Ted Nugent — full-time rocker and deer hunting fanatic — did not do meth and poop his pants to avoid being drafted during the Vietnam War. He did, however, use parts of a wild, true story that happened — to one of his former bandmates — to embellish a rock-n-roll interview with a stoned reporter from High Times Magazine in 1977 — eight years after he received a student deferment, and three months before his 21st birthday.

In an updated tell-all autobiography, Kenny Mills, a rock-n-roll drummer who goes by the stage name of KJ Knight, admits that it was he, not Nugent, who “used wild antics” when he showed up at his Selective Service physical and was promptly dismissed from serving. Knight gained fame by playing in high-flying 1960s and ’70s bands like The Knightriders and the Amboy Dukes (which later became Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes).

Knight is a member of the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

In the 1977 interview, Nugent told High Times that he showed up for his physical after not bathing for weeks, soiling himself and using meth. None of the claims were true. Nugent said he fabricated the story at the time, “Not for shock value but the consistency with which so-called rock-and-roll media interviewers never got anything right and I began way before this stoner rag (interview) playing games with them because they were so stoned, inept and dishonest.”

So … where did the Nugent crapping-in-his pants story come from? First, it should be noted that no one actually crapped their pants. Knight, however, admits he was reeking of fecal matter when he showed up for his physical.

In his book, KJ Knight writes:

“The year was 1970. Ted and I decided to get a place together, and we found a two-bedroom apartment on Division Street near the heart of Ann Arbor.

“While talking with Ted at the kitchen table one day, the subject of the draft came up. I recounted to Ted the crazy way I’d beaten it and in turn asked about his draft status. He said he’d received a Selective Service student deferment. Years later, in the October 1977 issue of High Times, I read an interview that Ted had given to the magazine. In this article, Nugent was asked how he’d avoided the draft. As I was reading his response, it became immediately obvious to me that for the purpose of sensationalism, Ted had cited my draft-dodging antics, with a few embellishments, as having been his own. Since this article, Nugent has been derided by his critics as being a draft-dodger. But now you know that Ted, in his flamboyant manner, had decided on an impulse to use my story. I hope this clears this issue up once and for all!”

In emails with D&DH, Knight further explained the situation:

“In Chapter Seven, I describe in detail the outrageous plan I devised to beat the draft (I hoped would work), and put it into action. To be specific, I didn’t crap my pants: ‘In the dark and early hours of Day Zero, I took a dump and wiped my ass with an old pair of underwear and then put them on backwards. I theorized that would look more shocking and disturbing than no underwear at all.’ I would suggest you read the full draft story to get the full impact of how it all went down.”

In an interview with Motor City Music, Knight said, “Let me say this regarding Ted Nugent, and believe me, no one knew Ted better than I. We lived together in an apartment in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have never met a more confident and decent human being. Ted walks the talk. He is generous, humorous, intelligent, articulate, talented and a wonderful role model.”

Nugent grew up in a military family. His father was a career Army sergeant. According to U.S. Military records, Nugent did apply for and received a student deferment, as did thousands of American men. Other public figures who received war-time deferments include Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Bill Clinton and John Wayne.

The new edition of “Knight Moves” features other stories involving Nugent, including a wild and hairy limo ride during the Kickapoo Creek Music Festival in Illinois in 1970, attended by more than 60,000 concert-goers.

Nugent knew at the height of his fame that the rock-n-roll lifestyle was not for him — he was much more at home in the woods, fields and swamps of Michigan. Despite continuing to make music for the past five decades, he has maintained several hunting properties, including 1,000 acres of free-range land he purchased in Michigan in 1980, and an equally impressive spread in Texas. Nugent’s “Spirit of the Wild” TV show will enter its 33rd year this fall. It has aired on Outdoor Channel for more than 27 years and has won 16 Golden Moose Awards for the best hunting program on television. The show also aired on 26 state PBS stations and helped set numerous pledge-drive records.

Knight Moves: The K J Knight Story Second Edition is available on Kindle and in paperback at Trafford Publishing,
Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.