A friend of mine, B.D., invented a couple of phrases helpful for thinking about performance.
Kaufmaning: To perform in a manner characteristic of Andy Kaufman, by 1. purposefully elevating one’s comedy beyond the audience’s ability to grasp the humor 2. pushing the boundary of what is considered comedy. Can cause extreme confusion and discomfort among audience members.
I don’t care how good of a job you did Kaufmaning, you will still be prosecuted for performing open heart surgery without a license.
The Corporate Laugh: A huge amount of laughter elicited from one or more unremarkable jokes told by a popular individual, esp. the CEO of a company. The audience exhibits over-appreciation for a number of reasons, including sycophantic stooging, inebriation or extremely low standards.
Did you hear that corporate laugh? Everyone really liked that joke about mortgages.
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