Kinky Friedman
Richard S. "Kinky" Friedman is an American Texas Countrysinger, 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. He was one of two independent candidates in the 2006 election for the office of Governor of Texas. Receiving 12.6% of the vote, Kinky placed fourth in the six-person race.He 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 him the nickname "Kinky" because of his curly hair.
Kinky served two years in the United States Peace Corps, teaching in Borneo in Malaysia with John Gross. During his service in the Peace Corps, he met future road manager Dylan Ferrero, with whom he still works today. He lives at Echo Hill Ranch, his family's summer camp near Kerrville, Texas. He founded Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, also located near Kerrville, whose mission is to care for stray, abused and aging animals; more than 1,000 dogs have been saved from animal euthanasia.
Kinky 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, he 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. 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", a Cadillac with 10-year-old expired license plates and a nasty predilection for going into a coma at the most inconvenient moment (but, according to Friedman, her talent lay in her ability to stop on a dime and pick up the change).
Kinky's father objected to the name of the band, calling it a "negative, hostile, peculiar thing", which gave Kinky even more reason to choose the name.
Arriving on the wave of country rock, Kinky 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. Kinky released Kinky Friedman in 1974 for ABC Records, then toured with Bob Dylan in 1975-6. His "Ride 'Em Jewboy" was an extended tribute to the victims of the Holocaust.
One of his most famous numbers 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, Greeks, and Sigma Nus in a bar.
On April 27, 2011 Kinky launched his Springtime For Kinky Tour in Kansas City, Missouri at Knuckleheads Saloon which includes dates in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky before heading towards the east coast. This will be followed by a tour of Australia with Van Dyke Parks.
We are so up-to-date on Kinky that I find it highly likely he was on his "Springtime" tour when Vicki met up with him in the plane headed for Oklahoma! We already know that Kinky appears to be searching for truth. Please pray, this week, that God will draw him toward a relationship with his Messiah, Jesus Christ, this week!