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This article is from the R.E.M. FAQ, by Ron Henry (rgh3@cornell.edu) with numerous contributions by others.

58 "Who was Andy Kaufman and why does Michael Stipe sing about him in 'Man on the Moon'?" (R.E.M.)

Andy Kaufman was a celebrated conceptual comedian from the 1970's who,
while most popularly known for his role on the sitcom "Taxi," also became
infamous through his stand-up comedy routines for a performance-art style
of character creation, audience manipulation, and general strangeness. His
act was as much an indirect commentary on the act of performing itself
(which would obviously interest Michael Stipe) and perhaps even the act of
believing in something, or reality, itself (which seems to be what 'MotM'
is largely about).

More information on Kaufman can be found on the web at URL
http://fly.hiwaay.net/~bkm/akhome.htm.

 

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