Live Photos By Geoff Ketler/Aces High Photography
TED NUGENT, ‘The Motor City Madman’ caught up with KNAC.COM on December 10th, 2021 to talk about the new single “Come And Take It” and his upcoming album Detroit Muscle. The new album is due in the spring of 2022 via Pavement Music. When we last caught with Ted when he was doing press for his 2018 effort The Music Made Me Do It, which was in this writer’s opinion the best thing that Ted’s done since Spirit Of The Wild. As you can tell during this conversation, Ted is ‘geeked’ about the new album and he’s equally as ‘geeked’ to have us hear it, but more on that in a bit. We attempted a word association at the tailend as a nod to METAL SLUDGE, but as you can imagine, holding Ted to one word for the 7 persons of 14 selected out of the hat is virtually impossible. Enjoy this conversation with one of the most polarizing musicians in rock ‘n’ roll.
KNAC.COM: You know we should have done a video but we put in a request for a phone call. I love the facial expressions and the animation that goes along with a TED NUGENT interview.
NUGENT: Yeah it's too bad you didn’t do a video Ruben because I haven’t been so handsome! [laughs] What a shame that you can’t witness that! I even got a little extra sleep last night, so I look a little better looking today than I was yesterday! [laughs]
KNAC.COM: One of the things that I love about you is that you’re always willing to stir the pot. I was going through your Twitter account on December 4th and I saw this tweet that said “The worst people in the world hate me and the best people in the world love me”. That must have made some people’s heads explode!
NUGENT: But it’s true. I think the most emphatic display of honest and open communication happens around a campfire. I really mean that. I have a campfire every weekend with people from around the world. I have sunrise safaris. I have hunts all around the country and I have people from across the country! They are open and totally uninhibited! They are down to earth, kind people who are willing to spend time with me. They’re entrepreneurs, they are rock and rollers, music lovers, they live the simple politics of TED NUGENT’s constitutional politics! I have these people that say, “Uncle Ted, I love your political views”. I’m like, “The United States constitution is NOT a view”. So these wonderful people at the feed mill this morning. At the sushi bar last week, Abilene at a barbeque place or at the gas station…They come up to me Ruben, EVERYWHERE I go! They are so kind, they are always smiling, they always extend their hand to shake my hand. They talk about the music, they talk about the guitar tone, who can’t?! They talk about my attitude. They talk about how I stand up for the First Amendment and the Second Amendment. The talk about how I have inspired them to be the best that they could be. They also talk about how I have inspired them to be clean and sober. This positive exchange that I have EVERYWHERE I go, these are positive people of good will and decency. We don’t talk about what they believe in or what I believe in. I do interviews everyday and I’m always on Facebook…I have a TED NUGENT Spirit Of The Wild show where I mouth off all the time! I have a big mouth!
You know what the founding fathers wanted all Americans to have? That’s right! A big mouth! This is an experiment in self-government and to hold your elected employees to the oath that they took to the Constitution! You are not in the asset column of America! If you’re not participating in speaking out, then you’re in the liability column! If you don’t want to engage in the sacred experiment of self-government, then swim out of Key West and go to Cuba where you’re not allowed to be! When I see people condone me because I eat venison, which I use to feed people and my family because we hunt. They threaten to kill my wife because we condemn the presidency of a BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA or a JOE BIDEN? Those are the worst people in the world and they hate me! The best people in the world share a love for being the best that you can be, which is not ambiguous, it’s not a presumption, the evidence is ubiquitous and I celebrate that!
KNAC.COM: We’ll get to the new single and talk about the album in a second, but I wanted to share that your friend EDDIE TRUNK recently had a show where we asked listeners to list their top 5 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame ‘snubs’. The first person that came to mind was TED NUGENT x5. What’s kept you out of that institution? You have the songs, the catalog, the influence…is it as simple as your politics, your love for hunting or your support for the First and the Second Amendments that has kept you out? Or is it even that important to you to get in at this point?
