The Motor City Madman goes Waco on us

The following is a story that ran recently in the Waco Tribune Herald - Waco's finest paper.

For those of you who don't know or don't remember - Benjamin and I lived in Waco for several years while attending Baylor. All in all, we were there for about 5 1/2 to 6 years.

We like Waco. It's a great town that's bigger than the ones we each grew up in, but small enough you rarely get lost. It's nice. In fact, we lived right around the corner from where Ted Nugent just bought his family a new house.

The Nuge is a great guy. And yes, as a matter of fact I would know first-hand. He ate at a table next to me at the On The Border in Waco while I was there lunching with friends. He was very polite and kind to us and was gracious enough to sign autographs for others dining there.

Anyway, here's the story:

Saturday, May 27, 2006

By Mike Copeland
Tribune-Herald business editor

Hard-rock guitarist Ted Nugent, so outrageous on stages around the world that he became known as “The Motor City Madman,” has bought the home of car dealer Allen Samuels in an upscale neighborhood of Waco near Ridgewood Country Club.

Nugent, 57, his wife, Shemane, and their children have lived in rural McLennan County since at least 2003.

But Samuels, 72, confirmed this week that Nugent now owns his former home on Fish Pond Road.

Asking price was $1.4 million for the 6,000-square-foot home with its marble floors, lighted tennis court, pool, cabana, four bedrooms, four baths and two half-baths.

“I did not get what I was asking for,” Samuels said of the sales price. “But I did get in that neck of the woods.”

Samuels and his wife, Donna, bought the home in 1995 and extensively remodeled it. But Samuels put it on the market about two years ago, and last year he sold his Waco-based Allen Samuels Auto Group to his local management team.

He and Donna are building a new home in a gated community between Rockport and Aransas Pass.

Samuels said he drew a blank when his wife told him Ted Nugent was interested in buying their home.

“I think they called him ‘The Motor City Madman,’ ” Samuels said. “Everybody in the world knew who he was but me.”

The Nuge was unavailable for comment.

Nugent, who hails from Michigan, gained notoriety in the 1970s for his ear-splitting live shows for which he occasionally dressed as a caveman. His hits included “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Double Live Gonzo.”

Later, after the first Persian Gulf War, Nugent toured with a band called Damn Yankees. Nugent endorsed the war by shooting flaming arrows at effigies of Saddam Hussein.

Politically conservative and a hard-core advocate of gun rights, Nugent has become as famous for his hunting exploits as his music. He owns several hunting-related businesses, and his TV show “Spirit of the Wild” has become one of the more popular programs on The Outdoor Channel. He also created a reality show titled “Surviving Nugent: The Ted Commandments.”

So what will Samuels’ neighbors think of Nugent’s arrival?

“They won’t mind unless he has one of those concerts in his back yard, or he starts shooting raccoons, squirrels and things with his bow and arrow,” Samuels said, laughing.

Sharron Cutbirth is one of those neighbors. Her husband, Steven, is a dentist who counts Samuels among his patients.

“My thoughts? When I found out that Ted Nugent had bought the house, I honestly didn’t know who he was,” she said. “I looked him up on the Web, and I read about what a good role model he is, how he performs for the troops and sponsors camps for underprivileged kids who want to learn about hunting.

“I said to myself, ‘Hey, keep up the good work.’ ”

Cutbirth said she’s not worried about loud music, and she hopes the home is more than a stopping place for the busy Nugent and his family.

“Hopefully, he will actually reside there, and we’ll get to know them,” Cutbirth said, adding she’s heard through the grapevine that the Nugents wanted to move into town so one of their sons could play basketball in school.


So - rock on Ted. And invite us to the house warming party. We'd love to come visit!