A few days ago, GuitarWorld.com tracked down the Motor City Madman himself — Ted Nugent — who’s gearing up for a seven-week US tour that kicks off July 11 in Boise, Idaho.
We discussed the tour, his gear and a lot more in what — as is often the case — turned out to be a loose, candid exchange. Read our conversation below.
GUITAR WORLD: What can your fans expect from you on this tour?
Unrepentant brutality from a gang of murderous rhythm & blues maniacs. Mick Brown, Greg Smith and Derek St. Holmes create the most intense, ferocious and tightest R&B&R&R anywhere anytime. My guys are so good, it’s stupid. We are the last of James Brown’s illegitimate mongrels and damn proud of it. If I wasn’t me, I’d definitely go see me.
Although you released a single in 2011, you haven’t released a studio album in nearly six years. Have you had a chance to focus on writing new material lately?
I don’t necessarily “write” new music as much as I unleash it. I jam on any one of my amazing guitars every day, and wonderfully adventurous patterns come forth that are as fresh and raw and primal and fun as any from my youth. I am a very, very lucky guitar player. So yes! I have a wad of killer new songs we can’t wait to capture and record ASAP, we hope in early 2014.
You’ve been a guitarist for so long — there’s your solo career, the Amboy Dukes, Damn Yankees and more. Do you ever take a moment to assess your abilities? For instance, how does the 2013 version of guitarist Ted Nugent compare to the 1975 version?
A musician’s incremental growth factor projects musical moments with lives of their own, and I could not be more proud of all my guitar-driven music and songs. Only a punk-ass kid from Detroit could have possibly come up with the guitar solo on the classic masterpiece “Journey to the Center of the Mind” back in 1968. And the same goes for every lick, every song, every year right up to 2013, where my playing and improvisational jihads are intensely gratifying and musically inspiring beyond description.
I will never be a victim of “too many minds” [The Last Samurai] as I remain deliriously uninhibited and primal in my playing and creativity. I think it’s all the fresh venison I stalk and consume.
[Read the full interview at GuitarWorld.com]