"Some of it's so dirty…I can't read it [laughing]." That would be Bill Clinton on the mystery novels of singer/songwriter/author/animal activist Kinky "Big Dick" Friedman. Clinton is one of the many fans of the Kinkster (as am I: one of my prized first editions is of Friedman's debut novel Greenwich Killing Time, the leadoff in his long-running series starring himself as a New York private eye). In this biographical portrait, fans will get a close-up look at the former lead singer/songwriter of the Texas Jew Boys (whose hits "Asshole from El Paso," "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore," "Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed," and "Sold American" are interspersed throughout the program and featured full-length in a bonus compilation of 11 songs on the DVD), who reluctantly laid down the guitar and picked up the typewriter, so to speak. Interviewees include the Kinkster himself (who's shown playing music, signing books, and playing with his dog ["in the name of the Lord, bring back the ball"]), his father Tom (who passed away last August), sister Marcie, biographer Max Swafford, pal Willie Nelson, fan Lyle Lovett, and--a real treat--key figures from the novels, including Larry "Ratso" Sloman (who, although no location is given, looks like he might be sitting in Big Wong's), Dylan Ferrero, and Cleve Hattersley. A barb-tongued raconteur of politically incorrect satire whose heart is as big as the Lone Star state itself, Kinky Friedman is a multi-talented American original, and while it is unfortunate that Mike McGovern, Steve Rambam and Winnie Katz's Lesbian Dance Class do not appear in the documentary, this is overall a fine peek at the Kinkster's life and work, and is sure to be a popular title. Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Kinky Friedman: Proud to Be an A**hole From El Paso
(2001) 54 min. VHS or DVD: $19.95. Kultur. Color cover. ISBN: 0-7697-3092-2 (dvd). Volume 18, Issue 3
Kinky Friedman: Proud to Be an A**hole From El Paso
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