Kid Rock: No complaints at all. One time some drunk lady showed up in a pickup truck and was like, "Is Bob Seger recording here?" That was about it, other than that you can't really hear much around here. You know, what a place to party. We've had some legendary parties here.
Robinson: Talk to me about the legendary parties. What goes on at a Kid Rock party?
Kid Rock: What goes on at the Kid Rock party? I don't know if we can put that on MTV. But we've had the guys from Aerosmith, Joe and Steven, here all night jamming with the boys from Fuel when they were on tour, just playing covers all night. We've had everybody from Tim McGraw and Billy Gibbons over here, Hank Williams Jr., and Eminem comes out from time to time. We just have somebody come out and cook some food, fire up the grill, fire up the guitars, and it's just a good time.
Robinson: Now how is it that you've managed to become everyone's buddy? You can hang out and record music with Johnny Cash, who respects you as an artist, and then turn around and do world-class sex rhymes with Snoop Dogg or Eminem.
Kid Rock: 'Cause I'm smart, I'm good-looking, and gosh darn it, people like me!
Robinson: That's very true, but that's not an easy thing to do, especially the way the music world is split up now.
Kid Rock: I think it's just because I'm so open-minded. I like everything. Give me a little piece of everything and a part of nothing. I've got people coming at me from time to time saying, "We're not going to put you in our metal magazine because you're not metal enough." I give less than a damn. Or "You can't be in our hip-hop magazine because you do all this other jargon with it." I care less. I care less if I can't be part of your scene because I am the scene. I am everything that is. It sounds a little cocky, doesn't it, but you know, it's like Muhammad Ali said, "Joe Frazier can't hit me, you know why? I'm too pretty."
You know what, Iann? I think it would be a good idea if we went in and, dog-gone it, I showed you the studio, buddy ...
Jumping from the calm of the woods, Kid Rock and I entered the place where he recorded his newest album, Cocky. The interesting thing about the studio is that it's devoid of any pretension or slick industry look. Don't get me wrong: The equipment was all top-notch, but it had the feeling of those old '70s studios where the great would record. Places you'd find Black Sabbath or Zeppelin. The studio itself was a house, complete with hangout area and a huge kitchen; once again Kid Rock going for comfort and vibe over slick gloss. The studio wasn't gigantic, but it was filled with instruments. Guitars hung off every inch of the walls, some normal, some painted to look like the confederate or American flag. Amps were stacked halfway to the ceiling, some custom, some vintage, some just plain odd-looking. Kid Rock was even kind enough to bust out a little lap steel solo for me. On the wall were great pictures of Hank Williams and Hank Williams Jr. You could tell that people here were looking to make music, and that was all ...
Robinson: Here we are in the Kid Rock studio. So these lovely instruments that are behind you — is any one in particular your favorite?
Kid Rock: The thing I like is this — this is the lap steel used on "Forever." This was lent to me by Hank Williams Jr. This is one of the first Fender lap steels made — this is from the '40s.
Robinson: On the new record there seem to be a lot of answers to the people who have taken pot shots at you, especially in the song, "I'm Wrong, But You Ain't Right." Who is the "you" in that song directed at?
Kid Rock: I'm church-going, nothing wrong with going to church, by any means. I'd like to consider myself a little godly at times. But I used to go to church to see those people, just those straight centers. They'd be in there, "Please Jesus forgive me," and they'd be right back out, hitting the bottle, womanizing, doing all that stuff. And I've done a lot of things to get where I am. Some of them I'm very proud of. Some of them I'm not proud of. But I've done what I had to do to get where I'm at. And that might be the wrong way, so I might be wrong, but you ain't right. And you know, that's pretty much what it says. That just sums it all up. When you point one finger in the mirror, you got three fingers pointing back at cha, so think of that.
Kid Rock's mom gets racy, his willingness to pick up a gun for his country, and wearing the pimped-out gear at parent teacher conferences... NEXT
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