Off The Record
Kinky Friedman Dies At 79 – Provocative Satirist And One-time Gubernatorial Candidate
This week marked the passing of Richard “Kinky” Friedman, the colorful and controversial Texas comedian who ran a passionate campaign for governor in 2006 and was well-known for his avant-garde music and abiding affection for animals. He was seventy-nine.
Friedman passed away at Echo Hill Ranch, his longstanding family home in Medina, according to his pals Kent Perkins and Cleve Hattersley. Hattersley stated in an interview that Friedman suffered from Parkinson’s disease.
“He was a communicator. An unusual, but very pointed and poignant communicator,” Hattersley said. “He could bring you to tears on stage. He could make you roll on the floor in laughter.”
In 2006, the controversial Friedman challenged Republican incumbent Rick Perry in an independent gubernatorial contest. Friedman ran a colorful campaign but came in fourth overall.
“Kinky Friedman was a larger than life Texas icon and will be remembered as one of the most interesting personalities in Texas politics,” Perry said in a statement to The Texas Tribune on Thursday. “Kinky’s run for governor in 2006 made an otherwise grueling campaign cycle actually fun. May he rest easy after a life lived to the fullest.”
In 2010 and 2014, Friedman also made two unsuccessful bids for the Democratic candidacy for agricultural commissioner. His flamboyant demeanor, sharp quips, and distinctive appearance—curly hair peeking out from under a black cowboy hat while holding a cigar—helped him become a Texas superstar.
“He has been described as a provocateur, and it’s not in a negative way,” Perkins said. “His objective was to provoke thought and make people think.”
Russian Jewish parents welcomed Friedman into the world in Chicago in 1944. The year after Friedman’s birth, the family relocated to Texas and finally made Medina their home. It was there that his parents established the summer camp, Echo Hill Ranch. He earned his psychology bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966.
Friedman started the humorous country group Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys at the beginning of the 1970s. The group wrote hits like “Get Your Buns in the Bed and Your Biscuits in the Oven” and “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore.” Friedman received the “Male Chauvinist Pig Award” from the National Organization for Women thanks to the latter song, which ridiculed feminism.
At the same time, he won the admiration of legendary musicians such as Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Bob Dylan.
In the middle of the 1970s, Perkins, an actor, met Friedman during a Christmas party at work. Friedman worked for Columbia Records, and Perkins was affiliated with Columbia Pictures. Because they both wore cowboy hats with their tuxedos, they were able to find each other among the hundreds of attendees.
The man Perkins met was a deep thinker, witty, and honest; He didn’t care about money; he just enjoyed being famous. If Friedman met someone at a concert and then ran into them at the airport in another city, he would recall their name. When he received payment for a book deal, he would invite Perkins to a “financial bloodletting” in Las Vegas. He might leave a $10 lunch tip for $30.
“Anyone that wanted to befriend him, he was kind to; he didn’t shut people out even when many others did,” Perkins said. “Kinky was adored and loved in the entertainment industry by giants.”
Hattersley recalled that Friedman performed every Sunday night at the Lone Star Cafe in New York City in the late 1970s. It became Hattersley’s responsibility to bring him on stage and keep him there. Hattersley related the legendary visitors to his house, including actors Robin Williams, John Belushi, and other Saturday Night Live cast members.
Hattersley claimed he was the only person in country music like him. He remembered his exuberant friend as a “connection point” who made him aware of a variety of individuals he would not have otherwise encountered. Additionally, his “insane” lyrics reflected the revolutionary periods they had lived through in the 1960s and 1970s.
Friedman once famously wore a long jersey, cowboy boots, and no pants while dousing the ladies of the New York Rangers hockey club with beer.
“The irreverence that he was able to get away with opened up more ideas,” Hattersley said. “Right now, we’re in a time in society where word usage is being suppressed, language is being codified almost to the point of hieroglyphics, and so much is being left out. Kinky never left anything out.”
Later, Friedman started writing books. He released novels like “Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola” and “Armadillos and Old Lace,” which frequently included a fictionalized version of the author. He didn’t use text messaging or the Internet, and he used a typewriter to write his novels and columns for Texas Monthly.
In the political sphere, Friedman took stands on issues including legalizing pot and expanding casino gaming, which were uncommon at the time for a candidate running for Texas state office. Long before the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide in 2006, he openly backed it, saying, “I support gay marriage because I believe they have the right to be just as miserable as the rest of us.”
Friedman was also in favor of abolishing the death penalty, raising teacher salaries in Texas, and taking action against illegal immigration.
George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, two previous presidents, became friends with Friedman. At the Alamo, he announced his candidacy for governor and demanded Perry’s “unconditional surrender.” Friedman supported the former governor in his abortive 2012 presidential candidacy after he was defeated by Perry in 2006.
Friedman incorporated his Jewish heritage deeply into his public character. This was demonstrated by the catchphrases he used in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign, such as “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” and the melancholic song “Ride ‘Em Jewboy,” which is inspired by the Holocaust.
“His Jewishness was central to his politics, his music, his books, and his life,” said Laura Stromberg Hoke, who is Jewish and served as Friedman’s press secretary during the 2006 campaign. “That was pretty cool for a lot of us younger folks.”
According to Perkins, Friedman adopted elderly dogs from their deceased owners and established Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in the late 1990s. Friedman traced its origins back to a wounded cat he came across while traveling with Mr. Magoo, his dog. A veterinarian severed the kitten’s limb. The feline was dubbed “Lucky.”
As he neared death, Friedman’s hospital bed faced his beloved hummingbird feeder, Hattersley said.
Whenever Friedman went into town, he would occasionally ask Perkins to pick up some fried chicken. He grinned, smoked a cigar, and fed it to his dogs. When Perkins visited Friedman a few days ago, he noticed amazing-looking rice and meat stew meals. The cook intervened to stop him as he reached for a platter. The dogs were to eat the food.
“That’s just so Kinky,” Perkins said.
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