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Yet for all his provocation, Friedman was not cynical. Beneath the sarcasm and bravado was a deep affection for people, especially outsiders. He gravitated toward the overlooked, the misunderstood, and the misfits. His humor wasn’t cruelty—it was exposure. He wanted people to see the contradictions they lived with and laugh at them, because laughter, to him, was a form of truth-telling.
In later years, Friedman withdrew somewhat from public life, but his presence never fully faded. His books continued to circulate. His songs were rediscovered by new generations. His quotes resurfaced whenever Texas politics or culture veered into the absurd. Even in absence, he remained relevant.
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