DOUG Talks to TED NUGENT about SALUTE OUR WARRIORS EVENT and all things Nuge !

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Yeah, either Detroit Wheels Dog,Ted Collin and Ted how are you Ted
NuGen on the wise cracking line hereon Detroit's wheels? Was it the white
cracking line before I called? Orjust starting now? Just starting right now?
As a matter of fact, Well, I'm your pisson vinegar daddy.
Doug, how you doing? Happysummertime, Happy Independence Day? Every day?

(00:20):
And God bless you for being partof this salute our warriors? Get
down? How cool is this?Yeah? This is really exciting And I
was excited to hear that you weregoing to be here. But Ted,
I have to tell you, Iwas honored to be asked to be a
part. It's a seventh annual saluteour Warriors, and it's coming up on
Friday, July the twelfth, andI guess you're going to be there,

(00:42):
right Who's going to stop me?You know what I mean? Well,
this has got to be right upyour alley. This is something that I
know is near and dear to yourand Schmaine's heart, and you know,
certainly it's been a big event,but this is going to make it super
special for all these people out there. Well, I've been so lucky,

(01:03):
Doug, you know, We've knowneach other a long time, and we
always knew, before it became acolloquialism, that freedom ain't free. And
I was approached way back in thenineteen sixties by heroes of the military and
their families World War II veterans,Korean veterans than the Vietnam veterans. They
would contact me because they'd hear myradio interviews with Doug Poddell and around the
world. I'm celebrating freedom, youknow, especially the Second Amendment. I

(01:26):
always celebrate gun ownership and am smallmiss small firearms, family fund and self
defense and stuff that is considered controversialin the world of rock and rolls.
They would contact me and they wouldthank me for us standing up for constitutional,
guaranteed, God given individual rights.And I've been so blessed to have

(01:47):
a relationship with these heroes of thearmy, the Navy, of the Air
Force, the US Marines, theCoast Guard, the National Guard. And
just this weekend, for example,I'm spending another campfire with heroes of the
military and their families, including goldStar families who have lost a son or
a daughter. And when you sharea campfire with the heroes of the military

(02:07):
and their families. Boy, itreally strikes home because around a Ted Nugent
campfire, nobody holds anything back andwe talk and celebrate the good, but
we also identify the bad and theugly. So I'm honored once again to
be part of this. But likeyou, Dug, everybody I know,
whenever the US military or law enforcementneeds a helping hand, everybody I know

(02:28):
reaches out and gives everything they can. So it's just a very inspiring experience
every time. Well, and you'vegiven back, because I've been at many
many of your shows where backstage thereare not just a few, there are
hundreds of soldiers and military personnel andthey all get something autographed and you just

(02:52):
stand there and signe hats and shirtsand jackets and albums, and it is
amazing the relationship you do have withthe military. But this is special because
this is saluting our warriors who havebeen injured and fallen. And there is
a fund and there will be allkinds of donations and money raised for this,

(03:15):
and there are tickets available by theway, people can come out and
support this themselves if they'd like to. Now, have you seen where this
is going to actually be taking place? Did you get a look at the
Yeah, Koby is going to beon somebody's private private home on the balcony.
Well, it's in a state thatI believe is a sixty three room

(03:39):
estate in Rochester Hills. Now youknow me, Doug, it doesn't matter
where or how many people, orwhether you're paid or not. I love
the music, and I would thinkthat my music. Yeah, it's fun,
it's sexy, it's intense, ashigh energy as all things MotorCity.

