outing Kinky Friedman

[Gerry]

Mike,
<<They served Pearl
beer in longnecks, served chile, and featured
Austin music acts, real genu-wine Texans like
Jerry Jeff Walker. Bob Wade, a local artist, did the lizard. Bob Simmons
would remember
this place well but he's not a subscriber to this
maillist. And that was in the 70s.<<

I remember the place, went there in the early '80's. Cleve Hattersley,
reputed to be Kinky's campaign manager, was on the staff. Some of the acts
who played the Armadillo were lured there for short stands. BTW, in the
photos of the drag market recently posted here, the young fellow with long
hair standing and playing the guitar is Cleve. Neither he nor Jerry Jeff
were Texans by birth. Cleve was a runaway teenager who met Texans in SF and
came back to Austin with them, Big Rikke, Wali, etc. As for the NYC Texana,
it seemed to cherish all the things about Texas that turned me off (Pearl
Beer, bad music, greasy food, etc). BTW, Simmons spent the '70's mostly in
SF plying the DJ trade. In the '90's there was a similar place in Seattle
where I was working, pretty good food as I recall, run by some Jewish boys
who had once lived in Austin.

I know of several matings of New Yorkers and Texans which have withstood the
test of time, like yours. The others had a Texas male and a NY female. None
of the couples lived in NYC after marriage. I once chased a Puerto Rican
honey who worked at the AFofM offices in NYC, didn't catch her tho...too
slow I guess.
G


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele at hotpop.com>
To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 8:43 AM
Subject: outing Kinky Friedman


> Thanks, Twisty, for the pointer to the Kinky
> piece in the New Yorker. I tried reading it on
> line but as i am a subscriber i'll wait till it
> shows up.
>
> Have you seen him in the flesh recently?
>
> I went to his recent gig at Book People
> so i got to study his public face at length.
> He pitches to a minority demographic
> which could be paraphrased as Texas
> self-conscious cutsey and NOT republican.
>
> As for the man himself, like everyone else
> he is full of himself. Unfortunately he
> doesn't have the breeding to try to hide it.
> He discovering early on that he could be full
> of himself AND exploit it in the entertainment
> business.
>
> He's trying to be a left wing Arnold Schwartznegger
> without any program. When asked from the
> audience what he proposed to do, he answered
> with talk about spirituality.
>
> I'm sure this will shine through in the New Yorker
> article when i get to read it. Texas shtick is well
> known in NYC. How many of you out there
> remember the lizard on the roof of the Hard Rock
> Cafe, the bar in the Village? They served Pearl
> beer in longnecks, served chile, and featured
> Austin music acts, real genu-wine Texans like
> Jerry Jeff Walker. Bob Wade, a local artist,
> did the lizard. Bob Simmons would remember
> this place well but he's not a subscriber to this
> maillist. And that was in the 70s.
>
> I wonder if the article will mention his pet care
> foundation. Somehow I am guessing they will
> omit that out of charity. Even at the Book People
> event he seemed shy about trotting out his second
> darkest secret, he is sentimental about suffering
> and departed pets. his first darkest secret is that he
> is gay but has always been in closet.
>
> Mike "No Handle" Eisenstadt
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Harry Edwards" <laughingwolf at ev1.net>
> To: "ghetto survivors" <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 7:33 AM
> Subject: Fwd: Kinkster Kranks It Up
>
>
> >
> >
> > Begin forwarded message:
> >
> >> From: Harry Edwards <laughingwolf at ev1.net>
> >> Date: August 17, 2005 7:32:35 AM CDT
> >> To: ghetto 2 <ghetto2 at lists.whathelps.com>
> >> Subject: Kinkster Kranks It Up
> >>
> >> In case some of you missed it, the New Yorker will run one of their
> >> in-depth pieces on Kinky Friedman, hitting the news stands next
> >> Monday.  It's already on line at
> >>
> >> http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/050822fa_fact
> >>
> >> a well-done interesting take on a complex person.
> >>
> >> twisty
> >>
> >
>
>