Ted Nugent enters the 'No Spin Zone'

Bill sits down with the controversial rocker to talk politics, music and more

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," February 7, 2014. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

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O'REILLY: "Personal Story" segment tonight. Perhaps, the most controversial rock star in the country is 65-year-old, Ted Nugent.

Big-gun guy has sold more than 40 million albums and those, pretty much, everybody in the rock world. But, sometimes, Nugent's politics can make things a bit dicey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'REILLY: So, your place in the music world, you know, most of them are avowed liberal people. How do they treat you.

TED NUGENT, MUSICIAN: They treat me wonderfully. You know, there have been some real frictions over the years. In fact, some artists -- I used the name generously -- have actually dedicated their albums to their family and friends and then had a big "F.U., Ted Nugent" on their record.

But they've come -- they've come around. I guess they put down the dope temporarily.

(LAUGHTER)

And they've realized that I'm just a Detroit guitar player who stands up for the right thing. The love fest is indescribable. I have great things. I've been doing this for over 50 years.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: You sold 45 million records. The bonafides are there in the music industry.

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McCartney, have you ever run across him.

NUGENT: No. But here's a great McCartney story. This crystallizes the whole thing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

So, Paul McCartney was being interviewed in Detroit many years ago with his new "Band on the Run." And, of course, where would any of our quality of life be without the Beatles and the incredible gifts of Paul McCartney.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And so, Paul was doing an interview in Detroit where I'm god, by the way.

(LAUGHTER)

I was just voted the number one guitarist of all times in Detroit and Paul was giving an interview. And the interviewer asked him, "So, what do you think of our Motor City madman, Ted Nugent.

And he went into this tirade of how I'm a coward because slaughter innocent animals that can't shoot back.

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: Well, he's a vegan and a serious vegan.

NUGENT: And so, they called me to respond.

O'REILLY: Yes.

NUGENT: Because they thought, "We'll get Ted going here on this one."

O'REILLY: Right.

NUGENT: They said Paul condemned me and said I never had a good musical idea in my life and was just really hateful. And they asked me what my response was.

And I go, "Well, there's only one response I can give to Paul McCartney. Thank you, Paul, for enriching our lives with the greatest music, the soundtrack," --

O'REILLY: Good for you, good for you.

NUGENT: And I said, "If he wants tofu, I'll shoot him some tofu. I have no problems with it."

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: You don't have -- Ted, you don't have to shoot tofu. No, it's just bad.

NUGENT: Well, it's more fun if you do.

O'REILLY: Well, I guess.

(LAUGHTER)

Rap. Jay-Z, huge, right, Jay-Z.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

The rap thing is almost taking over the music industry. And you say?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NUGENT: Well, have a nice day with that but I come from the original Soul Brothers, --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

-- to James Brown, to Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Bo Diddley. These guys just reeked of an American --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

-- defiant, celebratory, be-the-best-that-you-can-be, practice-as- hard-as-possible, and deliver the best music possible.

So, that was the inspiration for all my fellow musicians even to this day. I don't get the rap thing, which is fascinating, because my son, Rocco, --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

-- does kind of a spiritual rock or hip-hop type of thing, which I cringed at at first, --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

-- but I also support my son in his own musical vision, --

O'REILLY: Sure.

NUGENT: -- his own musical dreams.

O'REILLY: Right.

NUGENT: So, I don't get that music. If I was funky and I want driving rhythms, I'll go to James Brown or this new guy, Bruno Mars.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: I'll go to Earth, Wind and Fire. All right, last question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

You're anti-drug, all right.

NUGENT: Hard-core.

O'REILLY: Hard-core anti-drug. So am I, as you know. What about this legalization of marijuana thing. What do you think of that.

NUGENT: I'll try to capsulize it. Would you want your pilot high. Would you want your butcher high. Who would you want to be high in your life.

And after 50 years of rocking and rolling, holding my gifted musicians in my arms as they died, you can't convince me that it's a victimless crime or it's individual choice. You've clearly identified that you get high to disconnect.

O'REILLY: Right.

NUGENT: What are the benefits to disconnecting. I disconnect but I do it in a tree stand with a sharp stick, so I'm at least getting meat when I get high.

(LAUGHTER)

O'REILLY: There's a purpose.

NUGENT: There's a purpose.

O'REILLY: All right, Ted Nugent, everybody, one of a kind.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'REILLY: A great interview. And this is a good time to tell you that I am wearing a red tie tonight to highlight the battle against heart disease in America.

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