Ted Nugent says there's 'a lot of parallels' between him and Jeff Beck

Controversial musician and activist Ted Nugent has compared himself to rock legend Jeff Beck, saying that they shared ‘a lot of parallels’.

Jeff Beck died at age 78, and the news was confirmed on Wednesday, January 11th, a day after his passing, as per Rolling Stone.

A number of musicians have share touch tributes to the guitarist and reflected on their experiences together in the industry. Nugent, instead, used Jeff Beck’s passing as a way to give himself a pat on the back.

“We did a lot of shows early on with The Yardbirds and Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert from Vanilla Fudge. But his musical legacy has so enriched real music lovers’ life. And he was a good man; he was a kind man.”There was a lot of parallels [between Jeff and me] because the way he expressed himself on the guitar, it referenced that mechanics of horsepower. It represent[ed] the spirit side of the samurai, the martial arts. He was an archer. He made his own long bows out of Osage orange and he made his own arrows. So there’s a lot of parallels there.\

“When you play with that dynamic lyricism that Jeff Beck had mastered and uncharted tonalities, it was really mesmerizing. And ultimately, as I say about Eddie Van Halen and all of our lost souls, when Chuck Berry passed, their music will continue to enrich our lives. So nobody ever forget Jeff Beck.”And if you haven’t listened to a lot of Jeff Beck, go back to The Yardbirds and go back to the Jeff Beck ‘Truth’ album — unbelievable soulful music.”

Jeff Beck was a legendary British rock musician who first gained prominence in the 1960s with The Yardbirds. His innovative instrumental work has spanned multiple genres, from blues rock to jazz fusion.

The guitarist won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance six times and was honoured with the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music in 2014. He was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice and has been ranked in the top five of Rolling Stone‘s list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.