NUGENT: First, mankind is capable of earth shattering goodness. I see that everyday with the wonderful, passionate, empathetic, compassionate people that I surround myself with everyday. I see the best of the best! We also know that mankind is also capable of pure rottenness! We have seen examples of that with going back to The Trail Of Tears, The Bataan Death March, The Ghost Dance, Wounded Knee or what’s happening in Australia right now or what’s happening with this monster in The White House with unconstitutional, tyrannical decrees based on nothing but the lies of ‘punk ass’ Fauci! There are some people that will read that sentence that I just said to you and they’ll say, “That’s the kind of stuff that I’m talking about''. Are you kidding me?! This Fauci guy isn't ‘just’ out of step and made ‘a few’ mistakes. He’s a punk! He’s a power abusing, lying, hypocritical, dominating monster! He’s evil! Everything he’s touched has been horrible! He’s killed people!
So why am I not in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame? That has a lot to do with the fact that you can’t always explain why people are rotten! Why do some people violate other people and commit vicious crimes and lie! I would like to think about what is going on with the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame…I don’t take it personal. I think I’m in ‘the ultimate’ Hall Of Fame! I went on stage a couple days in Abilene [Texas] with a great man TIM MONTANA. The TIM MONTANA BAND opened up for ZZ TOP to a packed house in Abilene. TIM MONTANA says, “We learned “Cat Scratch Fever”, come up and play it with us”. I asked BILLY GIBBONS if that was okay to do and he said, “Oh yeah, I’d love to hear that ''. They introduced me and the audience went berserk! So don’t tell me what my Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame is! I’m in ‘the ultimate’ hall of fame with ‘real' and ‘true’ lovers of my music! There’s nothing more important than that! I’m not offended that I’m not there. But not because of me, but for the fans. Why isn’t a band like TRIUMPH in there, but GRANDMASTER FLASH is?! That’s just dishonest! Why are PATTI SMYTH, ABBA and MADONNA in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, but not STYX?! Are you kidding me?! You can only explain that is that the people who made those decisions are just plain rotten people! The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame should genuflect to CHUCK BERRY, BO DIDDLEY, HOWLIN’ WOLF, MUDDY WATERS, the MOTOWN FUNK BROTHERS are you kidding me?! How dare you put GRANDMASTER FLASH, ABBA and MADONNA in that?!
I’m not angry that I’m not in there because I’m having so much fun that it’s stupid! I have a new album called Detroit Muscle which is another authoritative, rhythm and blues rock ‘n’ roll from The Motor City. I’m surrounded by guitars and amps and I play with a bunch of killer musicians. My music is a flamethrower of fun, positive energy and piss and vinegar! That’s the ‘real’ Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, since the people who run the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame have been dishonest! It would be an honor to be part of an institution that celebrates the founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll, like Chuck, Bo, LITTLE RICHARD, JAMES BROWN and going back to HOWLIN’ WOLF and MUDDY WATERS and SAM AND DAVE and WILSON PICKETT!!! I would be honored to share that! What a middle finger to the ‘real’ heroes of rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm and blues to put in those other people!!!! GRANDMASTER FLASH?! Really?! Why don’t we go down to CHUCK BERRY’s grave and piss on it!!! Are you kidding me?! That’s not a TED NUGENT presumption, that’s not an opinion…the evidence is overwhelming!!! You wanna know how to get into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame? You get ‘high’ with the board! I don’t get high with anybody because I have campfires and I have the healing power of nature. I get high on high without poisoning my sacred temple! I call on GOD. I call on the good earth to help cleanse my soul and to help stimulate my very spirit. I know people say, “Nugent is a radical and he dodged the draft’. That’s a lie, They say, “Oh, well Nugent is a racist”. That’s a lie. They say, “Oh, Nugent adopted a 9 year old girl”. That’s a lie. They say, “Nugent disrespected Native Americans”. That’s a lie. Are you kidding me???!!! Around my campfires we laugh till we cry about the attacks on me!!! They are just so STUPID!!!! Those people that say that are strangled by hate!!!
