Ted Nugent Says He’s the Reason Damn Yankees Won’t Reunite
Damn Yankees have gotten back together twice since their turn-of-the-'90s heyday -- in 1998 and 2010. But Ted Nugent says he's the reason there hasn't been another reunion since.
"I wish we would get back together," Nugent tells Kevin Chase of KBAT in a new interview, which you can watch above. "But I've got to tell you, if there is one pain-in-the-ass obstacle keeping that from happening, you're looking at him right now. Because I will not give up my hunting season. I don't care."
During their hitmaking years of 1989-96, Damn Yankees scored a No. 13 double-platinum success with their 1990 self-titled debut album and a No. 3 hit with 'High Enough.' The all-star band then reunited in 1998 in the hopes of recording a third studio record, but the material ended up on the members' various solo projects. The original foursome of Tommy Shaw, Jack Blades, Michael Cartellone and Nugent also performed an acoustic set during the National Association of Music Merchants conference in 2010.
As it stands now, however, Nugent focuses his touring schedule on the summer. A huge outfit like Damn Yankees would require a much larger investment of time, he said.
"What a killer band," Nugent says about Damn Yankees, whom he also refers to as "effervescent" and "world-class virtuosos" in the interview. "I love Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades and Michael, but I will not give up September through February. That's hunting season, a sacred time when I recharge my batteries."