Remarks put Nugent in stranglehold, baby
DJs, listeners want to wring his neck over racial ranting
By Mark Brown, Rocky Mountain News
May 6, 2003 Denver radio listeners and disc jockeys were shell-shocked Monday after rocker Ted Nugent used derogatory racial terms for Asians and blacks on live radio.
The highly rated Lewis &Floorwax morning show on 103.5-FM The Fox quickly turned into a discussion of race relations after the '70s rocker made his statements.
In using the words "g----" and "n-----" on live radio, Nugent was apparently trying to make the point that the terms were just words and shouldn't offend anyone. But he missed the mark, listeners and Fox personnel agreed.
Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, longtime Nugent supporters and friends, were taken aback when Nugent went on his rant and took him to task on the air. Floorwax said on the air that he was disappointed that Nugent used the words; Lewis noted that Nugent likes to shock but went too far.
The show's producer, Kathy Lee, is of Korean descent. She said on the air that she wasn't personally offended but suggested that Nugent make an apology to the Asian community in Denver.
"I don't think he's a racist, but he'll come on the show occasionally and drop a bomb like that and then step back to see the reaction it gets," Lewis said after the show. "He loves that reputation of a shoot-from-the-hip kind of guy."
Eric Sung, chapter president of the Organization of Chinese Americans, said that Nugent's words still cut deep.
"Whatever his intentions . . . the fact that he's using them so freely is dangerous," Sung said. "In 2003, to hear someone like Ted Nugent using those words so freely and carelessly, without thinking about it, is really disappointing."
The conversation was innocuous talk about guitars until Nugent referred to "Japs" in reference to Japanese-made guitars. Lewis and Floorwax immediately called him on that, which only encouraged Nugent to go further, using the word "g----."
The DJs protested further, and Nugent went further, noting Richard Pryor's use of the word "n-----" as a comic device and said that, long ago, one of the Funk Brothers used that term as a compliment to describe Nugent's guitar playing.
"We called him twice on it, and he kind of dug a deeper hole for himself," Lewis said. "As one listener said, we threw him a life preserver and he didn't use it."
The phone lines lit up with outraged listeners. Many said they understood the point Nugent was trying to make, but that his use of the terms and attitude ended up hurting him more than helping.
Nugent, a board member of the National Rifle Association and known for his outspokenness, was traveling and could not be reached.
One fan took him to task for the terms on Nugent's Web site, and Nugent replied that political correctness "has brought America to its knees. Not me. NEVER!"
It puts the DJs in an awkward position because Nugent, a frequent guest, is scheduled to headline the radio station's Hawgfest show in Winter Park in July. The fireworks could continue today, as Nugent's wife is slated as a phone-in guest on the show.
Lewis and Floorwax were adamant in their opposition to Nugent's views. "Sometimes all (listeners) remember is the offensive part and relate it to you because it was on your show," Lewis said.