Like Stephen Baldwin and Victoria Jackson before him, Ted Nugent is a has-been star who has enjoyed a late career renaissance as a racist/homophobic tool of the right-wing fringe, but organizers for at least one event have drawn the line in giving him an outlet for his antics.
KLTV is reporting that once word got out about talks for Nugent to have a concert at an annual Fourth of July festival in Longview, TX the backlash was so swift that talent bookers paid him $16,000 to stay home.
Organizers of the event claimed that it would be “not the right kind of feel for this community event.”
Hmmm, we wonder what tipped them off? Was it when he commented that gay sex was “strange as hell,” or when he called President Obama a “subhuman mongrel?”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Of course, GOP goon and local Republican Party Chair Keith Rothra had to chime in about how saddened he is about the decision to nix Nugent’s concert.
“I’m sad the City of Longview has done this. I think it was done by a great deal of political correctness, political pressure. We have various performers who have made all kinds of statements that rattled people’s conscience and yet they are still slated as performers.”
If we were to stereotype Texas we would say that nothing would bring a small town there together like someone who obviously hates Blacks and gays, but the organizers obviously thought differently and wanted their event to be for everyone in the community to enjoy.
Either that, or they didn’t want the unofficial slogan for their event to be: Come For The Music, Stay For The Hate.
Cam
The funny thing about Nugent and the GOP is this. The GOP CONTINUALLY bitches about hollywood and actors, and yet they are the biggest group of starfuckers you have ever seen.
I mean, they will shine a spotlight on VICTORIA JACKSON?!?!? Really?! Somebody who used to kind of do something not very well for a very short time?
Yeah, that’s worth prime time.
markrla
I met Ted Nugent in 1982 when I was 17 years old. He was performing in the city I lived in and my older sister knew someone in his band, so she invited me to the concert hall to watch as they performed a sound check.
A little while later we were hanging out backstage with the band and Ted was there with his girlfriend and his young daughter.
When I was introduced to Ted as my sister’s brother he said,”Oh, that makes sense. Someone said you were her boyfriend, but I thought that can’t be, that kid’s gay.”
The look of shock and horror on my face must have been obvious (I wasn’t out to anyone). Ted then placed his hand on my shoulder and said, “It’s okay if you’re gay. Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are, kid”.
The fact that this macho rock star (he was still big in 1982) said that to me made a huge impact on my self esteem, and I came out to my family a short time later (a little hard for them at first, but they accepted it).
I certainly don’t agree with anything Ted Nugent says now, but he made at least one gay kid feel a whole lot better about himself.
Cam
@markrla: said… “Ted was there with his girlfriend and his young daughter.
_____________________________
Weren’t they the same person?
markrla
@Cam: Ha! Pele, his girlfriend, was 17 at the time and he was her legal guardian (which I found out much later), but I was referring to his real daughter who was about 6 or 7.
Desert Boy
I’m shocked. I thought Ted Nugent was the songbird of Texas.
Shadeaux
I’m actually from a city outside of Longview called Mt. Pleasant, and contrary to popular belief, blacks, whites and mexicans get along really well. I think this is due to the younger generation mixing the races and kind of forcing us to come together and see that there isn’t much difference between us. I can see Ted performing in other cities in Texas, but this particular part of NorthEast Texas.., not with his history of hate. I understand the majority not wanting this in their town.