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Never a dull moment with the Nuge
Ted Nugent makes his way to Coliseum
By Dan Craft
dcraft@pantagraph.com
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Recommended preparations for interviewing Ted Nugent: Guzzle, in rapid succession, three Starbucks quadruple-shot lattes, two Red Bulls, and one (you knew this was coming) Rockstar Energy Drink.

Instructions for interviewing Ted Nugent: Press "start" ... forget "pause" ... run 'til the circuits blow.

Consequences of interviewing Ted Nugent: Slight dizziness ... blurred vision ... vertigo ... sharp jump in blood pressure.

Reasons for interviewing Ted Nugent: He's coming to our town to actually perform a concert, at 7 p.m. Sunday at Bloomington's U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

"Actually" is a reference to the fact that The Nuge (as everyone, even his publicist calls him) has most frequently come to McLean County and environs in recent years to hunt, not play.

Well, "play" in the performance sense.

The last time he did that, with ax in hand, not bow and arrow, was for a Peoria Civic Center date 12 years ago, opening for Bad Company ("I'll rip their heads off," he warned the headliners in a typically amok Pantagraph interview, which was sent into hyper-drive by his then recent non-P.C. comments on the then-recent terrorist bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building).

A dozen hunting seasons later, standing on the brink of the big 6-0 (he hits that jackpot a year from this December), the Motor City motor-mouth, we're happy to report, hasn't stripped any gears in the interim.

"I see guys like Eddie Van Halen, who can't even form a sentence, and who are just disasters because they couldn't use the 'n' word like Nugent did," he begins in a caveat that will take on most famously hedonistic rock stars, alive and dead (his judgment on Kurt Cobain's fate even has The Nuge suggesting, "maybe you shouldn't print that"; wish granted).

So, "Clean-and-sober at 59" is the subject for today's rant from "Tedquarters."

Though some may question other aspects of his notoriously outspoken lifestyle, there can be little doubt that The Nuge neither drinks nor smokes nor dopes nor swears.

OK, we're just kidding about that last one: He swears like the son of a military man he is -- profusely, repeatedly, with no prisoners taken, especially those on the left-leaning side of his fence.

"The fire and energy and intensity I have at 59 is just ... (bleepin') stupid!," he practically hollers. "I shouldn't be dancing like that every night and I shouldn't be having this much ferocious fun every night. Even at this age, I feel like Ted at age 9 with his first electric guitar."

The lecture continues: "If you take good care of yourself, you can be this kind of thing at 59, and not drooling and incoherent. I tried to have a conversation with Eddie the other day, and I could have wept. I've stepped over so many carcasses."

And he doesn't mean the four-legged ones with the protruding arrows.

If it hadn't been for the child-rearing ethic of "Ma & Pa Nuge" (his pet names), "I would have been a heroin addict and dead at age 12."

And the world would never have known the pleasures of contracting "Cat Scratch Fever."

The prevention of that unthinkable scenario can be chalked up to the infamous Ma Nuge.

"She was a ball of fire," he says of the woman he calls "the Dear Abby of rock 'n' roll" (an allusion to the advice column she wrote for the Illinois Entertainer back in the day). "She is the source of my joy factor and my humor factor, and funnier than hell. Always so very alive."

Then there was Pa Nugent's yin to Ma Nugent's yang.

"My dad balanced Ma Nugent out with that natural, military discipline he performed," he says. "He was truly the ultimate in parenting."

On the basis of the full-grown evidence, some might feel that Ma Nugent won the battle for her son's soul.

As a rebel teen, "I hated him, and I used the dreaded word, because his discipline was so over the top, and I was so driven to be prim and proper."

If you can believe it, says Nugent, he was the good kid among his neighborhood gang, the "voice of reason" pleading with his pals to stop the vandalizing -- "because I knew my dad would rip my head clean off."

As for rock 'n' roll's influence ... paging Satan.

