What better way to wrap up the three-day NRA extravaganza, than with the Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent. Yep. The Nuge was all over the NRA confab – speaking, signing books, more speaking, and plugging his latest tome, Ted, White, and Blue: The Nugent Manifesto.
Nugent, unless you’ve been able to avoid pop culture for the last, oh, say thirty years, is the hard-rockin’ guitarist/extreme hunter/conservationist/outspoken conservative-cum-libertarian, with a mouth as loud and provocative as his slashing guitar. Subtle is not in Ted’s vocab, nor are the words “compromise,” “wimp” or “couth.” Nope. Nugent stands apart from his rock n’ roll peers, regardless of the subject – guitars, hunting, conservation, or politics.
Ted had an SRO audience for the live presentation of his manifesto, which was essentially a live version of his ruminations that you find in his book(s). How did it go over? Let’s just say that afterwards, fans lined up as far as the eye could see, for the chance to get up close and personal with His Nugeness, to get a handshake, an autograph, or some Tedmorablia.
According to RF, the message is great – it’s the messenger he can’t stand. And I’ll have to admit, that Ted is an acquired taste. My first exposure to Nugent would have been sometime in the early Seventies, when he played my home town. I came away thinking, “the guy can play, but he’s loud, over-the-top, and is really full of himself.” My opinion has not changed much in the intervening years, but I gotta say, I admire him. A lot, actually.
First of all, I admire anybody who has the courage of their convictions, and is willing to say what they think. I’m impressed when someone who sounds like he’s shooting from the hip can back up those opinions with facts, figures, and a reasoned, logical argument. I’m thrilled when someone that can grab some publicity espouses views similar to my own. Ted’s got all that nailed. I may not agree with his methods. I may find his personality a little over the top. But I’m glad he’s out there.
Love him or hate him, Ted Nugent is a one-man wrecking crew, taking on Progressives, gun-grabbers, and ecoNazis with a sense of unrestrained enthusiasm that most of us lack. Perhaps we could learn a thing or two from the Motor City Madman, after all.