KNAC.COM: When we last caught up you were promoting The Music Made Me Do It. I loved that album. The best thing you’ve done since Spirit Of The Wild, in my opinion. Having had three years to reflect on that record, what’s your thoughts on the album?
NUGENT: I gotta tell you Ruben, all hail the incredible musicians that I have been able to surround myself over the years. Currently, GREG SMITH is on bass guitar and JASON HARTLESS on drums. They’ve been featured on the last couple of recordings. Then all the musicians before them, then the DAMN YANKEES, all who have an incredible work ethic! I thank GOD everyday. I’ve been blessed. The Music Made Me Do It had this big fat, heavy groove noise! Are you kidding me?! What killer songs!!! I love all of that stuff!!! I wish we could do a 6 hour concert! I would go back to THE AMBOY DUKES!!! I started playing “Baby Please Don’t Go” in 1957!!! It’s a little frustarting, but I know that I only have an hour and half to two hours. I’m a music fan. I am the audience. I am one of them and they are me.
There’s some songs that I can’t get on stage and not play. I can’t imagine going on stage and not playing “Stranglehold”, “Cat Scratch Fever”, “Wang Dang Sweet Poontag”, or “Great White Buffalo” or “Free For All”. How could I not play any of those songs??!! We also play “The Music Made Me Do It”, we play “Still Alive And Well” from Love Grenade, we play “Crave" from Craveman, my GOD that’s one of the best songs written in the history of the world!!!! The licks, the patterns and the tightness of my rhythm section!!! On the new record there’s a song called “American Campfire”, I want you to remember this exchnage that we’re having right now Ruben. When you hear “American Campfire” you WILL have a shit eatin’ grin on your face!!! [laughs] Here’s another, wait till you hear “Feedback Grind Fire”. It is an explosion of high energy, American rock ‘n’ roll right out of the guts of Detroit!!! Jason and Greg are on fire. They’re my boys! I always give credit to the musicians by my side because they help propel my music to the next level! I’ve had the best of the best in the band, MARCO MENDOZA, TOMMY CLUFETOS, DEREK ST. HOLMES, TOMMY ALDRIDGE, MICK BROWN and CARMINE APPICE!!! Are you kidding me??!! I cut them loose and they made their musical statement!!! It’s my statement but it is enhanced and fortified by the guys in the band. We play some of the new stuff too. I love Shut Up And Jam, Love Grenade, The Music Made Me Do It, we play stuff from those albums too. I love playing music with a big, fat, dirty groove. Ruben, it’s just so much fun! I think if the 25 year old TED NUGENT showed up during the recording of Detroit Muscle I would have kicked his ass!!! [laughs] I’m still very healthy and I’m dangerously passionate about my American Dream and my music. You’ll hear that on the new record. You heard that on The Music Made Me Do It. I’m so glad you brought that up. You also mentioned Spirit Of The Wild. Are You kidding me, Ruben??!! What a masterpiece! Derek's vocals on “Spirit Of The Wild” and “Lovejacker” are examples of the incredible musicians that I have surrounded myself with. There’s no end in sight! I’m already unleashing brand new songs.
KNAC.COM: The album Detroit Muscle, due in April of 2022, sounds like a continuation of recent Nugent and The Music Made Me Do It. You issued a lyric video for “Come And Take It”. The message is self explanatory. Who selected that song to launch the promotion campaign for Detroit Muscle?
