From American Heritage, a look at the self-destructive genius of Andy Kaufman. Let’s start this week with a pop culture quiz — Lenny Bruce was: (a) A very funny guy (b) A fearless champion of First Amendment rights (c) God. A review of Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life by Steve Martin (and more and more and more). Chevy Chase is trying to make a comeback — but he’s finding it’s hard out there for a (former) comedy bigwig. Stephen Colbert's fake campaign was arguably less phony than those of competitors because the comedian was honest about the politics-as-usual hustle, and more on I Am America: (And So Can You!). Muslims are often depicted as people who can't take a joke, but does Islam have a sense of humour? Be ye not afraid, or hesitant: Apparently it's all right — encouraged, even — to laugh at funny Muslims on TV situation comedies.