(03:59):
But something about the military heroes,they really really love my music. They
think my music is like an Aten Warthogs. I have a great relationship
and you mentioned all those heroes thatare backstage. That's been going on since
the nineteen sixties with the amboy Dukes, because whenever a hero of the military
gets a hold of us, wealways invite them. And that's where all

(04:23):
this piston vinegar, that's where allthis energy and attitude and wonderful spirit comes
from. But having these these aresuperior human beings. These are just better
than your average human being. They'renot afraid to go into danger to protect
the Constitution and their oath to protectthe American dream. So that is just

(04:43):
deliriously inspiring and I have a funnyfeeling on the twelfth when you and I
are there in Rochester Hills. It'sgoing to be an orgy of patriotic pisson,
vinegar and energy. And I'm really, really shamade and I have a
great, great day. I'm gladthat we're gonna do it with you together.
Yeah, and it is gonna beonce again. You can get tickets
available for this at Salute Warriors dotcom. But there will be probably ted,

(05:10):
you know, a couple thousand peopleout there, and uh, I
guess it's just an incredible, incredibleevent that's happened before. Now. Also,
you know your friend Derek Saint Holmesis gonna be there, your your
sonic, bombastic blood brother, souh, he'll be out there too.
And I believe they're gonna have astage, So I don't know. I

(05:30):
mean, how great would it beto see you two guys get up there
and maybe kick out a little strangleholdfor the crowd or something. I think
that will be. It's all it'simpossible to kick out a little there's no
such thing as a little strangle No, Derek is such a MotorCity soul brother
man. Yeah, they're gonna haveThey're gonna have amplifiers and drums. Yeah,

(05:54):
and you know I don't bring aguitar. Doug the guitar brings me.
I've seen those photos and yeah,Mark Kazim and his band Slight Return
will be there. As a matterof fact, I set you the other
day a Sunday, I think itwas, Yeah, some video of Derek
and Jim McCarty got up and actuallywas playing Ted Nugent songs with this band,

(06:17):
Slight Return, at this event Iwas at, and it's kind of
a precursor to this event coming up, and people were just blowing away to
see Jimmy playing Ted Nugent licks.I thought it was pretty interesting and pretty
special. Well, it ultimately isinteresting because all my Ted Nugent licks come

(06:38):
from Jim McCarty. Yeah, oneway or another, boy, there's a
clever title of first song that thenew Cactus Tribute album with Carmine Appassi.
I performed the song one way oranother, but one way or another,
whenever Jim McCarty plays, all guitarplayers pay attention. A lot of people
don't know this, but the musiclovers know. But Derek Stane Holmes is

(07:01):
right up there in that top onepercent too. So when Jim and Derek
play my songs, it's very,very humbling. They're very very inspired.
The only thing I get pissed offis that I'm not there with them.
So yeah, these days, I'mgonna, I'm gonna, I'm going to
bash that party and show up whenJim and Derek are playing, because those
guys, they're they're MotorCity legends,man, and they really got the piss

(07:23):
and vinegar. Well, tell meabout this this new project that you're working
with Carmine on the it's a Cactustribute. I would imagine, although Carmine
was in Cactus, but they've gotyou, you know, and I would
imagine other various artists doing Cactus songs. Correct. Yeah, yeah. Cactus

(07:44):
was a perfect combination of vanilla fudgecomment as on drums and Tim Bogart just
one of the most inspiring and outrageousrhythm sections in the history of rock and
roll. And then, of coursethat Motor City Fire from a rusty day
who was my singer with the amboyDukes and the Amazing Gym Card. He
was Mitch Ryder and he played withBuddy Miles and he's just he's just revered

(08:05):
by every guitar player ever, themusic lover around the world. But they
what they put together was like rhythmand blues rock and roll fire. I
mean that Motor City what Rusty andJim brought. And then the groove,
the unbelievable groove of Carmine and Tim. And so Tim is dead now and
Rusty is gone, but Jim isstill alive and Carmine is still kicking maximum

(08:28):
ass. So when he invited meto do this tribute record for our Cactus,
I said, hell yeah. Thegreat Doug Pinnock from King Zax is
singing and playing bass, and yougot guys like that De Snyder performing the
song Evil, and Joe Bonamas ison there and Billy Shean, some of
the greatest musicians in the world areon this tribute record. But there's not
much fire breathing, soulful rock androll out there these days from new artists.

