Ted Nugent is still furious about his absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, explaining that the organisers clearly have a vendetta against him due to his penchant for killing animals.
If you’ve ever listened to rock music over the last 50 years, then you likely would have heard of The Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent.
Kicking off a solo career in the mid-’70s, Nugent quickly became famous for classic guitar tracks like ‘Stranglehold’ and ‘Cat Scratch Fever’, but one place you won’t find his work is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In fact, Nugent is so incensed by this omission that in a 2018 interview, he referred to his absence as “sacrilege”, noting it was “disrespectful and cruel to Chuck [Berry], Bo [Diddley], and Little Richard.”
“Is it or is it not vulgar, dishonest, and obscene that Grand Master Flash, Patti Smith, and ABBA are in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but Ted ‘Fucking’ Nugent isn’t?” he asked. “Is that the most outrageous and disgusting lie you have ever seen?”
While two-time inductee David Crosby referred to Ted Nugent as “a hack player” who “could not write a decent song if his life depended on it,” Nugent is clearly still feeling sour about the whole situation.
Check out ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ by Ted Nugent:
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Ted Nugent again touched on his omission from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, standing by his previous comments.
“I think my statements are irrefutable. I mean, Styx is not in the Hall of Fame,” he explained. “How can Styx and Ted Nugent not be in the Hall of Fame, but Patti Smith is?
“I mean, just look at the name: Rock. And. Roll. Hall. Of. Fame. Hey, I’m not an English major, but I’m an English master. I know what those words mean, and Grandmaster Flash doesn’t qualify.
“ABBA. Madonna. Really? Somebody could look you in the eye and explain that to you with a straight face? I don’t fucking think so. No wonder the term ‘comfortably numb’ is appropriate often times in our society. Because someone was comfortably numb when they made those decisions.”
Asked why Nugent might have been left out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the rocker mentioned his activities and beliefs, explaining it’s “because I murder innocent animals.”
“I think the biggest one is because I’m really militantly anti-substance abuse, and I think everybody on the board abuses substances,” he explained. “That’s what I think.”
“But when it comes to music, I dismiss all political considerations, ideology considerations, race considerations, ethnic considerations, sexual confusion… whatever is different than me that has no bearing on my love of music.”
While Ted Nugent has been eligible for induction since 2000, it’s not exactly clear why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have looked him over. It may indeed be partly due to his rather controversial views and outspoken political statements, but that usually isn’t something that the Rock Hall tends to hold against musicians.
At this stage, it remains to be seen when and if Nugent will receive a nomination to be inducted, but you can be certain that whenever he does, he’ll think it’s way overdue.
Check out ‘Stranglehold’ by Ted Nugent:
