Rocker Ted Nugent Channels the Spirit of the WildDriven Detroit rocker Ted Nugent is legendary as a high-octane live performer and avid outdoorsman, and he goes after both pursuits with a spirit of unhinged glory. But it's the clear, disciplined mind behind Nugent's wild eyes that has sustained his energy and enthusiasm long enough to establish him as a singular -- if sometimes controversial -- American cultural icon. One gets the impression that at every moment, the Nuge is doing exactly what he wants to be doing -- and perhaps that's why he does it so well.
In this interview with Steven Wiens, the "Motor City Madman" reflects on freedom, independence and why he loves being a sheriff's deputy in Michigan.
How's your current tour going?Greg Smith on bass and Mick Brown on drums are every rock guitarist's dream rhythm section. This year's "Operation Rolling Thunder" tour is by far the greatest band, music and tour of my life. We reach stupefying levels of energy and groove each night that none of us ever imagined could be attained. The audience energy each night, likewise.
After performing more than 6,000 concerts in your career, you seem to have more energy onstage than ever. How do you maintain that level of excitement about performing live year after year?It has always been about the purity of the music. Inspiration from the ultimate black masters that invented this primal-scream R&B&R&R continues to drive my every lick, every song, every concert. Being clean and sober for 60 years and fueling my sacred temple with the sacred protein of The Beast of the Hunt provides me with the healthiest lifestyle available to mankind. Believing in the music with every fiber of my being and maximizing the heart and soul of every musical moment create a power that surpasses the sum of its parts. I am terminally drunk on freedom.
You're known as an avid outdoorsman. Have you loved the wilderness all your life, or did you discover it as an adult?I was in deer camp in the fall of 1949, before my first birthday, and have not missed a natural season of harvest in 60 years. My hunting, fishing and trapping life of pure independence is indeed that last perfect spiritual connection to the Good Mother Earth available to man. It has always been perfect and gets better every fall.
For years you've served as a Michigan sheriff's deputy. What are your responsibilities? Any crazy stories to share?As a participating member of this "we the people" experiment in self-government, I believe a good citizen's primary duty is to assist in making our neighborhoods and country safe and secure. Solid law and order in our communities determines overall quality of life, so I do what I can. Executing arrest warrants on fugitive felons is always an adrenaline adventure, I assure you.
Are you still considering a run for political office?Politics is as ugly as ugly gets right now. The corruption, deceit and unaccountability are off the charts. My primary duty as "we the people" is to remind our elected employees what we expect of them. Apathy is killing America and it is time to turn up the heat. I am constantly doing that to the best of my ability and will continue to consider public service as a possibility.