Cowboy Christmas Parade to march through Oklahoma City Stockyards Saturday morning
Horses and riders walk down Exchange Avenue during the 2010 Cowboy Christmas Parade and cattle drive at Stockyards City in Oklahoma City, OK. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman Archives
Christmas will get an appropriately Western theme when the annual Cowboy Christmas Parade marches Saturday morning in historic Stockyards City, 1305 S Agnew.
A popular Oklahoma City holiday tradition, the parade will feature rodeo cowboys, American Indian dancers, antique cars, 100 head of longhorn cattle and more. The parade will march at 10 a.m. Saturday.
After the parade, children are invited to visit Cowboy Santa to get their pictures taken and receive a fun toy.
For more information, go to www.stockyardscity.org/a-cowboy-christmas-parade.
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Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood build houses in Haiti for Habitat for Humanity
Oklahoma country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, who live in Owasso, recently returned to Leogane, Haiti, to participate in Habitat for Humanity’s 29th annual Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project. They were among the nearly 600 volunteers who helped to build 100 homes in the Santo community in partnership with families affected by the 2010 earthquake, according to a news release.
The 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti in January 2010 caused widespread devastation, destroying 105,000 homes. Habitat for Humanity’s Carter Work Project has focused its efforts in 2011 and 2012 on helping rebuild homes and bring attention to the ongoing support needed for Haiti’s recovery.
Habitat for Humanity International is a global nonprofit Christian housing organization that seeks to put God’s love into action by bringing people together to build homes, communities and hope. Since 1976, Habitat has served more than 500,000 families by welcoming people of all races, religions and nationalities to construct, rehabilitate or preserve homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. For more information, to donate or to volunteer, go to www.habitat.org, www.facebook.com/habitat or www.twitter.com/habitat_org.
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Video: Carrie Underwood sings “The Sound of Music,” cast to play Maria Von Trapp in 2013 TV version of the musical
Country music superstar and Checotah native Carrie Underwood is planning to make the hills come alive with the sound of music next year.
The 2005 “American Idol” winner will take on the legendary role of Maria Von Trapp in a live television broadcast of “The Sound of Music.”
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
The five-time Grammy winner already has a bit of experience with the musical’s memorable title theme: Check out this YouTube video of her belting “The Sound of Music” theme on CBS’ “Movies Rock” special.
Based on the beloved original Broadway musical, the three-hour live telecast will air around the 2013 holiday season on NBC, Robert Greenblatt, the network’s entertainment chairman announced Friday.
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producing team behind NBC’s musical series “Smash” as well as the acclaimed film versions of the song-and-dance hits “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” are partnering with the network for its broadcast of “The Sound of Music.” Zadan and Meron should be primed for the live musical: They also are producing the live broadcast of the 85th Annual Academy Awards in February.
“We’re thrilled to be presenting the Broadway version of ‘The Sound of Music’ live,” said Zadan and Meron in the announcement, “and having Carrie Underwood as the star brings it to a new generation who will fall in love with it for the first time as many millions of people already have. It’s a particular joy to us as producers to see this amazing artist stretch into new territory with this classic musical.”
Set in Austria just before the start of World War II, “The Sound of Music,” is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, an aspiring nun who becomes a governess for widowed navy Captain von Trapp’s seven children, eventually falling in love with her employer and questioning her religious calling. The final musical for the famed team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein I, it premiered on Broadway in 1959, breaking box-office records and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer played the lead roles in the musical’s 1965 film adaptation, which earned five Oscars and briefly supplanted “Gone with the Wind” as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Adjusted for inflation, the total gross for the movie musical ranks third all-time at the domestic box office, behind “Gone with the Wind” and “Star Wars,” according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Powered by Andrews’ four-octave range and Oscar-nominated performance, the film made “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “So Long, Farewell” and the title theme iconic. It will be interesting to see and hear how Underwood uses her big, clear voice to deliver such indelible material.
The five-time Grammy winner already has a couple of acting credits on her resume: a 2010 guest role on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and a supporting part in the 2011 film “Soul Surfer,” which, like “The Sound of Music,” boasts an inspirational, fact-based storyline. She also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song for “There’s a Place for Us” from the 2010 big-screen adaptation of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” She both recorded and co-wrote the song.
In a 2010 interview shortly after she wrapped filming on “Soul Surfer,” Underwood told me that she is devoted to music but tries to stay open-minded about other projects that come her way, like movies and TV shows:
“I’ve said this before, but things just have a way of coming up. I’m all about doing what I love, and if something else gets thrown in the mix, then I definitely have an open mind towards it,” she said.
