August 10, 2002

10:11 AM

So long, Big Kinky."Uncle Tom" Friedman, the father of legendary Texas writer, singer, and cat lover, Mr. Richard "Big Dick" "Kinky" Friedman, has stepped on a rainbow and been called home to Jesus. A touching obituary to a fine man.
posted by shecky57 (11 comments total)

Friedman, has stepped on a rainbow and been called home to Jesus.

Then he went to candy island!
posted by skallas at 10:37 AM on August 10, 2002

Not to mention the guy was Jewish. Nice Christian-centric post you got there. If the name doesn't give it away you should read the article to see where he's going to be buried: Shalom Memorial Park.
posted by skallas at 10:41 AM on August 10, 2002

skallas--I see what you're getting at but being "called to Jesus" was a running joke in Kinky Freidman's novels, so I think that's what Shecky57 was referencing. Kinky was a Jewish guy born on Holloween in Palestine, Texas, so it's difficult to imagine him being offended by anything, and Pop Freidman was supposedly the source of his sense of humor, so I imagine he'd enjoy the joke.
posted by jonmc at 11:02 AM on August 10, 2002

Sweet Jesus. An article on metafilter with a byline by John Kelso. It's happened before, but I'm still stunned.

It is sad that Kinky's old man passed.

And, skallas, "being called home to Jesus" is something one of Kinky's characters would have said, not shecky being x-tian centric.

And as a non x-tian living in Texas I find myself saying Jesus this and Jesus that.
posted by birdherder at 11:03 AM on August 10, 2002

Yeah, I was trying to work in a reference to "Asshole from El Paso", but decided that would be in bad taste. If you've read the books, you'd know Kinky's an irreverent sort. Why else would he name his band The Texas Jewboys? Check out kindyfriedman.com for more info.
posted by shecky57 at 12:04 PM on August 10, 2002

My bad, though. Kinky shold be referred to by his chosen moniker, Mr. Richard Kinky "Big Dick" Friedman. A thousand apologies.
posted by shecky57 at 12:08 PM on August 10, 2002

Wasn't it true that his mom, for years aqn orthodox Jew converted to Islam?
posted by Postroad at 12:30 PM on August 10, 2002

That's extremely sad. I hope his cat copes without him.

RIP Kinky.
posted by influx at 12:49 PM on August 10, 2002

Oops.

That'll teach me to skim-read. I thought it was Kinky, and not his dad, that had died.

More fool me.
posted by influx at 12:50 PM on August 10, 2002

Nice Christian-centric post you got there.

Get a life, skallas.
posted by MrBaliHai at 2:46 PM on August 10, 2002

Then there was the time an incoming crew accidentally hit a British runway worker. "A small teacup was painted on the side of the plane, practically engendering an international incident," Kinky wrote.

May I, on behalf of that man, return the favour. Good fucking riddance.
posted by vbfg at 4:21 PM on August 10, 2002