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The Rotowhirl (Remastered LP Version) - Laurie Anderson

Written by：Laurie Anderson

Around 1978 I met a comedian Andy Kaufmann

And he was performing his avant-garde Elise 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 whiskies trying to get up the nerve

In the meantime I was also supposed to be heckling him

And after three whiskies 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 in 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 wicked 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 panick

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 that hoped

That Elvis is still hanging around somewhere hiding

But I will probably always expect to see Andy reappear someday