Today, I spoke to Ted Nugent, who has been known for cranking his Gibson Byrdland and performing like a madman since his days with the Amboy Dukes. Ted is the author of Kill It and Grill It, and the New York Times-bestsellers God, Guns, & Rock ‘N’ Roll and Ted, White, And Blue: The Nugent Manifesto. In this interview, Ted talks about how he got started with his career, developed his brand, and more.
When do you get started playing the guitar and make the career choice to stick with it, when many musicians quit?
I first started playing around with a guitar when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old, but by the time I began taking lessons from Joe Podorsek at the Capitol School of Music in Detroit about the age of 10 I was hooked.
Do you think you’ve developed a brand that started with your band The Amboy Dukes?
There is no question I had a distinctively identifiable style early on with the Amboy Dukes, but it has never stopped developing to this very day. My musical adventure knows no boundaries.
You have strong political views. How do they shape your brand and how people perceive you?
Clearly the most vital American trait is our defiance against kings, Emperors, tyrants, slave-drivers and bureaucrat punks of every kind. My addiction to independence, freedom and The American Way has inspired my uppity, spirited soundtrack of this wonderful defiance. Rugged individuals connect with me and my amazing music.
Who are the top 3 musicians that have influenced you the most and what have you learned from them?
Chuck Berry, James Brown and Jimi Hendrix, though the list is much longer than that. I have learned about soulfulness, spirit, creativity, defiance, groove, musical lyricism and overall intense emotion from them.
What made you jump from being in a band, to becoming a solo artist, and back and forth again?
Like my music and life itself, spontaneous and instinctive decisions are usually the best decisions. Again, musical adventure demands avoiding allthings status quo and refusing to be chained to any identifiable paradigm.
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Ted Nugent has been known for cranking his Gibson Byrdland and performing like a madman since his days with the Amboy Dukes. In the thirty years since departing the ‘Dukes, he has established himself as a successful solo artist and has also been a part of a few supergroups, most notably Damn Yankees.An avid hunter as well as a guitar legend, the Nuge’s restless spirit has driven him into many other ventures, including stints as a radio show host and a regular contributor for numerous publications. In recent years Ted has become known as an author as well, penning a cook book, Kill It and Grill It, and the New York Times-bestsellers God, Guns, & Rock ‘N’ Roll and Ted, White, And Blue: The Nugent Manifesto. He also hosts his own hunting, fishing, trapping and shooting lifestyle show on Outdoor Channel – Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild.