"He saw the outrage of Elvis on 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' but, God bless him, he didn't force me to stop playing it."

Per Pa Nuge's take on disciplinary action, "He figured that he wasn't going to stop me from playing it but he could make me practice hard at it. What a great legacy! That's the kinda guy he was."

So young Ted practiced away under his father's iron hand, and it paid off: He was performing professionally by age 10, was fronting his own famous rock band (The Amboy Dukes) by age 20, was a solo star with a Top 10 hit ("Cat Scratch Fever") by age 30, was part of the "super group" Damn Yankees (with Night Ranger's Jack Blades and Styx's Tommy Shaw) at age 40, and was one of the most controversial rock 'n' roll conservatives on the planet by age 50.

Now, facing down 60 with a bow, an arrow, a rifle and a wild grin, Ma & Pa Nugent's boy claims he's having the last laugh.

"I'm a scary combination of my dad and my mom: I'm funnier than ma, because I go places she never would -- she never would have written 'Wang Dang Sweet Poon Tang,' for sure; and from dad, I get my discipline, being the over-the-top and humble individual that I am."

On stage, "There's a giddy factor that defies even God's creation."

With bow in hand, "It's the sacred season."

And at home, "Mrs. Nugent (second wife Shemane Deziel) owns me."

He goes on to describe a new experimental "nuclear homing device" that Mrs. Nugent has acquired and attached to an area of her mate that need not be explored here.

Suffice it to say, as a hunter famed for bagging his prey, The Nuge says he knows, and understands, his captor's logic.

"And it's quite effective," he adds.



At a glance



What: Ted Nugent, with Alex Winston

When: 7 p.m. Sunday

Where: U.S. Cellular Coliseum, 101 S. Madison St., Bloomington

Tickets: $20 to $35

Box office number: (866) 891-9992



Ted said ...



Some classic comments from the life and times of The Nuge, never at a loss for words, or non-sequiturs:

• "Without the bow and arrow, I would have snapped years ago." -- Pantagraph interview, 1995

• "Michael Moore, Tom Daschle, Ted Kennedy, Bill Maher and all can only be identified as addicted to the gesture of genuflection of the altar of the blinder, denial orgy, unprecedented since the emperor went around naked." -- thecelebritycafe.com

• "My idea of fast food is mallard." -- National Review

• "The anti's are clearly a lunatic fringe that represent the laughing stock to ma & pa America." -- Field & Stream

• "I get to hunt Africa every year and without the steaks and the guts from the antelope, many African societies would have vanished already." -- National Geographic

• "The limeys just don't cut the mustard compared to The Nuge." -- Pantagraph interview, 1995 (on opening for Bad Company)

• "When other guys were getting high, I would grab a couple babes, go squirrel hunting and see just how mini mini-skirts could get." -- Detroit Free Press Magazine

• "Most contemporary rock stars are booger-riddled (expletive deleted)-holes." -- Pantagraph interview, 1995

• On the war in Iraq: "Our failure has been not to Nagasaki them." -- The Independent

• "I contribute to the dead of winter and the moans of silence, blood trails are music to my ears ... I'm a gut pile addict ... The pig didn't know I was there ... it's my kick ... I love shafting animals ... it's rock 'n' roll power." -- Ted Nugent's World Bowhunters Magazine

• " ... if nothing else, I'm always entertaining." -- Pantagraph interview, 1995



Nugent nuggets



• Birth name: Theodore Nugent

• Birth date: Dec. 13, 1948

• Birth place: Detroit

• First performance: 1958, at age 10

• First group: The Amboy Dukes, 1967-74

• Second group: Damn Yankees, 1989-93

• Solo career: 1975 to date (with time out for Damn Yankees)

• Classic albums: "Free-for-All" (1976), "Cat Scratch Fever" (1977), "Double Live Gonzo" (1978)

• Ted-TV: "Wanted: Ted or Alive," "Ted Nugent: Spirit of the Wild," "Surviving Nugent," "VH-1's SuperGroup"

• Sing along with Ted: "Well, the first time I got it I was just 10 years old, I got it from some kitty next door ... They give me cat scratch fever, cat scratch fever, I got it bad, cat scratch fever, cat scratch fever."



