Friedman, Kinky

Lasso from El Paso includes a live version of "Sold American", recorded in Colorado with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue, and an excellent version of Dylan's "Catfish"

In article (2303062013.33915169@online.idg.se), Bertil Odling
(Bertil_Odling@ONLINE.IDG.SE) writes:
>After having just read a detective novel by Kinky Friedman, called
>Armadillos & Old Lace, where he mentions Bob Dylan a couple of times, I
>seem to remember somewhere in the cobwebbed attics of my mind that
>Kinky Friedman was in some way connected to Dylan. He had a
>country band called Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, Can anyone
>enlighten me on this please e-mail me: address
>bertil_odling@online.idg.se

Date:    Fri, 2 Jun 1995 00:34:57 GMT
From:    Martin Grossman (tgg@BRONZE.COIL.COM)
Subject: Kinky Stuff

Someone e-mailed me to say it was unlikely that many among the current crop of
RMDers "got" the exchange about the song "They
Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" by Bob's friend Kinky Friedman. My
apologies to those familiar with the song, Kinky and his
connection to B.D. Kinky said somewhere that Bob told him this was one of his
favorites, along with "Sold American," which Bob
backed Kinky on for a Chabad telethon and "Ride 'Em, Jewboy," a song that Bob
reputely liked so much he learned to play it.The
irony-impaired and those who don't get Kinky's absurdist humor should read
cautiously.

THEY AIN'T MAKIN' JEWS LIKE JESUS ANYMORE
(Kinky Friedman)

A Redneck nerd in a bowlin' shirt was guzzlin' Lone Star Beer
Just talkin' religion and politics for all the world to hear
"They oughta send you back to Russia boy or New York City One
You just want to doodle a Christian girl and killed God's only son"

I said, "Has it occurred to you, you nerd, that that's not very nice"
We Jews believe it was Santa Claus that killed Jesus Christ"
"You know, you don't look Jewish, he said, near as I could figger
I had you lamped for a slightly anemic, well-dressed country nigger"

Chorus:

They ain't makin Jews like Jesus anymore
They don't turn the other cheek the way they done before
He started into shoutin' spittin' on the floor
Lord, they ain't makin' Jews like Jesus anymore

He says, "Now I ain't a racist but Aristotle O-naysus is one Greek we don't
need
And them niggers, Jews and Sigma Nus, all they ever do is breed
And wops 'n spics 'n slopes and spics are on my list
[slowly] And there's on little Hebe from the heart of Texas ...
Is there anyone I missed?"

Well, I hits him him with everything I had right between the eyes
I says, "I'm gonna gitcha, you son-of-a-bitch ya, for spoutin' that pack of
lies
If fthere's one thing that I can't abide, it's an ehtnocentric racist
Now you take back that thing you said about Aristotle O-naysus"

Chorus:

No, They ain't makin' Jews like Jesus anymore
We don't turn the other cheek the way we done before
You could hear that honky holler as he hit the hardwood floor
(The whole damn place was singin' as I strolled right out the door)
Lord, they sho' ain't makin' Jews like Jesus anymore

Repeat chorus

After reading these posts, I had to haul out the vinyl...

Kinky toured with Rolling Thunder. I saw 'em in Mobile (the untaped matinee) & Kinky really stole the opening show (him, McGuinn, Neuwirth). And his voice is quite visible on the final track "Gotta Travel On" of most of the RTR-2 boots I've heard.

Kinky Friedman & the Texas Jewboys were a hot Austin band back around '74- 76. I roomed with a fellow who'd just mustered out of the armored cavalry at Ft. Hood. He had this wonderful record "Sold American" by Kinky Friedman. Here's the song list (the titles tell it all):

We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You / Highway Cafe / Sold American / Flyin' Down The Highway / Ride 'Em Jewboy / Get Your Biscuits In The Oven & Your Buns In The Bed / High On Jesus / The Ballad of Charles Joseph Whitman / Top Ten Commandments / Western Union Wire / Silver Eagle Express

It was wild. Sort of John Prine, the Jewish Defense League & a tie-dyed- in-the-wool cosmic cowboy all rolled into one: "the original Wooly Bully from Austin," as Roger McGuinn introduced him at RTR shows.

Other albums I have are "Kinky Friedman", featuring Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson on "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore" (lyrics posted by Martin :-) and "Lasso From El Paso", featuring a live "Sold American" with RTR (Ft Collins), a rather unique cover of "Ahab The Arab" & the ever-memorable "Waitret, Please, Waitret (Come Sit On My Face)."

