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Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts!
“...Hilarious...You couldn't write better insults than these if you tried, and it's easy to understand why Kaufman just couldn't let them go.”— Pop Candy for USA Today “It is not just the letters that help to make Dear Andy Kaufman a complete success. The grainy graphics and often hilarious images ultimately tie the entire book together, making it something heftier than a coffee table book but no less engaging to thumb through.”— LAist “Collecting hundreds of angry letters written to the provocative star of Taxi and SNL , the coffee table-style book Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts! is a suitably ironic love letter to the oft-misunderstood comedian.”— Flavorpill “Andy saved and organized all of the letters and photos he received and now his widow, Lynn Margulies, has released them as the exact sort of book you would want to own.”— Vice
Famous for his role as Latka Gravas on television's Taxi and for his appearances on Saturday Night Live and his own variety show, the legendary eccentric performer Andy Kaufman provoked a national outrage in 1977 by taunting the women of America and challenging them to wrestle him live on television. Taking on an aggressive and ridiculous personality based upon the characters invented by professional wrestlers, he offered a $1,000 reward to any woman who could pin him. Thousands of fired-up females (and a few males) responded to the call, and Kaufman received a torrent of impassioned challenges, hate mail, and love letters from would-be wrestling contenders. These fascinating and sometimes bizarre handwritten letters, photographs, and illustrations from would-be contenders are here assembled into an astonishing Rorschach of the late ‘70s liberated female psyche. Kaufman’s girlfriend at the time of his death, Lynne Margulies, provides an introduction. Bob Zmuda, Kaufman’s cohort and longtime friend, writes the foreword.
Famous for his role as Latka Gravas on television's Taxi and for his appearances on Saturday Night Live and his own variety show, the legendary eccentric performer Andy Kaufman provoked a national outrage in 1977 by taunting the women of America and challenging them to wrestle him live on television. Taking on an aggressive and ridiculous personality based upon the characters invented by professional wrestlers, he offered a $1,000 reward to any woman who could pin him. Thousands of fired-up females (and a few males) responded to the call, and Kaufman received a torrent of impassioned challenges, hate mail, and love letters from would-be wrestling contenders. These fascinating and sometimes bizarre handwritten letters, photographs, and illustrations from would-be contenders are here assembled into an astonishing Rorschach of the late ‘70s liberated female psyche. Kaufman’s girlfriend at the time of his death, Lynne Margulies, provides an introduction. Bob Zmuda, Kaufman’s cohort and longtime friend, writes the foreword.
- GenresNonfiction
113 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
129 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 13, 2024
I usually read non-fiction and every now and then works of fiction. Occasionally I throw in a funny/zany book and this one fit that category perfectly. Andy Kaufman was a kind of performance artist who started as a standup but whose entire career centered around questioning the audience reality, often by lampooning american pop culture. At one point Kaufman challenged women to a wrestling match in a very provocative way by essentially being an asshole who said that they belonged in the kitchen. This was part of his shtick but evidently and this book contains a collection of letters from women who wanted a piece of Kaufman. The letters are funny and playful. The letters also contain photos sent from the women as that was a prerequisite to wrestle Kaufman. Kaufmans collaborator Bob Zmuda thought Andy just did this to get laid and from that perspective it evidently worked.
You could also read these letters as part of a cultural artifact and as a sign of what was morally acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable) in 19070's America. Kaufmans behavior certainly wouldn't have been acceptable today. Then again given the polarisation that exists today... who knows. I only know that I enjoyed reading the letters.
You could also read these letters as part of a cultural artifact and as a sign of what was morally acceptable (or at least borderline acceptable) in 19070's America. Kaufmans behavior certainly wouldn't have been acceptable today. Then again given the polarisation that exists today... who knows. I only know that I enjoyed reading the letters.
September 10, 2017
I am a big Kaufman fan, so my rating is influenced somewhat by my love for his comedic work and performance art.
But this book is much more than just a fan-book. The premise is simple: Kaufman challenged women to wrestle him for 1000 dollars, the opportunity to shave his head, and his hand in marriage. The book is a collection of the letters he received in response to this challenge. If this is an accurate sampling, most of the women were playing along with the joke, and a striking few - probably the funniest ones - are posturing reactions. The letters are, with few exceptions, hilarious and sometimes bizarre. A decent amount of them are from attractive women who were probably less interested in wrestling and more interested in meeting Kaufman (as an aside, the preface explains that Kaufman slept with a fair number of the women chosen, and their attractiveness was often part of the selection process).
The book is amazing. Kaufman understood the role of the heel and was way ahead of his time in understand the theatrical premises of the interactive pseudoreal theater that would later become WWE, big-business wrestling. He completely understood the cult of personality. Endearingly, it seems to have been all in good fun.
I heartily recommend it to fans of eccentric works and/or Kaufman.
I bought this book at the Moore, Oklahoma, library.
But this book is much more than just a fan-book. The premise is simple: Kaufman challenged women to wrestle him for 1000 dollars, the opportunity to shave his head, and his hand in marriage. The book is a collection of the letters he received in response to this challenge. If this is an accurate sampling, most of the women were playing along with the joke, and a striking few - probably the funniest ones - are posturing reactions. The letters are, with few exceptions, hilarious and sometimes bizarre. A decent amount of them are from attractive women who were probably less interested in wrestling and more interested in meeting Kaufman (as an aside, the preface explains that Kaufman slept with a fair number of the women chosen, and their attractiveness was often part of the selection process).
