Andy Kaufman

February 5, 2006 10:27 AM

Andy Kaufman - is he alive ? or failing that where can i find video clips of his performances on the net ?

It was while searching ( not very well ) for clips of Andy Kaufmans performances on the internet that i came across the wiki entry for him ....and if you scroll down and read the excerpt about STEVE ROCCO , then it does sound very Kaufmanesque.
Mefi is well known for its bloodhounds and i was hoping some of you could have a wee look , because i'm really intrigued about it and don't have enough websavvy to think of behind the scenes places to look.

posted by sgt.serenity to health & fitness (12 comments total)

heres the wiki bit that intrigued me :

Steve Rocco
In June '04, a blog appeared online purporting to be written by Andy Kaufman. It was immediately discredited after an initial press release was debunked. Another press release was issued naming the imitator - named Enrique P. - and claimed Andy Kaufman's family (as well as Bob Zmuda) were happy he had agreed to stop imitating Andy on the Internet.

However, it turns out the second press release was fake, too. It was issued via the same service the initial press release had been issued through - a free PR service named PRWeb.com. It turns out "Enrique P." is one of the many aliases of an odd man known as Steve Rocco, who lives in Orange County and owns and maintains the website http://www.andykaufmanlives.com under the pseudonyms of Claire Chanel, Julie H., Andy Milonakis, Steve Maddox and Enrique P. Enrique is allegedly the webmaster of the site, however a few years ago Internet users unscrambled clues that tied all the different "characters" together.

The real webmaster, Steve Rocco, is a 54-year-old man who lives with his parents in Orange County and never leaves his home. In late 2004 he won a school board election despite never even campaigning. He turned out for the board's first meeting wearing sunglasses and purposely disguising his face. Most people who attended the meeting claim that they believe he is Andy Kaufman. The official Orange County paper issued an article reading: "ANDY KAUFMAN IS NOT DEAD. HE'S ALIVE IN ORANGE COUNTY." The enigmas that "Steve Rocco" had placed all over the Internet certainly tied in to Kaufman's sense of humor. Also, Kaufman said he would return 20 years after he staged his death - and Rocco was indeed the author of the Andy Kaufman blog. However, Rocco has yet to provide substantive evidence that he is Kaufman.

Of interesting note is that Rocco (who seems to have no verifiable background and whose parents he claims to live with he now claims were sent to a hospital a long time ago) claims to be an Italian immigrant. Andy Kaufman was known for impersonating people of ethnic minorities (e.g. Latka on "Taxi.")
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:27 AM on February 5, 2006

wiki entry
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:29 AM on February 5, 2006

Snopes says: urban legend.

(Although it doesn't quite address the Orange Country/Steve Rocco claim, which apparently came after the entry was last updated.)
posted by donpedro at 10:38 AM on February 5, 2006

Here's a link-rich blog entry on the OC School Board stuff.
posted by mwhybark at 10:53 AM on February 5, 2006

I suggest reading, if you haven't already reading Bill Zehme's biography. I don't believe for a minute, if Andy was alive, he would hide behind a blog.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 1:47 PM on February 5, 2006

well , apparently theres a link to A PICTURE OF STEVE ROCCO which has mysteriously disappeared.........

if andy kaufman did come back , its entirely in character for him to come back elected to a pta board.

he used to work as a busboy in a crummy restuarant for most of his career.
posted by sgt.serenity at 2:40 PM on February 5, 2006

Here's the Lawler - Kaufamn saga. Not very good quality but still scary to watch when he gets a backslam then two piledrivers in a row. Boy, that guy suffered for his art. Bonus - Letterman with lots of hair. Have you seen 'Man on the Moon'? - if not, it's definitely worth renting out.
posted by tellurian at 3:59 PM on February 5, 2006

Thanks for the links tell - you can never have enough andy kaufman.
I'm a tad amazed that website whose sole purpose is now the unmasking of various internet personalities hasnt united as one behind this stirring and glorious quest - i would mention that andy kaufman is now reported to be a major donor to the republican party as some sort of lame psychological attempt to rouse the mefi cops - but i won't.
posted by sgt.serenity at 4:31 PM on February 5, 2006

Andy would have loved that, or maybe he is still loving it. Whatever else he was, Andy was a joker on a grand scale and he always wanted to keep you guessing.
posted by caddis at 5:07 AM on February 6, 2006

Andy Milonakis is one of that guy's aliases?
posted by emelenjr at 6:48 AM on February 6, 2006

he used to work as a busboy in a crummy restuarant for most of his career.

Part of the genius of Andy's humor is that it is so easy and satisfying to exaggerate. Did Andy work some shifts at Jerry's Deli while he filmed Taxi? Sure. Did he stack boxes at Ralph's? Yup. Did he do it even once a month? Not a chance. The incredulous, leading questions that were fed nonstop by fans and the press to his friend Bob Zmuda--and really, anyone who knew him--were big, fat softballs lobbed up by people who wanted them knocked out of the park. Andy knew it would work that way, and loved it.

"Is it true that Andy busses tables every day down at Jerry's? Is it true that Andy faked his own death and will return 20 years later?"

Yes, yes it is.
posted by deadfather at 7:01 AM on February 6, 2006

begone from this thread thou unimaginative wretch.
posted by sgt.serenity at 3:49 AM on February 7, 2006