Was This Man a Genius?: Talks With Andy Kaufman

by Julie Hecht

Andy Kaufman defied explanation. But between 1978 and 1979, acclaimed New Yorker short story writer Julie Hecht attempted to arrange an interview with him, hoping to discover how he came to do what he did. The one-hour interview turned into innumerable surreal meetings and phone conversations with her subject; but she couldn't always tell when his act was on.

Whether driving recklessly on icy roads, or drawing the author unaware into his schemes and dada-esque pranks on unsuspecting waiters and college students, Andy Kaufman never seemed to separate himself from his stage personality--or personalities. Was This Man a Genius? is the culmination of a series of bizarre, frequently hilarious meetings; In describing them Hecht, herself a master of wit and observation, illuminates the enigma of Andy Kaufman's work and life.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Comedy, Humor, Art

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Julie Hecht is a contemporary American fiction writer specializing in interlacing short stories. She is best known for her book "Do the Windows Open?," a series of short stories some of which first appeared independently in The New Yorker.

Reviews

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surreal. The author tries to get Kaufman's story for a magazine article, but gets the runaround for more than a year. The book describes her meetings with Kaufman at his parents house, various cafes and restaurants, backstage, travelling, etc., where he tells her many different stories, sometimes changing the story at a later time, sometimes admitting that some bits are made up. Kaufman has another comedian he travels with that is intent on making things up, including details about Kaufman's life. And at multiple points the author sits in on interviews Kaufman is giving that have different life stories than she's been given. It gets to be where you can't tell if what Kaufman has said is true, and then you realize that you can't tell if what the author said is true either. (She gets a bit snarky at times with Andy, telling him to get some exercise and eat healthier. She becomes a character in the story and you sense she might be playing the same kind of game Kaufman is playing.) And you realize that this is all in Kaufman's plan. Or maybe it's just the author, who knows. After reading a book about a person, I'd like to say I know more about them. In this case, I don't think that's true. I really can't tell. It is a fun story to read if you ignore normal logic and consistency, and you don't expect to know the subject better after you're done. This is a description of life as performance art.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was psyched about this little book, because Andy Kaufman is fascinating, and because Julie Hecht's "Do the Windows Open?" is without a doubt one of the funniest books I have ever read. It seemed like a good pairing, because Kaufman and Hecht are both artists who may be deliberately trying to be funny, or they may just be insane, and you're never quite sure which it is. As this book demonstrates, it's hard to tell how much of Kaufman's act is an act, and conversely, how much of his so-called real self is his real self. Similarly, you wonder when reading Hecht if she’s writing about a character’s paranoid, rarified, but also incredibly incisive observations, or if she’s simply relating her own thoughts and experiences – regardless, it sometimes feels like you couldn’t come up with a character like that unless you kind of were that character.

Anyway, despite this perfect storm, I found _Was this Man a Genius?_ a little disappointing. It’s based on a series of encounters Hecht had with Kaufman in 1978-9 while attempting semi-unsuccessfully to interview him for a profile in Harper’s – Harper’s eventually decided not to publish the piece, and you can kind of see why, even though the encounters have a somewhat compelling, surrealist quality. Hecht decided (or possibly was encouraged by her publisher) to edit the conversations and publish them as a book in 2001, which was a couple of years after the Jim Carrey biopic of Kaufman came out, when everyone was rediscovering Andy Kaufman. I think, though, in the end, that this lightly curated material isn’t really enough to merit being published as a book. Even though it’s amusing to see how Kaufman and Hecht interact, in some ways they are both so unusual that they almost cancel each other out.

Still, _Was this Man a Genius?_ is worth reading if you’re a die-hard Andy Kaufman fan, or, like myself, if you’re intent on reading everything published by the brilliant but tragically unprolific Julie Hecht.

