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Posted on 02/04/2021 8:25:52 PM PST by nickcarraway
Ted Nugent reinforced his antidrug views by saying he refused to accept substances from Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon and Bon Scott over the years.
The guitarist – whose disapproval of intoxication issues is well-known – reflected that he’d managed to avoid going down the same road through “luck” and added that he’s watched many of his musical heroes succumb to the negative effects of dabbling.
“My mom and dad were smoking, drinking alcoholics,” Nugent said in a Facebook Live interview with his son Rocco. “And I was surrounded, in the rock ’n’ roll world, by smoking, drinking, drugged idiots. So what's the difference between a person that falls for that versus a person who defies that? I haven't the faintest idea. … Some people look for an easy way out, and some people don't. I didn't. I think it was just shit luck. 'Cause my brothers and sisters smoked and drank, and they didn't even surround themselves with goofball rock ’n’ roll dirtbags. I did.”
Asked if he modeled himself on only clean-living musicians, Nugent cited his appreciation of Keith Richards to prove that wasn’t the case. “He’s a walking chemical dump, always stoned," he said. "But he is so deep … so grinding in emotion and authoritative in his musicality. ... Most of my influences got high right in front of me. … The MC5, they were all stumbling, puking, stupid drunk and stoned, and I admired them beyond description. But then it caught up with them. … I watched the drugs and alcohol destroy the energy that I admired, destroy the groove that I admired.”
Nugent described MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer as a close friend, but “I think to this day, he thinks that dope is essential. … I had a conversation with him not that long ago where we disagreed on the use of marijuana and other intoxicants. ... The point is that, lucky me, I could differentiate between the delivery of the things I admired versus the … conduct of those that I admired.”
He noted that “Jimi Hendrix offered me his drugs, and I said no. John Belushi offered me his drugs; I said no. Keith Moon offered me his drugs and alcohol, and I said no. Bon Scott offered me his drugs and alcohol, and I said no. I said no to everybody.”
“Keith Richards was arrested in Canada once and they took a urine sample and it had a head on it.”
The Mounties refer to that test as “The Everything Bagel”.
Nugent cited his appreciation of Keith Richards to prove that wasn’t the case. “He’s a walking chemical dump...
It’s kinda too late for Richards to ever be said to have died from drugs at 76.
It’s not very old in today’s world but regular joes do die at that age.
But is he just a big pothead or is/was he big into the hard stuff?
That may be the difference.
Or he just has insane genetics.
Or he’s not human :)
Frank Zappa didn’t do drugs and when he caught band members coming in to work stoned he would give them extra difficult parts to practice.
No surprise Zappa’s Bo ring.
I’ve never understood conservatives appeal to Nugent the draft dodger
“But is he just a big pothead or is/was he big into the hard stuff”
Heroin addict.
I have no idea if he still is.
“We need to be concerned...”. Lol!!!!!
Good Lord.
I can see the human body surviving for quite a while even if you beat and batter it...but I would NOT expect the person to be able to function almost at all..no less tour with a band.
Most of the Stones are old and alive.
Maybe they made a deal with the devil :)
I’m joking but maybe something like that is possible.
That is not my area of expertise :)
“But is he just a big pothead or is/was he big into the hard stuff?”
Richards was the everything goes type.
He was arrested for possession of heroin in Canada. Looking at serious jail time he cut a deal with the Canadian courts. He went to rehab and did a lot of anti-drug stuff as part of the agreement.
Richards snorted coke the way a NYC cop eats donuts...or canolis. The guy just stuck his nose in the bag and inhaled.
Acid, peyote, magic mushrooms....he tried everything that came down the pike. At least twice.
Yeah, Richards loved the hard stuff.
The last time I saw Ted was in Little Rock, AR back in the 90’s and while on stage He was pointing out the people smoking Weed in front of the stage to the undercover dea & LRPD. It went on for the entire show.
The Lady I was with worked in the Bar/Restaurant on the 1st floor of the building that had the dea & Bad Attitude Towards Freedom and Expression upstairs. We saw several of them and waved to them. They tried ignoring Us so We followed them through the crowd. They finally stopped and talked to Us and We told them We just wanted to say Hi...
Alice Cooper had a birthday yesterday. Like Ted he is a MI boy.
Keith Richard claims he has survived because he only did pharmaceutical quality drugs.
And then he died at 52 anyways. Meanwhile, Jerry Garcia made it to 53. Not defending drug use or or abstinence. I appreciated both guitarists. A lot. Ted might not have done drugs but you would think he had “dabbled” in some hallucinogens after listening to Stranglehold.
Will Hunter Biden list names too????
I don’t think he was boring, just not everyone’s cup of tea. He could rock out with the best of them though. D.C. Boogie is a great jam. Right up there with Country Blues by Hendrix.
“So is Keith Richards. Just sayin’.”
The difference with Keith Richards was that he was a functional heroin addict. It wasn’t used as inspiration to the music he wrote so much as to keep him on a different emotional and physical plane. My father had numerous friends who were functioning heroin addicts. My parents and their friends would hang out at the beach during the summer. Most of them were high or drunk, but the heroin addicts behaved normally. It’s a strange sight to see.
That's an ongoing joke between my friends. Also, Keith and Betty should get together and have immortal children.
Yeah, I remember that story Gene Simmons told about them. "Farm Animals?!?!?"
Zappa didn’t do drugs, but smoked like a chimney and only made it to 53.
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