his house, including actors Robin Williams, John Belushi, and other Saturday Night Live cast members.
Hattersley claimed he was the only person in country music like him. He remembered his exuberant friend as a “connection point” who made him aware of a variety of individuals he would not have otherwise encountered. Additionally, his “insane” lyrics reflected the revolutionary periods they had lived through in the 1960s and 1970s.
Friedman once famously wore a long jersey, cowboy boots, and no pants while dousing the ladies of the New York Rangers hockey club with beer.
“The irreverence that he was able to get away with opened up more ideas,” Hattersley said. “Right now, we’re in a time in society where word usage is being suppressed, language is being codified almost to the point of hieroglyphics, and so much is being left out. Kinky never left anything out.”
Later, Friedman started writing books. He released novels like “Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola” and “Armadillos and Old Lace,” which frequently included a fictionalized version of the author. He didn’t use text messaging or the Internet, and he used a typewriter to write his novels and columns for Texas Monthly.
In the political sphere, Friedman took stands on issues including legalizing pot and expanding casino gaming, which were uncommon at the time for a candidate running for Texas state office. Long before the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide in 2006, he openly backed it, saying, “I support gay marriage because I believe they have the right to be just as miserable as the rest of us.”
Friedman was also in favor of abolishing the death penalty, raising teacher salaries in Texas, and taking action against illegal immigration.
George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, two previous presidents, became friends with Friedman. At the Alamo, he announced his candidacy for governor and demanded Perry’s “unconditional surrender.” Friedman supported the former governor in his abortive 2012 presidential candidacy after he was defeated by Perry in 2006.
Friedman incorporated his Jewish heritage deeply into his public character. This was demonstrated by the catchphrases he used in his 2006 gubernatorial campaign, such as “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” and the melancholic song “Ride ‘Em Jewboy,” which is inspired by the Holocaust.
“His Jewishness was central to his politics, his music, his books, and his life,” said Laura Stromberg Hoke, who is Jewish and served as Friedman’s press secretary during the 2006 campaign. “That was pretty cool for a lot of us younger folks.”
According to Perkins, Friedman adopted elderly dogs from their deceased owners and established Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch in the late 1990s. Friedman traced its origins back to a wounded cat he came across while traveling with Mr. Magoo, his dog. A veterinarian severed the kitten’s limb. The feline was dubbed “Lucky.”
As he neared death, Friedman’s hospital bed faced his beloved hummingbird feeder, Hattersley said.
Whenever Friedman went into town, he would occasionally ask Perkins to pick up some fried chicken. He grinned, smoked a cigar, and fed it to his dogs. When Perkins visited Friedman a few days ago, he noticed amazing-looking rice and meat stew meals. The cook intervened to stop him as he reached for a platter. The dogs were to eat the food.
“That’s just so Kinky,” Perkins said.
