Post by Sugarmama on Nov 27, 2008 21:49:41 GMT -5
The morning after the US election, Kid Rock is in town for the MTV awards and resting in his Liverpool hotel suite.
The Kid is friendly and considered – a far cry from his image as the brawling, boozy ex-hubby of Pamela Anderson. But there is a very flashy buckle on his belt.
Costing a mere $20,000, it’s the sort of indulgence The Kid – with 24 million sales under his belt buckle – can well afford.
Now aged 37, Robert James Richie left his comfortable Michigan home in his teens to live in a rough area of Detroit. There he dealt drugs and immersed himself in hip-hop.
“It was hard for my parents to understand – a white middle- class kid falling in love with hip-hop and black culture,” he says. “Artists I look up to like Springsteen or the Stones are blues-based. But experiencing the hip-hop revolution enabled me to add something extra to that base.”
Combining rock classics from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Warren Zevon with his own memories of first love, the Kid’s All Summer Long is one of the singles of the year.
On a recent tour of the US Bible Belt he faced protests over the title of his latest multi-platinum seller Rock ’N’ Roll Jesus. He responded by turning his ghettoblaster up to 11 and playing AC/DC’s Highway To Hell on repeat.
On the other hand, he has made three visits to troops in Iraq.
“It’s one of the most moving things I’ve ever done,” he admits. “On Christmas Day two years ago, a bomb exploded. Two guys had their legs blown off. Grown men were crying – seeing one of their buddies dying. It tears the heart out.”
For a gun-toting rocker, the Kid has some useful connections.
“I’m a sworn sergeant in New Orleans,” he reveals. “I can carry a gun anywhere in the US. I don’t though – only when I’m going somewhere like Detroit.”
And, perhaps not surprisingly, firearms are right up there with bejewelled accessories on Kid’s shopping list.
“The biggest rush I’ve had is firing a 1858 civil war cannon I bought for $200,000,” he says. “It’s called a Boston Patriot. Anything from the civil war is pricey because of the history connected to it.”
What is a surprise is that, unlike other stars, the Kid isn’t surrounded by the requisite posse of heavies. “Nah, I like to be low-key,” he grins. “You can move round easier.”
But he was no stranger to intrusive attention when going through his high-profile divorce from Pamela Anderson.
“My divorce made me look at my life and think of what I cared about,” Kid says. “Well, I love music and rather than go off the deep end with girls and drugs, I locked myself in the studio and made the best record I could. Success is the best revenge.”
His proudest achievement is raising his 15-year-old son, Bobby, as a single parent. So what does he tell Bobby about drugs?
“I tell him that, sure, I’ve used drugs and that if he scores any good stuff don’t do it – give it to me,” he laughs.
With his career going so well, Kid’s enjoying being single.
“I’m not monogamous,” he says. “Why would I be? I’m in a successful rock band and have some money put away. Why would I screw it up by getting married? I did that already. It was like kicking myself in the teeth.”
The Kid is friendly and considered – a far cry from his image as the brawling, boozy ex-hubby of Pamela Anderson. But there is a very flashy buckle on his belt.
Costing a mere $20,000, it’s the sort of indulgence The Kid – with 24 million sales under his belt buckle – can well afford.
Now aged 37, Robert James Richie left his comfortable Michigan home in his teens to live in a rough area of Detroit. There he dealt drugs and immersed himself in hip-hop.
“It was hard for my parents to understand – a white middle- class kid falling in love with hip-hop and black culture,” he says. “Artists I look up to like Springsteen or the Stones are blues-based. But experiencing the hip-hop revolution enabled me to add something extra to that base.”
Combining rock classics from Lynyrd Skynyrd and Warren Zevon with his own memories of first love, the Kid’s All Summer Long is one of the singles of the year.
On a recent tour of the US Bible Belt he faced protests over the title of his latest multi-platinum seller Rock ’N’ Roll Jesus. He responded by turning his ghettoblaster up to 11 and playing AC/DC’s Highway To Hell on repeat.
On the other hand, he has made three visits to troops in Iraq.
“It’s one of the most moving things I’ve ever done,” he admits. “On Christmas Day two years ago, a bomb exploded. Two guys had their legs blown off. Grown men were crying – seeing one of their buddies dying. It tears the heart out.”
For a gun-toting rocker, the Kid has some useful connections.
“I’m a sworn sergeant in New Orleans,” he reveals. “I can carry a gun anywhere in the US. I don’t though – only when I’m going somewhere like Detroit.”
And, perhaps not surprisingly, firearms are right up there with bejewelled accessories on Kid’s shopping list.
“The biggest rush I’ve had is firing a 1858 civil war cannon I bought for $200,000,” he says. “It’s called a Boston Patriot. Anything from the civil war is pricey because of the history connected to it.”
What is a surprise is that, unlike other stars, the Kid isn’t surrounded by the requisite posse of heavies. “Nah, I like to be low-key,” he grins. “You can move round easier.”
But he was no stranger to intrusive attention when going through his high-profile divorce from Pamela Anderson.
“My divorce made me look at my life and think of what I cared about,” Kid says. “Well, I love music and rather than go off the deep end with girls and drugs, I locked myself in the studio and made the best record I could. Success is the best revenge.”
His proudest achievement is raising his 15-year-old son, Bobby, as a single parent. So what does he tell Bobby about drugs?
“I tell him that, sure, I’ve used drugs and that if he scores any good stuff don’t do it – give it to me,” he laughs.
With his career going so well, Kid’s enjoying being single.
“I’m not monogamous,” he says. “Why would I be? I’m in a successful rock band and have some money put away. Why would I screw it up by getting married? I did that already. It was like kicking myself in the teeth.”
