Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman
(born October 31 [1] or November 1, 1944 [2]) 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 six-person race.
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KINKY FRIEDMAN TICKETS
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Biography
Friedman was born in
Chicago to
Jewish parents, Dr. S. Thomas Friedman and his wife Minnie (Samet) Friedman. The family moved to a ranch in central Texas a few years later. Friedman had an early interest in both music and
chess, and was chosen at age 7 as one of 50 local players to challenge U.S. grandmaster
Samuel Reshevsky to simultaneous matches in
Houston. Reshevsky won all 50 matches, but Friedman was by far the youngest competitor.
Friedman graduated from
Austin High School in
Austin, Texas in 1962 and earned a
Bachelor of Arts from the
University of Texas at Austin in 1966, majoring in
Psychology. He took part in the
Plan II Honors program and was a member of the
Tau Delta Phi fraternity. During his freshman year,
Chinga Chavin gave Friedman the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.
[4]
Friedman served two years in the United States
Peace Corps, teaching on
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 founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, whose mission 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, which many took to be a play on the name of the famous band
Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. 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.
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 at Austin's
Main Building 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 1975, Friedman and his band taped an
Austin City Limits
show which was never aired. 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 the
Austin 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."
[9]
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.
Friedman claims 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 Yoakam,
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)
- Pearls in the Snow: The Songs of Kinky Friedman
(1998; other artists perform Friedman's songs)
- 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 shifted his creative focus to writing
detective novels. 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 two novels that do not star the Kinky Friedman character:
Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned
and
The Christmas Pig.
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]
Politics
In 1986, Friedman ran for
Justice of the Peace in
Kerrville, Texas, but lost the election.
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. Jesse Ventura even campaigned with Friedman for his election.
[16] [17] 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, however, Friedman was defeated by a wide margin, receiving less than 13% of the votes in the six-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.
[18] He supports more investment in harnessing Texas's
alternative fuel resources such as wind and
biodiesel.
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.
[19]
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".
[20] More recently, he has clarified his position: "The system is not perfect. Until it's perfect, let's do away with the death penalty".
[21]
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.
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",
[22] Friedman later told the
Dallas Morning News
that the plan, never meant to be carried out, was a joke with an element of seriousness.
[23]
According to his official Web site,
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".
[24] 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"
[25] (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".
[26] 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".
[27]
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.
[28] On February 10, 2009 Friedman confirmed to the
Associated Press that he was still interested in running.
[29]
In an August 23, 2007 interview with the
Fort 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 a
Democrat, citing that "God probably couldn't have won as an independent" and that he was a Democrat all his life.
[30]
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.
[31]
Other work & references in popular culture
Friedman appeared in the 2004 documentary film " 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
.
[32]
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 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
.
[33]
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".
. Friedman now makes eponymous cigars under the name Kinky Friedman Cigars.
[34]
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"
) for
Texas Monthly
.
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)
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- 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)
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References
- http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinky_Friedman German Wikipedia
- http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/node/719 The Kosher Cowboy
- You Can Lead a Politician to Water, But You Can't Make Him Think, BookTV.org, October, 2007
- Lone Star: Kinky Friedman on the campaign trail by Dan Halpern, The New Yorker, 2005-08-22.
- Kinky Friedman Biography, Kinkajou Records.
- Notable Former Volunteers / Arts and Literature
- Kinky Friedman Turns To Politics, Humorist, Musician, Writer, Is Now Gubernatorial Hopeful In Texas - CBS News
- Tucker, Stephen R. (1998). "Kinky Friedman". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 184.
- The Austin Chronicle: Music: Looking Out My Back Door: Thirteen from 30 years of 'Austin City Limits'
- Peace Corps Online | 2007.02.02: February 2, 2007: Headlines: Figures: COS - Malaysia: Writing - Malaysia: Humor: Music: Sherman Denison Herald Democrat : Kinky invites country greats to sing his songs on "Why The Hell Not..."
- Digital50: News and more Business News
- List of Friedman's articles and Hail to the Kinkster from ''Texas Monthly''
- CNN.com "Kinky Friedman inspiration gets busted" July 26, 2006
- ccrayz.com: News
- Upcoming Appearances | Kinky Friedman
- http://wcco.com/politics/kinky.friedman.jesse.2.361880.html
- http://cbs11tv.com/education/Kinky.Friedman.Jesse.2.495984.html?detectflash=false
- Kinky Friedman | Independent Texan
- Kinky Friedman for Governor :: The Issues :: FAQ
- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/19/sunday/main788935.shtml CBS News, Aug. 21, 2005: Kinky Fri
- abc13.com: News from KTRK, around Houston and southeast Texas 2/28/06
- http://www.kilgorenewsherald.com/news/2005/0717/Front_Page/002.html Friedman says all Texans indepen
- http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/discusslive/viewpoints/stories/081106dnkinkychat.5dc3
- Friedman draws celebrity support | Kinky Friedman
- Kinky Friedman Turns To Politics, Humorist, Musician, Writer, Is Now Gubernatorial Hopeful In Texas - CBS News
- http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,218,00.html Cigar Aficionado,
- http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4185618.html Friedman urges pot be decriminalized
- Kinky says he might have another go at governor
- Kinky Friedman may run again for governor, Associated Press, February 11, 2009
- [1]
- "Friedman forms fundraising committee", AP Texas News, www.chron.com
- IMDb
- Correspondence with fellow raconteur 'Joe Bob' Briggs
- Kinky Friedman Cigars - Home