- Denver radio listeners and disc jockeys were shell-shocked Monday after rocker Ted Nugent used derogatory racial terms for Asians and blacks on live radio.
The highly rated Lewis & Floorwax morning show on 103.5-FM The Fox quickly turned into a discussion of race relations after the '70s rocker made his statements.
In using the words "g----" and "n-----" on live radio, Nugent was apparently trying to make the point that the terms were just words and shouldn't offend anyone. But he missed the mark, listeners and Fox personnel agreed.
Rick Lewis and Michael Floorwax, longtime Nugent supporters and friends, were taken aback when Nugent went on his rant and took him to task on the air. Floorwax said on the air that he was disappointed that Nugent used the words; Lewis noted that Nugent likes to shock but went too far.
....The conversation was innocuous talk about guitars until Nugent referred to "Japs" in reference to Japanese-made guitars. Lewis and Floorwax immediately called him on that, which only encouraged Nugent to go further, using the word "g----."
The DJs protested further, and Nugent went further, noting Richard Pryor's use of the word "n-----" as a comic device and said that, long ago, one of the Funk Brothers used that term as a compliment to describe Nugent's guitar playing.
"We called him twice on it, and he kind of dug a deeper hole for himself," Lewis said. "As one listener said, we threw him a life preserver and he didn't use it." [Rocky Mountain News]
Would anyone give a donkey dong about this guy if he wasn't a bloodthirsty redneck? He hasn't done anything new or interesting on the guitar in 30 years, can't sing to save a testicle and is about as sexist as they come. He had a pretty good riff-rock band for a while in the '70s, but who didn't?
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
ah, they shouldn't have kicked him off the air.
it's not that much different than savage referring to "turd world nations" or jay severin screaming about "wetbacks".
if they want to parade their ignorance for all the world to see, i say let 'em.
and eric, you are oh so right about nugent and his guitar. not much interesting since "Weekend Warriors".
2 - Tom Johnson
"Not much interesting"?! What about Damn Yankees?! Hmm? Oh, wait . . . (cough)
3 - Eric Olsen
Exactly
4 - Tim Hall
Nugent and Yngwie Malmsteen should get on fine!
Can't really comment on Nugent's music because I don't own any of his albums; the stuff of his I've heard hasn't encouraged me to want to pick any of them up.
But somehow I keep buying each new Yngwie album in the vain hope that it won't be crap....
5 - Anne
Like Eric wrote, Nugent has to keep his name in the press somehow since he hasn't done anything remotely interesting musically over the past 30 years!
6 - Marla
Don't the stations have to be concerned about FCC regulations, at least as much as Nugent's offending their listeners? I feel sure something like "turd world nations" gets by because the FCC hasn't gotten around to banning it. The n-word, on the other hand, has been around long enough that I'm pretty sure there is a specific FCC rule against its use.
7 - DB
Hey...Everyone has the right to free speech, even if it don't go over too well with certain people. I agree that there are many things people should refrain from saying, but you and I don't have the right to tell someone what they can, or cannot say! As far as Ted Nugent not doing anything in 30 years...so what! At least he is well known and has enough money to be very comfortable...can you say that? Criticize him all you want...I am plenty sure he could care less. Always seems the folks who get offended easily are the ones doing most of the trash talk!
8 - Steeley
1: "He hasn't done anything new or interesting on the guitar in 30 years"
And God hasn't done anything new or interesting since the big bang. (Oh, wait, I forgot, there IS Ted.. and Jesus was pretty significant too. So amend that, God hasn't done anything significant "in the last 30 years" either.)
2: "The n-word, on the other hand, has been around long enough that I'm pretty sure there is a specific FCC rule against its use."
Nyet, comrade. The "word-fomerly-known-as-a-derogatory-reference-to-negros/scratch that/blacks/scratch that/african-americans" falls into the "community-standards" classification, if you can convince the FCC one way of the other.
3- "Everyone has the right to free speech"
Yup - However, the content of the show is the right and responsibility of the hosts, or the station. Ted has the right to say anything he wants, but they have the right and responsibility to decide if they want to broadcast it, just like this site has the right to decide if what I have the right to say they will show to you or not - it's not *my* site.
And, just like Muskegon has the right to decide whether it will enter into a contract for a "Nuge Show". (However, once they do, the contract rules - go get 'em, Ted. I can't wait to see the courthouse walls bleed too.)
Steeley
*If guns kill, pencils lie.*
9 - TDavid
Sounds like Ted exercised a stranglehold with his common sense on that radio show. In this day and age where there is heightened sensitivity to derogatory racial terms, his making those type of comments was totally asking for trouble. People are losing their jobs, making front page news for this kind of stupidity. Come on, Mr. Wango Tango, pull your head out!
10 - Anthony
Explain to me why someone of the Black community can use the "N" word all day in dam near every sentence and that's O.K. But let one white person say it and they are condemned. You people need to get your heads out of your favorite hiding place. I think there is a lot more going on in this world that needs your attention more than who used the "G" or "N" word. Personally I don't give a rat's ass who says it!
11 - Eric Olsen
If you're in a group you can call the group anything you want - if you're not you can't. It's that simple.
12 - Joe
Blogger, please.
13 - hh
Are you fed up about political correctness.
Anti- PC bunmper sticker available
go to www.anti-pc.net
14 - Ben Fowler
happy joy joy
microsoft sucks
15 - Johnny
Nugent expresses himself in a profoundly irritating way, but he's right that the words are not so important.
Remember when separate but equal was judged unconstitutional? Setting a doudle standard is misguided. The only way race (and religion, etc.) will cease to be the cause of conflict, is for people to adopt a uniform standard for dealing with those issues. Either words like g... and n... are okay for all to use, or for none to use.
Although it is possible to damage someone's personal reputation (which is libel -slander if written- and people can sue over that), so long as damage to reputation is not incurred, just let it go! Some people are jerks. Get on with your life.
As to the importance of words... If you think the words are more important than the sentiments they represent, then you should toss a stick and a stone up in the air and shout a couple of derogatory phrases at the top of your lungs... When one of them lands on your head, you'll have the proper perspective almost immediately. And probably a lump, too.