“I want to do things to have fun and that I can look back on my life and be proud of and my kids can look back and see what I’ve done and maybe think their mom’s kind of cool.”
To read more about Underwood’s casting in “The Sound of Music,” click here.
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Carrie Underwood to play Maria Von Trapp in live TV production of “Sound of Music”
Carrie Underwood (AP file)
A version of this story will appear in Saturday’s The Oklahoman. To see a video of Carrie Underwood performing “The Sound of Music” theme on the 2007 CBS’ “Movies Rock” special, click here.
Carrie Underwood cast in ‘Sound of Music’
Live production expected to air on NBC in 2013
For her next acting gig, Checotah native Carrie Underwood will take on the legendary role of Maria Von Trapp in a live television broadcast of “The Sound of Music.
Based on the beloved original Broadway musical, the three-hour live telecast will air around the 2013 holiday season on NBC, Robert Greenblatt, the network’s entertainment chairman announced Friday.
“Speaking for everyone at NBC, we couldn’t be happier to have the gifted Carrie Underwood take up the mantle of the great Maria von Trapp,” Greenblatt said in Friday’s announcement. “She was an iconic woman who will now be played by an iconic artist.”
Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the producing team behind NBC’s musical series “Smash” as well as the acclaimed film versions of the song-and-dance hits “Chicago” and “Hairspray,” are partnering with the network for its broadcast of “The Sound of Music.” Zadan and Meron should be primed for the live musical: They also are producing the live broadcast of the 85th Annual Academy Awards in February.
“We’re thrilled to be presenting the Broadway version of ‘The Sound of Music’ live,” said Zadan and Meron in the announcement, “and having Carrie Underwood as the star brings it to a new generation who will fall in love with it for the first time as many millions of people already have. It’s a particular joy to us as producers to see this amazing artist stretch into new territory with this classic musical.”
Set in Austria just before the start of World War II, “The Sound of Music,” is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, an aspiring nun who becomes a governess for widowed navy Captain von Trapp’s seven children, eventually falling in love with her employer and questioning her religious calling. The final musical for the famed team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein I, it premiered on Broadway in 1959, breaking box-office records and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical.
“To have a star like Carrie Underwood perform Maria in ‘The Sound of Music’ — and in such a very special and unique production — is exciting beyond words,” said Ted Chapin, president of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, in Friday’s announcement. “Part of the magic of Rodgers and Hammerstein is how their work has adapted itself to so many different incarnations, and I am certain the fresh spirit Underwood brings to her own songs will transition into exciting versions of the classic songs we all know and love.”
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer played the lead roles in the musical’s 1965 film adaptation, which earned five Oscars and briefly supplanted “Gone with the Wind” as the highest-grossing movie of all time. Adjusted for inflation, the total gross for the movie musical ranks third all-time at the domestic box office, behind “Gone with the Wind” and “Star Wars,” according to BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Powered by Andrews’ four-octave range and Oscar-nominated performance, the film made “My Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “So Long, Farewell” and the title theme iconic. In 2007, Underwood made the hills comes alive when she belted “The Sound of Music” theme on CBS’ “Movies Rock” special.
The five-time Grammy winner already has a couple of acting credits on her resume: a 2010 guest role on the sitcom “How I Met Your Mother” and a supporting part in the 2011 film “Soul Surfer,” which, like “The Sound of Music,” boasts an inspirational, fact-based storyline.”
“I’ve said this before, but things just have a way of coming up. I’m all about doing what I love, and if something else gets thrown in the mix, then I definitely have an open mind towards it,” Underwood told The Oklahoman in a 2010 interview shortly after she wrapped filming on “Soul Surfer.”
“I want to do things to have fun and that I can look back on my life and be proud of and my kids can look back and see what I’ve done and maybe think their mom’s kind of cool.”
Contributing: Features Editor Matthew Price.
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Video: Toby Keith “Hope on the Rocks”
Oklahoma country music star Toby Keith, who earlier this year won the Country Music Association video of the year award, has released the new music video to his latest single, “Hope On The Rocks.”
Already in heavy rotation on CMT, GAC and TCN, “Hope” is directed by Keith’s longtime collaborator Michael Salomon. In their latest work, Keith plays the song’s bartender protagonist and ably shepherds his flock of lost souls through life’s low moments.
