FINDING KINKY BLOGSPOT
This blog intends to get the word out about our little movie, Finding Kinky, which is in post-production and moving along . We are putting together a kick-ass soundtrack with the assistance of the amazing jkanizzle from Concentrated Efforts and all the musicians involved! We are currently raising money for editing, animation and archival research via Grants, but if you , or anyone you know is interested in seeing this timely project reach its goal and can help, LET US KNOW! Keep checking here for updates.
ON THE ROAD TO FIND KINKY
In the Fall of 2006, Finding Kinky's crew of four, Krystina (Kiki) Siebenaler, Genevieve Robinson, Alec Paul and Brandon Gonzales, hit the road starting in Taos, New Mexico and traveled all around Texas in the wake of Kinky Friedman's campaign for Governor. There were so many people to talk to, so many stories to record and so many opinions. From Ft. Worth to Lubbock, no stone was left unturned. From University professors to tattoo artists, every demographic in Texas was covered. Exhausted and exhilarated, our crew ended their journey at Kinky's Election night bash.There are many people to thank, and we thank you one and all from the bottom of our hearts, for your generosity and time. You made this movie possible. In no particular order, we would like to extend our gratitude to The Taos Film Commission, Alex Czerhart, for the camera, Don Hyde for being there and hooking us up wherever he could, Professor Kendall McKook for his time, insight and commitment to change, Poodie Locke for his frankness and generosity, Neal for Poodie's number, Eddie Wilson at Threadgill's for the vibe, the history and dinner, Laura Stromberg (Kinky's Campaign Press Secretary) for being so co-operative, communicative and helpful, Rebecca Fitz for the awesome accomodations, Roscoe West, for putting a bug in Kinky's ear, ditto Robby Romero, the Taos Film Commission for the go-to-it support. Beth Yaeger, for being a sweetie in Houston! And Kinky, for his intelligence, humour and vision! Everyone we interviewed; we know your time is valuable and thank you all once again for sitting down and talking to us.
FINDING KINKY TREATMENT
“The American dream is not dead. It is gasping for breath, but it is not dead.” -- Barbara Jordan (The first black woman from a Southern state to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.)
Finding Kinky is a one-hour documentary filmed in Texas during the 2006 gubernatorial election, a milieu that offers an intellectual playground featuring a variety of characters, such as a tattoo artist/conspiracy theorist, scholars and journalists, well known Texan musicians including Joe Ely and Marcia Ball, and numerous others, who aim, swing, and jump on subjects ranging from politics, music, activism, love and compassion – with ripe and relevant representations and searing expressions of disenfranchisement from the ideals of the American Dream. Texas is an unique and remarkable state, like a mini-America, though everything is bigger, of course. The Lone Star State is an epitome of the rich diversity, fortitude, and spunk that America has to offer.
Texas-style political thought has its commendable, endearing features, as well as its nefarious, untoward qualities. Texas is a maverick state where the revolutionary has often been welcomed. It is a big state, both physically and spiritually, where multiplicities of people have come to live a variety of lifestyles. Kinky Friedman, musician, author, satirist, animal altruist, and would-be Governor of Texas in 2006, is one of many heterodox malcontents nation-wide who are dissatisfied with the current governmental paradigm.
In the beginning was the word, and that word became flesh. People use language to circulate ideas and express their feelings and their basic emotions of love, fear, joy, sadness, and passion. Words, language, culture, and geography are inextricably intertwined – like the chicken and egg, neither came first. From our words, places are named and then those names (or their cognates) absorb added meanings and then circle back to become a part of our culture once again. Places like America and Texas have particular connotations to different people at different times, depending on where that person is from or when they lived.
The power of words is indisputably puissant. Today, words float through the ether on radio waves and continuously stream through television screens. Jumbles of words, streams of people, and cascading ideas, all come crashing down together. We live in a world where words are spun into weaponry and meanings are so malleable that we have to dig deeply to find where the spin actually began. Connotations and contexts constantly change, creating confusion, cacophonic conundrums, and cultural crises that follow us from youth to maturity.
The media and the government function as if we are citizens of a disjointed and disconnected country, each of us living in either a red state or a blue state -- a divided culture, a divided nation. This apparent reality is even color-coded. However, we, the people, are not so cut and dry. We are not all blue or red. There are many shades of purple, cerulean, and magenta in between. Kinky Friedman's choice to run as an Independent is a succinct manifestation of the proud American response to the ripples of disquiet found today not only in the State of Texas, but in the Nation. Kinky’s unsuccessful campaign for Governor was certainly not a waste of time. It inspired political cogitation and discussion among the citizenry regarding very relevant and poignant topics, such as the defects and the merits of the two-party system, the cult of celebrity, and the instability of a culture of money and fear. Though divisiveness runs rampant, yet, through communication we can learn to come together as conscientious citizens of the global community.