Memorable moments include Ringo Starr as the voice of Jesus in "Men's Room In L.A." & Eric Clapton playing dobro on "Old Ben Lucas" (a fantastic Ray Stephens put on replete with kindergarten chorus singing, "Old Ben Lucas had a lot of mucus running right out of his nose.")
"Ah, pick it, Eric!"

"Lasso From El Paso" gets its title from a tune Kinky played at the Mobile RTR show called "I'm Proud To Be An Asshole From El Paso." The song is not on the album & I recall the disappointment triggered by the misleading album title. :-( I guess Merle Haggard wouldn't give Kinky the proper release for the parody...

I think Kinky's had some albums since then, but I kinda lost track. If any Friedman fans are out there & know of other LPs, let me know. And how *is* _Armadillos_&_Old_Lace_? If he can write a detective novel half as well as he could write an X-rated country ballad, it oughta be fun!

Above the bar in Tipitina's (corner of Napoleon & Tchopitoulas, N.O.) is an poster that says "Elect Kinky Friedman Justice of the Peace." I can't remember the name of the county. Kinky's autograph is scrawled across the face: "See ya in hell."

Joe Cliburn
jcliburn@flintcreek.win.net

Found the following comment by Kinky Friedman re his meeting up with Bob Dylan:

Subject: Bob Dylan and more...

Question: Hey Kinky! I'm so excited to get the chance to talk to you(well,
sort of talk to you, at least). I have all your books, though I haven't
read all of them yet, college being what it is. Anyway, a couple of
questions: How did you first get involved with Bob Dylan and the Rolling
Thunder Revue? [More questions follow, not related to Dylan]

KF: Nice to hear from you. Bob Dylan came to my show at the Troubadour in
 L.A. in 1973. Barefoot and looking a lot like Jesus. He invited me on the
 Rolling Thunder Tour. [More commentary, not re Dylan, by Kinky follows.]

You can find the whole set of questions and answers at:


http://www.texasmonthly.com

Bill Parr



Subject: Re: Who's Kinky Friedman?!
From: paul williams 
Date: 10 Sep 1999 21:46:14 -0700

Kinky Friedman is a Stetson wearing, cigar smoking, cat loving,
Jewish Texan songwriter turned mystery writer. Back in the '70's,
he led an outfit called the Texas Jewboys, which raised the ire
of feminists and what was not yet called the PC crowd with songs
like "Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed,"
"Waitret Please Waitret (Come Sit On My Face)," and "They Ain't
Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore." Probably the best-known Jewboy
alumnus would be Leroy Parnell. He also wrote an "Okie From
Muskogee" parody called "Asshole From El Paso" that didn't get
released, thanks to Buck Owens, who controlled the copyright to
"Okie," even though Merle Haggard, who wrote "Okie," said it was
OK. I read in an interview that Kinky first came to Bob's
attention after having written a song called "She's Carrying The
Torch For You" back in the early '70's. The only version of this
song (which is about the Staue Of Liberty) that I've ever heard
is on a 45 by Slim Pickens on the Blue Canyon label. I've always
wondered if Bob heard that version, or if he heard a demo, since
I'm pretty sure that Kinky (sometimes referred to in the third
person as "The Kinkster") never released it himself.

The Kinkster was a prominent character in Larry "Ratso" Sloman's
classic Dylan book, ON THE ROAD WITH BOB DYLAN AND THE ROLLING
THUNDER REVIEW, and returns the favor, Ratso being a prominent
character in all of Kinky's highly enjoyable mysteries, which
contain scattered references to Dylan, Willie Nelson, and all
that is good and holy in American culture.

The last time I saw Kinky at a booksigning, I laid the secret
handshake on him, and he was so pleased that he gave me a couple
of his lucky plectrums. Also, no true fan's life has any real
meaning until he has in his possession the official Kinky
Friedman snot rag, which looks like an American flag, but has
little Stars of David, and a picture of the Kinkster. I got him
to sign a book for a friend of mine. One of the suggested
salutations was "See you in hell," so I got him to sign that, and
asked him, "and would you please put a 'motherfucker' on the end
of that?" he said that he thought that was "a nice sentiment,"
and happily complied with my request.

Kinky's new book, SPANKING WATSON, should be out next week.

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