Even Ted Nugent Says It's Time to Tone It Down

You know things are tense when Ted Nugent says it's time to tone it down. The rocker—who once described former President Obama as a "subhuman mongrel" and said he should "suck on his machine gun"—says he has decided to give up using "hateful rhetoric" after the Alexandria shooting, reports Mediaite. "At the tender age of 69, my wife has convinced me that I just can't use those harsh terms," Nugent told WABC Radio's Curtis & Eboni show on Thursday. "I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence," said Nugent, who was questioned by the Secret Service in 2012 after saying he would be "dead or in jail" if Obama was re-elected.

"I encourage even my friends-slash-enemies on the left in the Democrat and liberal world that we have got to be civil to each other," said Nugent, promising to "take a deep breath" and "back it down" if things become "hateful." Nugent, whose long history of inflammatory remarks includes a call for Hillary Clinton to be hanged for treason, said the comments were part of the "over-the-top animal spirit and attitude" that he lives on stage, Entertainment Weekly reports. "I can be fiery, I can be passionate," he said. "But I will avoid anything that can be interpreted as condoning or referencing violence." (Earlier this month, Nugent rejected a comparison to Kathy Griffin.)