“They always get it 180 degrees wrong”: Ted Nugent slams “idiots” attacking Jason Aldean’s Try That In A Small Town
The rocker weighs in on Aldean’s recent controversial track.
Image: Gary Miller / Getty Images
Ted Nugent has defended country star Jason Aldean amid the controversy surrounding his recent track Try That In A Small Town, saying “idiots” who hate the song have “got no soul”.
The song, which has since been pulled from Country Music Television (CMT) following accusations of it being racist and ‘pro-lynching’, has in recent days skyrocketed to number one on the charts. Controversially, the song’s music video is filmed at the Maury County Courthouse, the site of the lynching of Henry Choate in 1927.
Speaking to Jimmy Failla on Fox News Saturday Night, Nugent claims that those criticising the track have misunderstood its message, saying: “I know there’s a bunch of idiots out there, but you need to learn to get a kick out of the idiots.”
“The idiots hate this Jason Aldean song, because they hate when we push back against violence. They always get it 180 degrees wrong. The song is against violence. The song is about self-defence. The song is about protecting your loved ones in your neighbourhood.
“If you find fault with a song that celebrates protecting your loved ones in your neighbourhood, you might be going down to Target to the Satan display and getting on your knees,” the rocker adds.
“These are just weird people. We dismiss them out of hand because they’ve got no soul. I laugh in their face.”
Nugent continues: “I’ve actually responded to a bunch of social media posts about this, and I’ve said, ‘Jason, the best Americans…’ And not only just Americans, but because of the reach of social media, it’s almost like Radio Free Europe. The reach of social media gets to good people all over the world. And all the good people in the world are saying what the Nugent family says: Go, Jason, go… We salute you and we stand with you.'”
Besides The Nuge, former US president Donald Trump has also spoken in favour of the track, writing on Truth Social: “Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way.”
Conversely, fellow country star Sheryl Crow has blasted the song as “lame”, saying “There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence.”
.@Jason_Aldean I’m from a small town. Even people in small towns are sick of violence.There’s nothing small-town or American about promoting violence. You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting.
This is not American or small town-like. It’s just lame https://t.co/cuOtUO9xjr
— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) July 19, 2023
Jason Isbell has also addressed Aldean’s defence of the song’s meaning (despite not being listed as a writer), tweeting, “Dare Aldean to write his next single himself. That’s what we try in my small town”.
Dare Aldean to write his next single himself. That’s what we try in my small town
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) July 19, 2023