IF YOU DON’T SHOOT AT ALL, YOU ALWAYS
MISS.
Interviewing Ted Nugent is a handfull. Correction, it’s damn near
impossible! Cause when he starts talking, there’s no stopping him. He’s got so
much on his mind, changing subjects all the time, it turns into a monloque
quickly. The old master turns the arranged 15 minutes into 45 minutes. Place of
the interview being his dressing room at Bospop
festival.
The
1st encounter is typical, while the staunch hunter is signing some arrows.
‘You’ve never seen Tom Petty doing that, now have you ?” he grins. When
he sees the cover of a Aardschok
which has Chuck Billy of Testament on the cover he doesn’t hold back:
“What an ugly motherfucker. Clearly too much cream for this guy. Are you sure it
ain’t one of those country & western types? When I show him a 2006 edition
with himself on the cover he nods and says: “Now that’s what we wanna see, that
is some good lookin’ motherfucker. The tone is
set.
BALANCE
Ted,
after a dozen of years, you played Holland in 2006 and you’re back again in 2
years. What made you return so quickly?
“That’s all about priority and quality of life. First comes family, then
the lusts and dreams. Without a fullfilling and loving family life the rest is
impossible. My wife and kids know what I expect from them, and even my dogs know
by now. Only if I in return fullfill my obligations towards them, I can
concentrate on my dreams, The ever lasting problem is the fact a calender only
holds 12 months. If it was up to me, I’d play 200 shows a year, but I
can’t
cause you can’t book me during the hunting season. So I have to look for
balance all the time.
The
spirit of the music and the intensity with which it is played, would be
dangerous for a 20 year old, let alone someone my age.So I need a good rest
before & after the show and rewind and cool off after a
tour.”
“There’s so many bands out there that ain’t one with their music. Take
Bon Jovi for example.
A
fine band and Jon’s a good guy, and so is his drunken guitar player, who’s a
favorite of mine. But Jon is a business man and he knows it. He doesn’t believe
in why he’s onstage.
But
I gotta hand it to him, he puts on a great show. And I don’t wanna hurt his
feelings cause he’s real sensitive, a real cry
baby.
Gene
Simmons on the other hand loves the cartoon aspect, worships his music and
profiting the maximum on the business end.
My
approach is the beastly intensity. I LIVE my music so after a tour my body and
mind need a rest. I NEED to be up in a tree or out fishing. That way I recharge
my batteries and on the side I perform
the most enviroment friendly deed: I’m thinning the hurts and thereby
create a
balanced enviroment. So it’s a balancing-act. On one hand I’m the
maniac playing his music in the most expressive way and on the other I’m a environmental activist and
nature custodian. The one feeds the other. Hunting and
becoming one with nature make it able to become a raw & concentrated
musician once again. On stage it’s got to be the “spirit of the wild” and the
trick is to be in control without losing any spontaneity. That’s why I ‘m
relaxing right now. I’ll be needing the energy once I hit the stage. As a kid I
was a chaotic troublemaker, so I had to learn discipline otherwise I might have
burnt out a long time ago.
SETLIST
Nugent recently played his 6000th concert, an absolute milestone. After his
euro tour he’ll
continue to gig in Amerika. When he’s handed a setlist he puts on an ugly
face.
“Of
course we’re playing classics this tour, but with these festivals I’m down to a
painful one hour set. Songs like “KLSTRPHNKY” and “Love Grenade” ain’t that well
known, bur they go down great. Man, I wish I could perform “Still Raisin’ Hell”
and “Girl Scout Cookies”and
all
the other great tunes!”
Today I got the same response from Thin Lizzy. It’s hard to satisfy
everybody with so many great songs to choose from.
“Thin Lizzy is a great band and John Sykes is an amazing guitar player.
And what about Tommy Aldridge? He’s so good. He’s been in my band for three
years. I really worked with the best of ‘em: Carmine Appice, Mick Brown, Greg
Smith, Barry Sparks, Marco Mendoza,
Derek St. Holmes, Cliff Davies. Did you know Cliff recently committed
suicide? Man, that’s heartbreaking!
Meanwhile Nugent is a proud grandfather of four grandchildren. When I ask
him if any of them never question his albumcovers or explicit lyrics, he
responds lively:
“They love it! They love daddy Ted. That’s what they call me. We go
fishing together, shooting a bow and arrow, and they were all attending my
jubilee concert. And they know where our food is coming from. I try to endow my
values as much as I can.”
Is
there anything at all you regret?
“I’m
a happy man, but now you mention it: I wish I studied economics and liberated
myself from all those bloodsuckers, crooks and corrupt managers. That twenty
million’s something I could’ve used right now. I’d taken a plane to get here.
