My weekend with the great Sheriff Joe

April 1, 2015 | « back

By: Ted Nugent

The record crowd of uppity freedom lovers converging on Phoenix, Arizona, for their annual Bikers Week festivities would obviously demand the definitive soundtrack for independence, rugged individualism, liberty, defiance, sheer horsepower and the ultimate American Way. We simply refuse to settle for anything less.

Enter the killer Nugent band of Uncle Firebreathing Ted on the mighty Gibson Byrdland guitar, Thunderballs drumgod Mick Brown and FunkBrother Greg Smith on depthcharge bass, unleashing the pure animal soulmusic bombast of ultra-high energy MotorCity Madness for the rolling thunder party of American motorcycle crazies.

Phoenix, we have liftoff!

Preparing with all our heart and soul for the most important gig in our life, like every gig in our life, we jammed every day and we jammed every night, we practiced till we nailed every lick. Now we’re on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and we don’t know the meaning of quit!

That was just a little throwback to the lyrics of my 1975 breeder soundtrack masterpiece, “Just What The Dr. Ordered,” because it is and we are.

As we assaulted the stage for the Bikers Week NugeBash, we truly did attack with extreme vigor, knowing it is indeed the most important rockout of our lives. It is that indefatigable dedication to our musical craft that guarantees the virtual unstoppability of my music, and music lovers the world over know it and join with us at every concert to celebrate our shared dedication to supreme American soulmusic excellence.

The jury is not still out; they are dancing wildly.

With unbridled exuberance for my 6,515th performance since 1958, I looked to the heavens and thanked God that I was raised to be the absolute best that I can be. In that inexhaustible pursuit, epitomized by the caliber of world-class musicians and teammates I have been so very blessed to be surrounded with all my life, it comes as no surprise whatsoever that we are joined by hero warriors of the U.S. military and law enforcement and their families at every concert as far back as I can remember, and the typical backstage Nugent party is unlike any other there has ever been.

The music alone would be motivation enough for stellar performances each night, but add to that the immeasurable positive energy provided by these warriors willing to die for our freedoms, and the p–s and vinegar quotient is off the damn charts.

I think we have established unambiguously that we all really love the music and everything and everyone associated with it.

Now comes the definitive evidence to support my radical, revolutionary approach to this glorious experiment in self-government and how this old guitarplayer powerdrives my personal we the people party every day to the extreme.

Just to make certain my spiritual V12 is throttling on all 12 supercharged cylinders, I seek out and very fortunately succeed in hanging out with the greatest Americans the world has ever known.

Joining a good-looking cadre of workin’ hard playin’ hard successful entrepreneurs and patriots, my stunning wife, Shemane, and I spent the evening before the concert with the great Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, and his lovely wife, Ava.

Gathering friends, BloodBrothers and fellow American Dream aficionados, we united to support Sheriff Joe in his never-ending success enforcing the laws of Arizona and dedication to his oath to the U.S. Constitution.

About to embark on his seventh term as sheriff, this American law enforcement hero represents all that is good about America – the rule of law, self-evident truth, logic, common sense, goodwill and decency.

Surviving untold danger as a U.S. federal narcotics official in Mexico, Turkey, Central and South America, the Middle East and cities across America, this take-no-crap warrior deserves the adulation and respect he gets from warriors everywhere.

In the world of soulless political correctness and all the mindless denial that accompanies it, Sheriff Joe is controversial – for doing the right thing is indeed controversial in this embarrassing Obama era, and good people everywhere salute and thank Joe for his steadfast refusal to back down or compromise.

I’ve been honored and humbled to be welcomed into Joe’s professional and personal life, and his spirit and tenacity inspires me on a daily basis to never give up, never back down and never give in to the engineered defeatism that plagues so much of our great country.

The concert was beyond anyone’s rock ‘n’ roll dream. My band and the record-breaking crowd was on fire from the get-go, and the energy and positive spirit eclipsed any musician’s wildest dream for that special musical connection with die-hard music lovers everywhere. It was intense as hell.

The day after the concert I was invited to the annual Arizona Fish and Game Expo and was able to hang with great conservation families who live the Spirit of the Wild, hunting, fishing, trapping, great outdoors lifestyle. I joined in with young Americans of every age enjoying the “aim small miss small” shooting sports discipline with bows and arrows, handguns, rifles, shotguns and even machine guns.

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Once again we proved that 100 percent access to unlimited firepower is safe, ultra-fun, legal and crime free. Meanwhile, in the Rahm Emanuel gunfreezone hell of Chicago while we were having the firepower time of our lives, I’m sure paroled punks were blowing each other away nonstop like they do every day.

To top off a grand all-American freedom-celebrating weekend, I was honored to be the keynote speaker at the annual Maricopa County Republican Lincoln Day dinner with my family, friends, Sheriff Joe and fellow constitutionalists.

To spend the days before and after the concert with Joe and his team is a hugely fortifying experience that powerfully manifests in my attitude, spirit, citizen duties and very much so in my music.

As always, I came to Phoenix ultra-ready to rock, but with the added fire from Sheriff Joe and so many great Americans, we are hopeful that the Great White Buffalo may just stampede all the way back to Washington, D.C., at some point real soon.

“Above the canyon walls, strong eyes did glow. It was the leader of the land, The Great White Buffalo! He found the battered herd and led them across the land. With the Great White Buffalo, we can make a final stand. So listen everybody to what I got to say, there’s hope for tomorrow if we wake up today.”