| Page 1 2 3 4 5 KINKY FRIEDMAN WANTS TO BE THE NEXT GOVERNOR OF TEXAS. HOW HARD COULD IT BE? by Russell Bartholomee What do you get when you cross a renowned country musician, a bestselling detective story novelist, a satirist, a Peace Corps volunteer, an animal rights activist, and a Jewish cowboy? Kinky Friedman. That’s not a joke, nor is the fact that the Kinkster wants to add governor of Texas to that already impressive resume. It sounded like a bit of a joke when first announced one morning in February of 2004. Standing in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, Kinky Friedman announced that he intended to run for governor of the state of Texas because he “needed more closet space.” With campaign posters that read “How Hard Could It Be?” and bumper stickers that announce “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” it’s understandable that many initially assumed the famously funny Friedman was pulling a Pat Paulsen—running for office as an extended bit. But Kinky is serious as a heart attack, and what’s more, with just over a year until Election Day in Texas, some polls indicate that he might just pull it off. For the benefit of those outside of Texas, it should be noted that Friedman wasn’t always ‘Kinky.’ Born Richard F. Friedman, Kinky’s nickname came from his tight curly hair—usually covered by his omnipresent cowboy hat—that Kinky calls his “Lyle Lovett starter kit.” Though born in Chicago, Kinky has called Texas his home since he was a little boy. After graduating from the University of Texas, he spent a couple of years in the Peace Corps, serving in the jungles of Borneo. In the early 70s, he formed Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys, a country music group that sounds like Mark Twain fronting the Flying Burrito Brothers. The band was never a giant hit, but they had a rabidly devoted following. They even got to play at the Grand Ole Opry in 1974, which brought them some national attention. A few years later, he was invited by Bob Dylan to join the legendary Rolling Thunder Review. Dylan appears on Lasso from El Paso (1976), which also features guitar work from Eric Clapton and contributions from four members of The Band. He even made an appearance that same year on Saturday Night Live (back when that meant something). During his time with the Texas Jewboys, Kinky Friedman wrote several scathingly satirical songs about racism in general and anti-Semitism in particular. “Ride ‘em Jewboy” is a tribute to Holocaust victims, and “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You” tackled discrimination. Some of the songs ruffled a few feathers, but Kinky never had much use for political correctness. In the 80s, Friedman began a successful career as a writer; penning a series of best-selling detective novels (seventeen in total) whose main character was a Jewish cowboy private eye named…Kinky Friedman. (Purely coincidental). The books received widespread critical acclaim, and Friedman’s books have been published in 18 different languages. On top of all that, Kinky established the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, which cares for abused and abandoned pets, saving stray animals from destruction. He also produces an olive oil in a partnership with his Palestinian hairdresser, Farouk Shami, the proceeds of which go to help both Israeli and Palestinian families who have been victimized by the continued violence in the Middle East. Kinky’s a busy man. But he was gracious enough to spend some of his time with me on the phone to discuss why he wants to be governor and why he thinks the time is right for Texas to elect an independent Jewish cowboy mystery writer country singer who hangs out with Willie Nelson and has smoked Cuban cigars in both the Bush and Clinton White Houses. Being There: The first time I heard you were running for governor, I assumed it was satire—a sort of Pat Paulsen thing. I certainly don’t mean to mischaracterize anything, but this campaign started as somewhat of a joke that has become quite serious. Am I wrong? Kinky Friedman: No, I don’t think you are. I think it started as a joke on February 3 in front of the Alamo. I said, “I’m running for governor because I need the closet space.” And now I’m running into school teachers with tears in their eyes. And I’ve realized that if you care about education in Texas, you should have tears in your eyes. And it’s not just education. The campaign has come to mean a great deal to young people and to independents in Texas who realize that Republicans and Democrats have disappointed us. I think a lot of legislators know that; I think they’re very frustrated by this dysfunctional leadership. BT: What flipped the switch for you to take this campaign from being somewhat of a bit to the very sincere undertaking it is now? KF: It never was a bit. It was always exactly the way Will Rogers or Mark Twain would have run a campaign. If you asked them what their platform was, they probably wouldn’t give you nine bullet points. They would probably tell you what I do, which is that I want to restore pride in Texas. We’re very proud of our history, but what kind of history are we making now? What kind of history are we making for the future for people to look back on?  BT: I think we might be doing a bit better than Arkansas. KF: Well, that depends who you’re talking to. The stats I’m looking at say we’re first in executions. We’re last—fiftieth—in funding public education. We’re fiftieth in high school kids getting to college. And we’re number one in dropouts. So I don’t know if Arkansas can beat that. BT: Maybe I should call Arkansas and apologize. KF: You know what they’re saying in Arkansas? They’re saying “Thank God for Texas.” And it’s not just public schools. We need reform at state universities. BT: In Texas? KF: At all state universities. I have an idea to put the best and the brightest of young people on the boards of regents instead of the old farts that have given all the money. Don’t make them political patronage jobs. Give them to young people who deserve them, for the most part. Who really care about education and who have demonstrated that they’re capable of handling the job. Let’s really let the young people run the state—with the exception of a few qualified old farts who can help lead the way. BT: A couple of good ones. KF: Yeah. But that would be a real change. Right now those jobs go to the people who give the most money. Page 1 2 3 4 5 |
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