Former sparring partners Maher, Nugent perform separately in Las Vegas

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Your choice: Bill Maher or Ted Nugent, on the very same Saturday of an Independence Day weekend. Ain’t that America!

Just don’t look for them at each other’s gigs. “I hope he’ll be doing a medley of his hit,” Maher quips of his former “Politically Incorrect” sparring partner. “We were kind of friendly for a while, even though we don’t agree on much.”

The Nuge, of course, deserved a chance to respond in kind. “Unfortunately, Bill has come to represent mostly what is bad about America,” the right-talking guitarist said by email (which denies the poetry of his spoken word, but at least allows one time to process). “I will continue to represent the good while he represents the bad and ugly.”

Ouch. But there you have it, the rancor that fuels HBO talk shows and ’70s guitar-god concerts. If you want to keep the Fourth white without the red and blue banter, there’s always New Kids on the Block.

Fourths and first ladies

Partisan politics are Maher’s livelihood, so it sounds a bit odd to hear him say in a phone chat that his first choice would be to separate the apple pie and hot dogs from the political sniping that fuels his HBO show and stand-up act.

The 55-year-old comedian, who performs Saturday and Sunday at The Orleans, said no one questioned his parents’ patriotism because they were Democrats. “They fought in World War II and they loved the flag and all that stuff. It seems like in the years since, we’ve become so politicized that even the flag is something we can’t quite look at anymore without seeing politics.”

Even the once-neutral causes of the first lady now stir up trouble. Michelle Obama’s campaign to end childhood obesity amounts to “not feeding your children pure (expletive) and maybe have them get some exercise besides their thumbs texting. And that’s controversial,” Maher notes.

If Lady Bird Johnson campaigned to beautify America today, Maher imagines an F-bomb likewise hurled her way: “We’ll beautify what we want to beautify!”

Maher says he’s “not a big holiday person,” so he likes spending them in Las Vegas, “because people don’t really care.”

Nugent, 62, was asked for email memories of his own family traditions.

“Certainly, like all Americans, we celebrated Independence Day in the wake of America once again defeating evil in World War II with fireworks, serious grilling, usually at one of Michigan’s beautiful lakes, and with some fun family firearms fun,” he wrote.

“We still do variations of this same intense celebration of this glorious remembrance of American defiance against kings, tyrants and slave drivers. Powerfully important day every year, now more than ever.”

If that doesn’t make you salute when you hear “Wang Dang, Sweet Poontang” on Saturday at Sunset Station, nothing will.

Red and blue celebrity

One reason Nugent and Maher were paired on TV and again here is the difficulty of finding rock and movie stars to speak for the right. When Maher was doing his late-night round table “Politically Incorrect” in the ’90s, the short list often included Ted Nugent.

“Republicans have always been so celebrity-challenged,” Maher says. “The people that have come out for them … ‘We’ve got Walker Texas Ranger, we’ve got Bo Derek.’

“There is something about the talented, creative mind which usually does not lean Republican. Which is probably the reason why, any time they have anyone who is a little bit of a celebrity, they actually run them for office. Fred Thompson, Gopher (Fred Grandy). … Anyone who’s in SAG and has any sort of notoriety can hold office.

“They always rail against Hollywood and they’re the biggest star-(expletive)s in the world.”

Chatting with Maher meant it was essential to pass along the fact that Republican impressionist Rich Little worked him into the audience-curse part of his Johnny Carson/Carnac the Magnificent bit at the Riviera: “May your only daughter come in first in a Bill Maher look-alike contest.” