live, or memorex?

Apparently, Andy Kaufman has come back from the dead on May 16th, 2004, 20 years after he “died.” He’s so alive, he’s even got his own blog.

Do I think he faked his death? Yes, it’d be an ultimate performance that few others can try to even out-do. However, it’d be even more surreal if people firmly believe that he faked his death, but he really did die back on May 16th, 1984 — that’d almost be more Andy-like than him faking his death and coming back 20 years later … living a life such that when he died, people would readily believe he faked his death, only to, sometime in distant future, learn that he really did die that day. Joke’s on them, and Andy’s getting the last laugh, as usual.

Do I think it’s really his blog? Sure — why not, if he truly is still alive. Some folks would believe he’s dead and the blog is a well-timed hoax. Some would say “see, I told you he faked his death and he’s still alive, and this blog is proof!” Idiots. Blogs claiming to be owned by someone else are not proof of that person’s existance. There have been plenty of people who invent fictitious people and start a blog as them and convince many people that they are a real person, then reveal a terminal disease which they subsequently die from, and watch as (gullible) real people weep for them.

“There’s a sucker born every minute.” — David Hannum

Now, before you complain about me mis-attributing that quote and that it was P. T. Barnum who said it, read this first. Only fitting that the most appropriate quote to describe Andy Kaufman’s hoax is itself related to a great hoax about the Cardiff Giant.

Update: Looks like Snopes has a good write-up of the hoax status now. Here’s the link.