TED NUGENT, At 76, Says He Can Still Hit The High Notes In Some Of His Classic Songs: 'The Music Is So Inspiring'

In a new interview with "Bolling!", the Real America's Voice show hosted by Eric Bolling, legendary rocker Ted Nugent was asked if he can still hit the high notes in some of his classic songs. He responded in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "If I play 'Wango Tango', which is the greatest white guy's attempt at Little Richard — I'm the only white guy that ever got close to Little Richard — yeah, I can still hit those high notes because I'm a man that is influenced by the greatest philosopher of all time, Dirty Harry, when he said, 'A good man knows his limitations.' So if I start out with the high screaming songs like Sammy Hagar does every song, then I can hit those high notes. But again, I'm 77 this year. This is outrageous, and this is my hunting beard, so I look older than I really feel. But the music is so inspiring."

He continued: "I'm telling you, Eric, when we hit the stage every night, it's out of body. It's like a martial arts, like a Bruce Lee musicianship thing. It literally takes over your entire being, if you really believe in the music. And what you're talking about THE WHO in 2025, Roger [Daltrey] and Pete [Townshend], they still believe in the music. They're so proud of those musical statements. So when we get up on stage, it's literally the mountain top of the human experience. It's like being the greatest welder in the world — which is more important than music. The greatest welder in the world, his welds will last forever. What a great testament to work ethic and dreams."

Regarding his mindset when performing live, Ted said in part: " I love my music. I love my music more than anybody loves my music. [I've got] Jason Hartless on drums. Johnny 'Big' [Schoen] on bass guitar. It's out of body, soulful, just so intense, so irreverent, so defiant, so grooved, so Motown, so James Brown. So it doesn't matter what songs I play, where I play them, they all have a life of their own… It's all about letting it rip, when you're gonna play rock and roll. We consider every concert an audition to be James Brown's band. My musicians are so gifted, so dedicated. They have indefatigable, Herculean work ethic and they love rhythm and blues, soul music, James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Little Richard, my hero. So every night is the most important concert of our lives, and I've done 7,007 of them and I can't wait for 7,008."

Ted recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his iconic rock anthem "Stranglehold" with several exclusive "SpeakEzy Rockout" gigs.

In 2023, Ted completed his "Adios Mofo '23" farewell tour. The trek saw him backed by his most recent solo band consisting of drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny "Big" Schoen.

In an interview with "THAT Rocks!", the now-76-year-old Ted spoke about his decision to embark on what was billed as his last-ever tour. Regarding why he doesn't want to spend time on the road anymore, Ted said in part: "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… And I don't even have to go to TSA [Transportation Security Administration]; I mean, I gave the finger to them in 2009. If somebody doesn't send a jet, I don't go anywhere. My friends are better than your friends, 'cause my friends have jets. So, I'm not TSA and I'm not gonna let somebody fondle my Glock [gun] and ask me questions about gun laws. And hotels are so painful for me."

Ted went on to clarify that he is not retiring from playing live. "The fire, the music, it will always go on," he said. "I play my guitar every day… And I get to collaborate with the best musicians in the world. So it's always a challenge, it's always intriguing, it's always stimulating. I'm an old man, but the stimuli factor… I hope that somebody else in this world is as stimulated by the music as I am, because it's still very much alive and well."

Asked if he will miss the audience and the live interaction on stage, Ted said: "Yes. Of course I will. But again, I won't miss it because I'll still do it… I'm not going out for months or even weeks. I'll do the occasional special events. I do a lot of corporate stuff… Yeah, I'm an energized son of a bitch, but I am 7[6], 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."

Nugent's self-titled debut album in 1975 was certified double platinum in the United States, while "Free-for-All", "Cat Scratch Fever", "Weekend Warriors" and "State Of Shock" all reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Nugent has reportedly sold over 40 million albums and was named Detroit's greatest guitar player of all time by readers of MLive.

The conservative rocker, who has been eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Nugent's latest album, "Detroit Muscle", was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's previous touring band, which included bassist Greg Smith and Hartless.