as Hamburger and has appeared as the character in various films, television shows, and other media. In 2015, the act inspired the feature-length film Entertainment, which stars Turkington as a "variant" of the character.
John Francis Burns was an American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer and producer. During the 1960s, he was part of two comedy partnerships, first with George Carlin and later with Avery Schreiber. He is also known for his short stint as Warren Ferguson, Barney Fife's replacement on The Andy Griffith Show in 1965. By the 1970s, he had transitioned to working behind the camera as a writer and producer on such comedy series as The Muppet Show and Hee Haw.
Roy D. Mercer was a fictional character created by American disc jockeys Brent Douglas and Phil Stone on radio station KMOD-FM in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Douglas, who performed Mercer's voice, used the character as a vehicle for comedy sketches in which he performed prank calls. The two released twelve albums of prank call recordings under the Roy D. Mercer name via Virgin Records and Capitol Records. The character was essentially retired in 2013 after Stone's death.
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter and comedian, originally from Michigan.
I'm from Hollywood is a 1989 comedy documentary film about the adventures of late performance artist Andy Kaufman in the world of professional wrestling. The film includes interviews with Taxi co-stars Marilu Henner and Tony Danza and interviews with comedian Robin Williams, wrestler Jerry Lawler, wrestling commentator Lance Russell, and Kaufman's best friend, Bob Zmuda. Other people seen in the film include TV host David Letterman and Jimmy Hart of Continental Wrestling Association. The film's title refers to a phrase spoken by Kaufman to the Memphis wrestling audience.
Gregg Turkington is an American comedian, entertainer, actor, musician and writer. He is known for his performances as Neil Hamburger, a stand-up comedian persona he developed in the 1990s. Alongside Tim Heidecker, Turkington also stars as a fictionalized version of himself on the comedic web series On Cinema (2011–). In addition, he formed one-half of the band Zip Code Rapists and has collaborated on numerous projects with musicians including Trey Spruance.
Brent Weinbach is an American stand-up comedian, actor, director, and pianist based in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his experimental style and abstract, deadpan delivery. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and was formerly a professional jazz pianist and substitute teacher.
"Blame Game" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song features recording artist John Legend and was produced by West, DJ Frank E, and Mike Dean. The song features a hip hop skit provided by comedian Chris Rock. It uses the piano composition "Avril 14th" by Aphex Twin. Lyrically, the song contains West's thoughts on past break-ups and explores themes of unrequited love, heartbreak, and spousal abuse. Midway through the song, Rock delivers an extended monologue as the new boyfriend of West's past lover.
Harrison Greenbaum is an American stand-up comedian and comedy writer.
Lion is the fifth album by American musician, comedian, and actor Stephen Lynch, released in 2012. The first half of the album was recorded at Studio G! and the second half of the album was recorded live from Symphony Space.
Rob Potylo is an artist, film producer, and musical comedian. He has produced and appeared in five seasons of Quiet Desperation, a scripted online mockumentary comedy web show and cable series about the underground art and music scene.
Was This Man a Genius?: Talks with Andy Kaufman is a 2001 non-fiction work by American author Julie Hecht. It was first published on April 17, 2001, through Random House and was republished in paperback through Simon & Schuster in 2009. The book is based on a book-length profile that Hecht had written, which was based on conversations that Hecht had held with comedian Andy Kaufman during 1978 and 1979.
The Lost Tapes 2 is a compilation album by American rapper Nas, released on July 19, 2019 by Mass Appeal Records and Def Jam Recordings. It is the sequel to the compilation album The Lost Tapes, released in 2002. The Lost Tapes 2 features unreleased tracks from Nas’ last four studio albums: Hip Hop Is Dead (2006), Untitled (2008), Life Is Good (2012) and the album scrapped in favor of Nasir (2018). It includes production from producers such as RZA, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, No I.D., Pete Rock and The Alchemist, among others.
