In an interview that will be posted in its entirety on PunchlineMagazine.com Dec. 7, self-proclaimed “International singing sensation” Tony Clifton, made famous during legendary comedian Andy Kaufman’s hijinks in the late 1970s, claims that he’s recording his first album and that REM will be one of many featured guest artists.

Writer Rob Turbovsky asks Clifton, ‘What else can we expect to see from you?’ Clifton responds:

Oh, this is exciting. We’re going back to Cliftonmere, and I’m recording my first album, my first CD. It’s like, remember when Sinatra did duets? We’re lining up different guest artists that I’ll be recording with. As a matter of fact, I’m going to give you a little scoop right now. Just worked this out the other day: the first group I’ll be recording with – we’re going to do a duet together – is REM. So, we’re bringing people in. Once we do that, then we’re going to go on the road again. We’ll be back in your part of town, and we’ll do it up right.

Clifton is a character that Kaufman created before he died in 1984; Kaufman’s friend Bob Zmuda — played by Paul Giamatti in the 1999 Kaufman biopic Man on the Moon — has now taken over Kaufman’s role and has been touring with his bizarre lounge act Tony Clifton and the Katrina Kiss My Ass Orchestra, known for their sometimes four-hour live performances. REM became forever connected to Kaufman’s memory after releasing their song “Man on the Moon,” in 1992, which eventually became the focal part of the movie’s soundtrack.

The book Dear Andy Kaufman, I Hate Your Guts, “a deliriously strange collection assembled by Kaufman’s girlfriend Lynne Margulies of the late comedian’s best bits of hate mail,” according to Turbovsky, was released this week. Read more about it on Monday on Punchline Magazine’s front page. For now, check out REM’s video for “Man on the Moon” after the jump.