Closed mind closed off

Banished: Is Ted Nugent stuck playing Pasadena because of his unpopularpolitical views?

There are certain musical artists who are best heard from in performance who should be heard from very little rest of the time. Motor City Madman Ted Nugent is definitely an artist whose mouth should be covered in Caution Tape the minute he takes his guitar off and heads for the stage exit.

Now, before those of you who defend Nugent's frequent cries for closed borders, his disdain for other cultures and his love of big guns for all, hang me as bleeding-heart liberal, understand that my problem with Nugent doesn't lie so much in what he says.

One of the perks of artistic freedom is being able to put a creative slant and perspective on a song or other work of art.

My problem is definitely in Nugent's delivery, specifically the toxic way in which he forces his audiences to listen to his rants in-between songs.

Delivering a message in the course of verse or lyric is an honest approach to getting listeners to think and react.

Holding ticket holders anxious to hears '70s guitar anthems "Stranglehold" or "Cat Scratch Fever" captive while Nugent howls, "Obama, he's a piece of shit. I told him to suck on my machine gun" is cheating the whole creative element a bit.

(This scenario, and many others that are just as bad or worse, actually happened.)

What Nugent has never understood is that people don't go to his shows to hear his stump speeches. If we wanted to hear a crazy old man yell political "fire" in a crowded room we could hang out at Walmart or the Greyhound bus terminal downtown for a lot less money.

(The fact that Nugent is out in Pasadena, and not at the more prestigious Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, make it clear that there are others who have tired of his rap as well.)

So please, Ted, I implore you: Perform the songs, shoot the tired, fake buffalo and shut the hell up during the breaks.

If Nugent wasn't doing this show as part of the Band of Brothers and Sisters concert I probably would have ignored it altogether. As it stands, the event benefits the Bay Area Builders Association (BABA) which helps veterans rebuild their lives by funding the construction of homes for wounded military personnel in need.

More silent gestures like this might help get old Ted back on the regular concert circuit.

Sunday

Ted Nugent, 7 p.m. at the Pasadena Fairgrounds, 7603 Red Bluff Road, Pasadena

Tickets: $20-$25 (children $10)

unspecified

Oh, Brother

McConaughey and Harrelson comedy series 'Brothers' premieres this fall

Photo courtesy of Apple TV

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in Brothers on Apple TV.

Imaginary siblings and real life best friends Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are finally about to bring the joke home with a new Apple TV series, Brothers, out globally September 23.

The first two episodes will come out together, and one new episode will be added every Wednesday through November 4, a press release says. There will be eight episodes in total.

In a rumor that gets harder to search for the closer Brothers comes to fruition, McConaughey and Harrelson have leaned into ideas that they might be half-brothers, partially because of their longtime friendship and partially because they have a similar look that gets even stronger in old photos. The topic sprung up when Brothers was in its infancy as a project called Brother from Another Mother, and McConaughey's mom validated it by insinuating that she and Harrelson's father once had a fling.

In Brothers, a heartfelt comedy, McConaughey and Harrelson play fictionalized versions of themselves living out almost the same drama, with much more serious repercussions.

When Harrelson's family needs a place to get away after his daughter's wedding falls through, they travel to Austin to accept the hospitality of a friend, McConaughey. But when McConaughey's mother, Ma Mac (Holland Taylor) accidentally reveals that they might be half-brothers, Harrelson becomes obsessed with learning the truth. Simultaneously, McConaughey considers running for Governor of Texas. (Is this getting too real?)

Other members of the ensemble cast include Natalie Martinez, Brittany Ishibashi, Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton, Noah Carganilla, Highdee Kuan, and Oona Yaffe.

Brothers is produced by Paramount Television Studios, and showrun and executive produced by Lee Eisenberg, best known for producing The Office. McConaughey and Harrelson are also both executive producers alongside Natalie Sandy, David West Read, Trish Hofmann, Bill Bost, Jason Winer, David Finkel and Brett Baer, and Jeremy Plager, the release says. Multiple episodes are directed by Trent O’Donnell, including the pilot.

Austinites were keyed into the production early when locals spotted McConaughey and Harrelson with a film crew on South Congress Avenue. Photographers also caught them in different costumes, this time on South Congress and West Riverside Drive, so it seems like recognizable places around town will be on display multiple times throughout the series.

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