All facets of our lives have a political aspect. Every part of our daily reality, both mundane and extraordinary, including interactions with other people are marked by politics: the politics of the family, politics of the work place, politics of the environment, politics-- micro to macro. Politics, by definition, is the way in which we convene together on multiple levels and mobilize each other to get things done. In our post-modern America, the word politics has become dirty. 'Austin Chronicle' writer, Michael King says in Finding Kinky, “Politics has been called the art of the possible... [but it has come to mean] the art of the corrupt." We see confirmation of this daily: political squabbles, finger pointing, mud slinging, miscommunication, misconceptions, misinterpretations, misunderstandings, a perversion-- kinks in the political system where the government and the media do not represent the people. From this scenario disenfranchisement and apathy are born, multiply, and diffuse.
The reason apathy has become more commonplace is from profoundly internalized feelings of neglect. We have slowly become disempowered, and so we renounce our own power. We stop believing that we can make a difference, and so we fail to be active. We neglect our rights. We neglect to think for ourselves. And yet, we are surprised that the media and our elected officials have neglected us. In this documentary, journalism professor, Robert Jensen, says "Politics is the play of power... and the problem is that it's defined by most people in the United States as some esoteric, specialized activity that they are not, or could not, be involved in."
TV-money becomes the voice of the nation and the people no longer can speak. Politicians of the day seem to be more concerned with how their hairstyles rate in the polls, or, how usable a sound-byte from some useless speech will be that doesn’t really say anything of substance, but fits the bill for what the people really want to hear. A relevant obstacle to unity is that we Americans, can hardly figure out ourselves what we want: we are an extremely diverse people with a wide variety of values and innumerable points of view. In this context, is easy to believe that we as individuals can no longer make a difference. It is easy to assume that there is nothing we can do. It is very simple to simply turn on the television and be told to be afraid, be told to be impassive, and be told to be willfully ignorant. Instead of just sitting back and letting the pundits create the headlines, it takes work to be active. It takes work to do research about candidates and current events. It takes hard work to be an upright and powerful citizen within a community; it takes hard work to care. Yet, as an activist working in the Crawford Peace House says in the film, "It begins with compassion. When you learn compassion for yourself and for others, having a determined will to act becomes simple."
The predatory hierarchy, and their political power plays are circuitous and digressive leaving the populace cluttered with random spin, irrelevant symbols, and confusing messages. Lobbyists seem to be the most powerful political players, leaving the people to drown in a flood of pro-business, and pork-barrel legislation—pork wrapped in the flag. As a musician, radio personality and punk-rock hero, Mojo Nixon, says in Finding Kinky, "The giant bureaucracy in Washington grinds away and it sucks our soul into a hole." The widespread feeling of soul-sucking consternation permeating our culture is manifest in the ways that we try to make up for it: rampant consumerism, mass hypochondria with its resultant pharmacological downpour, hyper-sexualization of both genders, Internet addictions, and a population that watches more television than any other country in the world. We have been subliminally lulled into a state of apathy by our addiction to the aforementioned; thus we rarely vote and we assemble in protest even less.
The power of the people appears minuscule when compared to the vast powers of money, the media, and lobbyists. However, it is through grassroots movements that change is effected. In Finding Kinky, Lester Kurtz, a sociology professor suggests that, "Most of the transitions from authoritarian to democratic forms of government... have been brought about by grassroots, non-violent, people-power revolutions." Finding Kinky takes an honest look at grassroots, activist movements throughout Texas. The majority of these activists spoke of the need to come together with words -- to talk to each other, have debates and dissent, but also allow the perspectives of others to have validity -- if we are going to live up to the ideals of the American dream and the American promise. The impression that one's vote won't count causes many not to even try. However, just the simple act of voting means that we are exercising the power we have as citizens of a Democracy, to put our voices (words) into action. In this way, the more we vote, the more power is accessed by the collective.
Texas congresswoman, Barbara Jordan said, “A spirit of harmony can only survive if each of us remembers, when bitterness and self-interest seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny.” The world is on a point, teetering and tottering. Clashes of all kinds erupt daily around the globe. Dissidence and strife abound. In this climactic, pinnacle time of our world's evolution, now is of the essence, it is the time to act. It is the time to let the music of our collective spirits play in the symphony of our individual lives. Now is the time to say, "I love you." Now is the time to look around and see who is with you and celebrate the power each one of us has to make a change for the better. In the end, Finding Kinky, affirms that it is up to each one of us, all of us, to be the change; to choose and use our words with wisdom. Discussion catalyzes action. Speaking with clear intention and being impeccable with language helps us move away from violence and war to a far more civilized place of parley. Turning away from knee-jerk reaction, to clear communication brings forth non-violence, freedom and spiritual health. What do words like politics, power, compassion, and love mean to you? How would you define them? Barbara Jordan stated that, “The imperative is to define what is right and do it.” What are you going to do?
