A few years back, I met Kinky Friedman
at the University of Texas, Pan American while he was campaigning for governor. I was interested in writing an article for him, but the opportunity never presented itself. Still, it was great meeting Texas first non-politician politician. He was the anti-hero of Texas politics, a quick shooting Jewish cowboy who smoked cigars - even had one on him during his entire speech, though it wasn't lit.
About two weeks before meeting with him, I decided to buy - from Amazon - two of his CDs - Last of the Jewish Cowboys - The Best of Kinky Friedman
and Mayhem Aforethought
. I listened to them on end, trying to gather the feel of the man who would be speaking at my school. So when the day came to watch him perform - for anyone who's seen Kinky Friedman campaign, you'd agree with me that his speech was a performance piece and not an actual speech, right?
He hit on things that I agreed on and a few that I didn't. In the end, he left us with a bit of advice. Don't vote for him because he isn't one of the other cookie cutter politicians, but because it felt right. While I didn't vote for Kinky Friedman that year, my only regret was not taking my CDs with me so he could sign them.
Flash forward a handful of years, I'm sitting at the Dustin Sekula Library in Edinburg with an urge to get up and browse the books that are on sale. Still wrapped in its dust protector is a hardback copy of Kinky Friedman's Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned
. I saved it from certain doom and returned to my seat for the poetry reading.
What would've taken me a few days to read, I recently just finished the book - took me about a week, by the way. The book's amazing, it's difficult to put into words. Or that could be attributed to the fact that I have a head cold.
The book follows Walter Snow, a non-writing writer, as he befriends the two troublesome adventure seekers known as Clyde Potts and Fox Harris and their adventure throughout the streets of New York. The novel is littered with wit, wisdom and the human spirit. Much like it is said with On the Road
and traveling, the same can be said with Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned - if you're going wanting to take down corporate giant Starbucks by the end of the novel, then you're one of the no-hopers of this world, lacking the human spirit.
at the University of Texas, Pan American while he was campaigning for governor. I was interested in writing an article for him, but the opportunity never presented itself. Still, it was great meeting Texas first non-politician politician. He was the anti-hero of Texas politics, a quick shooting Jewish cowboy who smoked cigars - even had one on him during his entire speech, though it wasn't lit.About two weeks before meeting with him, I decided to buy - from Amazon - two of his CDs - Last of the Jewish Cowboys - The Best of Kinky Friedman
and Mayhem Aforethought. I listened to them on end, trying to gather the feel of the man who would be speaking at my school. So when the day came to watch him perform - for anyone who's seen Kinky Friedman campaign, you'd agree with me that his speech was a performance piece and not an actual speech, right?He hit on things that I agreed on and a few that I didn't. In the end, he left us with a bit of advice. Don't vote for him because he isn't one of the other cookie cutter politicians, but because it felt right. While I didn't vote for Kinky Friedman that year, my only regret was not taking my CDs with me so he could sign them.
Flash forward a handful of years, I'm sitting at the Dustin Sekula Library in Edinburg with an urge to get up and browse the books that are on sale. Still wrapped in its dust protector is a hardback copy of Kinky Friedman's Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned
. I saved it from certain doom and returned to my seat for the poetry reading. What would've taken me a few days to read, I recently just finished the book - took me about a week, by the way. The book's amazing, it's difficult to put into words. Or that could be attributed to the fact that I have a head cold.
The book follows Walter Snow, a non-writing writer, as he befriends the two troublesome adventure seekers known as Clyde Potts and Fox Harris and their adventure throughout the streets of New York. The novel is littered with wit, wisdom and the human spirit. Much like it is said with On the Road
and traveling, the same can be said with Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned - if you're going wanting to take down corporate giant Starbucks by the end of the novel, then you're one of the no-hopers of this world, lacking the human spirit. 
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