19-year-old opening for The Nuge



Opening for Ted Nugent's U.S. Cellular Coliseum Show Sunday night will be a rock singer-guitarist roughly one-third the Motor City Madman's age.

That's 19-year-old Alex Winston, a recent high school graduate.

Despite the masculine-sounding name, Alex is a she.

Still making her way in the world rock, the '06 Andover (Mich.) High School graduate cut her first recording, an EP, "By the Roots," in collaboration with sibling rockers Chris and Drew Peters, whom she calls "my songwriting collaborators/surrogate parents."

The Peters brothers have written with and/or produced artists like Kid Rock and Black Eyed Peas, winning a Grammy nomination along the way.

So their protégé would seem to be in good hands.

Winston describes her sound as "pop-influenced rock 'n roll," with influences ranging from Little Richard to Lenny Kravitz to The Faces to Sheryl Crow.

Despite her youth, she says, "I've been exposed to music since practically straight out of the womb."

Take a look
Ted Nugent, aka The Motor City Madman, takes over the U.S. cellular Coliseum on Sunday night.
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Reader comments on this story - 19 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

Ted Nugent fan wrote on Aug 21, 2007 7:47 AM:

" Ted is the reason I picked up the guitar in the 1st place. The whole attitude of just letting go and tearing it up drug and alcohol free is hats a hats off example that ya don't need to be high or drunk to be in a band.Just wish hed curb some of the language so my kid could see him live.Keep that Byrdland in controll. "

Ted Nugent fan wrote on Aug 21, 2007 7:44 AM:

" Ted is the reason I picked up the guitar in the 1st place. The whole attitude of just letting go and tearing it up drug and alcohol free is hats a hats off example that ya don't need to be high or drunk to be in a band.So what if he hunts? He gives the animals more of a chance to survive then a farm does. He is living the life our forfathers did he is living off the land he owns. My one and only complaint about Ted would have to be his onstage language, I know he has the freedom of speech to say what he wants, but it also limits those who would like to see him play with their kids because of the language. Also anybody who plays a Gibson Byrdland at the volume he does and is able to controll that guitar hats off. Ted Thanks for all the inspiration to play whats in my heart.I hope to meet you someday. "

yawn wrote on Aug 6, 2007 11:18 AM:

" I love the Nuge back. Whose picture did he shoot with the flaming arrow this time? Or did he give that up after Damn Yankees? So how full was the Coliseum? "

yawn!!!!!!! wrote on Aug 5, 2007 4:37 PM:

" Come Rock with us & Ted's new CD, "Love Grenade"!!!!! The Spirit of the Wild will set you free!! We Luv Uncle Ted!! He's our Commando-in-Chief & we are his BloodBrothers. We still Luv Ya yawn!! "

yawn wrote on Aug 5, 2007 2:34 PM:

" The point is that there seems to be a pattern to the acts being brought into the coliseum at the same time its losing more money than expected. Foreigner (loved them back in the 70s and early 80s on WLS), Sammy (have multiple CDs of his, watched him live before), Nugent's songs from 20 years ago I still listen to when and if they ever are played. Maybe these are the ONLY acts that will come to B-N, but if that's the case, the revenue projections better be re-calculated for the upcoming year. Having the acts come to B-N don't detract from the quality of life here in B-N. Have fun, rock your brains out "

Sammy! wrote on Aug 3, 2007 6:55 PM:

" Saw him at at Braden/Bone student center as the singer for Montrose when they opened for Foghat. Now that's way back when. Montrose & Foghat blew the house out. Saw him there solo years after. Never saw him with Van Halen. Sammy Rocks! "

