The Motor City Madman invaded the Nassau Coliseum on New Year’s Day, 1979 .

Ted Nugent was the driving force of the band that recorded one of my favorite singles, The Amboy Dukes “Journey to the Center of the Mind”.
The Sunday newspaper would publish the top ten singles of the week and I would check off the ones I owned and plot future record purchases. Even as a youth the rock and roll bug had taken hold of me. I had the rockin’ pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu early on.

I attended the Lenny Kaye Nuggets show at City Winery last year and the band played “Journey to the Center of the Mind” which was one of many great tunes in the Nuggets collection that was compiled by Lenny Kaye who is best known for being the guitarist in the Patti Smith Group. Someone in the Nuggets band asked if Ted was still cool. I’m assuming the crack was made because of Nugent’s Republican politics and his hunting lifestyle.
Is Ted still cool?
Is rock and roll still cool?
Is kick ass guitar playing still cool?
Yes, Ted Nugent is still cool.

Happy New Year indeed!
Double Live Gonzo

GQ