The man does have a definite opinion on most things
Outspoken rocker and conservative Ted Nugent is angry again – this time it’s about America’s obesity problem.
“Obesity is a manifestation of a cultural depravation,” he tells globetrotting chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, “in its most vulgar and displeasing-to-look-at form. And it’s suicide as a lifestyle.”
The Motor City Madman recently expressed his views on the topic in an episode of ‘Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,’ scheduled to air Monday night at 10 EST on the Travel Channel. In this segment, which focuses on the sights and cuisine of the American Southwest, Bourdain pays a visit to Nugent’s ranch in Texas.
During their conversation Nugent describes obesity as an unhealthy choice. “That’s a liability,” he says. “You have chosen to be a liability to yourself, your family, your neighborhood, and this country.”
The two opinionated men talk about obesity’s impact on health and the safety of others. Bourdain says he likes the idea of a ‘fat’ tax and charging someone who uses up an additional airplane or subway seat. Nugent then adds, “It all comes back to the horror, the soullessness of a trend in America that is the abandonment of parenting. Somebody’s got to go, ‘You can’t eat that. You’re way too fat.’”
The guitarist is no stranger when it comes to talking about issues, particularly conservative ones, as an advocate for hunting and the right to bear arms. (He is on the National Rifle Association’s board of directors and recorded a song called ‘I Am the NRA’). Last year Nugent made news with his controversial and very critical remarks about Democratic senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton while holding two rifles.
On his blog, Bourdain says that it was Nugent who approached him about doing something together on television. He recounts a experience from his visit to Nugent’s ranch when got a text message invite from chef Mario Batali for drinks. “I texted back,” Bourdain writes, “that I regretted being unable to join him as I was currently unloading a belt-fed M-60 machine gun at Ted Nugent’s place. His totally unsurprised response was ‘Of course you are.’”
Also on the same episode of ‘No Reservations,’ Bourdain meets up with Alice Cooper at the latter’s Cooperstown restaurant in Phoenix. One of the topics of conversation between the two men was less issue-heavy: baseball.
