He’s been called many names over the years. Uncle Ted. Sweaty Teddy. Terrible Ted. The Rev. Atrocious Theodosius. The Motor City Madman. The Whackmaster. The Nuge. He is Ted Nugent (or perhaps an explicit variation of such), and he takes no prisoners. Now those of you with even a vague awareness of Ted Nugent (if such a thing is possible) will know that he is a man of MANY words. Taking that into consideration, it is with the utmost honor we share with you the words he had for us regarding the 50th anniversary of his classic self titled debut album, which marked the beginning of a hard rock dynasty. As the old song goes, this is “Just What the Doctor Ordered”.
Before we talk about the debut album, let’s talk about the events leading up to it. After a decade of nonstop touring and recording, The Amboy Dukes fold. At what point did you feel it was time to pull the plug on The Dukes and how soon after the band’s split did ideas start coming together for the songs that would make up the debut?-
Ted Nugent: Ah yes, those magical, mystical moments in time when the planets align and musical urges and instincts dictate decision making into uncharted musical adventure! Mere words are incapable of describing the intoxicating velocity of such insane FUN nonstop musical mayhem from 1956 to 1974, but change was in the air! In the whirlwind of my musical dream, I simply decided to drop the ever-revolving lineup and name Amboy Dukes, and charge forth with my uncompromising vision of what pure, raw, primal and personal Ted Nugent should sound like. Like all my compositions, I never sat down and composed a song, but rather relied on the purity of my knee-jerk, instinctual sound, groove and lyrical cravings that came forth from jamming and creating with the amazing musicians I have always been so damn fortunate to be surrounded by. My Gibson Byrdland guitar driven song themelines had a life of their own, and the guys always plunged into them with all their heart and soul. Lucky lucky me, lucky lucky real musiclovers everywhere!
From there, you assembled a new band to join you on this maiden solo voyage. Besides fellow one-time Duke, Rob Grange on the bass, Derek St. Holmes joins on vocals and rhythm guitars, while Cliff Davies holds down the drums. How did this lineup come about and what did each individual member contribute to the music?
TN: A moment of silence please for the incredible gift of such killer, gifted bandmates! Once again, God shined down on me with these guys as a result of jamming with all sorts of musicians all the time. The inescapable grinding groove Rob and Cliff injected into my sacred songs (and yes I consider all my songs sacred representations of my deepest musical cravings) was every bandleader and songwriter’s dream. Add the phenomenal soulful voice of Derek and I give you the record I was sent to deliver!
The Ted Nugent album would also mark your first collaboration with famed producer Tom Werman, who would go onto produce many albums throughout out the course of your career. What did Werman bring to the table and how did he impact the overall direction of the album?
TN: Swear to God, Tom Werman and superman engineer Toby Reale were as integral to the integrity of this record as the band themselves! Tom and Tony, as well as longtime producer/supporter Lew Futterman truly believed in my music, my vision, and most importantly the details of the sound of the band. The entire team was stoked on the entire project and you could feel their passion for the music.
Equally of note is the rig you used for the album. As described on the back cover, your “no-nonsense approach to the electric guitar” consisted of “one guitar, eight Fender speaker cabinets, and no toys in between to mess up the signal”. In an age where guitarists were gravitating towards wah-wahs and other various effects pedals, what attracted you to this straightforward approach?
TN: After witnessing the amazing Jim McCarty with the Detroit Wheels many years earlier unleashing the most full, rich, dynamic guitar tone with a Gibson Byrdland plugged straight into a Fender Twin Reverb amplifier, there was no way I would dare interfere with such perfect tone and delivery.
Ted Nugent is full of one iconic riff and anthem after the next, from “Just What the Doctor Ordered” and “Snakeskin Cowboys”, to “Motor City Madhouse” and of course, “Stranglehold”. What did you set out to achieve when it came to the writing of this album, and when do you know a guitar riff will work for a song (i.e. “Stranglehold”)?
TN: When a musician like myself is so manically dedicated and addicted to exploring the guitarneck and amplifier configurations every day and every night all year long for so many years, one’s ears guide one’s hands into note and groove realms as adventurous and excitable as the Lewis and Clark expedition. When Chuck Berry and Bo Diddly are always there with you, such infectious patterns erupt and I instinctively pursued songs around them. Unleashing these guitar statement to uppity musiclovers every night on stage, their reaction is the ultimate decision maker that you are on to something! To this very day, like this morning, I did the same thing on a Gibson Byrdland and a Fender amp as if I were 10 years old again looking to make me very happy with sounds and rhythms. How damn cool is that?!
50 years after its release, Ted Nugent continues to rile up hard rockers, metal maniacs, hellraisers and shitkickers of all walks of life. Looking back on it now, how do you view the album in the scope of your discography and what about it are you most proud of?
TN: It certainly is humbling yet wildly inspiring to know how intensely I have connected with so many musiclovers around the world! I’m most proud that I stuck to my musical guns and fought and strove hard to surround myself with such worldclass musicians and producers to deliver my sacred musical statement. The love and support for my music and beliefs I get every day everywhere I go is the ultimate gift in life. I say thank you with all my heart and soul to my entire team and real musiclovers everywhere. I will be celebrating these songs and so many more again this summer in Michigan and Texas at a slew of Ted Nugent Shitkicker SpeakEzys, and can’t wait to share the spirit and energy of these timeless masterpieces!
For more information on Ted Nugent, visit www.tednugent.com.
uncle Ted and nuge java.perfect for what aisles you.