Andy Kaufman has either been alive for 65 years, or dead for 30, depending on how much sh*t you think his friend Bob Zmuda is full of. The answer: a lot, probably, but for anyone who can’t turn off Man on the Moon whenever it’s on HBO, it’s still been a fascinating stunt to follow. But according to Zmuda in Andy Kaufman: The Truth, Finally, a book he co-wrote with Andy’s girlfriend Lynne Margulies, “Kaufman will be emerging to reveal his great prank to the world very soon.”
In the book’s final pages, Zmuda addresses Kaufman directly, imploring him to emerge and laying out plans for how it could be done, including Zmuda coordinating a massive event at which Kaufman would appear. Discussing his longtime code of secrecy with Kaufman, Zmuda writes:
“The only reason I’m giving it up now is that Andy set a time limit on this one. Thirty years. So I’ve kept my part of the bargain and kept my mouth shut. But no more. The prank’s over. I want him back and he’s coming back.” (Via)
Kaufman still being alive would be a miraculous achievement (it’d put those GUY TOUCHES FEMALE BUTTS WITHOUT CONSENT “prank” videos to shame), but don’t count on it actually happening. Hope for something more achievable, like Taxi reruns on Nick at Nite. I’d be happy with that.