Ted Nugent: “If You Don’t Enjoy My Interviews, You’re An Idiot”

"Every hateful statement ever made about me is a dirty lie."

So begins Ted Nugent's CNN Red Chair Interview. In the approximate four-minute chat, Nugent opens up about how he stayed clean at the height of his superstardom ("How did I avoid the temptation to indulge in substance abuse?" he asks. "The same way I avoided the temptation to stab myself in the eye with an ice pick: I don't do stupid things"), how his mother was one of his biggest supporters and why he is, in his opinion at least, the grandfather every child wishes they had.

By Nugent's standards, the interview is rather neutral. While he is open in talking about his love of hunting and how he thinks it's one of the best possible releases from the hassles of the music industry, he also reflects on his refusal to become a typical rock star.

"I don't wanna be a rock star. I don't believe in rock stars. If you really examine what goes with being a rock star, I've avoided that really well," he laughs. "Rock stars are cute, they got nice haircuts and I love the pierced nipples, but I'm more into working hard, playing hard, making great music and going hunting."

While some of Nugent's expected bravado is on full display in the interview, he also opens up about his late parents, admitting that he made a mistake by not attending his mother's funeral.

"My dad never understood the music, but when he started seeing how I conducted myself, that I remained clean and sober in the whirlwind of hippie insanity, he saw the defiance and discipline he trained me with was coming to its ultimate fruition," he says. "My dad was very, very proud of me."

Nugent is even more endearing when the talk turns to his grandchildren. He claims to be the "master of snuggling" before proclaiming, "I am Mister Rogers with a machine gun," he says. "I'm so much fun. Every kid wishes I was their grandpa! I'm the Motor City Madgramps."

Watch Ted Nugent's CNN Red Chair Interview