Dee Snider Confused by ‘Draft Dodger’ Ted Nugent’s Conservative Following

Over the past decade or so, Ted Nugent has gotten more publicity for his conservative political views than his music. Earlier this month, Nugent wrote an open letter to vice President Joe Biden about his views on gun control. However, Dee Snider recalls a time when the "Motor City Madman" wasn't so thrilled with the idea of carrying a gun. In a new interview, the Twisted Sister frontman recalled Nugent's unwillingness to fight in the Vietnam War.

"Ted's always been a gun-toting conservative," he told Noisecreep. "But what gets me is that he was actually a draft dodger! I mean, to the point where he didn't bathe for a week, and vomited on himself to deliberately avoid the draft. I totally understand why he did that, but all of these Republicans who love Ted don't seem to know or remember that too well. It's crazy that he's become one of the voices of Conservative America even though he was a draft dodger. If you don't believe me, Google it."

Snider is repeating the oft-told interview Nugent gave to High Times in 1977. "I got my physical notice 30 days prior to," Nugent said. "Well, on that day I ceased cleansing my body. No more brushing my teeth, no more washing my hair, no baths, no soap, no water. Thirty days of debris build. I stopped shavin' and I was 18, had a little scraggly beard, really looked like a hippie...Then two weeks before, I stopped eating any food with nutritional value...Then a week before, I stopped going to the bathroom. I did it in my pants. poop, piss the whole shot. My pants got crusted up."

The result was, in his words, a "big juicy 4-F," which meant that he was unfit for military service and thus ineligible for the draft. Nugent has since disavowed those words, stating that he had a student deferment and that he made up the story to fool the pro-marijuana publication.

However, Snopes has found that, while Nugent did have a deferment, it expired in 1968. He failed a physical a year later and was classified 1-Y ('qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency"), which was changed to 4-F in 1971.