A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.
Andy Kaufman never liked to call himself a comedian, so it's a testament to his skills and routines that he is nonetheless considered one of the late 20th century's most famous comedians. In fact, Kaufman's eccentric style and theatrics made him one of the most unique performers of his era, whether it was doing a song and dance routine or staying in character to the extent that nobody could tell whether he was being himself or not. To this day, Kaufman is probably best known for his staged wrestling storyline with Jerry "The King" Lawler, which included one of professional wrestling's most famous bouts, and true to form, Kaufman subsequently went on Late Night With David Letterman with a neck brace, claiming he had suffered a broken neck as a result of a piledriver. For his part, Kaufman admitted, "What's real? What's not? That's what I do in my act, test how other people deal with reality."