(08:54):
But what Cactus delivered is still inspiringto all the real music lovers out
there, especially the I don't thinkthere's a piece of music, Doug that
you and I and real music loversabsolutely cherish that wasn't inspired in some way
or another by obviously Chuck Berry andBodiddley and Little Richard and the Motown Funk
Brothers. But what Cactus delivered wasan amalgamation of those influences, but with

(09:18):
a little bit more fire, alittle bit more energy. Yeah, and
to this day there are bands aroundthe world that still reference Cactus, especially
Jim McCarty on guitar as an influencejust to create songs and write songs and
our performances. So yeah, thenew Cactus Tribute record, I'm proud to
be a part of it, andit really is unbelievable. It's like it's
like a bunch of horny teenagers withtheir first guitar just going wild. So

(09:43):
it was really a great, greatperformance by Doug and Carmine and I love
doing it. Yeah. More andmore people are discovering Cactus every day,
and it's amazing because you know,they were only around for a short time
in the seventies, but boy,I'll tell you they definitely he left their
mark, and Jim McCarty left hismark, and rusty day he was certainly,

(10:05):
you know, a voice to behold, no question about it. And
people can find that video of yoursit's up on YouTube, so people should
certainly search that out and check itout. Yeah, it prooves Doug that
the music that inspired us forever,it's still inspiring to this day. I
mean, when I play my guitar, it doesn't matter whether I was the

(10:26):
twelve year old in Detroit, oris it starting the Lures and playing with
the Motown and Supremes at Cobo Hallin nineteen sixty four, or when I
created the Amboy Doo So the DamnYankees, the Ted Nugent Band. When
I grabbed my well, I justI just now put down one of my
Birdlands. It's in nineteen sixty four, Birdland, maide in Kalamazoo and I'm
in my man Cave, Cuckoo's Nest, Arsenal Democracy, Motown, fire Breathing,

(10:50):
Mopower, Horsepower, hell Zone.And when I pick up the guitar,
it's no different than nineteen fifty eightor sixty eight or seventy eight or
eighty eight or night. It reallyis an out of body experience when you
love the music like we do.So how are you? I know you're
here, you're there, You're everywhere, but how are you enjoying this retirement

(11:11):
of yours so far. Well,I don't know the R word. Maybe
you could send me a website sittingthere and I could look up the R
word, But I'm not familiar withthe R word. I'm not retired.
I'm just not going to tour becauseI have three wonderful dogs and Missus Nugent
misses me if I'm gone overnight.So I'm still doing gigs. We're doing

(11:31):
gigs all across the country, butI make sure that I have a friend
with a jet so I can gethome at night. But no, I'm
still gigging. I'm playing my assoff. We're trying to put some Ted
Nugent's speakeasies together here in Michigan orbrought from some other great musicians. But
no, I'm still playing. Iplay my guitar every day. I shoot
my guns every day. I shootsquirrels for the dogs every day. I

(11:54):
raise hell and scare liberals every day. Yes, every day. I celebrate
Independence Day every day. So no, the Ted Nudge in American rhythm and
blues rock and roll dream is aliveand well, and I'm going to unleash
a variation thereof for the heroes ofthe military with you on the twelfth.
Yes, and uh, I seeyou're very active these days on x formerly

(12:18):
Twitter with your uh, you know, with your Ted Nugent account, so
people can definitely keep up with youon that. And uh it's tough to
keep up. Let me tell you, you post more than all of us
together here at the radio station.But I'm I'm an dream radical because I
actually give a damn So I'm trying. I'm trying to help make America great

(12:39):
again and try to get rid ofthe criminal corruption, the stupidity that surrounds
us. But I got to tellyou I'm back here in the swamps of
Michigan, Doug and Michigan. Thepeople of Michigan are the best people in
the world, just working hard,playing hard, hell raisers, just good,
friendly, honest, cocky fun people. And I got to tell everybody
here in Michigan, I might havemoved to Texas, but I still spend

(13:00):
a lot of time here in mybeloved birth state of Michigan. It really
is the winter water wonderland, thegreat Lake State of Michigan that I so
cherish and love. And I wantto thank everybody for all the positive energy
and the friendliness that I get everywhereSchemaine and I go. I will always
be a Michiganiac. You know that. Well, I was so happy you
were in Michigan just a couple ofweeks ago, and I don't want to