[Bill Camp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a purely anecdotal take on the life of Andy Kaufman as told by the author, Julie Hecht, who had a number of personal meetings with him trying to get an interview. She offers a play-by-play of some of the things he did when out in public, like staging a fight with his manager in a restaurant. She also spent a lot of time with his manager, and even met with his family for this interview. In telling the book in this way, Hecht creates an interesting story arc with the conflict of a young reporter trying to get an interview with a rising Hollywood star. In the process she also manages to uncover how Kaufman created some of his most famous characters, such as Foreign Man and Tony Clifton. While she also touches on Kaufman's act of wrestling women, she was not around him during his time in wrestling with Jerry Lawler in Memphis. This was why I took off one star. She does, however, leave it to the reader to decide whether Kaufman was a comic genius or not through these anecdotal stories.

[SouthWestZippy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie Hecht tries to get an interview with Andy Kaufman several times but get very little reliable information from him and his stories change. This book is her trying to put the Andy Kaufman puzzle together but not able to get the full picture of just who and what he was.
The book is a quick read and though provoking but I did not find myself pulled into to keep my full attention. I did find most of the dialogs between Julie and Andy interesting, it was like watching to minds dancing.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read with a frenetic pacing. The quotes from Kaufman and the other make you almost anxious because of how quickly they changes topics. Pretty funny and odd, but a good view into how Kaufman thought and the authority perceived him.

[Dearwassily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this sheds a bit of light on Andy Kaufman. Was he a genius? Or insane? Or a sociopath? Perhaps all three. Whatever he was, he was fascinating.

[Aharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echt Hecht.

[John Bleasdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and sad.

[aedan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best kawfman book.

[Moon Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

24/7 clown of a guy. I enjoyed the style in which this book was written.

[Jason Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended fan reading! This book reads like the collection of recorded conversations that it is. It makes it a little disjointed and hard to follow at times, but overall Hecht does a terrific job of staying on task and working to unearth the personality that wanted so much to stay hidden. Kaufman was certainly an enigma who happened to catch the public eye in such a way that it was culturally "uncool" to not understand him. Something that he found amusing and fortunately for him, easy to propagate.

Hecht, according to the photo on dust jacket, bore a striking enough resemblance to Kaufman's crush Goldie Hawn that he continued to give her audience.Beyond this, he answered her questions with what seems to be a mutual respect borne of her treating him just like any other person who is getting on her nerves much of the time. Her insights aren't nearly as valuable as the telling verbatim conversations recorded over the "one hour" interview that took a year to complete.

Genius? Maybe. Awkward and self conscious? Certainly. Interesting? Without a doubt...

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andy Kaufman defied explanation. Between 1978 and 1979, acclaimed novelist and New Yorker short story writer Julie Hecht attempted to arrange an interview with him, hoping to discover how he came to do what he did. The one-hour interview turned into innumerable surreal meetings and phone conversations with her subject; but she couldn't always tell when his act was on.

Whether driving recklessly on icy roads or drawing the author unawares into his schemes and Dada-esque pranks on unsuspecting waiters and college students, Andy Kaufman never seemed to separate himself from his stage personality -- or personalities. Was This Man a Genius? is the culmination of a series of bizarre, frequently hilarious meetings. In describing them, Hecht, herself a master of wit and observation, illuminates the enigma of Andy Kaufman's work and life. --Amazon.com

[Eugene · Rating 3 out of 5]

um, i'm getting kinda obsessed over this dude...
andy sings a song

hecht takes the long way around to her subject, which is appreciated. there's something indigestible about andy kaufman--not in a bad way--just there's only what's there... there's nothing to get!

a sweet absurdist slash prankster who stated he hated having his work analyzed and who dreamed up a character, his id incarnate, a sleezeball lounge singer--and then somehow let the guy go on to have a life of his own...

hecht's refusal to be anything other than herself against kaufman's protean swirl is great contrast and fun.

PS... in case you get thrown cuz it starts kinda seemingly uneventful--read it until the end.

[ivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personally, I think the answer may be "no." But it's sort of beside the point. Author Julie Hecht doesn't really work very hard to answer the question, nor to contextualize Kaufman in any focused way.

