| Richard S. "Kinky"
Friedman (born October 31 or November 1, 1944) is an American
singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former
columnist for Texas Monthly who styles himself in the mold of popular
American satirists Will Rogers and Mark Twain.[3] He was one of two
independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor
of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the
five-person race. Quotes:
Kinky Friedman
Books go to:
Kinky Friedman
Biography
Personal life
Born in Chicago to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and Minnie
Samet Friedman, Friedman moved with his family to a ranch in central
Texas during his childhood. He had a keen interest in both music and
chess at an early age. Friedman was chosen when he was 7 to be one of
50 local chess players to challenge U.S. grand master Samuel Reshevsky
to simultaneous matches in Houston. While Reshevsky won all 50
matches, Friedman was by far the youngest competitor.
Friedman graduated from Austin High School in Austin, Texas in 1962
and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966 with a
Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology while participating in the
Plan II Honors program. He is also a member of the Tau Delta Phi
fraternity. It was during his freshman year at the university that
Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky," in reference to
Friedman's curly hair.[4]
Friedman then served two years with the Peace Corps on the island of
Borneo in Malaysia with John Gross.[5][6] He has been featured in the
news including 60 Minutes on CBS and made an appearance as one of Jay
Leno's guests. Friedman lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer
camp near Kerrville, Texas. He also founded Utopia Animal Rescue
Ranch, the mission of which is to care for stray, abused and aging
animals; more than 1,000 dogs have been saved from animal euthanasia.
Music career
Friedman formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots while a
student at the University of Texas. The band - which poked fun at surf
music - recorded only one single in 1966 (Schwinn 24/Beach Party Boo
Boo).
By 1971, Friedman had formed his second band, Kinky Friedman and The
Texas Jewboys. In keeping with the band's satirical nature, each
member had a comical name: in addition to Kinky there was Little
Jewford, Big Nig, Panama Red, Wichita Culpepper, Sky Cap Adams,
Rainbow Colours, and Snakebite Jacobs. Friedman's father objected to
the name of the band, calling it a "negative, hostile, peculiar
thing",[7] which gave Kinky even more reason to choose the name. |
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Arriving on the wave of country rock
following on from Gram Parsons, The Band, and the Eagles, Friedman
originally found cult fame as a country and western singer. His break
came in 1973 thanks to Commander Cody, who contacted Vanguard Music on
his behalf. Friedman released Kinky Friedman in 1974 for ABC Records,
then toured with Bob Dylan in 1975-6.[8] His repertoire mixed social
commentary ("We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You") and maudlin
ballads ("Western Union Wire") with raucous humor (such as "Get Your
Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In Bed"). His "Ride' em Jewboy" was
an extended tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
He made a race baiting song, "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus
Anymore," a song in which Kinky verbally and physically beats up a
drunken white person he deems "racist" who fictitiously berates African
Americans, Jews, Greeks, and Sigma Nus in a bar.
Sample lyrics:
"Oh, they ain't makin' Jews like Jesus anymore,
They ain't makin' carpenters that know what nails are for"
Other Friedman tunes include "The Ballad of Charles Whitman," in which
Friedman lampooned Whitman's sniper attack from the University of Texas
tower on August 1, 1966. His cover of Chinga Chavin's "Asshole from El
Paso", a parody of Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee" is, perhaps, his
most famous song.
In early 1976 he joined Bob Dylan on the second leg of the Rolling
Thunder Revue tour.
Friedman was a musical guest on Saturday Night Live in October 1976.
It has been reported by Mr. Friedman himself that he is the only artist
known to have taped an unaired episode of Austin City Limits.[9] He has
also claimed to have been the first full-blooded Jew to take the stage
at the Grand Ole Opry.
In February, 2007 Sustain Records released a compilation of the songs of
Kinky Friedman sung by other artists called Why the Hell not... The
compilation includes contributions by Dwight Yoakum, Willie Nelson, Lyle
Lovett, and Kelly Willis.[10]
On July 20, 2007 Kinky Friedman hosted the "Concert to Save Town Lake"
to honor the memory of Lady Bird Johnson and her efforts to protect and
preserve the shores of Town Lake in Austin, Texas.[11]
Discography
* Sold American (1973)
* Kinky Friedman (1974)
* Lasso From El Paso (1976)
* Live From The Lone Star Cafe (1982)
* Under the Double Ego (1983)
* Old Testaments and New Revelations (1992)
* From One Good American To Another (1995)
* Classic Snatches from Europe (2000)
* Mayhem Aforethought (2005)
* They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore (2005)
Writing career
After his music career stalled in the 1980s, Friedman found a new lease
on life as a detective novelist. His books have similarities to his
music, featuring a fictionalized version of himself solving crimes in
New York City and dispensing jokes, wisdom, recipes, charm and Jameson's
whiskey in equal measure. They are written in a straightforward style
which owes a debt to Raymond Chandler. To date, he has written only one
novel that did not star the Kinky Friedman character, Kill Two Birds and
Get Stoned.
Friedman has also written a regular column for the magazine Texas
Monthly since April 2001, although it has been suspended during his run
for governor of Texas; his last essay appeared in the March 2005
issue.[12] In 2008, Texas Monthly brought his column back on a bimonthly
basis.
Two books have been published collecting some of these nonfiction
writings, as well as previously unpublished ones: 'Scuse Me While I Whip
This Out and Texas Hold'em. He has also published a travelog (The Great
Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic) and an etiquette guide.
The recurring character "Rambam", a New York private investigator and
friend of the Friedman character in the books, is based on the real-life
investigator, Steven Rombom, who acts as a technical advisor for the
real Friedman.[13]
Bibliography
* Greenwich Killing Time (1986, ISBN 0-688-06409-4)
* A Case Of Lone Star (1987, ISBN 0-517-69427-1)
* When The Cat's Away (1988, ISBN 0-517-07564-4)
* Frequent Flyer (1989, ISBN 0-688-08166-5)
* Musical Chairs (1991, ISBN 0-688-09148-2)
* Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (1993, ISBN 0-671-86922-1)
* Armadillos and Old Lace (1994, ISBN 0-671-86923-X)
* God Bless John Wayne (1995, ISBN 0-684-81051-4)
* The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover (1996, ISBN 0-684-80377-1)
* Roadkill (1997, ISBN 0-684-80378-X)
* Blast From The Past (1998, ISBN 0-684-80379-8)
* Spanking Watson (1999, ISBN 0-684-85061-3)
* The Mile High Club (2000, ISBN 0-684-86486-X)
* Steppin' On A Rainbow (2001, ISBN 0-684-86487-8)
* Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch (2002, ISBN 0-684-86488-6)
* Kinky Friedman's Guide to Texas Etiquette: Or How To Get To Heaven Or
Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth (2002, ISBN 0-06-093535-9)
* Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned (2003, ISBN 0-06-620979-X)
* Curse of the Missing Puppet Head (2003, ISBN 0-9702383-6-3)
* The Prisoner of Vandam Street (2004, ISBN 0-7432-4602-0)
* 'Scuse Me While I Whip This Out: Reflections On Country Singers,
Presidents, And Other Troublemakers (2004, ISBN 0-06-053975-5)
* The Great Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic: A "Walk" In Austin (2004, ISBN
1-4000-5070-7)
* Ten Little New Yorkers (2005, ISBN 0-7432-4603-9)
* Texas Hold 'Em: How I Was Born In A Manger, Died In The Saddle, And
Came Back As A Horny Toad (2005, ISBN 0-312-33155-X)
* Cowboy Logic : The Wit And Wisdom Of Kinky Friedman (And Some Of His
Friends) (2006, ISBN 9780312331573)
* The Christmas Pig: A Fable (2006, ISBN 1416534989)
* You Can Lead A Politician To Water, But You Can't Make Him Think: Ten
Commandments For Texas Politics (2007, ISBN 9781416547600)
* What Would Kinky Do? How to Unscrew a Screwed Up World (2008, ISBN
9780312331597)
Politics
See also: Texas gubernatorial election, 2006
In 1986, Friedman ran for Justice of the Peace in Kerrville, Texas, but
lost the election.
Friedman speaking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on October
5, 2006.
Friedman speaking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas on October
5, 2006.
In 2004, Friedman began a serious, though colorful, campaign to become
the Governor of Texas in 2006. One of his stated goals is the "dewussification"
of Texas[14] Among his campaign slogans are "How Hard Could It Be?",
"Why The Hell Not?", "My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy" and "He ain't
Kinky, he's my Governor".[15]
Friedman had hoped to follow in the footsteps of other
entertainers-turned-governors, including Jimmie Davis, Jesse Ventura,
Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Ronald Reagan. When the campaign finance
reports came out after the second quarter had ended, Friedman had raised
more funds than the Democratic nominee, former Congressman Chris Bell.
On election day, November 7, Friedman was defeated by a wide margin,
having received less than 13% of the state's votes in the five-candidate
matchup.
