Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned (Friedman, Kinky) [Hardcover]

Kinky Friedman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Friedman, Kinky | Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Walter Snow is doomed. Living on a string of Camel cigarettes, too many cups of coffee, and bouts of masturbation in his Greenwich Village basement apartment, the writer and recovering alcoholic has been blocked. He stares at the blank pages in his typewriter for longer than he cares to admit, hoping for the spark that will finally fulfill his ambition to write The Great Armenian Novel.

And then he meets Clyde Potts. She is beautiful, intelligent, charming, perhaps psychic and, for better or worse, very possibly unbalanced. With Potts's joie de vivre and her certified insane partner in crime, Fox Harris, Snow is caught up in a series of pranks against corporate sprawl that they execute with a bit of booze, and some wacky tobaccy from Australia known as Malabimbi Madness.

But things quickly spin out of control as the trio's ultimate diuretically inspired prank leads to an unexpected, shocking conclusion, and Walter is left to wonder if the only things you ever keep in this life are the things you let slip through your fingers.

A tale of the nature of sanity, the cost of inspiration, and the art and business of creativity, Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned has the absurd and provocative hijinks that could have only come from the fertile, frenzied mind of veteran soul Kinky Friedman.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Friedman sends a slumping, unfulfilled novelist off on a wild criminal adventure with a couple of con artists in his latest, an engaging but erratic caper novel that begins when mid-career fiction writer Walter Snow meets the woman of his dreams, Clyde Potts, at a bank in Manhattan. Potts already has a companion, an oddball named Fox Harris who accompanies Clyde on her various criminal ventures, and the pair quickly take advantage of Snow's lust for Potts to convince him to play a role in a smalltime con at a New York bar. Their next escapade takes them to a mental hospital, where they liberate an African-American acquaintance who believes himself to be the king of an African country. The criminal stakes go up when Potts manages to steal Donald Trump's credit card number, and the trio throws a lavish party for the homeless at a New York shelter, but the plotting turns downright bizarre when Potts and Harris sabotage a major coffee cafe after the company that owns the chain evicts the owner of a dive bar called the Unicorn. Friedman's usual off-kilter charm prevails throughout, particularly in the characterization of Snow, a sincere but befuddled writer who uses his lust for Potts to overcome a continuing case of writer's block. Potts and Harris have their endearing moments, but the criminal subplots range from the solidly effective to the over-the-top wacky, particularly the coffee caper, which is designated "Operation Diarrhea" and involves the trio adding a mix of diabolical chemicals to the local brew. Friedman fans will enjoy the antics, but this falls short of top-shelf Kinky.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Friedman abandons his eponymous hero for this standalone story about a down-and-out writer whose new buddies introduce him to a life of crime.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1st edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006620979X
• ISBN-13: 978-0066209791
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #694,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Everything comes out in the wash if you use enough Tide.", December 27, 2004

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned (Friedman, Kinky) (Hardcover)

WOW!,what a read.
Kinky has put together his best book yet.There are a great bunch of lines in this story.Typical of Kinky,you'll find several on one page and then he'll go several pages before laying on a few more.At times, it seems like he writes while riding a rollercoaster.Not all rollercoasters have to have wheels,you know-I wonder what kind Kinky rides?

Here's some of Kinky,s wisdom to chew on:

"Man cannot live on bagles alone."

"How you wear what you wear is everything."

"There was a bathroom big enough for a midget without any
dreams."

"Don't you know that when you capture something in words,you
make it disappear?"

"The only things you ever really keep in this life,are the
things you let slip through your fingers."

"This woman was a ticket for the train to Hell."

"It's always easier to get into a mental hospital,than it is
to get out of one."

"It's seldom a good sign when the bartender's drunker than
the patrons."

"That's also why,if you like the book,you should never meet
the author."

Just in case you've spent the last year in some faraway land ,
you might be unaware that the Kingster is running for
Governor of the State of Texas.Check out on the Web under
Kinky Friedman for Governor.At least with Kinky as Governor
you'll know where he stands,and he'll tell it to you like it
is.Maybe he'll put his friend Willie in charge of ATF and
bring back his new friend Clyde from Moro de Sao Paulo ,off
the coast of Brazil ,and put her in charge of States
Initatives.That ought to wake up the Establishment.
Kinky was a guest on Larry King a couple of weeks ago and
served notice that things are going to change when he gets
elected.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This isn't Kinky!, December 9, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned (Friedman, Kinky) (Hardcover)

I am a huge fan of Kinky Friedman's books, but was very disappointed with this one. It's the first book he's written that I actually didn't finish, it's just too introspective and frankly not Kinky's usual style. I expected to be entertained but was just bored. I hope Kinky's next book will be back to his normal craziness.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Average Kinkster, April 21, 2003

By 

Konrad Kern (OFallon, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kill Two Birds & Get Stoned (Friedman, Kinky) (Hardcover)

Author Walter Snow has writer's block until he is initiated into the outrageous escapades of Clyde Potts & Fox Harris, who are always in search of bigger & better pranks, including sabotaging a huge corporate monster.

With his off beat characters and zany situations the Kinkster provides his readers with a welcome relief from the mundane.
Though this is an average Kinky novel, It's still outrageous and genuine Kinky, so the fans should love it. A fun quick read.

Recommended.