Keith and Salomon have a long-running history of success, with their their videos ranging from the farcical (“As Good As I Once Was,” “Stays In Mexico”) to the dramatic (“Bullets In The Gun,” “Cryin’ For Me (Wayman’s Song)”).
And, of course, they are the men behind “Red Solo Cup,” which is already in the books as the biggest viral video event in country music history. With more than 20 million online views and counting, “Red Solo Cup” earned the 2012 CMA for Video of the Year, among many other accolades and records.
“Hope On The Rocks” is the second single from the Norman resident’s 2012 album that shares its name, following the hit single, “I Like Girls That Drink Beer.”
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Rascal Flatts’ “A Home for the Holidays” TV special airing Dec. 19 on CBS
Rascal Flatts (AP file)
Superstar country band Rascal Flatts, which includes Picher-bred guitarist Joe Don Rooney, will host th e14th Annual “A Home for the Holidays with Rascal Flatts,” an entertainment special to be broadcast from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 19 on the CBS Television Network.
It will include moving performances by Rascal Flatts, Melissa Etheridge, Matchbox Twenty, Phillip Phillips and Rachel Crow, whose performance accompanies her personal story about foster care adoption. Wayne Brady, Kevin Frazier and Jillian Michaels are set to present.
Following the success of the past 13 annual shows, the special continues to tell touching stories about adoption from foster care to raise awareness for this important social issue, according to a news release. The inspirational stories of these American families are enhanced with performances by some of today’s most popular artists.
Some of the musical performances accompany story segments which are introduced by celebrities who have their own adoption experiences or are involved with children’s issues. The stories highlight exceptional American children and families involved in this rewarding process:
Crow Family (Los Angeles)
“Everything I’ve done has been possible because of my family. They gave me the love and support to follow my dreams,” says 14-year-old recording artist and “X Factor” finalist Rachel Crow. Placed in foster care as an infant, she moved through three different foster homes in less than a year and faced an uncertain future until she was adopted by Kelly and Barbara Crow. “Even as a toddler, Rachel had such spirit and drive to be the child she was meant to be, and before we knew it she became this little girl with the big voice,” says Barbara. Three years later, the Crows adopted their second daughter, Hannah.
“The love I have for my girls is beyond anything,” says Kelly. Today 11-year-old Hannah is a straight-A student and Rachel has a recording contract with Columbia Records/Syco, a development deal with Nickelodeon and a recurring role on the comedy series, “Fred: The Show.”
Dunne Family (Tampa, FL)
If you met the Dunne brothers today you would never know they had been living apart as they moved through 23 different foster homes in just five years. “Some nights I would try to hide under the covers because I was so scared,” says the youngest, John. Chris and Tammy Dunne had raised two daughters when they saw a picture of the four brothers in foster care. “My husband was adopted as an infant and I aged out of foster care without a family so the boys really touched our hearts,” says Tammy. “We wanted them to stay together and made an instant decision to adopt all four,” says Chris. “You can’t think that no one will love you. There is someone and you just have to keep hoping,” says oldest brother Eric.
Burkett Family (Nashville, TN)
“We met our son when he came to stay as a temporary foster placement. It started out as two days and turned into forever.” The Burketts always had a love for children and decided to become foster parents in 2009. “We wanted to bridge the gap between the uncertainty of a foster child’s past and the hope for an adoptive family in their future.” But fate had other plans. “The day after we met Anthony, we took him to his high school track meet and he politely said, ‘I’ll call you when I’m done.’ It broke my heart that he didn’t think we would cheer him on,” says Tahnesia. “He had this shy smile of amazement when he realized we were there to watch him run and from that day on, we had a special bond,” says Brett. Now a star athlete, Anthony thrived in the care of his loving parents and when the Burketts learned that Anthony had a sister in foster care they adopted both children.
Moore Family (Long Beach, CA)
When Terri and John Moore married in 1988, they thought about having biological children, but instead decided to adopt. “We were very involved in our church and wanted to make a difference. Foster children need someone to champion them and we knew we could give them the love they deserve.” The couple soon met 5-year-old Anthony and his 4-year-old brother Chris, who had been placed in foster care after being found homeless and abandoned. “The boys just stole our hearts and that was the beginning of our wonderful family of six beautiful children,” says Terri. The Moores became an inspiration to their church, and today their congregation has fostered more than 50 children and more than 20 have been adopted.
Currently, there are more than 400,000 children in foster care in the United States, and more than 100,000 of them are available for adoption. This segment gives voice to these children by creating an intimate portrait of youth who need permanent loving homes.
