Getting ready for a serious Sammy Hagar Weekend, but before that there’s still time for a Ted Nugent Thursday. Ever since first perusing it in the pages of the now defunct Grand Royal Magazine (second ish’), I’ve held a special place in my journalistic memory bank for Bob Mack’s mano y mano with The Nuge. In the years after I’ve made several half-assed attempts to locate a reprint or transcription online, each to no avail. This afternoon though, after a spate of the usual paper-pushing & client haranguing, I got the itch again and miracle among miracles hit paydirt. The good folks over at Glorious Noise saw fit to plaster the whole interview up as a series of four jpg page scans. They make the bold claim that it’s “quite possibly the the best rock and roll interview in the history of rock and roll” and damn if I don’t agree with the assertion. At the very least it’ll likely have you rolling on the floor & trying to keep from spewing freshly quaffed coffee through your nostrils.
And for even more Nuge just drop by his website & take a gander. The Motor City Madman is in full effect & there’s lots to marvel at. My favorite section is probably Ask the Nuge where he regales fans with the answers to pressing questions on the finer points of bows, hunting, firearms & of course ROCK & ROLL (all conveniently & conscientiously indexed for easy access & readability). Now there’s a Real American Hero! JACKASS!
A representative example (from "Ask the Nuge"): "We should all fight this cultural war for our American God given rights!! I hope you're a member of the NRA & other progun prohunt groups!! That's job ONE! Ted Nugent United Sportsmen of America developed a surefire system of goodwill in order to gain access to quality private property hunting grounds over 14 years ago based on my system of more than 30 years. Common sense dictates we must earn the privilege of trespass so we should go the xtra mile to impress landowners we deserve such an opportunity. Visit farms & landowners in the spring of the year, neatly groomed, preferably with family in tow, politely requesting permission to view wildlife in the off season & offering to help with chores or other related property management responsibilities. Then no later than midsummer, ask about hunting permission, always emphasizing respect, safety & law. Fill out an ID form providing name, address, drivers license number, vehicle description and personal references to give the landowner confidence in your trust. In this day and age it is not easy, but the most dedicated amongst us should have little problem if we put our heart & soul into it." Happy hunting, Ted.
Posted by: dan warburton at June 24, 2004 10:25 PMAre you anti-hunting, Dan? I couldn't care less about the issue one way or the other, myself. But I do know two things for sure:
1) I saw Ted Nugent at Irving Plaza back in January 2001 or sometime around then, and he fucking rocked.
2) His last album, Craveman, is great. I put it on my Village Voice Top Ten for 2002, and haven't changed my mind about it.
His politics are often easily ridiculed, but if you like hard rock guitar, the Nuge is undeniable. And his non-drinkin', non-druggin' ways are, to my mind, admirable.
Posted by: phil at June 25, 2004 6:40 AMI’m not Dan & I’m not anti-hunting per se, but the idea of shooting animals simply for sport seems pretty stupid to me. If you’re gonna at least eat what you kill then it’s easier for me to get my head around it. The Nuge does rock, I agree, but I got my man Mack’s back about the Damn Yankees being a shitty band. And re: the Nuge’s politics, not only are they easily ridiculed, to my mind they’re often *rightfully* ridiculed. I do admire his stated commitment to land conservation & environmental issues though.
Posted by: derek at June 25, 2004 7:38 AM>If you’re gonna at least eat what you kill then it’s easier for me to get my head around it.
Agreed. And Ted's always been an eat-what-you-kill/kill-only-what-you're-gonna-eat kinda guy. (He even has his own brand of jerky!) And yeah, I agree that Damn Yankees sucked, but again, I strongly recommend Craveman.
Posted by: phil at June 25, 2004 1:43 PMDerek,
Thanks for the link, that was amongst the most entertaining things I've read in a long time. That interview soundclip = fucking awesome!
And, it may seem odd to say, but I do think that The Nuge is actually fairly admirable when it comes to hunting practices, he has a real respect for both the letter and the spirit of the law, which is kinda rare for anyone. Considering that a few of the hunters I've met are of the "shoot first, ask questions later school", he kind of is the Voice of Reason in this case.
Posted by: Nirav at June 25, 2004 7:21 PMIs the Mack-man still writing? I heard he was in GQ?
Posted by: James Lynch III at July 8, 2004 4:34 PMYeah, I think The Mack [cue Willie Hutch on the turntable] is a regular on the GQ masthead. Dunno where else his byline appears, but from what I gather he’s still shooting hoops.
Posted by: derek at July 9, 2004 5:53 AMhttp://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/music/features/article571538.ece
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