Richard F. "Kinky" Friedman, (born October 31, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, USA) is an American singer, songwriter and novelist.
Biography
Born in Chicago, Friedman's family moved to a ranch in central Texas during his childhood. He had a keen interest in both music and chess at an early age. Friedman, an honors student, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and then served two years with the Peace Corps in Borneo and other areas of the southwest Pacific Ocean. Returning home, he formed his band, The Texas Jewboys, in the early 1970s. Friedman's father objected to the name of the band, calling it a "negative, hostile, peculiar thing."
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 repertoire mixed social comment ("We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You") and maudlin ballads ("Western Union Wire") with raucously politically incorrect humour ("Get Your Biscuits In The Oven and Your Buns In Bed"), while his "Ride'em Jewboy" was a remarkably effective extended tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
After his music career stalled in the 1980s, Friedman found a new lease on life as a detective novelist. His books have many similarities to the music, featuring a fictionalised version of himself solving crimes in New York City and dispensing jokes, wisdom, Texan charm and Jameson's whiskey in equal measure, written in a straightforward style which owes a debt to Raymond Chandler.
Friedman currently lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrville, Texas, just outside of Medina. He continues to perform and write, including a regular column in Texas Monthly. He also 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 euthenasia.
In 2004, Friedman began a campaign to become the Governor of Texas in 2006. One of his stated goals is the "dewussification" of Texas. Among his campaign slogans are "How Hard Could It Be?" and "Why The Hell Not?"
Other entertainers who have succeeded at becoming governor include Jesse Ventura (Reform Party, Minnesota) in 1998, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger (Republican, California) in 2004, and actor Ronald Reagan (Republican, California) who later went on to become president of the United States.
Selected Discography
- Sold American (1973)
- Kinky Friedman (1974)
- Lasso From El Paso (1976)
- Under the Double Ego (1983)
- Old Testaments and New Revelations (1992)
- From One Good American To Another (1995)
- Classic Snatches from Europe (2000)
Selected Bibliography
- Greenwich Killing Time (1986)
- A Case Of Lone Star (1987)
- When The Cat's Away (1988)
- Frequent Flyer (1989)
- Musical Chairs (1991)
- Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola (1993)
- Armadillos and Old Lace (1994)
- God Bless John Wayne (1995)
- The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover
- Roadkill (1997)
- Blast From The Past (1998)
- Spanking Watson (1999)
- The Mile High Club (2000)
- Stepping On A Rainbow (2001)
- Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch (2002)
- Kill Two Birds and Get Stoned (2003)
- Curse of the Missing Puppethead (2003)
- Prisoner of Vandam Street (2004)
- Ten Little New Yorkers (2005)
External Links
Last updated: 05-07-2005 02:26:20
Last updated: 05-13-2005 07:56:04