The special is presented in association with the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and the Children’s Action Network. Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted, established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992. It is dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of children in the United States foster care system. Wendy’s is a program sponsor.
The Children’s Action Network was founded in 1990 by leaders in the entertainment industry to harness the power of the entertainment media on behalf of children. The special is a part of CAN’s National Adoption Campaign to raise awareness of the joys of adopting and to find homes for the children who are waiting.
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Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball World Tour” to play March 20 Tulsa show; tickets on sale Dec. 7
In this Sept. 24, 2011, photo, Lady Gaga performs during the iHeartRadio music festival, in Las Vegas. (AP file)
Following overwhelming national sales, five-time Grammy Award winner Lady Gag and Live Nation Global Touring have confirmed a “Born This Way Ball” performance at Tulsa’s BOK Center on March 20, the venue announced today.
In this new tour, Gaga performs her latest album “Born This Way” as well as music from her previous albums “The Fame” and “The Fame Monster.” “The Born This Way Ball” began on April 27 in Seoul, South Korea.
Tickets for the Tulsa stop go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7. They will be available online at www.bokcenter.com, Arby’s Box Office, all Tickets.com outlets, or by calling (866) 7-BOKCTR.
Tulsa ticket prices are set at $51.50, $87 and $177.
Pollstar’s 2012 midyear report ranks the “Born This Way Ball” as the top-grossing tour by any female artist worldwide this year. About the show, the Hong Kong Daily News wrote “Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Ball is effortlessly brilliant in both the visual and musical sense,” while Seoul Daily said that with her “splendid and unprecedented stage, she is the absolute queen of pop!” The U.K.’s Daily Telegraph called the Ball “quite spectacular,” while affirming that “Lady Gaga occupies pole position as the 21st century’s ultimate pop star.”
Fans will have first access to ticket pre-sales via LittleMonsters.com on Monday. To receive an access code for this exclusive pre-sale, sign up for free at LittleMonsters.com and ‘Join’ the concert that you wish to attend via the Events section.
Citi is the official credit card of the U.S. leg of “The Born This Way Ball.” Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday through Citi’s Private Pass Program. For complete presale details, go to www.citiprivatepass.com.
“The Born This Way Ball” starring Lady Gaga is promoted world-wide by Live Nation Global Touring, and brought to you by Skype.
See Gaga’s “Born This Way Ball” U.S. tour dates after the break.
Blake Shelton brings family and friends, along with bawdy fun, to “Not-So-Family Christmas” TV special, airing Monday
Oklahoma country music superstar Blake Shelton dons tights and frolics with elves on his first holiday TV special, “Blake Shelton’s Not-So-Family Christmas,” airing Monday night on NBC. Photo by Lewis Jacobs/NBC
From Fridays Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoman Blake Shelton brings family, friends — and a bit of off-color fun — to first holiday special
Column: The country music superstar’s “Not-So-Family Christmas” airs Monday night on NBC.
Don’t let the title fool you: Blake Shelton is inviting his famous wife and his mama, as well as some of his closest celebrity pals, to partake in his first holiday TV special, “Blake Shelton’s Not-So-Family Christmas.”
The star-studded hourlong special will air at 9 p.m. Monday on NBC after “The Voice,” the reality TV show that established the Oklahoma country singer as a popular television personality. The seasonal celebration also will air at 7 p.m. Dec. 7.
“Some of my earliest memories are memories of Christmases ‘cause it’s such a big deal to me, everything from just the event to the music to the Christmas specials that used to come on TV when I was kid,” Shelton says in a behind-the-scenes clip provided by NBC.
“I always knew that I wanted to make a Christmas album if I ever could. Now, the Christmas special is the icing on the cake. And to be able to do it the way that we wanted to do it, which is have fun with it and goof around and try to make people laugh but still do the best we can as far as making some great music along the way … this has been a blast.”
The TV special will include many of the family and friends featured on the Ada native’s first yuletide album, “Cheers, it’s Christmas,” released earlier this fall. Fellow Oklahoman Reba McEntire and “American Idol” Kelly Clarkson will join Shelton for duets on the show.
Shelton’s wife and fellow Tishomingo resident Miranda Lambert also will sing with him on a special seasonal version of his hit ballad “Home.” (Michael Buble, the Canadian crooner who co-wrote and initially topped the charts with “Home,” is hosting his own “Home for the Holidays” special Dec. 10 on NBC, and Shelton will be a guest on the program.)
