Over the past few months, this column has carried its share of commentary on the Democratic nominating contest. We’ve explored what I recently termed “the Obama/indie-rock love-fest” and a variety of related topics, with our coverage often skewing leftward. That’s simply a reflection of our personal political leanings, but being an equal-opportunity column, it’s only fair to delve into Republican politics at least once in a while. Not content with featuring any old Republican in this week’s installment of the Smoke-Filled Room, we set out to find a musical figure that embodies contemporary conservatism and could shed some light on the state of affairs in the Grand Old Party. We found Ted Nugent.

Nugent, an avid hunter and frequent social commentator, is likely better-known for his off-stage antics and politics than his rock records. But the latter are sorely underrated. The Detroit rocker knows his way around a guitar and is a remarkably durable and consistent live performer. Responsible for the classic live album Double Live Gonzo!, Cat Scratch Fever, and dozens of other muscular rock records, he continues to tour and add to an impressive discography. But his right-wing politics will define his legacy.

We spoke with the gun-toting, red-blooded rocker about politics, James Brown, why suspected burglars should be denied the benefit of a trial and killed, and the proliferation of welfare bloodsuckers.

Mr. Nugent, as his staff insists on calling him, would only grant us an email interview. However, he did respond to my questions with a message titled “The Nuge Responds”, which sort of sounds like “The Dude Abides” and, well, that’s good enough for me.

With Nugent, it’s hard to know where his well-honed image ends and the real Ted begins. Does this man really think that burglars should be denied a trial and executed on the spot? Pardon us for saying, but that seems a little crazy. But he insists that he’s “dead serious.” And that scares us to death.

I’ve made a few changes to protect the innocent and the grammatically challenged (I’m looking at you, Nuge!)—otherwise, here’s the email exchange precisely as it happened.

Crawdaddy!: Tell me a bit about your political philosophy. Obviously, the Second Amendment has a lot to do with it. What’s behind the evolution of Ted Nugent’s political views?

Ted Nugent: I’m addicted to logic, self-evident truth, goodwill, decency, and the instinctual drive to be the best that you can be. The US Constitution, Bill of Rights, Ten Commandments, Golden Rule, Declaration of Independence, and Emancipation Proclamation guide my American Dream nicely. And, of course, all things James Brown, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Rosa Parks, Davy Crockett, Wilson Pickett, the mighty Funk Brothers, and beyond inspire my Gibson Byrdland soundtrack to the above.

Crawdaddy!: People tend to focus a lot on your political leanings (i.e. you’re often referred to as “right-wing rocker” instead of simply “rocker”). Does that bother you? Would you rather your political and musical identities were not intertwined to such a degree?

Nugent: The best music comes from the soul of a person who truly cherishes life and evokes those emotions, dreams, defiance, irreverence, and sheer joy through his musical creative stream of consciousness. Considering that every musical idea worth dancing to came from this glowing experiment in self-government says it all. You can’t rock like this in France.

Crawdaddy!: You recently became embroiled in a bit of controversy when you profanely expressed your dislike for Democratic presidential contenders Senator Clinton and Senator Obama—especially with regard to their stances on gun control. At the time, in response to questions about the show, you said that “trying to explain the intensity of over the top outrageous irreverent rock ‘n’ roll is like trying to explain an orgasm to a eunuch. If some people don’t get it, I am not here to help them through the quagmire.” Do you still feel that way, that this was all just part of having a good time at a rock show?

Nugent: This stunning confluence of music, words, and gestures defined the moment both literally and figuratively. I stand by it on all counts.

Crawdaddy!: Speaking of the presidential race, you joined Chuck Norris in supporting Mike Huckabee on the Republican side of the race. What made him the most appealing candidate and what do you make of Senator McCain—will you be supporting him?

Nugent: Though I dearly admire Mike Huckabee as a profound leader, great American, and personal friend, I, in fact, did not officially endorse his candidacy. I was however there behind the scenes with him throughout. I am convinced that Mike would have brought about an enormous upgrade for quality of life in America overall. John McCain is an American hero, occasionally a decent political employee, but inconsistent as hell on critical issues like border security, immigration reform, tax reform, education reform, court reform, and Second Amendment reform. We shall see. I hope to meet with John soon to remind him what we, the productive people, expect from our chief employee in this experiment in self-government.

Crawdaddy!: You’ve been quoted in the past as saying that you were seriously considering running for office. Is that still a possibility?

Nugent: Yes.

Crawdaddy!: There was even a point in time when you seemed to be the leading contender to become Governor of Michigan. What happened?

Nugent: My threat to bring self-evident truth back into my beloved home state of Michigan was genuine and sincere. I thought that the Republican candidate at the time could do the job. I was wrong.

Crawdaddy!: You’ve also been quoted discussing your potential gubernatorial platform, saying: “To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead. I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want ‘em dead. Get a gun and when they attack you, shoot ‘em.” Seriously? Or, like with the Clinton and Obama comments, is it a bit of an act?

Nugent: Dead serious.