the Kinkster

I hadn’t thought about Kinky Friedman – the Kinkster – for a long time. 

We’d had a CD stuck into the player in our Wrangler for years.  Today, it seemed to spring to life.  I guess all those jostlings on the back roads knocked it back into place.  And who were we trying to listen to way back then?  The Kinkster, his CD “Old Testaments and New Revelations” containing a lot of his old good stuff.  “We reserve the right to refuse service to you” got us laughing and wanting more.  That had to wait till later.  We had WCBN (the student’s network) Down Home Show to listen to.  That wonderful compendium of country music from across the spectrum and years is a can’t miss at our house.  Afterwards, we were hungry for some more country music, so I proposed a Kinky symposium.  We finished off the CD we’d had in the Jeep, enjoying some of his best*.  We have 2 other of his CDs “From one good American to another (’95)” and “Kinky Friedman’s bi-polar tour (’13)”.  For years we’ve had “Pearls in the snow (’98)”, a tribute album with other artists with better voices covering the Kinkster’s best.  I bought that album ‘cause Don Imus recommended it.  Kinkster was a regular on Imus; how I miss that old bastard.

Kinkster hasn’t confined his prodigious talents to music.  Yes, I’ve been watching him since college, when his “Get your biscuits in the oven and your buns in the bed” helped sum up my views on women’s liberation.  Kathy doesn’t like the tune.  My Wikipedia says it was Commander Cody who got him his big break in ’73.  No wonder I like him.  He’s written a number of mystery novels, which all sound like fun though I’ve never read any.  In 2006, he ran for governor of Texas.  He received 12.6% of the vote, placing fourth in the six-person race.  During the campaign, he offered a doll which would spout Kinky’s campaign phrases.  I bought it and have it somewhere.  I recall one of the slogans: “I support gay marriage.  They should have a right to be as miserable as the rest of us”.  He’s since made a couple of strong bids for Texas agricultural commissioner.

The Kinkster hasn’t toured for a while.  He’ll turn 77 in November.  He released a new album, “Resurrection”, 2 Octobers ago.  I’m hoping he’s just laying low till the Mr. Corona thing gets sorted out (think he’ll have something to say about that?).  In the meantime he’s got a treasure trove of recordings to tap into that harken back to a time when you could say what you think and think what you say.  Those were the days.

*A Kinky sampler

We reserve the right to refuse service to you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDFCBblV1Pk

Get you biscuits in the oven and your buns in the bed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gptq01MFVGQ

Ol’ Ben Lucas.  A surefire children’s classic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JRmKaGP9xc

Waitret please waitret.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ5QMyXyJ1g

Homo erectus.  Insight on teacher student realtionships.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WtLpglKNMQ

Asshole from El Paso https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BYky67PB-4

Then there’s his semi-serious songs

Wild man from Borneo (he did 2 years in the Peace Corps in Borneo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3z3ML1WVoE

Ride ‘em jewboy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBewkqSdehQ

They ain’t makin’ jews like Jesus anymore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FSWm67IhDU