Ted Nugent On Kiss: 'They're My Favorite Monkeys'

(5/17/00, 7 a.m. ET) - Ted Nugent is not a guy who likes to play second fiddle to anyone, so it surprised many of his fans and associates this year when he agreed to be a support act on the Kiss farewell tour bill. LAUNCH recently caught up with Nugent and asked him how he was enjoying his road stint with Kiss. The answer, in typical Nugent fashion, praised the band in a slightly backhanded manner.

"If I were gonna be a pyrotechnic orgy of scripts and cartoons and face paint, I would be Kiss," he said. "I love these little monkeys. They're my favorite monkeys. These guys spend way too much money on special effects every night. They oughta just get a bow and arrow and, you know, go down to the ACO Hardware and get a butane torch and just light it. That's plenty. They don't get any more of a reaction for a half a million dollars' worth of pyro than I do for shooting a flaming arrow. You gotta love my efficiency."

Nugent is working on the third Damn Yankees album during the Kiss tour and he hopes to have it ready for release by the end of the year.