The book is amazing. Kaufman understood the role of the heel and was way ahead of his time in understand the theatrical premises of the interactive pseudoreal theater that would later become WWE, big-business wrestling. He completely understood the cult of personality. Endearingly, it seems to have been all in good fun.
I heartily recommend it to fans of eccentric works and/or Kaufman.
I bought this book at the Moore, Oklahoma, library.
April 12, 2010
I'm into all things Andy Kaufman and have been since I witnessed his bizarre comedy on tv in the late 1970s and early 80s--I even watched pro-wrestling a lot when he was a heel and getting slapped up on by Jerry "The King" Lawler. This book is related to those wrestling days as it is a collection of letters written to Kaufman by irate females who wanted to take him up on his challenge to wrestle for $1,000 if they could beat him. Kaufman would spout off all kinds of insults toward women to rile them up and get the crowd itching for blood. He was so ahead of his time and has been sorely missed by me.
Fun idea but the letters themselves are only so-so. Some are kind of humorous but most of them are in the same vein about threatening Andy and insulting him. Most include pictures.
Fun idea but the letters themselves are only so-so. Some are kind of humorous but most of them are in the same vein about threatening Andy and insulting him. Most include pictures.
March 11, 2017
While not as well-explored as I would have liked this book to be, it's still funny to read the letters Andy Kaufman received from angry female fans over his challenge to wrestle a woman on Saturday Night Live.
Not all letters are from angry women. Some are seeking escape from their daily lives. Some come across as fetishists. Some aren't even women. Many of the letters come from professionals, and some come from real idiots. Unfortunately, some letters aren't reproduced in their entirety, which detracted from my enjoyment.
This book is purely for Kaufman fans. Few others would see the appeal of it, but for those who enjoy Kaufman's comedic arts this will be one more way to reconnect with someone who left us far too early.
Not all letters are from angry women. Some are seeking escape from their daily lives. Some come across as fetishists. Some aren't even women. Many of the letters come from professionals, and some come from real idiots. Unfortunately, some letters aren't reproduced in their entirety, which detracted from my enjoyment.
This book is purely for Kaufman fans. Few others would see the appeal of it, but for those who enjoy Kaufman's comedic arts this will be one more way to reconnect with someone who left us far too early.
April 25, 2011
In 1979, Andy Kaufman wrestled a woman on Saturday Night Live as part of his act. Proclaiming himself the "Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World" and taking on a classic villain wrestler persona, he offered to shave his head and pay a $1,000 prize to any woman who could pin him (he later also said she could marry him).
This book collects some of the hundreds of letters sent to Kaufman by women who wanted to take him up on the challenge. Some seem to be in on the joke, others not so much. It's amazing to see the variety of correspondents, from young girls ("I can beat you easily...P.S. I'm only ten") to tough broads to sex kittens, as well as the range in tone, from polite ("If I'm chosen I'll do my very best") to lonely ("It'll probably be the closest I get to a man all year") to vitriolic ("I'll give you a tracheotomy with my bare hands!").
I love Andy Kaufman, these letters are hilarious, and the whole book looks awesome. Great stuff all around.
This book collects some of the hundreds of letters sent to Kaufman by women who wanted to take him up on the challenge. Some seem to be in on the joke, others not so much. It's amazing to see the variety of correspondents, from young girls ("I can beat you easily...P.S. I'm only ten") to tough broads to sex kittens, as well as the range in tone, from polite ("If I'm chosen I'll do my very best") to lonely ("It'll probably be the closest I get to a man all year") to vitriolic ("I'll give you a tracheotomy with my bare hands!").
I love Andy Kaufman, these letters are hilarious, and the whole book looks awesome. Great stuff all around.
January 4, 2011
The perfect book to adorn a coffee table, or provide some light reading whilst on the commode...this is a collection of letters written (mostly by women) to Kaufman explaining why they should be picked to wrestle him.
The entries range from stridently feminist to "come and eff me" self-objectification, and in a weird way this book is a sort of time capsule of where women's rights were some thirty years ago.
It ain't Shakespeare, but it's pretty nifty.
The entries range from stridently feminist to "come and eff me" self-objectification, and in a weird way this book is a sort of time capsule of where women's rights were some thirty years ago.
It ain't Shakespeare, but it's pretty nifty.
June 8, 2010
Pretty awesome collection of letters and photos from ladies who answered the call to wrestle Andy Kaufman in 1979. Many of the letters are from angry ladies calling the legendary comedian a male chauvinist pig (that great 70s buzzterm!) while others seems to be a little more in on the joke. Fans of Found Magazine should especially like this. It's kind of cute actually.
August 7, 2010
I thought this was going to be a new biography, not a bizarre (possibly faked) collection of old letters and photos. Ah, the glory of buying off the internet…
April 17, 2010
Real or fake this is totally great. One of the stranger moments in pop culture of the last 50 years memorialized in a book fit for any bathroom.
July 7, 2011
LOVED IT!!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews