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Kinky Friedman | |
|---|---|
 Friedman performing at the 2013Texas Book Festival | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Samet Friedman (1944-11-01)November 1, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | June 27, 2024(2024-06-27) (aged 79)[a] Medina, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (2009–2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Independent (2004–2009) Republican (before 2004) |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BA) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1964–2018 |
| Website | kinkyfriedman |
Musical artist | |
Richard Samet "Kinky"Friedman (November 1, 1944 – June 27, 2024)[a] was an American singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician, and columnist forTexas Monthly, who styled himself in the mold of popular American satiristsWill Rogers andMark Twain.[10]
Friedman was one of twoindependent candidates in the2006 Texas gubernatorial election. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Friedman placed fourth in the six-person race.
Richard Samet Friedman was born inChicago on November 1, 1944,[11][12] to Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman.[13][14][15] Both of his parents were the children ofRussian Jewish immigrants.[15] When Friedman was young, his family moved to theTexas Hill Country where they opened a summer camp calledEcho Hill Ranch.[15]
Friedman had an early interest in both pop music andchess, and was chosen at age seven as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmasterSamuel Reshevsky to simultaneous games inHouston.[16] Reshevsky won all 50 games, but Friedman was, by far, the youngest competitor.
Friedman graduated fromAustin High School inAustin, Texas, in 1962. He subsequently earned a Bachelor of Arts from theUniversity of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring inpsychology. He took part in thePlan II Honors program and was a member of theTau Delta Phi fraternity. During his first year,Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.[17]
Friedman served two years in the United StatesPeace Corps, teaching inBorneo,Malaysia[18] with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he worked for the remainder of his life.[19][20] Friedman lived at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp nearKerrville,Texas. He founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville, whose mission is to care for stray, abused and aging animals; to date, the ranch has saved more than 1,000 dogs fromanimal euthanasia.[21]
On June 27, 2024, it was announced that Friedman had died at his home at Echo Hill Ranch,Medina, Bandera County, Texas, from complications ofParkinson's disease. He was 79.[a]
Friedman formed his first band, King Arthur & the Carrots, while a student at theUniversity of Texas at Austin. The band, which poked fun atsurf music, recorded only one single in 1966 ("Schwinn 24/Beach Party Boo Boo").
By 1973, Friedman had formed his second band, Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, which many took to be a play on the name of the famous bandBob Wills and His Texas Playboys.[22] In keeping with the band'ssatirical nature, each member had a comical name: in addition to Kinky there were Little Jewford, Big Nig, Panama Red, Wichita Culpepper, Sky Cap Adams, Rainbow Colours, and Snakebite Jacobs.[22] More conventionally named roadie Jack Slaughter and road manager Dylan Ferrero rounded out the crew and provided most of the driving of the "tour bus", aCadillac with 10-year-old expired license plates and a propensity to break down (but, according to Friedman, her talent lay in her ability to stop on adime and pick up the change).
Friedman's father objected to the name of the band, calling it a "negative, hostile, peculiar thing",[23] which gave Kinky even more reason to choose the name.
Arriving on the wave ofcountry rock following on fromGram Parsons,The Band, andEagles, Friedman originally found cult fame as acountry and western singer. His break came in 1973 thanks to Commander Cody ofCommander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, who contacted Vanguard Music on his behalf. Friedman releasedKinky Friedman in 1974 forABC Records, then toured withBob Dylan in 1975–1976.[24] His repertoire mixedsocial 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 the Bed"). His "Ride 'Em Jewboy" was an extended tribute to the victims ofthe Holocaust.
One of his most famous songs is "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore," a song in which Kinky verbally and physically beats up a drunken white racist who berates blacks, Jews, Italians, Greeks, Irish people, andSigma Nus in a bar, with lyrics such as,
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 lampoonedCharles Whitman'ssniper attack from theUniversity of Texas at Austin'sMain Building tower on August 1, 1966. He also coveredChinga Chavin's "Asshole fromEl Paso", a parody ofMerle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee".
One of Friedman's most infamous concerts was a 1973 performance inBuffalo, New York; upon performing "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed" (a song that lampoonsfeminism), a group of what Friedman described as "cranked-up lesbians" entered into a fight with the band and forced the concert to end early while Friedman and the band were escorted off stage. TheNational Organization for Women awarded Friedman the "Male Chauvinist Pig Award" later that year, an award Friedman took with pride. Friedman would not return to Buffalo until 2012.[25] Another was atThe Boarding House in early-March 1975 when an offendedBuffy Sainte-Marie rushed on stage and snatched thewar bonnet that Friedman was wearing while he and his band were performing "Miss Nickelodeon," a composition that spoofs theindigenous peoples of the Americas.[26][27]
Friedman and his band taped anAustin City Limits show on November 11, 1975, which was never aired.[28] According to the show's executive producer, Terry Lickona, this is the first and only time in the show's long history that an episode went unaired. Lickona told theAustin Chronicle "I've seen it many times – it's a very popular party tape among friends. I think it was a great show, and it might be as offensive today as it was back then."[29]
In early 1976, he joinedBob Dylan on the second leg of theRolling Thunder Revue tour.
Friedman was the musical guest on theSeason 2 fifth episode ofSaturday Night Live which aired on October 23, 1976. He performed his own composition "Dear Abbie".[30][31]
Although hard to verify, given the number of Jewish-origin entertainers in country/hillbilly-tour circles (e.g. Gilbert Maxwell "Broncho Billy" Anderson), Friedman claims to have been the first full-blooded Jew to take the stage at theGrand Ole Opry.[32][33]
In February 2007, Sustain Records released a compilation of the songs of Kinky Friedman sung by other artists calledWhy the Hell Not ... The compilation includes contributions byDwight Yoakam,Willie Nelson,Lyle Lovett, andKelly Willis.[34]
On July 20, 2007, Friedman hosted the Concert to Save Town Lake to honor the memory ofLady Bird Johnson and her efforts to protect and preserve the shores ofTown Lake in Austin, Texas.[35]
On April 27, 2011, Friedman launched his Springtime for Kinky Tour (cf. "Springtime for Hitler") inKansas City, Missouri, atKnuckleheads Saloon; it included dates in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky before heading towards theEast Coast.[36] This was followed by a tour of Australia withVan Dyke Parks.[37]
After his music career stalled in the 1980s, Friedman shifted his creative focus to writingdetective novels. His books have similarities to his song lyrics, featuring afictionalized version of himself solving crimes in New York City and dispensing jokes, wisdom, recipes, charm, andJameson's whiskey in equal measure. They are written in a straightforward style which owes a debt toRaymond Chandler. The Kinky character views himself as a latter-daySherlock Holmes and he is aided in his investigations by his close friendLarry Sloman aka Ratso who assumes the role ofDr. Watson.
He authored two novels that do not star the Kinky Friedman character:Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned andThe Christmas Pig.
Friedman also wrote a regular column for the magazineTexas Monthly from April 2001 to March 2005 which was suspended during his run for governor of Texas.[38] 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 andTexas Hold'em. He has also published a travelog (The Great Psychedelic Armadillo Picnic) and anetiquette guide.
Friedman's early books have been republished by Friedman's own Vandam Press as ebooks. During March and April 2011, Vandam released seven of Friedman's early titles including:Greenwich Killing Time, A Case of Lone Star, Musical Chairs, When The Cat's Away, Frequent Flyer, Roadkill and the rarely seenCurse of the Missing Puppet Head.Elvis Jesus and Coca-Cola, God Bless John Wayne, Blast From The Past, Armadillos and Old Lace, and two nonfiction books,Drinker With A Writing Problem andHeroes of A Texas Childhood were released in 2011.E-book releases are announced on Friedman'sX (Twitter) feed and Facebook page, "TheRealKinkster".
Friedman also announced (via Jim Bessman's column at examiner.com) the upcoming release of all Vandam Press titles as unabridged audio books "read by the author".
The recurring character "Rambam", a New York private investigator and friend of the Friedman character in the books, is based on the real-life investigatorSteven Rambam, who acted as a technical advisor for the real Friedman.[39] Old Peace Corps friend and long time road manager Dylan Ferrero is also a recurring character in Kinky's mystery novels; his character is known for only speaking in rock and roll quotes, a trait taken from real life.
In 1986, Friedman ran forjustice of the peace inKerrville, Texas, as aRepublican but lost the election.[40]
In 2004, Friedman began an ostensibly serious, though colorful, campaign to become thegovernor of Texas in2006. One of his stated goals is the "dewussification" of Texas.[41] Among his campaign slogans were "How Hard Could It Be?", "Why The Hell Not?", "My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy", and "He ain't Kinky, he's my Governor"[42] (cf. "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother").
Friedman had hoped to follow in the footsteps of other entertainers-turned-governors, includingJimmie Davis,Jesse Ventura,Arnold Schwarzenegger, andRonald Reagan. Jesse Ventura even campaigned with Friedman for his election.[43][44] When the campaign finance reports came out after the second quarter had ended, Friedman had raised more funds than theDemocratic nominee, formerCongressmanChris Bell.
On election day, Friedman was defeated, receiving 12.6% of the votes in the six-candidate matchup.
Friedman released a statement on October 15, 2013, announcing his intent to again run for Texas agriculture commissioner as a Democrat. Friedman previously ran for the post in 2010, losing in the Democratic primary.[45]
Friedman supported the full legalization and cultivation ofhemp andmarijuana, declaring that the end of the prohibition is a health, education funding, prison reduction, border security, and state's rights issue.[when?]
On education, he supported higher pay for teachers and working to lower Texas's dropout rate.[46] He supported more investment in harnessing Texas'salternative fuel resources such as wind andbiodiesel.[46] Friedman was opposed to theTrans-Texas Corridor since it relies on toll road construction.[47]
Friedman supportedcapital punishment reform. He previously summed up his position, "I am not anti-death penalty, but I'm damn sure anti-the-wrong-guy-getting-executed."[48] He later clarified his position: "The system is not perfect. Until it's perfect, let's do away with the death penalty."[49]
Onillegal immigration, Friedman wanted to increase the number ofTexas 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 GovernorBill Richardson ofNew Mexico and GovernorJanet Napolitano ofArizona to develop a coordinated border state plan to supplement federal efforts to curb illegal immigration.[47] 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",[50] Friedman later told theDallas Morning News that the plan, never meant to be carried out, was a joke with an element of seriousness.[51]
According to his official website,[47] Friedman's answer to the question "How does Kinky feel about abortion?" was "Kinky believes in a woman's right to choose." In person, he hedged his bets, saying "I'm notpro-life, and I'm notpro-choice. I'mpro-football."[52] On social issues, he supportedgay marriage, answering anAssociated Press reporter's question on the subject on February 3, 2005, by saying, "I support gay marriage. I believe they have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us."[48] (Friedman himself never married.)
According toCigar Aficionado magazine, Friedman planned to roll back "any and all smoking bans" if elected. One of his favorite quotes came fromMark Twain: "If smoking is not allowed inheaven, I shall not go."[53] Friedman supported the decriminalization ofmarijuana, though he did not advocate making its sale legal. "I'm not talking about likeAmsterdam," 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."[54]
On August 9, 2007, theAustin American-Statesman reported that Friedman was considering another run for governor of Texas in 2010. "I'm open to running", Friedman said, adding that he would not make a final decision until after the 2008 elections.[55] On February 10, 2009, Friedman confirmed to theAssociated Press that he was still interested in running.[56]
In an August 23, 2007 interview with theFort Worth Star-Telegram and a February 10, 2009 interview with the Associated Press, Friedman stated that if he did run in 2010, he would run as aDemocrat, citing that "God probably couldn't have won as an independent" and that he was a Democrat all his life.[56][57]
On April 14, 2009, Friedman announced in an email to supporters that he intended to make a second gubernatorial run, this time as a Democrat.[58] Friedman then announced on December 14, 2009, that he was leaving the gubernatorial race and would instead seek the party nomination in March 2010 for Texas Agriculture Commissioner.[59] He lost the nomination to rancher Hank Gilbert in the primary held on March 2, 2010.[60]
Friedman appeared in the 2004 documentary filmBarbecue: A Texas Love Story by Austin-based directorChris Elley.[61] In the film, narrated by GovernorAnn 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.
Friedman's first movie appearance was inRecord City (1977). He appeared in other movies as well, includingLoose Shoes (1978) (also known asComing Attractions andQuackers) andThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986).[62]
Friedman's persona as apolitically incorrectraconteur has been likened to that of movie critic and commentator John Irving Bloom, better known in print asJoe Bob Briggs, with whom he appeared in theB movieThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.[63]
Friedman preferred to smokeMontecristo No. 2 Cigars, the same brand once smoked byFidel Castro. However, he also smokedBolivars, noting that "Simón Bolívar is the only person in history to be exiled from acountry named after him."[53] Friedman later made eponymous cigars under the name Kinky Friedman Cigars.[64]
Friedman was given brief praise inJoseph Heller's 1976 novel,Good as Gold, in which a governor (meant to satirizeLyndon 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 was friends withBill Clinton andGeorge W. Bush, and he visited both at theWhite House. He wrote about his friendships with them in his November 2001 column ("Hail to the Kinkster")[38] forTexas Monthly.
The playBecoming Kinky: The World According to Kinky Friedman, directed by Ted Swindley (Always...Patsy Cline), starringJesse Dayton, Little Jewford, Alan Lee, and Andross Bautsch, premiered inHouston, Texas on March 28, 2011.[65][66]
Friedman was responsible for the quote "you've got to find what you love and let it kill you," which is often falsely attributed to the poet and novelistCharles Bukowski.[67]
Friedman hosted the live concert music television show "Texas Roadhouse Live" around 2011, which would air on over-the-air network television late Saturday night (or midnight Sunday morning) in some Texas markets.[68][69][non-primary source needed]
On the 2017 album entitledOut of All This Blue,Mike Scott ofThe Waterboys composed a song called "Kinky's History Lesson" where the singer attempts to correct Friedman on a number of false statements he has allegedly made.[70]
| Year | Album | Artist | Label | US Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Sold American | Kinky Friedman | Vanguard | — |
| 1974 | Kinky Friedman | Kinky Friedman | ABC | 132 |
| 1976 | Lasso from El Paso | Kinky Friedman | Epic | — |
| 1977 | Silver Jubilee 1953–1977 | Echo Hill Ranch | Echo Hill Ranch | — |
| 1982 | Live from the Lone Star Cafe | Kinky Friedman | Bruno-Dean | — |
| 1983 | Under the Double Ego | Kinky Friedman | Sunrise | — |
| 1992 | Old Testaments & New Revelations | Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys | Fruit of the Tune | — |
| 1995 | From One Good American to Another | Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys | — | |
| 1998 | Pearls in the Snow – The Songs of Kinky Friedman | Kinky Friedman | Kinkajou Records[71] | — |
| 2003 | Classic Snatches from Europe | Kinky Friedman | Sphincter | — |
| 2005 | Mayhem Aforethought | Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys | — | |
| They Ain't Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore | Kinky Friedman | Bear Family | — | |
| 2006 | The Last of the Jewish Cowboys: The Best Of | Kinky Friedman | Shout! Factory | — |
| 2007 | Live from Austin, Texas | Kinky Friedman | New West | — |
| 2013 | Lost and Found: The Famous Living Room Tape, 1970 | Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys | Avenue A | — |
| 2015 | The Loneliest Man I Ever Met | Kinky Friedman | Avenue A | — |
| 2016 | Resurrection | Kinky Friedman | Echo Hill | — |
| 2018 | Circus of Life | Kinky Friedman | Echo Hill | — |
| 2025 | Poet of Motel 6 | Kinky Friedman | Hardcharger Records | — |
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | |||
| 1973 | "Sold American" | 69 | 92 | Sold American |
| 1975 | "Autograph" | — | — | Kinky Friedman |
| "Popeye the Sailor Man" | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Catfish" | — | — | Lasso from El Paso |
Kinky Friedman Mysteries[edit]
| Other novels[edit]
Non-fiction & humor[edit]
|
In 1986 he ran for justice of the peace in Kerrville, near Echo Hill, and lost badly. 'I couldn't decide whether to kill myself or get a haircut,' he remembers.
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