In 1987, writer-guitarist Josh Alan Friedman sold his soul to the devil at the
Crossroads of the World (Broadway & 42nd Street) and moved to Texas.
There he barnstormed the state, rocking arenas with his Guild D-40 and copping three Dallas Observer Music Awards for Best Acoustic Act. Josh released three acoustic CDs to unanimous raves: Famous & Poor,The Worst! (a musical about Ed Wood, performed at the National Film Theatre in London) and Blacks 'n' Jews (the title of which also became a documentary film on Josh's life). The Josh Alan Band, his fourth album from 2001, showcased his electric blues quartet.
Tales of Times Square is a cult classic. An Expanded Edition was recently released by Feral House, with new chapters. The still-unfinished movie of Tales has nevertheless played 35 film festivals. I, Goldstein: My Screwed Life (Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006), is a memoir of the Great Pornographer, Al Goldstein. When Sex Was Dirty (Feral House, 2005), chronicles 1980's New York.
Josh also set off satirical fires and lawsuits as half of the Friedman Brothers, the most feared cartooning duo of the 1980's. Two anthologies remain in print from Fantagraphics, featuring the art of Josh's brother, Drew Friedman: Warts And All, and Any Similarity To Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental.
Josh co-edited the 2001 anthology from Grove Press titled Now Dig This: The Unspeakable Writings of Terry Southern.
Just read "Meeting Groucho"... Talk about privileged moments! Not just in the Cartier-Bresson sense but with respect to the cultural access afforded by being B.J.F.'s kid.
I totally agree. A book doesn't need anything else. Of course, we all know of people in L.A. who think: Well, if it's not going to be made into a MOVIE -- what's the point?" Yeah, they hate writers out there.... No, wait -- I fergot -- they hate writers everywhere.
Josh, you my friend, were the one instrumental in getting Rick back in the music world after so many years away and I am forever grateful to you for that. I am sitting on a gold mine with all of Rick's songs, writings, stories, poems and artwork, but the only mission left for me in my life is to somehow get his songs to the right place so that they can be heard by people around the world. They need to be shared, as do his stories......................but for today, my goal is jut to breathe. Take care, my friend.
Thank ye for the generous offer, Josh, but I was able to download the Kindle app for the iPod touch (free), and buy BC from amazon, and it loaded into the Touch, no problem! Now to get used to reading off that little bitty screen, which ain't too bad and well worth it in this case, for sure. My only gripe is no cover pic. Next time I see yez, you'll have to sign my ipod.
An outstanding memoir, a Long Island Huck Finn recounts a childhood that every wannabe wigger would trade their phake souls for such creds - a lost world of a bayou of Levittowns, ghetto shacks, hillbilly redneck transplants and swamp rats scurrying on commuter rails, an hour from The Big Apple - Best book yet!
Are you doing any shows any time soon? I'd really like to come down with Aaron and go with Katey and Boog. I'm sure I'm missing out on something great.
Are you also considering a lightening source P.O.D version of this book (or BookSurge)? Suckers like myself don't have a kindle, and I'd like to check out your new book. You're a great writer, man. Truly.
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