But it’s probably for the best. I did it my way and my consious is clean. It
also contributed to the fact my music is still pure, tribal and anti-business
after all these years.
SHERIFF
As
if Nugent ain’t busy enough with his band, hunting, books, tv-shows and
politics, he recently reanimated his acting career, a small twenty years after
he played in 80’s popular
series Miami Vice. Back then he played (oh irony) a dangerous
drugsdealer, in the new
Hollywood movie “Beer for my horses” he plays a role much closer to
him.
“They offered me the role of sherrif. A witty, trigger-happy sheriff with
too many guns who’s
going after criminals, mostly mexicans.So, be honest, who could play this
better than me?
It
ain’t something you’d ask Billy Gibbons to play, would you? It did cost me five
weeks of my precious time but I don’t regret it. The script was pretty funny and
it looked promising with actors like Tom Skerrit and Claire Forlani. Willie
Nelson is in it too.
FREEDOM FIGHTER
It
probably won’t get him an Oscar, cause he just plays himself. Just like he does
this interview. His sincerity makes him sympathetic, but his bold statements are
questionable.
Nugent always sought confrontation and let’s be honest, he did well.
Who’s gonna touch him?
He’s
independent, in great health, lives the life he wants and Amerika’s republicans
love him.
To
go into a politic discussion is the last thing on my mind, but I can’t resist to
try and provoke him a little. In my opinion his lyrics have become a lot more
direct, and I wonder if that didn’t cost him any
fans.
“A
lot of people think my politics are seperated from my music, but they’re wrong.
All my life there’s been political messages wrapped up in my songs. Songs like
“Crave”, “KLSTRPHNKY”, “Great White Buffalo”, “Raw dogs & War Hogs” are full
of political statements. Even “Stranglehold”is pure political, because it’s
about the the system manipulating people and how I resist against it. ( and for
all these years I thought it was about sex, Ed. ) But I do agree my lyrics have
become more direct, the situation asks for it. We have to live together in this
society. My opinion is that good should be rewarded and bad should be changed or
dissapear. I don’t care what other people think. I am a freedom fighter and to
me it’s D-day every day. Escpecially in the 80’s there was a lot of resistance.
I was called a racist and linked to the Ku Klux Klan, while I had a black bass
player in my band, for crying out loud! Pure madness, right? And only because I
stood up for the right to possess guns and said drugsdealers should be condemd
to a death sentence. The hippies in the media could’t believe I had the balls to
say it out loud. The last couple of years things have been changing though. Even
the liberals are starting to realise that Crazy Ted has some good arguments. My
message comes across when people are capable of seperating good and evil. One
should be aloud to kill the burglar entering one’s home, even kill the politician who forbids you to own a gun
for self defense. It’s them putting rapists and murderers back on the streets
out on bail, where they commit crimes again. I think my message is pretty clear,
right: be nice or be blown away.
It’s
that simple. It has been for years. But if you told me in 1975 there would be a
movement
that
wants to disarm America, I’d told you you’re nuts. My whole life I’ve been
raising more hell than a whole street of ordinary citizens, but if the moment
arrives that I’m offered a serious political job and Mrs. Nugent and I agree
that I could contribute to a better quality of life in amerika, I’ll seriously
consider it. During the hunting season though, I’m not available, and I don’t
think that’s a luxury a politician can afford. Right now, however, I’m the
happiest man alive because I can live life the way I want it. And I thank God
every day for that. Look! There’s God now.” ( drummer Mick Brown just entered
the dressing room. )
STAND STILL OR I’LL SHOOT
For
years Nugent has been a board member of the NRA ( National Rifle Association )
and especially for their next convention wrote the song: “I am the
NRA”.
“As
an activist I’ll always stand up for the right of self defense. Everyone who
claims you’re not aloud to defend yourself is an evil person. Especially if they
sent you a bill for your protection afterwards as they do over here. Hopefully
it’ll never get that far in America.
Our
weapon statistics are better then ever. More and more licences are filed for
registrated gun ownership and never were less policemen killed in action. That’s
because of those licenses, cause the bad guy knows what awaits him. Police
doesn’t have to interfere because the civllians beat him to it. That’s the way
God wanted it to be.”
It’s
19.10 hours when Ted says it’s enough. In about 30 minutes he’s due on
stage.
“Believe me, it’s gonna BLOW!”, he says and hands me a handfull of guitar
picks.
“Make sure these get to the right people”, is the last thing he
says.
Interview taken from the August/September edition of Aardschok magazine,
the Netherlands.
Ted Nugent was interviewed by Stan Novak, backstage at Bospop festival, 2008-07-13
Thanks to Henk for the translation!