Watching Man on the Moon, I find Andy Kaufman to be an inspiration of a new kind of artist. Andy Kaufman used life as a medium. He didn’t think of himself as a comedian, but as a “song and dance man.” He was someone that would illicit a response–any response (laughter, anger, shock, annoyance, childlike purity, sympathy). He led others to question the reality of his behavior and anyone he came in contact with. His antics altered how life was seen as accurate and believable.

Even his death is a legend, and mystery and gimmick are still following him. His life is riddled with amazing spectacle, mimicking real life and enhancing it in ways that make him an innovator and challenger of comedy, art, and life. He was his own great social experiment.