Kinky Friedman

June 27, 2024 5:44 PM

Richard “Kinky” Friedman... known for his boundary-pushing music and deep love for animals — died this week. He was 79.
posted by Fiasco da Gama (51 comments total)

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posted by May Kasahara at 5:45 PM on June 27

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posted by rhiannonstone at 5:48 PM on June 27

He was the first political campaign I ever gave money to when he came to our university. RIP
posted by GoblinHoney at 5:52 PM on June 27 [6 favorites]

. for Act One, punk country musician.
. for Act Two, avant-garde mystery writer.
. for Act Three, governor of Texas.
(Damn the voters of Texas for not realizing a carefully constructed life when presented to them)

. for the people who read People magazine
posted by dannyboybell at 5:55 PM on June 27 [13 favorites]

𝄞
posted by HearHere at 5:59 PM on June 27

I was trying to remember when he ran for governor and, wow. That was 18 years ago. They don't make Texans like that any more.

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posted by no mind at 6:00 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

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posted by Thorzdad at 6:01 PM on June 27

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posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 6:01 PM on June 27

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posted by Lawn Beaver at 6:07 PM on June 27

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posted by Faint of Butt at 6:09 PM on June 27

Ride ‘Em Jewboy

(And for the uninitiated some of his songs can get pretty offensive, at least on the surface; but coming from a liberal Jew in Texas, they are very much in solidarity with the downtrodden. )
posted by TedW at 6:09 PM on June 27 [8 favorites]

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posted by brachiopod at 6:18 PM on June 27

Texas Monthly on the quotable Kinky Friedman
posted by TedW at 6:19 PM on June 27 [4 favorites]

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posted by ocschwar at 6:23 PM on June 27

His stuff always made me grin...

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posted by jim in austin at 6:26 PM on June 27

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posted by limeonaire at 6:39 PM on June 27

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posted by Navelgazer at 6:40 PM on June 27

I ran afoul of Texas as a child, and as a young adult there were points of light - as the saying went - that made the place seem like a reasonable place to stay. Kinky Friedman was one. I wish we'd been smart enough to elect him, and I know we'll miss him.
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posted by mersen at 6:45 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

"Once, Friedman famously sprayed the New York Rangers hockey team and their wives with beer while wearing a long jersey, cowboy boots and no pants."

I am glad this sentence has actually been composed, never mind that it actually happened.

♫
posted by not_on_display at 7:07 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

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I would never vote for him for governor but he did give us some fine music.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 7:11 PM on June 27

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posted by gwint at 7:13 PM on June 27

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posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 7:16 PM on June 27

If you haven't watched Tales from the Tour Bus you should, and Friedman was a consistently entertaining portion of the first season. I'm sad that he is no longer with us.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 7:20 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

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posted by queensissy at 7:33 PM on June 27

The Kinkster was a true American original.

Who are we to say the boy's insane, anyhow?

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posted by delfin at 7:35 PM on June 27

They Ain't Makin Jews Like Jesus Anymore

He shilled for Bush back in the day because they were neighbors and also loved animals. I was disappointed in that, but loved his books and music.

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posted by evilDoug at 7:42 PM on June 27 [2 favorites]

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At least Steven 'Bucky Katz' Wright will now have a statistically improved chance at hitting it off with women who are into Jewish cowboys. (obscure?)
posted by zaixfeep at 8:27 PM on June 27 [3 favorites]

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posted by pianoblack at 8:30 PM on June 27

Friedman also supported Rick Perry and I'm not going to forgive him for that.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 8:33 PM on June 27 [1 favorite]

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posted by faceplantingcheetah at 9:42 PM on June 27

I voted for him and had the talking Kinky action figure!
posted by a humble nudibranch at 12:04 AM on June 28 [2 favorites]

When I first heard of him as a whipper, I asked my mom what Kinky meant. She mumbled something about his hair. Years later, I mentioned that to my mom and she said, "Well, what was I supposed to say?" Good point mom.

I liked Kinky's humor. I loved that he would make fun of himself and being a Jew in Texas. An American icon. Too many people in the public light are very corporate. It is all about their brand and not being controversial. Kinky was a star in the old mode of being a radical.

May he rest in peace.

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posted by JohnnyGunn at 1:03 AM on June 28 [3 favorites]

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posted by tommasz at 2:25 AM on June 28

Well, shit.
posted by The Manwich Horror at 2:48 AM on June 28

As he neared death, Friedman’s hospital bed faced his beloved hummingbird feeder, Hattersley said.

I hope that lifted his spirits in his last days.

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posted by brainwane at 3:13 AM on June 28 [4 favorites]

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posted by lapolla at 3:35 AM on June 28

He was a funny mofo. RIP the Kinkster
posted by DJZouke at 5:07 AM on June 28

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posted by trip and a half at 5:10 AM on June 28

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posted by Optamystic at 5:18 AM on June 28

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posted by Billiken at 5:29 AM on June 28

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posted by Spike Glee at 6:09 AM on June 28

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See you Jewish cowboy
posted by Kitteh at 6:20 AM on June 28

In 1988, Kinky Friedman positively reviewed lesbian novelist Sarah Schulman’s book After Delores for the New York Times. Schulman has since since harkened back to the review (“the first modern lesbian novel to be published by a mainstream press and gloriously received on its own terms in the New York Times”) as an artifact of a time before the ghettoïsation of LGBT literature.
posted by larrybob at 6:50 AM on June 28 [5 favorites]

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posted by james33 at 6:56 AM on June 28

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posted by Dalekdad at 7:06 AM on June 28

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posted by Smart Dalek at 10:04 AM on June 28

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posted by pt68 at 10:17 AM on June 28

May his memory be a blessing! Play him out, Mojo.
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 2:54 PM on June 28 [1 favorite]

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posted by mygothlaundry at 12:00 AM on June 29

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posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:29 AM on June 29

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Admittedly, I loved the title of "The Love Song of J. Edgar Hoover" more than I liked the actual book.
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 6:30 PM on June 29 [1 favorite]