Ted Nugent: Will anti-Obama rant cost him more gigs?
Will Ted Nugent鈥檚 harsh comments about President Obama rebound and hit the shock rocker in the pocketbook? It looks like that鈥檚 possible following Fort Knox鈥檚 cancellation of a Nugent appearance at the Army post鈥檚 annual summer concert.
Mr. Nugent had been scheduled to appear with fellow 鈥�70s flashback acts REO Speedwagon and Styx on June 23 at Ford Knox鈥檚 Godman Army Airfield. But concert organizers last week decided it was time for Nugent to fly out of their lineup after he criticized Obama officials as 鈥渧ile鈥� and 鈥渦n-American鈥� and said that if Mr. Obama wins reelection, 鈥淚 will either be dead or in jail by this time next year.鈥�
On Thursday, Secret Service agents met with Nugent to discuss his comments, as it is illegal to threaten to president. Afterward, the agents said they were satisfied Nugent meant Obama no physical harm, but that wasn鈥檛 enough for the Motor City Madman to ride the storm out and keep the Fort Knox gig.
鈥淎fter learning of opening act Ted Nugent鈥檚 recent public comments about the president of the United States, Fort Knox leadership decided to cancel his performance on the installation,鈥� on the post鈥檚 Facebook page.
Someone else may step in and take Nugent鈥檚 place, according to the Fort Knox Morale, Welfare, and Recreation office, ticket prices and availability, plus the phrase 鈥渟pecial guest to be announced.鈥�
Controversy could now follow Nugent wherever he is supposed to appear. Over the weekend, two city councilmen in Bangor, Maine, called for the cancellation of a Nugent show scheduled for July 8 on the city鈥檚 Penobscot River waterfront.
Concert promoter Alex Gray said Sunday the Bangor concert is still on. If people don鈥檛 like Nugent鈥檚 remarks, they can choose to stay away, said Mr. Gray, according to the .
Will Nugent be sorry he publicly expressed such harsh opinions about politics? After all, that kind of thing can be a long-term money loser for popular entertainers, given that their audiences by definition are large enough to contain voters from both parties. Hank Williams Jr. lost his status as provider of the theme song for 鈥�Monday Night Football鈥� after he made an analogy involving Obama and Adolf Hitler, remember.
Politics can even be bad business for politicians. Look at Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker鈥檚 think tank, the Center for Health Transformation, filed for bankruptcy this month. The once high-flying center saw its fortunes decline dramatically as Mr. Gingrich himself struggled on the presidential campaign trail.
But let鈥檚 be honest: Nugent is not going to speak much differently in the future, since his rhetoric has been over the top since approximately the Carter administration. Perhaps the satirical publication The Onion best summed up Nugent鈥檚 verbal approach to the world with its classic , 鈥淭ed Nugent Talks That Way Even When Buying Socks.鈥�
Nugent鈥檚 new business venture might even benefit from attention generated by rocker鈥檚 latest controversy. He鈥檚 launching a line of high-performance hunting ammunition, . Its slogan is 鈥渒ill 鈥檈m, grill 鈥檈m鈥�: Noted carnivore Nugent insists that he eats the animals he shoots.
