Singer, songwriter, provocateur and politician Kinky Friedman dies at the age of 79

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Singer, songwriter, satirist and novelist Kinky Friedman, who led the alt-country band Texas Jewboys, toured with Bob Dylan, sang with Willie Nelson and was involved in politics with campaigns for governor of Texas and other offices in the state, has died.

Friedman, 79, died Thursday at his family’s Texas ranch near San Antonio, his close friend Kent Perkins told the Associated Press. Friedman had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for several years, Perkins said.

“He died peacefully. He smoked a cigar, went to bed and never woke up,” said Perkins, who was working as an actor when he met Friedman at a party 50 years ago when both were signing with Columbia Records and film contracts.

“We were the only two people in tuxedos and cowboy hats. Two Texans who were attracted to each other,” Perkins said. “He was the last free man on earth… He was irreverent. He was a fearless writer.”

Often referred to as “The Kinkster,” Friedman, who sports sideburns, a thick mustache and a cowboy hat, gained a cult following and a reputation as a provocateur over the course of his career in various musical and literary genres.

In the 1970s, his satirical country band Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys wrote songs with titles such as “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews Like Jesus Anymore” and “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in Bed.” Friedman took part in Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue tour in 1976.

In the 1980s, Friedman wrote crime novels, often featuring a version of himself, and in the 2000s he wrote a column for Texas Monthly magazine.

Friedman’s political involvement brought his brand of irreverence into the serious world of public policy. In 2006, Friedman ran for governor as an independent in a five-candidate race that included incumbent Republican Rick Perry. Friedman launched his campaign against the backdrop of the Alamo Massacre.

“We are gypsies on a pirate ship, setting sail for the governor’s mansion,” Friedman said at the campaign launch. “I demand the unconditional surrender of Rick Perry.”

Some thought the campaign was just another joke from Friedman, but he insisted it was serious. His platform called for legalizing medical marijuana, increasing public education spending through casino gambling and supported same-sex marriage. Campaign slogans included “How hard can it be?” and “He’s not a pervert, he’s my governor.”

“Humor is my usual attack on the windmills of politics,” Friedman said.

Perry won re-election in 2006, while Friedman came in last place. However, he did not give up politics and ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for the state’s Secretary of Agriculture in 2010 and 2014.

Richard Samet Friedman was born in Chicago and grew up in Texas. The family’s Echo Hill Ranch, where Friedman died, had a camp for children of parents killed in military service.

Funeral arrangements are still pending, Perkins said.