But the newly crowned Country Music Association Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year considers the highlight of the special his duet with his mother, Dorothy Shackleford, on the Christmas song they co-wrote, “Time for Me to Come Home.”
“A lot of dreams came true on this thing,” Shelton says.
While the show will feature Shelton and his guests crooning new and classic Christmas tunes, the humor apparently will come closer to Shelton’s notoriously bawdy Twitter posts than the family-friendly gags of “Rudolph Red-Nosed Reindeer.” From the looks of the previews, though, he will have a clay-animated moment in the special — when he isn’t donning tights, frolicking with elves and getting beaten up by a giant cooked turkey.
Shelton’s “The Voice” co-star Christina Aguilera, Larry the Cable Guy and Jay Leno will join the country music superstar in some of the comedy bits.
“It says it all in the title of this show, you know, ‘Not-So-Family Christmas.’ You know, me as an artist isn’t exactly me as a television personality, and I like to kick and push the limits as much as I can. I’m not an actor or a comedian, but I’m also not somebody that’s ever serious,” Shelton says.
“I wanted that to be a part of these skits and I wanted to be edgy with ‘em. And I think that’s important for me, and I think it’s important for people to see country music in that light, too. We can be edgy also.”
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Video: Kinky Friedman plays “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You” at the Blue Door, returning to Oklahoma Sunday
Check out this video of Kinky Friedman, the self-proclaimed “Governor of the Heart of Texas,” performing his subversive story song “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You” last year at Oklahoma City’s Blue Door.
The singer/songwriter/author/political upstart is embarking today on the second leg of his “Bi-Polar Tour,” playing 28 shows in 27 days, in the spirit of Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt and Judy Garland. The tour begins in Kansas City, Mo., with the “Jewish Troubadour” making his way back to Oklahoma City’s Blue Door Sunday night. On Monday night, he will return to Tulsa to play his annual benefit concert for the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
He recently released a new album, “Live From Woodstock,” that he recorded during the first leg of his show-a-night “Bi-Polar Tour” as well as two nonfiction book two collaborations with famed friends that were released this year: “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road” with Willie Nelson and “The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts” with Billy Bob Thornton.
In addition, Friedman ran for Governor of Texas in 2006 — “we won that race in everyplace but Texas,” he said — and he is contemplating another campaign for the office in 2014. That may well be why his “Bi-Polar Tour” has been subtitled “A Fact Finding Mission.”
“You know my definition of politics: poli- means more than one, and ticks are blood-sucking parasites. And they truly are. I mean, we really need term limits on these guys, and I’ve suggested limiting all elected officials to two terms: one in office and one in prison. I think would go a long way,” Friedman told me in a recent phone interview.
“Morality features in this, too. I tell the audience … that ‘Jesus loves you can be very comforting words — unless you hear them in a Mexican prison.’ That’s a good line. That one does well. You know, the show is fun. I enjoy it. Very few moving parts,” he added. “When you think about the songs being more than 40 years old, many of them, it’s remarkable to be able to do this and even draw a crowd … and then when you shift to politics, they’ll take everything out of context and they’ll call you a racist — like they did Bill Clinton and Mark Twain. That’s pretty good company; at least Mark Twain is good company. Bill’s all right.”
To read more of my fascinating interview with the multi-talented Kinky Friedman, click here.
IN CONCERT
Kinky Friedman’s “Bi-Polar Tour”
When: 8 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley Ave.
Information: 524-0738 or www.bluedoorokc.com.
When: 7 p.m. Monday.
Where: Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 111 E First Street, upper level.
Benefiting: Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
Information: (918) 281-8600 or www.okjazz.org.
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Interview: Kinky Friedman brings ‘Bi-Polar Tour’ to Oklahoma City Sunday, Tulsa Jazz Depot Monday
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. To see a video of Kinky Friedman performing last year at Oklahoma City’s Blue Door, click here.
Kinky Friedman brings ‘Bi-Polar Tour’ to Oklahoma
The singer/songwriter/author/political upstart is playing 28 shows in 27 days, in the spirit of Woody Guthrie, Townes Van Zandt and Judy Garland.
Kinky Friedman may be the self-proclaimed “Governor of the Heart of Texas,” but the multitalented musician counts one of Oklahoma’s most revered singer-songwriters among the inspirations for his new tour.
“The ‘Bi-Polar Tour’ now is 28 shows in 27 days, all solo. So it evokes the spirit of Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt and Judy Garland,” Friedman, also a self-described gambling addict, said in a phone interview last week from Las Vegas.
