Ted Nugent Seated Next to Gay Liberal at State of the Union

Nugent (left) and Lauderdale

Rocker Ted Nugent, an outspoken conservative critic of President Obama, somehow got an invite to Tuesday's State of the Union address, where he was seated next to liberal Portland, Ore., musician Thomas Lauderdale.

Nugent once spoke of having Obama suck on his machine gun, but was invited to the president's speech by Republican congressman Steve Stockman of Texas. Nugent sat next to Lauderdale of the band Pink Martini; Lauderdale is out, both about being gay and being staunchly liberal. Apparently, though, the two got along swimmingly.

"I was totally not expecting to be seated next to Ted Nugent at the State of the Union ... but it was incredible," Lauderdale told Blue Oregon. "We talked about hunting ... in Texas (where he has lived for the past 10 years) and Michigan (where he grew up). Growing up he was inspired by Dick Dale ... and later by the British Invasion bands of the mid-60s ... The Yardbirds ... The Rolling Stones. He only tours in the summer. I asked him if he did USO tours. He has ... BUT is probably the only celebrity who carried his own machine gun. (Shockingly, I don't have a machine gun of my own.) He thought this year's Grammys were too "bubblegum" and childish. And, of all of his compositions, 'Fred Bear' means the most to him ... people ask for it at their funerals, their barmitzvahs, their graduations ... 'It doesn't get more '"wow" than that,' he said. At the end of the night, he shook my hand, and wished me luck. I thought he was a real gentleman."

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