In the early eighties Goldthwait lived in Boston, and was infamous for his unpredictable performances. At the age of twenty he first appeared on David Letterman. He wrote, starred in, and directed the acclaimed "Shakes the Clown," one of those films that everyone who it saw loved, but no one went to see. Like the Velvet Underground. R.E.M. wrote a song about the movie called Binkie the Doormat, which is on their latest album, Adventures in Hi-Fi.