Kinky Friedman

Kinky Friedman once sang "they ain't makin' Jews like Jesus anymore," and one might add that they don't make country singers like Kinky Friedman anymore, either. That's too bad, but perhaps there never really was a place at the table for a smart oddity like Friedman. Today in 2003, the 30-year old Sold American seems like a good companion to albums like Jimmy Buffett's White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean, and John Hartford's Morning Bugle. At the time, however, Friedman's irreverent songs in three-quarter time must have seemed like the antithesis to everything Nashville stood for. Peculiarities like "Highway Cafe" run closer to the left-field humor of Randy Newman than George Jones, while his criticisms of the American Dream (like the "Sold American") remind one more of John Prine than Merle Haggard. In other words, Friedman was just a little too outrageous to fit into the establishment, and his political views didn't kowtow to God, mama, and country. In fact, one of the pleasures of listening to him is the way he inverts traditional images in unexpected ways. "High on Jesus" probably sounds pretty innocent in 2003, but comparing salvation to a psychedelic drug experience wasn't appreciated by Christians still overwhelmed by the '60s cultural upheaval. Friedman slips into another person's shoes here, allowing him to sing "They tried to put His body under ground ... but friend, you just can't keep the good man down" without over-emphasizing the lyric's sarcasm. Thirty years after the fact, Sold American still qualifies as a funny, intelligent, and even offensive classic. Too bad that Friedman's brand of country & western never caught on. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide