TED NUGENT Delivers Anti-Drug Message To Students; Video Available
March 10, 2010, 14 years ago
Daily Tribune's Jen Anesi reports:
Students cheered when TED NUGENT, aka the Motor City Madman, stepped onto the gymnasium floor during an assembly at Shrine Catholic Academy and High School in Royal Oak.
The Detroit native and famous rocker came to visit his granddaughter, a student at the school, and to deliver a motivational speech to about 150 of his granddaughter's peers and teachers.
"You children owe me," he began, after applause had died down. "I got you out of class for this. Say, 'Thank you, Uncle Ted.' "Nugent, known for publicly denouncing the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco products, conveyed his anti-drug message using his fellow musicians as cautionary tales.
The 61-year-old musician cited legendary guitarist JIMI HENDRIX, drummer Keith Moon of THE WHO, and AC/DC's Bon Scott as examples of talented rockers who chose to abuse drugs and alcohol, and died from substance abuse.
"I'm proud to say my music is more intense, my love of music is more intense than ever, my love of life is more intense than ever, which inspires more music that is more intense than ever, because I've been 61 years clean and sober," Nugent said."No drugs, no alcohol, no tobacco, no poison. No silly, funny joke called peer pressure. I'm an individual."
Nugent peppered his speech with solo acoustic renditions of 'Johnny B. Goode', 'Stranglehold', 'Cat Scratch Fever' and 'Fred Bear', much to the delight of the adults in the audience who whooped and cheered after each performance.
"Not bad for an old guy, huh?" said Nugent while the applause died down.Nugent also took time to advocate hunting as a sport, discuss his opinion on gun control and urge children to stay in school, saying: "Without the basics, you got nothin'. You're a bum."
Read the full report and check out video footage at this location.
