The Arizona Republic's Ed Masley has issued an interview with TED NUGENT. The following is an excerpt:

Q: First of all, Ted, I'm a huge fan of your music, always have been. 'Cat Scratch Fever', 'Free-For-All' and 'Stranglehold' all sound as fresh today as ever. Why do you think they've held up so well?

A: "Thank you. Everything about those recordings - from my impulse to create/unleash the songs to my incredible band and the entire production team - is all about our united celebration of raw, instinctual primal-scream all-American R&B;&R;&R; soul music. We all focused clearly on the fundamental urgency of our natural, uninhibited love of the songs, the sound, the spirit and the attitude. We were all brought up on Black American soul music and we felt an absolute commitment to represent our love of that music in every detail. Killer music is timeless."

Q: The name of your tour is Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead. What appealed to you about that name?

A: "I was raised to be the absolute best that you can be - that no excuses would be tolerated. Thank God, huh? Being blessed to train with the incredible warriors of the U.S. military (Nugent has trained one-on-one, through the years, with assorted troops, law-enforcement personnel, Navy Seals, U.S. Marshals and more), I am reminded all the time that the trend in America to act like sheep is not only an embarrassment, it is a curse that is destroying the American Way. It is another way of saying lead, follow or get out of my way. My entire family, band, crew and team operate accordingly. It works."

Read the full interview at AZCentral.com.