Stand-Ups

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 Textbook wrote:

Andy Kaufman:

"On some occasions, audiences would show up to one of Kaufman's stage performances expecting to see him perform as his character Latka from the TV show Taxi where he had first become famous, and heckling him with demands when he did not. Kaufman would punish these audiences with the announcement that he was going to read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald to them. The audience would laugh at this, not realizing that he was serious, and Kaufman would proceed to read the book to them, continuing despite audience members' departure. At a certain point, he would ask the audience if they wanted him to keep reading, or play a record. When the audience chose to hear the record, the record he cued up was a recording of him continuing to read The Great Gatsby from where he had left off."

Genius.

But Andy Kaufman, in his own words, was not a comedian. He was more of an ironic humorist. He found humor in more unconventional things, and enjoyed pushing himself to the limit, and other people's buttons. I realize he is widely regarded as a comedian, but I think he wanted us to consider him as something different, and out of respect, I think we should. 

But yes, that bit, much like everything he did, was absolute genius. 