A Sour Note

Andy's last televised appearance was on a show called, "The Top". It was a light-hearted musical showcase boasting performances by big names like Cyndi Lauper and The Romantics, as well as appearances by Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray and several other comics. Andy himself describes it as follows, "Music...animals...comedy...something for the whole family!"

In the midst of all the fun, laughter and cutting-edge (not) '80s graphics, one thing sticks out as painfully awkward: In the closing moments of the show after Andy has said his goodbyes, a woman and young girl perform an extremely sad song called, "The Love I Have For You". That woman is Lotus Weinstock, and the violin player is her daughter, Lili. (For your downloading pleasure. Thank me later).

If you can look past her eardrum-piercing voice, you'll notice two things: One, the tone of the song is totally out of step with the rest of the show, and two, the lyrics eerily pertain to Andy's impending death. She sings/shrieks:

"When I get to heaven's gate/and my life is reviewed,
I know that my saving grace will be/the love I have for you."

Here is a short clip of the show with the song at the end:



Now, unless this lady was dying at the time, which she wasn't (she died in 1997), what's the point? Could it be that Andy had a hand in choosing the closing piece? This song has Andy's fingerprints all over it, from the lyrics to the obviously-terrible-but-completely-candid-no-really way she belts them out.

Also, it's hard to tell just how serious she is. In her obituary, the LA Times refers to her as a "comedian," not a singer/songwriter (see below). They also had this to say: "She often played piano in her acts and made up lyrics to songs as she went along." And her memorial service was held at The Improvisation, where both she and Andy Kaufman performed frequently.

Sounds like Andy's kinda gal.

LA Times Obituary:
http://articles.latimes.com/1997/sep/04/news/mn-28752