Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

No one is quite sure what it is about Ted Nugent that flags downs so much interest. A flamboyant mish-mosh of conflicting character traits (savage cave man persona, conservative anti-drug stand, sexist, loner and hunter, party animal, reactionary politics, standard heavy metal guitar antics, destruction derby king, TV actor hopeful, aspiring Detroit SWAT team member, etc.), the self-proclaimed “Motor City Madman” guitarist has even had a pinball game named after him.

Forming his first band in 1960 (the Royal High Boys), Ted was opening shows for the Supremes by the time he was 14. He formed the Amboy Dukes, and had a local hit with “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” not to mention the national “Journey To The Center Of The Mind.” In 1975, things took off for Nugent when producer Tom Werman turned his music into something that suddenly got a lot of airplay. Platinum record sales began with Free For All and continued through Cat Scratch Fever, Double Live Gonzo and Weekend Warriors. State of Shock ended the streak of hot sellers, though Nugent’s concerts never slacked off. In 1984, Ted joined forces with Billy Squier’s band, and recorded tracks at the Power Station in New York. The album, Penetrator, was followed in 1986 by the flamboyant, multi-channeled Little Miss Dangerous. When producers on Miami Vice heard the tracks, Ted not only found his songs on the popular rock ’n’ crime show, but he himself appeared in a “bit part.” His brief flirtation with a villainous role on Vice left him reading scripts and considering plans to make acting a more permanent part of his activities. “But nothing will take time from my rock ’n’ rolling,” he warns. “After all, I know what I am!”