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Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman
 
 
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Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (Paperback)

by Bill Zehme (Author) "He came late ..." (more)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Fourth Estate (6 Jan 2000)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1841152196
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841152196
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 549,591 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

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, co-workers and unwitting participants in Kaufman's pranks. In particular, the book provides great insight into Kaufman's early life in Great Neck, New York; his relationship with transcendental meditation and his first forays into night clubs 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 Zehme did have access to unpublished letters and manuscripts (which fans would certainly like to see published on their own one day) but the only person who could legitimately verify the accuracy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 collector of various intense personalities: the young boy continually mourning his grandfather's death; the likeable and naive Foreign Man; the talentless and irascible lounge singer Tony Clifton; the bliss-seeking student of transcendental meditation; 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



Esquire

'Excellent.' Esquire --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman
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Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman 4.7 out of 5 stars (6)
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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening exploration into the mind of a comic genius, 28 Feb 2000
By A Customer
To read this book you don't have to know who Andy Kaufman is but by the time you have finished reading it you feel as if you were there watching him through out his career and you want to know more. The book provides a detailed and sensitive insight into the life of Andy Kaufman and the role his experiences played in his many characters and performances. It provokes many emotions from the reader laughter, amazement, disbelief and sadness. The book poses the question "What is funny?" and by the end of the book it seems clear that Andy Kaufman was a comic genius who was miles ahead of his time...maybe even ours too. READ THIS BOOK!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars explosivly shows the mind of the greatest comic in the world, 25 April 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (Paperback)
This book gives a view in to the mind of Kaufman. It shows you the real Kaufman rather than just the performer that is shown in "man on the moon" This gives you the story from birth and how he grew into the business. It is a great read that will have you captivated and desperate to find more about the crazy world of Kaufman
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars In the mind of a genius, 19 April 2005
By disco_daveuk (Southampton, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman (Paperback)
Like many more before, I must admit I discovered the genius of Andy Kaufman through 'Man On The Moon', though i wish it had been far sooner.
Lost In The Funhouse is a great example of good biography writing, it doesn't gross out by revealing things you probably would rather not know about someone you admire, but then it also refuses to gloss over the negative to the extent that so many do.
At times written in the style of Kaufman himself, this is a detailed a suprisingly personal account of the life of comic genius. Well worth a look.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It was, umm, fine...... Actually it was very good.
Having only seen Andy Kaufman on reruns of Taxi (in the UK) and from Jim Carrey's portrayal on the excellent 'Man on the Moon' film. Read more
Published 5 months ago by S. J. M

4.0 out of 5 stars Andy Kaufman's Life In Great Detail
I bought this book after watching and buying 'Man On The Moon' on DVD because I wanted to know more about Andy (as great as the film is, it doesn't go into much detail and things... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Shaun O'Connor

5.0 out of 5 stars Anybody with an interest in Kaufman will love this book.
After watching the Jim Carrey movie 'Man in the Moon' I found myself interested in Andy Kaufman, who I previously knew nothing about. Read more
Published on 29 Jul 2004 by R. Britain

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