Issues and positions
On education, he supports higher pay for teachers and working to lower
Texas's dropout rate, which is the highest in the United States.[16] He
supports more investment in harnessing Texas's alternative fuel
resources such as wind and biodiesel.[16] Friedman is opposed to the
Trans-Texas Corridor since it relies on toll road construction. He feels
that the TTC is a land grab of the ugliest kind, with land being taken
from hard-working ranchers and farmers in little towns and villages all
over Texas.[17]
On capital punishment, he previously summed up his position, "I am not
anti-death penalty, but I'm damn sure
anti-the-wrong-guy-getting-executed".[18] More recently, he has
clarified his position: "The system is not perfect. Until it's perfect,
let's do away with the death penalty".[19]
On illegal immigration, Kinky wants to increase the number of Texas
National Guard troops on the border (from the current 1,500 to 10,000),
impose $25,000 and $50,000 fines on companies that hire illegal
immigrants and require foreign nationals seeking employment to purchase
a foreign taxpayer ID card once they have passed a criminal background
check. "Texas can no longer wait for our federal government to solve our
illegal immigration problem," Friedman said. "These are steps that Texas
can immediately take to help stem the tide of illegal immigrants
penetrating our border." Had he been elected, he had promised to meet
regularly with Governors Bill Richardson (New Mexico) and Janet
Napolitano (Arizona) to develop a coordinated border state plan to
supplement federal efforts to curb illegal immigration.[17] Previously,
Kinky put forth the "Five Mexican Generals" Plan, to pay Mexican
officials to halt immigration on their side of the border. Although he
originally stated "When I talk about the five Mexican generals, people
think I’m joking but I’m dead serious",[20] Friedman later told the
Dallas Morning News that the plan, never meant to be carried out, was a
joke with an element of seriousness.[21]
According to his official Web site,[17] Friedman's answer to the
question "How does Kinky feel about abortion?" is "Kinky believes in a
woman's right to choose." In person, he hedges his bet, saying "I'm not
pro-life, and I'm not pro-choice. I'm pro-football".[22] On social
issues he has supported gay marriage, answering an Associated Press
reporter's question on the subject on Feb. 3, 2005, "I support gay
marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of
us"[18] (Friedman himself is not married).
According to Cigar Aficionado magazine, Friedman plans to roll back "any
and all smoking bans" if elected. One of his favorite quotes comes from
Mark Twain: "If smoking is not allowed in heaven, I shall not go".[23]
Friedman supports the decriminalization of marijuana, though he doesn't
advocate making its sale legal. "I'm not talking about like Amsterdam,"
he noted, "We've got to clear some of the room out of the prisons so we
can put the bad guys in there, like the pedophiles and the
politicians".[24]
Future political plans
On August 9, 2007 the Austin American-Statesman reported that Friedman
is considering another run for Governor of Texas in 2010. "I'm open to
running," Friedman said, adding that he won't make a final decision
until after the 2008 elections.[25]
In an August 23, 2007 interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Friedman stated that if he did run in 2010, he would run as a Democrat,
citing that "God probably couldn't have won as an independent".[26]
Other work & references in popular culture
Friedman appeared in the 2004 documentary film "Barbecue: A Texas Love
Story" by Austin-based director Chris Elley. In the film, narrated by
Governor Ann Richards, Kinky exclaims that "Jesus loved Barbecue" and
analyzes the speech patterns of Texans versus New Yorkers. Raw footage
from Friedman's interview appears in the 2005 DVD release of the film.
He has appeared in other movies as well including Loose Shoes and The
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.[27]
Friedman's persona as a politically incorrect raconteur has been likened
to that of movie critic and commentator John Irving Bloom, better known
in print as Joe Bob Briggs, with whom he appeared in the B-movie Texas
Chainsaw Massacre 2.[28]
Friedman prefers to smoke Montecristo No. 2 Cigars, the same brand once
smoked by Fidel Castro. However, he also smokes Bolivars, noting that "Simón
Bolívar is the only person in history to be exiled from a country named
after him".[23]. Friedman now makes eponymous cigars under the name
Kinky Friedman Cigars. [29]
Friedman is given brief praise in Joseph Heller's 1976 novel, Good as
Gold, in which a governor (meant to satirize Lyndon B. Johnson), tells
the main character, Bruce Gold: "Gold, I like you. You remind me a lot
of this famous country singer from Texas I'm crazy about, a fellow calls
himself Kinky Friedman, the Original Texas Jewboy. Kinky's smarter, but
I like you more."
Friedman is friends with Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and he has
visited both at the White House. He wrote about his friendships with
them in his November 2001 column ("Hail to the Kinkster"[12]) for Texas
Monthly. |
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