(13:24):
forget to thank you and Schemaine forcoming out to my celebrity roast. I
mean I was blowing away. Thevideo has blown up on social media,
and uh, it was just Imean, that was a moment for me
in my career that I'll never forgethaving you. You know, everybody's telling

(13:45):
me, yeah, Ted cut ofvideo, so you know, get ready
for his video, and then youjust come walking in the door with Shamaine
and lit the place up, anduh, you know, it was just
a fantastic Thank you A long timeand you've had plenty of shocks in the
water for world are rock and roll, but I happen to know for a

(14:05):
fact that when schmade and I walkedin that day, that was the ultimate
shock look that Doug Pidela ever hadlife and I couldn't have had more fun
doing that. I'm so glad thatwe were able to attend that. Yeah,
thank you so much. So youdo have a couple of tour dates
that I saw on the website,which by the way, I bought a
couple of autographed hats. But Iwould hell yes, hell yeah. That

(14:31):
what we're doing on the twelve,celebrating the salute our warriors. That's where
that money goes from, all thesehats and flags. And it's really kind
of cute because I have an assemblyline every day and I signed hats and
flags and shirts and guns and AMMOand skulls and antlers and bows and arrows
and bullets. I signed a lotof bullets, So it's really kind of

(14:52):
cute that people will buy this stuffand the money goes to help the veterans.
So I'm proud to be a partof that. Yeah, so thank
you for that too. July twentyeighth, you're going to be in York,
Pennsylvania with a big with a bigshow. And then September thirteenth,
I see you're going to be inOcean City, Maryland for another big show.

(15:13):
So these are a couple of festivalsI would take it right, yeah,
but a big biker fest and greatbig state fair. But yeah,
we're also going to be I thinkeverybody should try to make it to Grayleing
Michigan on September seventh, we're unveilingthe Fred Bear statue. Oh and my
guitar will be bringing me up there. But that's September seventh, Grayleen,
Michigan, the big celebration of FredbaarDay, unveiling a life size statue that

(15:37):
we've raised money for, this tributeto one of the great great men of
Michigan. And I hope everybody canjoin us up there because it's going to
be a real, real party.Wow that I'm going to mark that date
down right now. So you alludedto the fact that you were looking to
put together the speakeasy shows in Michigan, and I caught a wind of that

(15:58):
just yesterday. I was asked byseveral different people about it, and I
had no idea, and I kepttelling people, Now, I don't think
it's true. I can't see Tedplaying a small club like that, But
you're willing to play some small clubs. And you know what penetrate everybody's ear

(16:19):
drums or what's this? What tellme what the thought is behind all this?
Well that back in Texas, I'vegot a bunch of killer musicians.
There's killer musicians everywhere, and theyall they all find me. Everybody wants
to play Stranglehold and Wang Dang SweetPintang, And so I put together a
series of what we call shit KickerSpeakeasies in Texas, which John Kutz on

(16:42):
drums and Johnny Big my bass playerfor the last couple of years on bass
guitar, with my buddy Calvin thatowns a lone Star music, and we
got a buddy with a big paand it's almost like the Amboy Dukes nineteen
sixty five. We throw our stuffin the back of the truck and we
show up to these places and theystart out being, you know, maybe
a thousand people, but when UncleTed shows up, all of a sudden,

(17:03):
there's four or five thousand people,and Doug, it's so old school,
it's so nuts and bolts, it'sreal simple. I call him the
Speakeasies. And we get up thereand we play and we play Stones and
Beatles and Chuck Barring Bolly and LittleRichard Motown and James Brown songs. But
we play all of my classics andit just turns into an old old school

(17:23):
firestorm of a party. So I'mtrying to put that together. I got
a buddy here in Michigan. HunterBrucks that promotes gigs, and he's got
a killer band and we're trying toput that together where we just show up.
I don't care what it is.A theater. We had one of
our best concerts ever up in Lexingtonat the theater up there in a Saginaw.
We did a theater up there lastyear on the last tour. So

