TED NUGENT

TED NUGENT - "I Love Those DAMN YANKEES And Would Join Forces With These Killers To Make Our Killer Music ASAP"








Backstage Axxess' Gus Griesinger has issued a new interview with hard rock legend TED NUGENT, an excerpt of which follows:


Q: You and guitarist Derek St. Holmes share a long history. I saw
you perform together last year and the energy between the two of you was
amazing. What's it like having him in your band now, as compared to his
role from the 1970s?


A: "Maturity is a beautiful thing, so I'm told. We avoid it at all
costs and naturally keep our music energy as raw and garage-band as
inhumanly possible. Derek is a very gifted musical force and his amazing
vocal signature on my classics is a cause for grand celebration. I have
the best high energy band on earth and Derek fits right in. We kill."


Q: Currently you are on the Midwest Rock-n-Roll Express tour with
REO SPEEDWAGON and STYX. You are now sharing the same bill as Tommy
Shaw. Every time your old band members in DAMN YANKEES (Tommy, Jack and
Michael) have done interviews and were asked about the possibility of a
Damn Yankees reunion, their answers are always similar in: 'It's up to
Ted!' What are your feelings about that and will you want to do it
again?


A: "I love those Damn Yankees and would join forces with these
killers to make our killer music ASAP! Unfortunately life is short and I
am immersed in so many of my favorite endeavors that timing is elusive
to say the least. We keep our fingers crossed."


Read the complete interview here.



Ted is known for his outspoken political views and raunchy song
lyrics, but he recently showed a softer side when he met hospice patient
Michael Golder at his concert in Peoria, Illinois.


As a teenager, Golder played guitar and had hopes of being a
musician. He even moved to Nashville to chase his dream before serving
with the Army in Vietnam.


Golder was just 19 and already a veteran when a motorcycle accident
left him paralyzed. After a year in the hospital and a series of
strokes, he was blind and in a wheelchair.





Even after all he'd been through, music was still a big part of his life, said Golder's brother Stephen Kuhnke.


But the past three decades have taken their toll, and at 55, Golder
is now a hospice patient. His life may have changed a lot, but his
enthusiasm for rock'n'roll never has.


"He's a ham," says Golder's nurse Thad Flohr of Passages Hospice. "Michael's a real character."


So Golder's caregivers contacted non-profit organization Hospice
Dreams to see what kind of special day they could arrange for the
lifelong fan. Hospice Dreams grants wishes for adult hospice patients,
with each Dream customized to the patient's favorite activities.


The organization contacted musician Ted Nugent, who was holding a
concert at the Peoria Civic Center near Golder's nursing home. Nugent
donated tickets and backstage passes to the show so Golder could have
"one awesome night".


"I'm gonna meet Ted Nugent," he told everyone he saw the day of the concert.





Nugent welcomed Golder, his brother and his caregivers backstage.
Nugent's dog Thunder and drummer Mick Brown were also on hand for the
visit.


The Motor City Madman joked that Golder should come on stage and
dance with him from his wheelchair. Golder shook his head, but accepted a
gift of guitar picks.


"These'll give you some really sexy licks [on the guitar]," Nugent said.


Although Golder couldn't see Nugent on stage, he heard Nugent dedicate a song to him and call out his name.


Golder did his part by bobbing his head and singing along with the music.


"I never knew Michael would get something like this," Kuhnke said.
"What a great organization. I'm indebted to everybody that takes care of
him."


For more information about Hospice Dreams or to make a Dream come true through a donation, see Hospicedreams.org.