Where is ‘The Motor City Madman’ Rocker Ted Nugent These Days?
Theodore Anthony Nugent, better known as Ted Nugent (or Uncle Ted, The Nuge and Motor City Madman) is now 76 years old and still rockin’ out. Although he seems to be in the news more so for his controversial political statements these days, many remember him for being the lead guitarist of 1960s psychedelic band The Amboy Dukes (“Journey to the Center of the Mind“), part of the supergroup Damn Yankees with Tommy Shaw (Styx), singer/bassist Jack Blades (Night Ranger), and drummer Michael Cartellone (Lynyrd Skynyrd) as well as forming his own successful solo career. While he’s slowed down a bit because of his age, let’s find out what he’s been up to in recent years.
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Earlier this year, Nugent went out on a short tour in Texas and Oklahoma, performing his hits after previously completing what was said to be his farewell tour in 2023. At the Adios Mofo ’23 Tour, he was joined by drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny Schoen.
When asked about his decision to stop touring, he admitted, “Hotels are jail. I hate jail… I will always play music. The music still has fire. I still crave it. I’ve got new songs. I’m gonna go in the studio with these killer musicians that are always at my side. But traveling, I tell you… A hotel room is jail… The travel and the hotels…” Despite retiring from touring, he confirmed that he isn’t done performing live, as shown by his recent shows. In addition to embarking on a farewell tour, just a year prior, he released his latest album called Detroit Muscle (2022), paying tribute to his Michigan roots.
Nugent also shared that one of his reasons for slowing down was due to his large family. Nugent has been married twice and shares six children with four women. He now has many grandchildren and said, “Yeah, I’m an energized son of a bitch, but I am 75, and I’m not swinging from ropes and I’m not wearing a loincloth and I’m not jumping off the amplifiers with my new knees. So I will miss it, but, again, I’ve got 12 grandkids and I don’t wanna go away someday and not make an imprint on them, teach them about the important things in life. In a world that’s really gone really stupid, I think my grandparenting responsibilities are more important now than ever.”
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While he is not touring at the moment he does do a one-off show here or there and played a couple of dates this past summer looking ahead to 2025 there are no dates planned at the moment. However, Night Ranger is still touring do throw in some Damn Yankees tunes. Share your thoughts on Ted Nugent in the comments!
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