(17:45):
I know that these gigs can justbe a riot. And you know me,
Doug, I just love to play. I mean I get excited playing
in the barn for my dog.I mean I love playing my songs and
making new musical adventures. So yeah, if we nailed down a Ted Nugent's
speakeasy in Michigan, you will bethe first to know. Well, I

(18:06):
you know, I think they're workingon it. There's no question about it.
They got a few people interested.So uh yeah, I'll definitely see
what we can do to h tomove that along and make that happen.
That would be just an incredible They'rea lot of fun, lot of fun,
a lot of fun. So lastly, I was talking to Jason Hartlist
Junior last night. He's working hardand playing hard out there in Nashville right

(18:30):
now. So he's up to hiseyeballs in music. But he is still
working for you, of course asa drummer, but he's also working on
your continuing vault record releases. Andboy, he was playing me some stuff
and showing me and telling me aboutsome things that he has found in your

(18:51):
vault that are just going to bea killer when they're absolutely released. So
well, you know, I've beenI've been doing this forever. We found
some tapes, some old board tapesand cassettes of live performances and have a
surprisingly unbelievable, crisp, clear,dynamic sound. And Jason is a real

(19:12):
technician. He's not just an amazingsoul drummer, just a super authoritative musical
force, but he's also a technicalmaniacs. He knows how to take these
old board tapes and these old cassettesand clean them up. Not that you
want to clean them up too much, because we wanted to be raw and
real natural, and believe me,you can't take away the raw from my

(19:33):
tapes. But he's figuring out thesystem to technically turn him into masters.
And my god, he's played someof this stuff for me and I went
boy. I remember that was withkJ Knight and Rob Rusga and Dave Gilbert
and that was just a hell ofa gig. And we actually captured them
and they're in boxes and crates andvamps here in my pole barn, and

(19:56):
he's technically upgrading them and we've hada couple of Vault releases already and people
just love it because it's it's it'sdemos and live performances of new songs and
outtakes and maybe some jam sessions thatdidn't have the final mix done or the
final vocals, and it's just it'sjust old school, raw, primal,

(20:18):
outrageous, youthful and sanity. Andwho doesn't like that? Everybody? I'll
tell you, I've got them alland I love them all, and uh,
I'm hoping that more to come.So I saw some of the uh
some of the tapes. I sawa big bin that he had full of
tapes, and it's just it's crazy. So uh yeah, thank god,

(20:41):
thank god we captured some of thatstuffy Thank god you kept it. Yeah
in my barn right now, AndI'd like to give a shout out.
I don't know where this came from, but there's a gig in Detroit called
the Detroit Garage Works, and theymake they make mechanics stuff and somehow they
got me some of this Detroit GarageWorks hands on cream and lubricants. So

(21:06):
a shout out to all the working, hard playing hard rock and rollers at
the Detroit Garage Works wherever you are. All right, well, yeah,
I'll have to look them up andsee what that is all about. But
hey, listen, if it's there, it's yours. You know what I
mean. So calleluja, beallluja.All right, ted, Well, we'll
see you coming up Friday, Julythe twelfth, the Salute Our Warriors event

(21:30):
with Slight Return Derek Saint Holmes andyourself and tickets are available at Salute Warriors
dot com and we'll have a linkup on the Wheels website as well.
So well, Doug, thanks somuch, gott. I love you,
buddy. I mean, we areDetroit, MotorCity, soul music, rock
and roll fellow music lovers, andI love that you still celebrate the music

(21:52):
like you do because Michigan and Americaand quite honestly the world, I hear
from people all around the world.We are still wall to wall real music
lovers, and I love all thereal music lovers out there, and I
love you for continuing to promote andcelebrate it. I can't thank you enough,
buddy. All Right, Well,thank you and we'll see you there.
Ted all right, all right,man, salute our warriors forever.

(22:15):
All right, thank you, Ted, all right, Ted, thank you, Bud,