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Nugent's onstage assault complete with firearms
Rock icon expects a warm welcome from conservative Ozarks.
By Philip Dickey
News-Leader
Ted Nugent's Sunday concert at the Oasis Inn could double as a gun show.
"I've got lots of firearms on stage because they're cool," Nugent says, listing Uzis, rifles and machine guns. "They're all real and they're all mine."
They are also a complement to Nugent's intuitive weapon of choice — "grinding, grunting, primal-scream rhythm and blues."
Nugent, 56, has been assaulting the music industry with his guitar for five decades.
He played with Jimi Hendrix in the '60s, sold out arena shows in the '70s, formed the all-star group Damn Yankees in the '80s, and reached $30 million in career album sales during the '90s. He still plays more than 100 shows a year, finishing up a tour with Toby Keith earlier this week.
"I'm in the belly of the beast, celebrating real rock 'n' roll every night," Nugent said Monday, still on the road with Keith. (The two were planning to co-write the song "Still Alive and Well, Still Raisin' Hell" that evening.)
In Springfield, Nugent's onstage with bassist Billy Sparks and former Whitesnake drummer Tommy Aldridge.
Uninitiated "Nuge" fans can expect to hear hits like "Cat Scratch Fever" and plenty of political banter.
"We have a 12-foot Saddam Hussein onstage," Nugent says. "I shoot him in the heart with an arrow every night."
Call him politically incorrect, and Nugent will call you names.
"You have to be a liberal hippie idiot to not get along with Ted Nugent," he says. "My critics are all stoned and retarded."
But Nugent doesn't expect to find many critics in this conservative region. ("The only conservatives that don't like me are Barney and Mr. Rogers fans," he says.)
Nugent says he loves visiting the Ozarks, especially Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.
"My life is a sporting goods orgy," Nugent says. "I live a hands-on conservative lifestyle."
Proof: Nugent publishes an outdoor magazine; was named Michigan's conservationist of the year in 1999; and is board member of the National Rifle Association.
"I'm the real conservative. I'm a working-hard, playing-hard, American dream boy."
Though he counts President Bush among his admirers, Nugent revels in the glory of the common fan.
"My fans cover every imaginable demographic," Nugent says.
They're getting younger, too.
Cameron Blisard, 19, is seeing Nugent for the first time Sunday.
The Springfield resident says his favorite punk bands looked up to Nugent as an anti-drug and -alcohol role model when starting the straight-edge scene in the '80s.
"I really love vintage rock and I really respect Ted Nugent," says Blisard, who doesn't always agree with Nugent's conservative politics. "His music fits his personality and makes it that much better."
Is there a softer side to Ted Nugent? If so, it lies beneath the brutal aggression of his career.
"Everybody thinks I'm adorable when I'm killing things," Nugent says.
http://entertainment.news-leader.com/today/20050311-Nugentsonstagea.html
Rock icon expects a warm welcome from conservative Ozarks.
By Philip Dickey
News-Leader
Ted Nugent's Sunday concert at the Oasis Inn could double as a gun show.
"I've got lots of firearms on stage because they're cool," Nugent says, listing Uzis, rifles and machine guns. "They're all real and they're all mine."
They are also a complement to Nugent's intuitive weapon of choice — "grinding, grunting, primal-scream rhythm and blues."
Nugent, 56, has been assaulting the music industry with his guitar for five decades.
He played with Jimi Hendrix in the '60s, sold out arena shows in the '70s, formed the all-star group Damn Yankees in the '80s, and reached $30 million in career album sales during the '90s. He still plays more than 100 shows a year, finishing up a tour with Toby Keith earlier this week.
"I'm in the belly of the beast, celebrating real rock 'n' roll every night," Nugent said Monday, still on the road with Keith. (The two were planning to co-write the song "Still Alive and Well, Still Raisin' Hell" that evening.)
In Springfield, Nugent's onstage with bassist Billy Sparks and former Whitesnake drummer Tommy Aldridge.
Uninitiated "Nuge" fans can expect to hear hits like "Cat Scratch Fever" and plenty of political banter.
"We have a 12-foot Saddam Hussein onstage," Nugent says. "I shoot him in the heart with an arrow every night."
Call him politically incorrect, and Nugent will call you names.
"You have to be a liberal hippie idiot to not get along with Ted Nugent," he says. "My critics are all stoned and retarded."
But Nugent doesn't expect to find many critics in this conservative region. ("The only conservatives that don't like me are Barney and Mr. Rogers fans," he says.)
Nugent says he loves visiting the Ozarks, especially Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.
"My life is a sporting goods orgy," Nugent says. "I live a hands-on conservative lifestyle."
Proof: Nugent publishes an outdoor magazine; was named Michigan's conservationist of the year in 1999; and is board member of the National Rifle Association.
"I'm the real conservative. I'm a working-hard, playing-hard, American dream boy."
Though he counts President Bush among his admirers, Nugent revels in the glory of the common fan.
"My fans cover every imaginable demographic," Nugent says.
They're getting younger, too.
Cameron Blisard, 19, is seeing Nugent for the first time Sunday.
The Springfield resident says his favorite punk bands looked up to Nugent as an anti-drug and -alcohol role model when starting the straight-edge scene in the '80s.
"I really love vintage rock and I really respect Ted Nugent," says Blisard, who doesn't always agree with Nugent's conservative politics. "His music fits his personality and makes it that much better."
Is there a softer side to Ted Nugent? If so, it lies beneath the brutal aggression of his career.
"Everybody thinks I'm adorable when I'm killing things," Nugent says.
http://entertainment.news-leader.com/today/20050311-Nugentsonstagea.html
And he did shoot Saddam with a bow onstage too 