“That’s a good role model, Woody, and I don’t know, we’ll see how this thing goes. You know, I don’t want to become bipolar on this tour. But anything’s possible.”
Well, almost anything is possible. At any rate, the “Jewish Troubadour,” 68, is launching the second leg of his “Bi-Polar Tour” Friday night in Kansas City, Mo., and making his way to Oklahoma City’s Blue Door Sunday night.
“My goal, of course, has always been to be an elderly black blues singer. But it doesn’t look like that’s gonna be possible. I mean, I don’t care about money. You know, the only currency I value is the coin of the spirit, and let’s hope we have a lot of that going for us on the ‘Bi-Polar Tour,’” Friedman said.
The exception to that rule may be Monday night when he returns to Tulsa to play his annual benefit concert for the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
“I will keep us out of war with Oklahoma, I promise that,” he said of his Sooner State dates.
The Texas Hill Country denizen also promises that each “Bi-Polar Tour” stop will be just him and his guitar playing his classic songs like “Sold American,” “Wild Man from Borneo,” “We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service Unto You,” “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed” and “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Anymore.” That the show will include storytelling, humor and politics probably goes without saying, but he also plans to do a reading from his nonfiction book “Heroes of a Texas Childhood.”
“Of course, I will sign anything but bad legislation,” he quipped. “There will even be some new jokes.”
What won’t be the new are the songs, mostly because Friedman hasn’t written one in a quarter-century. Not that he has been idle.
In the 1980s, he shifted his attention to writing detective novels featuring a fictionalized version of himself and boasting appropriately outrageous titles like “Armadillos & Old Lace,” “Greenwich Killing Time” and “A Case of Lone Star.” He also has penned several nonfiction books, including two collaborations with famed friends that were released this year: “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die: Musings from the Road” with Willie Nelson and “The Billy Bob Tapes: A Cave Full of Ghosts” with Billy Bob Thornton.
Along with writing books, Friedman has developed his own brand of his signature cigar, called the Kinkycristo, and a new spirit, Man in Black Tequila. Proceeds from tastings and auctions of his tequila, like sales of his Private Stock Salsa, benefit the Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, which he operates with “Cousin Nancy” Parker-Simons and her husband Tony Simons in Medina, Texas.
In addition, Friedman ran for Governor of Texas in 2006 — “we won that race in everyplace but Texas,” he said — and he is contemplating another campaign for the office in 2014. That may well be why his “Bi-Polar Tour” has been subtitled “A Fact Finding Mission.”
“I’m looking at the Democratic primary. I mean running as an old-fashioned Harry Truman blue-dog Democrat. Being serious. I mean, if I can. For the most part. And if I can win that primary, I think I’m gonna be the governor ‘cause I’m the only Democrat in Texas who can draw votes from the two-party and the Libertarians and the Independents,” he said.
“I think being a musician is a much higher calling than being a politician. And I think Willie’s right that a tour like this every night where you don’t take a night off runs on adrenaline and the audience. And that’s great. That’s a great feeling. I mean, there’s nothing purer than that. It’s just an acoustic guitar and singing your own songs and they come across well.”
With his wildly varied resume, it’s hard to imagine that there’s anything Friedman hasn’t done at least once. But he tried the show-a-night model of the ‘Bi-Polar Tour’ for the first time over the summer on the East Coast. He liked it enough to record an album, “Live From Woodstock,” and plan his fall trek across the Midwest, Southwest and West Coast. In March, he will take the tour to Europe and then Australia.
“I haven’t performed all that much really in many, many years, since with Bob Dylan in ’76. I mean, I did some shows, but nothing intense like this. And this is interesting. And the audience is what makes it interesting,” he said.
“My crowd … is a really interesting fractured bunch of people. I mean, some of them have read the books but are not that fascinated with the music or vice versa or they’re there for the politics or they’re young people who know every lyric. But in general, the songs, well, I mean, they were never mainstream so I guess that may be why I haven’t written a song in 25 years. And stuff like ‘They Ain’t Making Jews like Jesus Anymore’ really works.”
IN CONCERT
Kinky Friedman’s “Bi-Polar Tour”
When: 8 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley Ave.
Information: 524-0738 or www.bluedoorokc.com.
When: 7 p.m. Monday.
Where: Oklahoma Jazz Hall Of Fame’s Jazz Depot, 111 E First Street, upper level.
Benefiting: Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
Information: (918) 281-8600 or www.okjazz.org.
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