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Andy Kaufman’s First Comedy Album Out 29 Years After His Death

andy kaufman, andy and his grandmother

When SPIN compiled its list of the 40 Greatest Comedy Albums of All Time, the (anti-)iconic Andy Kaufman wasn’t eligible because, well, he never released an official album. But that’ll change on July 16 when Drag City finally issues Andy and His Grandmother (via Consequence of Sound). 

The posthumous compilation collects 17 tracks of previously unreleased material, all culled from 82 hours of micro-cassette tapes that Kaufman recorded from 1977 to 1979. 

“Andy regarded the micro-tape recorder as a fantastic new way of capturing his hoaxing, and carried it with him everywhere, for use at any given moment,” a press release reads. “Real life was the ultimate frontier for him, and these tapes demonstrate the heart of Andy’s comedy. With gusto, he involves those closest to him, as well as total strangers, in put-ons, falsehoods and other provocations, pushing the limit on logic and emotional investment in everyday situations from the trivial to the deeply personal until any suspension of disbelief is out of the question for all involved, and everyone becomes fully immersed in whatever scenario Andy is suggesting as the new reality.” 

Drag City tapped writer/producer/comedian Vernon Chatman (credits include South Park, Louie) to piece together the album, along with editor Rodney Ascher (director of Room 237). Saturday Night Live all-star Bill Hader provides narration, and Kaufman’s longtime sidekick/Tony Clifton performer Bob Zmuda wrote the liner notes. 

For a sample of Kaufman’s bizarre, unsettling genius, watch his 1980 appearance on The David Letterman Show below, followed by the track list to Andy and His Grandmother.

Andy and His Grandmother track list: 

1. “Andy Is Making a Record”
2. “Andy and His Grandmother”
3. “Andy’s Land Live”
4. “Andy Loves His Tape Recorder”
5. “Slice of Life”
6. “Andy Goes to the Movies”
7. “Kick in the Pants”
8. “Andy Can Talk to Animals”
9. “I’m Not Capable of Having a Relationship”
10. “Hookers” 
11. “Andy and His Grandmother Go for a Drive”
12. “Sleep Comedy”
13. “[HONK] vs. [DOG] A”
14. “[HONK] vs. [DOG] B”
15. “Andy Goes for a Taxi Ride”
16. “Andy’s English Friend Paul”
17. “I Want Those Tapes”