NUGENT: Even if I pushed a political staement, this is so much more. It’s not really politics as much as it’s a ‘defiance’ or ‘independence’ statement, regardless of politics. It just so happens that American politics revolve around independence and automity and individualism. So, with this punk in the White House, the Democrats have turned into Marxists and the Republicans turned into ‘sheep’. It’s time for we the people to speak more clearly. I sent a copy to BETO O’ROURKE and JOE BIDEN with a note if they want to take away our First and Second Amendments that they make a knock at my door first! I’d love to help inform their thought process. That’s a ‘cocky’ statement but you can go ahead and quote me on that. Thank GOD for Pavement Music!!! Thank GOD for the great people at Pavement Music in 2021!! They heard the song and said, “Whoah!!! That’s the real Mcoy! Nugent is on fire and the band is on fire”. They know the music is fun and outrageous Ruben. Most importantly, I hate to have to remind people about this, but it’s about ‘defiance’. What the hell do you think a guy like LITTLE RICHARD represented? What do you think HOWLIN’ WOLF, MUDDY WATERS, FREDDY KING, ALBERT KING, SAM AND DAVE and JAMES BROWN represented? CHUCK BERRY and BO DIDDLY and JERRY LEE LEWIS and THE ROLLING STONES and THE BEATLES, they were aware that ONLY in America can you be this defiant!!! That spirit swirls in your body like a flamethrower and we are in charge! Not the king. Not the emperor. Not the tyrant. Not this punk in the White House. Fuck you! I’m in charge of my life! So, the people at Pavement Records heard that the music regardless of the message is a stone cold son of a bitch! [laughs] So grinding. Such an example of pure American rock ‘n’ roll. I am standing up for what I believe in. How is that wrong? Nowhere! It’s not wrong anywhere unless you bend over and obey blindly decrees from an old, violanting punk!
KNAC.COM: You don’t need to sell the new music to longtime fans…
NUGENT: Ruben let me tell you, #1 I love you because you love real music and #2 because you’re not afraid of where the music might go. One of my favorite bands is BUCKCHERRY! [he breaks into song] I love the cocaine! I love the cocaine! Well, I happen to hate cocaine because it ruins people’s lives, but I love the song and I love the band. [laughs] What a perfect example of ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity’, don’t you think? I want to talk to you when you hear the record. You will have to listen to it a couple of times to have it settle. I think you’ll have to hear it a number of times because it will knock you out. I lost my brother John last year. He was a great man. The emotion, that purity all came out in a song called “Alaska”, which I’m very proud of. When you hear “Driving Blind”, a blues masterpiece, or “Feedback Grind Fire”, you’re going to want to call me right away and give me a big greasy kiss! [laughs] I want to talk to you. When you hear the album you won’t be able to wait to talk to me to tell me what you think of these songs and I can’t wait to hear it! [laughs] You love music and there’s still a bunch of us out here.
KNAC.COM: DAMN YAKNEES had a tune titled “Bonestripper” that wound up on a soundtrack. Great song. That wasn’t recorded for the soundtrack, did you feel it didn’t fit the debut?
NUGENT: I love the song, what a musical orgy! I love Tom, Jack and Michael! What players! DAMN YANKEES were everything music was supposed to be! I’m patient when it comes to hunting, when it comes to music I’m not as patient. When I record I get all my licks in. Guys want to nurture and flex the mixes and everything…I trust Jack, Tom and Michael and RON NEVISON to do the right thing. When I’m done I get the hell out of the studio! I can only take so much. I go so ‘gonzo’ and insane that if I don’t escape I’ll blow up! [laughs] When I escape the arena after unleashing my dangerous guitar parts, I get the hell out! I don’t quite remember the communication with the record company people, the suits, JOHN KOLADNER or the band…they made all those decisions. I trusted them that these songs should be on the record and “Bonestripper” should not be on there. With the third album [for PORTRAIT], I DID put my foot down on that one with the guys. The producer [KEVIN SHIRLEY] that everybody chose was so ‘out of touch’ with the soulful musical pulse of what we created as DAMN YANKEES. Why would you hire DAMN YAKNEES and not allow them to be DAMN YANKEES?! We’d hear stuff like “You did that on the last record. Let’s do something else”. I don't think so! We need to be DAMN YANKEES again! As long as we’re still the DAMN YANKEES we should continue to make DAMN YANKEES music dirt ball! They were so pushy in changing the direction of our creative juices that we said, “No. You’re not releasing this record. It’s NOT us”. Everything was cool until we went into the studio for the third album…
