Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent has ignited fresh controversy in the rock world after sharing a new video in which he takes aim at several well-known musicians, including Tom Morello, GREEN DAY, Eminem, and Jack White. The comments, which blend musical critique with sharp political commentary, quickly drew attention due to both the high-profile names involved and Nugent’s long history of outspoken views.

The comments appear in a new video uploaded to Nugent’s official YouTube channel on January 1, as part of his ongoing The Spirit Campfire series. Titled “Talk Music With Uncle Ted,” the clip finds Nugent reflecting on musicians he admires musically while sharply criticizing their political views.

While Nugent acknowledged the talent of several artists he mentioned, much of his criticism centered not on musicianship, but on what he described as their ideological positions. Among those singled out were members of THE WHITE STRIPER, GREEN DAY, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, and Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer Eminem.

In the newly released video, Nugent appeared dismissive of that history as he launched into a wide-ranging critique of several artists. While discussing Jack White and Eminem — both of whom recently appeared during a Thanksgiving halftime performance for the Detroit Lions — Nugent said (as transcribed by ThePRP]: “The guy in THE WHITE STRIPER, I can’t think of his name, but he played the halftime show with Eminem for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. A big deal. …Don’t they always lose? The Lions are a football team in Detroit, by the way…

“Jack White, is that his name? Jack White. No, I think The White Stripes, is that his name? Anyhow, he was great. It wasn’t like a 10 like Sammy Hagar or James Brown. I think Sammy Hagar and James Brown and Steven Tyler, those are tens. Angus Young of AC/DC, that’s a 10. The guy’s a maniac. Billy Gibbons in the blues, rhythm, and blues, soul music category, he’s a 10.

“Now, is that his name, Jack White? Jack White, he’s not a 10. He’s like a four and a five, but he really delivered real rock and roll. Real Detroit piss and vinegar. And Eminem, the guy’s a… Both of those guys, Eminem and Jack White: total idiots.

“They don’t want their country to have secure borders,” he continued. They think men should destroy women’s sports. Well, that’s not… that’s exactly what they stand for. When you hate Donald Trump, you you want men in women’s sports to destroy women’s rights. That’s what these guys stand for. They don’t think our border should be secured. They think we should invite jihadists in who announce they want to kill the infidels. They announce they want to kill Americans. And Jack White and Eminem say, ‘Yeah, that bring them in. Bring those guys in.’ Freak idiots.

“But their music is soulful. Just like GREEN DAY. GREEN DAY, there’s not a brain amongst them, I don’t think. But man, can they play really, really killer stuff. Like Tom Morello, Is that his name? Tom Morel? Morello, who played with Springsteen and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE., when actually they are the machine. Come on Tom, you got to know that. You’re not raging against the machine. You are the machine.

“They don’t believe that America should have secure borders, which means they don’t believe in America,” Ted added. “Which means they want to have a great successful life in America, but they don’t think you should be able to have one. Hey, Tom, come on my show. Explain… make your case. Good luck.”

Nugent’s remarks toward Tom Morello were especially notable, given Morello’s past comments about their relationship. In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist said the two maintained a “good” friendship despite their opposing political views, explaining: “Ted Nugent’s a good friend to me. We have very similar views on freedom of speech. His libertarian edge and my anarchist edge overlap considerably. Sometimes, if he says something outrageous that will fire up his racist base, I’ll text him to say, ‘Dude. What are you on about?’ We’re able to talk about it as friends as opposed to people on the opposite sides of the barricade.”