Ted Nugent has slammed all the criticism of Jason Aldean’s new single and video “Try That In A Small Town,” calling his detractors “idiots” without a soul. “I know there’s a bunch of idiots out there, but you need to learn to get a kick out of the idiots,” said Nugent. “The idiots hate this Jason Aldean song because they hate when we push back against violence.”
Aldean received backlash after releasing the video for “Try That In A Small Town” on July 14. The video features him performing in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, the site where 18-year-old Henry Choate was lynched in 1927. The singer has received criticism as some say the song’s lyrics encourage gun violence.
Aldean was specifically criticized for the lyrics Got a gun that my granddad gave me / They say one day they’re gonna round up / Well, that shit might fly in the city, good luck. The singer received pushback since he performed and survived the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas in October 2017.
Nugent said that Aldean’s lyrics are anti-violence and are centered more around protecting loved ones. “They always get it 180 degrees wrong,” said Nugent. “This song is against violence. The song is about self-defense. The song is about protecting your loved ones in your neighborhood. If you find fault with a song that celebrates protecting your loved ones, your neighborhood, you might be going down to Target to the Satan display and get down on your knees.”
He added, “We dismiss them because they’ve gotten out of hand because they’ve got no soul. I laugh in their face.”
Following the release of the video, CMT also pulled it from its rotation, but has not released an official statement on their decision. In a previous statement, Aldean defended his song and video and elaborated more on its meaning during his first concert since the controversy in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Friday (July 21).
“It’s been a long week,” said Aldean during his show. “I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that. I feel everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, but it doesn’t mean it’s true. What I am is a proud American. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bullshit started happening to us. I love my country. I love my family. And I will do anything to protect that.”
As the crowd chanted “U.S.A.,” Aldean added, “You guys know how it is this day and age: cancel culture. This day and age, if people don’t like what you say, they try to make sure they can cancel you, which means try to ruin your life. Ruin everything. One thing I saw this week was a bunch of country music fans that can see through a lot of the bullshit. I saw country music fans rally like I’ve never seen before and it was pretty badass, I gotta say. Thank you guys so much.”
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