Bookslut's Interview with Kinky Friedman

He’s not joking. Novelist Kinky Friedman has a great, completely unique sense of humor, but he’s serious about his independent campaign for governor of Texas. Friedman is best known by the publishing world as the author of several humorous mystery novels, starring himself as the protagonist (with his real-life friend Willie Nelson making an occasional pot-fueled appearance). The latest in the series, Ten Little New Yorkers, is an uncharacteristically dark entry in the series -- chiefly because Friedman (the character) dies at the end.

He’s written over 20 books, but he’s equally well-known for his career as a musician -- he played country music with his band The Texas Jewboys in the ‘70s, offending and amusing fans with songs like “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed.” These days, he runs the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, and produces his own line of salsas and olive oil. But he’ll be a lot more busy as the campaign season kicks into gear. Bookslut talked to Friedman by telephone last month.


How’s life at the ranch?

The rescue ranch? That’s going very well, going good. There was word about some greyhounds in New Orleans [after Hurricane Katrina], and we adopted 24 of them. I called my friend, the Reverend Goat Carson, who’s a street preacher in New Orleans -- he got out of there, so he’s my personal evacuee. I talked to him about the 24 greyhounds coming out of New Orleans, that we were waiting for on the rescue ranch. Anyway, he called Aaron Neville and all these people and told them that Kinky had 24 Greyhounds coming out of New Orleans. He thought they were buses, for the evacuation. (Laughs.)

How’s Reverend Goat? Is he doing okay?

He’s doing good, yeah.

What do you think of the way Governor Perry handled the Rita evacuation?

I think Perry did pretty well with that. Of course, we had a wake-up call from Louisiana first. We already kind of knew it was more than anybody could handle. The whole thing’s just a lesson that Texans have got to take care of themselves -- no one’s going to help us. And that you shouldn’t appoint somebody’s roommate as head of FEMA. You know, if there hadn’t been a hurricane, (former FEMA director Michael Brown) would’ve done just fine! He would’ve been great! (Laughs.) But this whole thing kind of exposes what’s wrong with making these appointments out of patronage and out of politics.

Are you still friends with President Bush?

Yeah. I’m friends with President Bush and with Bill Clinton...Read More @