Nevertheless, her access to Kaufman, both before and after his fame, provides some interesting behind-the-scenes glimpses at a man who was, undeniably influential.

And these glimpses raise some provocative questions about the tension between the public and private personas of performers, about audience expectations of sincerity, and about the way our society confers fame and/or noteriety.

So, the question "Was this man a genius?" is more koan to be be pondered than question to be answered.

[Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed in this book. I had hoped that it would shed some more intimate light on Kaufman, but really, the interviews are as scattered as the man himself appeared to be. The author never really seems to come to terms with what Kaufman is attempting to do, what is real/fake, or what drives Kaufman. Every answer given seems to then be unwound in a later conversation. Basically, the book is all text from interviews with no additional information. So, while what you get is straight from Kaufman's mouth, that doesn't help much when he was a master manipulator.

Don't get me wrong, it's a solid read for fans of Kaufman, but I don't think you'll get anything new out of this book that you haven't picked up from other forms of media.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great thing about working in a bookstore is finding random books that catch your eye. I found this yesterday and was immediately interested.

I don't expect to learn more about Andy, in fact I expect to be more confused about him than before I started. But it made me feel good to read about his "antics".

I liked this book a lot. The actual interview didn't take place until the last forty pages, but it was set up by following Andy from venues and hotel rooms. I think he's an inspiring guy.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only did it get into the mind of Andy Kaufman but Julie Hecht as well. She contributed to the the New Yorker and won an O. Henry Prize. A perfect combination.

Much direct conversation, trusted that it's 100% genuine.

Taught me how to interview idols even conversate with people who have big personalities. And motivation comes with those big personalities, how their minds can't be replicated, but motivated.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a frenetic ride through little episodes of life with Kaufman and Bob Zmuda on the road. Brilliant to see how Kaufman was always "on" but not, and how much that confused everyone around him.

Plus, it was fun to read this, then "Life in the Funhouse" which gave me background into why he was the way he was.

[Mixter Mank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Essentially a revised and extended shelved-magazine profile from the late-70s, Hecht gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Kaufman, a man who was either always acting or always sincerely strange. Told mostly through dialog, with an awareness that Hecht (a short story writer) had no tape running throughout most of the events in the book, we're left, like most everything surrounding Kaufman, to wonder what is fact and what is fiction.

[Blue Weasel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never been a fan of Andy Kaufman and I thought that I may have a new perspective of this man, as a person, by reading this piece. I gave it two stars because I found a few things in the book I enjoyed, but for the most part I was unimpressed with the writing style and with Andy Kaufman himself. But at least I tried.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely quick read. She does not answer the question about Genius but talks of their interactions together which occured over many years whenever he came to New York.

He took goofing on people (as we used to say in the 70's) to an art form.

[Nicole Cushing · Rating 3 out of 5]

This slender volume details the author's travails while trying to keep up with Andy and interview him. The book is a quick, easy read (and might be fun for people who'd like some biography of Andy without slogging through the almost-400 pages of the much-more-detailed LOST IN THE FUNHOUSE).

[Steven Spector · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tiny little book (169pp) which serves as a nice item for Andy Kaufman completists. There's not much here that hasn't been hinted at or laid out in the biographies, but it's nice hearing Andy speak in his own voice.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

...or thereabouts. I only just remembered I read it. But I remember finding it, like all Kaufmanalia except that movie, fascinating.

[PJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching "man on the moon", i wasn't sure i liked andy kaufman. after reading this book, i'm still not sure.

[Rachel]

Quick read. Intrieging subject, humourous

[Wes Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genius? Absolutely! Its hard not to take Kaufman with a grain of salt but if however you take this series of interviews - it iis at Kaufman's word, indulging the pun.

[Michael Dobbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

that i'm not crazy

[Crimeny! · Rating 2 out of 5]

not the best choice i've made at an airport.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

For an answer to this book's title question, just read into it a little until you get to the part where the author goes with Andy and Bob to the cafe. If that's not genius, then genius is boring.