Laurie Anderson - The Rotowhirl lyrics

Around 1978, I met the
Comedian, andy Kaufmann
And he was performing this avant-garde
Elvis act in a
Club in Queens the performance
Started with Andy playing
The bongos and, for some unknown reason
Sobbing

We became friends
And I acted as Andy's straight man in
Clubs and field trips at the
Improv in New York
Andy would begin his show by insulting
Women and saying "I won't respect
Them until one of them comes up
Here and wrestles me down"

This was supposed to be my job

I sat in the club drinking whiskeys
Trying to get up the nerve
In the meantime I was also
Supposed to be heckling him
And after three whiskeys I managed
To get pretty abusive wrestling
Him down though was really hard
Because Andy really fought

On our field trips we would
Go to Coney Island to try out some of
Andy's theories on cutting-edge
Comedy we'd stand around the
"test your strength" games, the
One with the big sledgehammer and the bell
And Andy would make fun of all
The guys who were swinging away
And I was supposed to beg him
For one of the huge stuffed
Bunnies: "Oh Andy Honey, please, get
Me a bunny, please, please
"finally Andy would step up to the
Big thermometer and take a
Swing the indicator would rise a
Few inches and "Try again
Weakling!" would flash at this point
Andy would start yelling that
The game was rigged and demanding
To see the manager
We also went at the rotowhirl
The ride that plasters everyone against
The walls of a spinning
Cylinder and stretches their bodies
Into Dopplered blobs before
The ride actually starts
There are a couple of
Awkward minutes while the
Attendant checks the motor and the
Riders, bound head and foot
Stare at each other

This was the moment that Andy seized he would
Start by looking around in a panic
And then he would start to
Cry "I don't wanna be
On this ride! I've changed my
Mind - we're all
Gonna die!" The other riders would
Look around self-consciously should
They help? He would then
Begin to sob uncontrollably

I loved Andy he would come over to my house
And read from a novel he was writing he
Would read all night and I don't know if
Any of this book was ever even published

I have never been one to hope that
Elvis is still hanging
Around somewhere, hiding
But, I will probably always expect
To see Andy reappear someday