Music N' Other Drugs

Whether he was sharing the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blue Öyster Cult, and Starz at Rich Stadium or tearing up the Rochester Community War Memorial on the “Scream Dream” tour, Ted Nugent’s relationship with Western New York goes back a long time. I’d even include his raucous set at Artpark in 2011 as one of my favorites in the history of the venue and still consider the fact that they never brought him back to be a missed opportunity.

His shows are firestorms of musical intensity that celebrate the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll in a way that few others do, so, even if they’re not your thing, you can’t deny that the body of work he’s created since launching his solo career back in 1975 stacks up well against any other hard rock act from that era.

If you’ve never seen him before or want to hear classics such as “Stranglehold,” “Stormtroopin’,” and “Cat Scratch Fever” performed live one last time, come out to The Kodak Center on July 25 to have your bones reduced to dust by Ted’s Gibson Byrdland.

He was kind enough to answer some questions via email this week, which are included below.

MNOD: With your time as a full-scale touring musician about to end, what are you most looking forward to now that you won’t be out on the road constantly? 

Nugent: I am so overdue for uninterrupted quality time with my family and dogs!!! I unleash fury on my guitars everyday and will still perform full-on Nugent rockouts with my killer bandmates here, there, and everywhere. My wife Shemane and I film everything outdoors for our Spirit of the Wild TV show on Pursuit Channel constantly. I absolutely LOVE puttering around with my farming, ranching, trucks, guns, swamps, forests and the soulcleansing great outdoors! I will continue to make music and explore the uncharted territory on my guitar necks, but just won’t hit the road to tour anymore. Did I mention that hotels are jail! 

MNOD: Because you’re such an exhilarating live performer, how difficult will it be for you to find something to fill that void? 

Nugent: There will be no void because I will still rock my ass off with my killer band, plus I miraculously I get the same adrenaline from my hunting and filming our Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild TV show celebration of the conservation lifestyle I so love. Being a more hands-on grandpa to all my wonderful grandkids is going to keep me more than busy. 

MNOD: Your 1981 live album, “Intensities in 10 Cities,” contains tracks that were recorded in both Buffalo and Rochester, so I was wondering if you had any fond memories of this area of New York related to either music or hunting. 

Nugent: My fond memory cup runneth over no matter the geographical location, but certainly the thrilling memories of my firebreathing concerts in real NY are a source of great joy and happiness. The real Gonzo musiclovers of NY have always inspired me and I cannot thank them enough. They are the best!

MNOD: I’m a huge fan of Meat Loaf’s vocal performance on “Free-for-All,” as the pairing of his voice and your guitar is just killer. How do you look back on those sessions now? 

Nugent: Thank you! Me and ol Meatloaf go way back to incredible concerts together in Michigan back in the 1960s with the Amboy Dukes, so I grasped the great man’s fire, talents and, musical passions way back then. I knew he would kill on my songs in the studio and he certainly did. He was a great man, consummate professional, and all around fun guy to hang with. We lost a great one there.

MNOD: The last two times that I saw you live, you opened with “Free-for-All” and then “Wango Tango.” What is your favorite song to open a show with? 

Nugent: I have heard on numerous occasions from numerous fans and fellow musicians that all my songs make for the greatest opening songs as well as the greatest encores. I tend to agree. I love songs with powerful dynamics and intense rhythm throttle, and all my songs deliver those forehead vein popping crescendos! We have opened up with a firebreathing Star Spangled Banner over the last number of years and continue to do so. It is always out of body inspiring. Then we typically rip into GONZO just to fire up the air in the room. My music is so much fun to unleash its crazy!

MNOD: Your catalog speaks for itself, so the fact that you’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is ridiculous. Why do you think you’ve never been given serious consideration? 

Nugent: Clearly, enough members of the RRHOF board are so embarrassingly dishonest, as seems to be the increasing insanity of our government, media, big tech, Hollywood, academia, and pretty much most soulless entities with the most power these days, so there is runway soullessness and no accountability there. If you want a good laugh, have someone explain the rock-n-roll credentials of Grandmaster Flash that I somehow do not possess. That’s hysterical. I am deeply honored that such buffoons hate me that much. I rock, they don’t.

Ted Nugent plays The Kodak Center in Rochester, NY on July 25 with special guest Hillbilly Vegas

Showtime is 7:30 p.m. and tickets start at $35.50

Visit www.tednugent.com or www.kodakcenter.com for further details.