Ted Nugent Goes 'On the Record!'

This is a partial transcript from On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, April 16, 2004 that has been edited for clarity.

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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: He is known as a rock star, an avid outdoorsman and a best-selling author. Now, I don't have to tell you who it is, Ted Nugent can add TV star to his list of accomplishments. His new show, "Surviving Nugent: The Ted Commandments" will premiere as a series on VH-1 on May 1. Ted Nugent joins us from Pittsburgh where he's attending the annual National Rifle Association convention with Vice President Dick Cheney.

Ted, what's with the hat?

TED NUGENT, MUSICIAN: Greetings, Greta

VAN SUSTEREN: Greetings.

NUGENT: It's turkey season. I'm celebrating turkey season. Aren't you going turkey hunting this week, Greta?

VAN SUSTEREN: Well, I would, but I don't have the hat. Is that what the hat's for?

NUGENT: I can get you a hat just like this.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Well, I look forward to that hat, so I'll be waiting for that to arrive. All right, let me get to the second thing, your new series on VH-1, what is it?

NUGENT: It's called "Surviving Nugent." It's where we celebrate this wonderful hands-on conservation lifestyle that the Nugent family and the hunters and fishermen and trappers still do here in America. And we bring a bunch of city kids in, and on VH-1 you'll be able to see "Surviving Nugent" where these city kids have to learn to man up and become self- sufficient and to take care of business, and to do their chores and to be rugged individuals and celebrate this hands-on conservation lifestyle.

VAN SUSTEREN: Is it a reality-type show with sort of a contest built into it, much like "The Apprentice," where somebody ultimately wins in the end?

NUGENT: Yes, the winner gets $100,000 and a 1934 hot rod, and plus they get to have barbecues with the Nugent family. And I do have to start with 13, and nix all but one. But it's a grueling contest. And there were am awful lot of ambulance calls. I've got to tell you that. But no one was killed and no one was permanently injured, and everybody had a great time. And they did learn about putting more back into nature than you take out, even though it was painful along the way.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, you say ambulance calls. That wasn't just for the contestants. You had an injury on this, right?

NUGENT: Yes. I'm going to win numb nut of the year this time. I was wrestling with a chainsaw for your entertainment value, and I almost chopped my left leg off. But I was moonwalking that night so I'll be just fine.

VAN SUSTEREN: And it sounds like the chainsaw at least won that round, right?

NUGENT: Yes, there's a bunch of Ted Nugent DNA in about 12 acres of Texas hillside right now. But it was just a little slip. I should have yinged when I yanged, and the chainsaw came down, the tree came down and I was trying to protect the contestants, and in the process this big giant entertainment-sized chainsaw took my left knee. It was dangerous and pretty serious, but I missed all the most vital elements and they sewed me up and I was ok.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right. The show has how many episodes -- I assume they're all in the can, right, they're done?

NUGENT: Yes, we're all done. We filmed throughout the winter, and there's six episodes beginning on VH-1 on May 1. And Greta, it's a hoot. You're going to just laugh yourself to death.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, well, I'm sure that I won't miss it. All right. Let's turn to politics. You're big in politics, aren't you, Ted?

NUGENT: Well, I'm a "we the people" kind of guy. So I want to make sure that my family is a hands-on experiment in self-government kind of family. And we're very involved in letting our elected officials know what we expect based on common sense and self-evident truth policy-making. So yes, I'm very political in that aspect.

VAN SUSTEREN: Have you always been interested in politics? We all know about your music career, we know about your hunting. But is -- when did politics become sort of your fascination?

NUGENT: Well, I was fascinating at the attack on the American dream. I translate that as being the best that you can be, and I saw the hippies and the idiots in the music industry just puking and dying in the name of parties and the drugs and the alcohol and the tobacco death march all around me. And I saw that the bloodsuckers were getting more policies to benefit them than the conscientious, working hard, playing hard, productive members of society. And I saw the simple common sense basics of America, the right to keep and bear arms, the right to self-defense, the transfer from a justice system to a legal system that doesn't seem to be interested in justice, the education that turns out graduates who can't talk. Know I'm saying? I was really repulsed by the abandonment of decency, good will, good faith, and being the best that you can be, so I got involved to try to impact policy-making to benefit those in the asset column, those productive, conscientious, hard-working, caring members of society.

VAN SUSTEREN: And with that, I'm sorry, we're out of time, because I didn't get to talk about my other favorite topic with you, your music. But I'll save that next time. I'll look forward to getting that hat, Ted.

NUGENT: I'll be sure to get you one. It comes from Texas.

VAN SUSTEREN: Yes, sure you will. All right, thanks, Ted.

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