During an appearance on the March 6 episode of SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”, legendary rocker Ted Nugent spoke about his recent announcement that he will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his iconic rock anthem “Stranglehold” with several exclusive “SpeakEzy Rockout” gigs this spring and summer. The dates will take place less than two years after Ted completed his “Adios Mofo ’23” farewell tour, which saw him backed by his most recent solo band consisting of drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny “Big” Schoen.Regarding his decision to return to playing live, Ted said: “I never used the word ‘retire’… A lot of people [say], ‘How come you’re gonna play again? You said you were gonna retire.’ I’ve never used the ‘R’ word. I made it quite clear that I still crave to play. In fact, this morning I was playing through a Gibson Byrdland through a Fender amp and my feet never touched the ground. I’m still absolutely stimulated by the pursuit of musical guitar adventure. So with Jason Hartless and Johnny Big and my buddy here John Kutz in Texas, we’re gonna do a bunch of ‘Rockouts’ in Texas in April and May, and then in Michigan and maybe beyond in August. But, yeah, I still play, but I need to be home to my damn dogs every day. When I leave home, my dogs look so sad. And when I come home, they just about blow up running and barking and turning in circles. So, I have my priorities.”He added: “This year I will break 7,000 ‘Rockouts’. I will go over the 7,000 mark. So I’m an old man — I’m 76 — but I still crave grabbing that guitar and playing these grinds and grooves and flamethrowing fun music, man.”After host Eddie Trunk noted that there is “no reason” for Ted to stop playing as long as he is still living up to his legacy, Nugent concurred. “You see Sammy Hagar out there, and he’s rocking as good as he ever has,” Ted said. “It’s about attitude. If you still really, really love the music and you’re dedicated to putting on a show that earns the money of those ticket buyers, then of course it’s the American dream. I got old buddies that still weld. My favorite people are welders. My buddies that are good welders, they still weld, and one of ’em is 86 years old. So no matter what your American dream is, if you’re still able to get such gratification… And God bless the welders, but they’ll never feel the sensations that music events create. I mean, the energy at my gigs, I do these rockouts. I just played the national anthem at [Donald Trump’s] Mar-a-Lago [resort] for a bunch of hellraisers for Donald Trump, and it was like a gunstock version of Woodstock. These people love the music. They love the guitar playing. They pay attention. And I’m inspired by that… The soundtrack for our American dream, our life’s adventure, that’s still alive and well. I’m a lucky, lucky, high-energy, healthy guy. And I play my guitar like a horny teenager every time I pick it up.”Two years ago, the now-76-year-old Ted spoke to “THAT Rocks!” about his decision to embark on what was billed as his last-ever tour. Regarding why he didn’t want to spend time on the road anymore, Ted said in part: “Hotels are jail. I hate jail… I will always play music. The music still has fire. I still crave it. I’ve got new songs. I’m gonna go in the studio with these killer musicians that are always at my side. But traveling, I tell you… A hotel room is jail… The travel and the hotels… And I don’t even have to go to TSA [Transportation Security Administration]; I mean, I gave the finger to them in 2009. If somebody doesn’t send a jet, I don’t go anywhere. My friends are better than your friends, ’cause my friends have jets. So, I’m not TSA and I’m not gonna let somebody fondle my Glock [gun] and ask me questions about gun laws. And hotels are so painful for me.”Ted went on to clarify that he was not retiring from playing live. “The fire, the music, it will always go on,” he said. “I play my guitar every day… And I get to collaborate with the best musicians in the world. So it’s always a challenge, it’s always intriguing, it’s always stimulating. I’m an old man, but the stimuli factor… I hope that somebody else in this world is as stimulated by the music as I am, because it’s still very much alive and well.”Asked if he will miss the audience and the live interaction on stage, Ted said: “Yes. Of course I will. But again, I won’t miss it because I’ll still do it… I’m not going out for months or even weeks. I’ll do the occasional special events. I do a lot of corporate stuff… Yeah, I’m an energized son of a bitch, but I am 7[6], and I’m not swinging from ropes and I’m not wearing a loincloth and I’m not jumping off the amplifiers with my new knees. So I will miss it, but, again, I’ve got 12 grandkids and I don’t wanna go away someday and not make an imprint on them, teach them about the important things in life. In a world that’s really gone really stupid, I think my grandparenting responsibilities are more important now than ever.”Nugent’s self-titled debut album in 1975 was certified double platinum in the United States, while “Free-for-All”, “Cat Scratch Fever”, “Weekend Warriors” and “State Of Shock” all reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart.Nugent has reportedly sold over 40 million albums and was named Detroit’s greatest guitar player of all time by readers of MLive.The conservative rocker, who been eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.Nugent’s latest album, “Detroit Muscle”, was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018’s “The Music Made Me Do It” was recorded with Ted’s previous touring band, which included bassist Greg Smith and Hartless.