KNAC.COM: I forget how this all transpired but I recall that TOMMY SHAW stepped aside from DAMN YANKEES and you brought in DAMON JOHNSON at one point, who ironically is filling in for GARY ROSSINGTON in LYNYRD SKYNYRD and who MICHAEL CARTELLONE performed with for several years now. It’s like a reunion on DAMN YANKEES 2.0…
NUGENT: That’s right, in fact I just spoke with Damon yesterday. DAMON JOHNSON is such a force to be reckoned with, he’s right up there with TOMMY SHAW and JACK BLADES, DEREK ST. HOLMES and JOHN SYKES and all the masters that are out there. I spoke with JOHN SYKES the other night too. What a whirlwind that was. He’s another God-given musical talent! He’s full of piss and vinegar and full of the spirit. Wow! Anyhow, I think there was a misunderstanding about Tommy’s role for the 3rd record. He was 100% involved. I forget why and who pursued the decision to bring Damon in. He’s an incredible singer, he’s a soulful, soulful singer with a great sense of melody and delivery. He’s a killer songwriter, he wrote with me on the Craveman record. What he did with BROTHER CANE is just a monstrosity! His new stuff is just killer, killer, music. DAMN YAKNEES were always open to have outside input, but I have to say this again, Tommy was 100% in there. When Damon came in he just gave an overview on the songs as a fan of the four of us and as a fan of the musical style. He was genuinely honored to hear what we thought about his recommendations and comments. It was communication to ‘enhance’ and ‘critique’ the music that we were making at the time. Damon pointed out that he liked some of the songs for the [3rd] record better before the changes were made. We all went “Yeah, no shit”. The producer, I don’t remember his name, you probably have a record of it, he wasn’t one of us! He wasn’t a rockin’ guy, he wasn’t a ‘pulsator’, he was a rhythm and blues disciple of CHUCK BERRY like the rest of us. We canned that whole recording, which is a shame because we had some great, great ideas.
KNAC.COM: I’ve got a couple more then at the tail end of this. I’ve got a word association thing I’d like you to do, if that is okay with you?
NUGENT: I’d love that!
KNAC.COM: I know you’re a huge supporter of the United States military. Do you ever regret not having served?
NUGENT: [pause] NEVER. As a young punk kid and tragic graduate of the American public education system, I had no idea the role of the military or the history of war. I never heard of Auschwitz, I never heard of the Trail Of Tears or the Bataan Death March, I never heard of the atrocities of the Japanese monsters. I was clueless as to how America became free at the Concord Bridge. Nobody ever taught me anything about that. I was oblivious to anything military. First of all, I NEVER dodged the draft. I did a story for High Times Magazine with some dopey, drooling maggot that was stoned out of his mind who couldn't comprehend anything that I said. I had ‘fun’ with the dirtbag, I gave the story of K.J. Knight, my drummer who did those things that I shared with the dirtbag at High Times. Here’s the big question, how stupid, soulless and dishonest would one have to be to take information from a publication titled High Times to condem someone? One of the worst crimes of mankind is to falsely accuse. It’s a false accusation. I will leave that there. Now that we know the ‘demonicy’ and the ‘scam’ of the Vietnam War, I am so glad that I did not serve because it was unjust, it was a violation of the constitutional oath to kill all of those young men, Delta Force, Army Rangers and Green Berets, seek me out and they call me Ruben and they thank me for fighting for the freedom that their buddies died for. They’ve given me their Purple Hearts, Ruben. I attempt to resist the gift of the Purple Heart because I didn’t earn it. When a U.S Marine sniper forces you to close your hand around a Purple Heart that they earned by telling me that they believe that I’ve earned it by fighting for the freedom that their buddies died for, I can only ‘humbly’ bow my head and accept the gesture. I continue to serve for America unofficially everyday of my life. The Delta Force says it’s ‘meaningful’ and ‘effective’ and that’s all we need to know.
KNAC.COM: We’ll wrap up with a little word accisciation if that is good with you?
