Kinky Friedman, known for his satirical and often provocative style, has passed away at 79. A post on his social media announced, “Kinky Friedman stepped on a rainbow at his beloved Echo Hill surrounded by family & friends.
Kinkster endured tremendous pain & unthinkable loss in recent years but he never lost his fighting spirit and quick wit.
Kinky will live on as his books are read and his songs are sung.”
Richard Samet “Kinky” Friedman earned a cult following for his unique take on country and Western music.
He released numerous albums, starting with “Sold American” in 1973, a record that laid the foundation for his career.
Known as the “governor of the heart of Texas,” he even toured with Bob Dylan during the “Rolling Thunder Revue” and made history as the “first full-blooded Jew” to perform at the Grand Ole Opry.
Apart from his musical endeavors, Friedman was a prolific writer. He wrote detective novels and contributed as a columnist for Texas Monthly.
He also ventured into politics, running for Governor of Texas in 2006 with the campaign slogan “My Governor is a Jewish Cowboy,” securing 12.6 percent of the votes among six candidates.
Born in Chicago and raised in Texas, Friedman studied psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.
His passion for music led him to form King Arthur & the Carrots and later Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys. He described the latter as a “country band with a social conscience, a demented love child of Lenny Bruce and Bob Wills.”
Reflecting on his life, Friedman once wrote, “Somewhere in heaven, I’m sure there’s a quiet corner with a big easy chair, a bright floor lamp, a big stack of biographical books, and a few old dogs wagging their tails to the faint smell of cigar smoke.”
Christopher Walken has loved the same woman for 59 years, they made a tough decision together
While Hollywood movies have given us so many love stories that are for the ages, most celebrity couples in real life are far from what we see on screen.
Divorce is not unheard of for most celebrities but there are of course, always exceptions to this rule. This is the story of legendary actor Christopher Walken and his wife Georgianne Walken, two people who have defied the odds.
Georgianne Walken was a casting director when she met Christopher Walken as they were working together. It was an instant connection that has lasted over half a century at this point.
The couple met in 1963 during a theatre tour of West Side Story. The two of them portrayed a couple for the production and slowly but surely fell for one another during the process. Georgianne recalls that she knew pretty soon that Christopher was the only man for her and the couple wed one another just a short six years after that.
“When [I] met him, [I] knew he had a future. He was good and was [going to] be better. It was a very compelling idea, and I had never met anybody like that in my life,” Georgianne said of their meeting.
She decided to get a stable job so Christopher could focus on acting without having to worry about money. Luckily, her job landed her in Hollywood once again, this time, however, she was behind the camera. She became a casting director and in this point of her career has about a 100 movies and shows under her belt. One of these shows include The Sopranos, which even led her to win an Emmy Award!
Christopher was also successful in his acting career. He has an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Deer Hunter and a BAFTA for his role in Catch Me If You Can.
“It’s very interesting being married to a man who is constantly playing a different person. You’re always living with a different person. He never tells me what part he’s playing when he’s getting ready. It just descends on me one day. Very interesting,” Georgianne has said about her husband.
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