To yay! wrote on Aug 3, 2007 5:31 PM:

" Come on, be nice. Yawn (yawn) is not in the top ten of tools. Now go back to the toolbox & behave. "

Re Yawn: wrote on Aug 3, 2007 11:47 AM:

" Have you ever been to a live concert in your life, not counting the high school prom? There have been many great shows already, Styx-Foreigner, Journey, Pat Benetar, REO-Head East, to name a few. Some of us still love good ol' rock 'n' roll, not some of the crap being played today. "

To Yawn: wrote on Aug 3, 2007 11:39 AM:

" Have you been to a Sammy show? If you haven't, then how can you just through out negitive comments like that. I've been to his shows and he can rock with anyone, including anyone out there today. You WILL have a good time at a Sammy Hagar concert and there will be a big crowd. Stay home and whine, that's cool, but some of us will be having a great time at the Sammy show. "

Mark wrote on Aug 3, 2007 7:36 AM:

" So Ted Nugent thinks we should drop a nuclear bomb on Iraq? It's ironic to see what a "patriotic" nut he has become. Ironic because when he was young and of draft age during the Vietnam era, he reportedly went to extreme lengths to weasel out of the draft. The draft then was wrong, but Nugent's story is not an impressive one. "

Can't Wait wrote on Aug 3, 2007 3:50 AM:

" This will be the 4th time I have seen him, always entertaining!! Best time was when he opened for Skynyrd at the Starwood Amphitheater in Nashville. Ted will tell you like it is and not hold back, you have to respect someone who will do that these days, whether you agree with what he says or not. "

yay! wrote on Aug 2, 2007 10:05 PM:

" this guy has to rank in the top ten of tools "

To: Yawn wrote on Aug 2, 2007 9:32 PM:

" Boy, you really know it all. Nugent and Hagar are irrevelent, KISS would draw more, if they were on tour and played a 7,000 seat venue, and the attendance will be 1,500. So following your logic, because you don't like Nugent, not many people will go to the show. There's an amazing number of people in this city who think the way you do- if they don't like the act, not many other people like it either or will go. If they've never heard of it, no one else has either and the act 'hasn't made it'. If they don't go to the Coliseum, no one else should or does either. It's called arrogance and psuedo expertise in a smaller midwestern city. "

yawn wrote on Aug 2, 2007 8:40 PM:

" I'm pretty sure KISS would draw a bigger crowd, including myself and my kids. I'm sure he'll put on a good show for the 1500 or so that pay to see it "

I'll be there... wrote on Aug 2, 2007 8:17 PM:

" Because it's fun. Nothing else, don't give a crap about his opinion, it's fun. He's an entertainer and he does a hell of a job entertaining. "

It's better wrote on Aug 2, 2007 6:13 PM:

" when you shaft an animal through & through; heart & lungs. Quick & humane. It's just like Ted's & Shemane's book, you gotta "Kill It & Grill It". No apologies here for hunting & enjoying wild game. "

Revolted wrote on Aug 2, 2007 5:50 PM:

" "I love shafting animals" - that says it all for me. "

Irrelevant?? wrote on Aug 2, 2007 3:15 PM:

" I never thought an artist's music was ever "relevant" to begin with. It's enjoyed by it's fans. I'll be there rockin' with Uncle Ted along with 15 of my friends & family. We will definitely enjoy every minute of it! I'll let you know if we find anything relevant. Dan: You missed the May 15, 2000 KISS Farewell Tour show at the Peoria Civic Center. Ted & Skid Row opened for KISS on that tour. I was there & the NUGE/Bad Company show too. Never been disappointed. "

Yawn wrote on Aug 2, 2007 12:54 PM:

" I'm not a coliseum basher, but the new name should be the U.S. Irrelevant Coliseum for some of the acts they are brining in. Nugent hasn't mattered since the late 70s. Sammy Hagar hasn't had a hit in 10-15 years, and Don Rickles???? "
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