NUGENT: Yes! I appreciate your willingness to let me express myself. Thank you. This has been an open, First Amendment celebration! [laughs]
KNAC.COM: HOWARD STERN…
NUGENT: HOWARD STERN! Funny son of a bitch! [laughs] I’ve been doing interviews with HOWARD STERN since the infancy of his career. He’s truly an American phenomenon. He’s made an absolute fortune and he’s living the American Dream. God bless HOWARD STERN. [laughs] Unfortunately, he’s turned into a ‘limited’ intellect. He will quote attackers of TED NUGENT instead of calling TED NUGENT to see if the attack is true. He’s done that too many times to let him get away with it. I’ve always ‘challenged’ Howard. I say, “Before you listen to a false accusation about me Howard, you might want to call me if you have a soul”.
KNAC.COM: Mr. GENE SIMMONS…
NUGENT: GENE SIMMONS I love immensely as one of the true great musical entrepreneurs of all time. He’s a dedicated, hard work ethic warrior. A great man. A great family man. Solid in the asset column, but also my critical thinking responsibility must address that he dropped his independent thinking intellectual ball when he sided with the illegal, unfounded, tyrannical decrees from punks like Fuaci and JOE BIDEN regarding masks and ‘experimental’ shots, when he has always stood up for his mother who survived Auschwitz. I would think that if anyone would know about the outcome of the Nuremberg Trials it would be GENE SIMMONS! He defied the truth, logic and commons sense of the Nuremberg Trials and he sided with the Nazi Decree of JOE ‘Punkass’ BIDEN when it comes to ‘experimental’ shots and the ‘joke’ of a mask mandate. So Gene, I love you, I can help you because you had a ‘hiccup’.
KNAC.COM: Are you familiar with NASHVILLE PUSSY?
NUGENT: You ‘think’ I might be familiar with NASHVILLE PUSSY, both figuratively and bandwise? That band is the real McCoy. What a great honor to take one of the greatest lines ever emitted on stage and naming your band after it! I love those guys!
KNAC.COM: KID ROCK…
NUGENT: KID ROCK! He’s the real McCoy. He’s a musical force to be reckoned with. He’s carrying on the legacy of high energy, authoritative, middle finger on fire, real honest to God rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll music. He’s the real deal. He’s a dear friend. I salute KID ROCK and his amazing band.
KNAC.COM: NANCY PELOSI…
NUGENT: I’m familiar with the devil, and I’m familiar with evil. She represents all things evil. I think I mentioned earlier that mankind is capable of extreme, perfect good and mankind is capable of vile, ugly, toxic, evil. She is it.
KNAC.COM: GREG GUTFELD…
NUGENT: I love Greg! I don’t know if you’ve watched Greg look at his phone during The Five? Most of the time it’s a text from me, helping him through the quagmire of whatever the situation is when it comes to wildlife management or the Second Amendment. I communicate with Greg on a regular basis, he’s a great man and a funny, funny guy! He hired me years ago to write a column for Maxim Magazine when he was the editor.
KNAC.COM: BETO O’ROURKE…
NUGENT: I stepped on some fresh dog shit the other day and it took some time to get it off my hunting boots and it reminded me a lot of Beto.
KNAC.COM: KYLE RITTENHOUSE…before you share your thoughts, I think there was an article online where you offered to buy him ammunition for life? Is that true?
NUGENT: KYLE RITTENHOUSE is exactly what God and the Founding Fathers thought mankind should represent. That’s a moment of a citizen stepping forth to assist fellow citizens to neutralize and defend themselves from evil. What KYLE RITTENHOUSE did in Kenosha, Wisconsin was a pure and natural and righteous example of self-defense and man helping good while neutralizing evil that has occured. Yes, I am sending KYLE RITTENHOUSE a lifetime supply of proper ammunition. It turns out according to TUCKER CARLSON, Kyle and his mother are big fans of mine. Kyle, his mother and possibly Tucker are hoping to meet up with me in my ranch in Texas for a little deer hunting campfire and maybe a little lesson on tactical upgrade, so when evil is attacking you can neutralize it, hopefully forever.
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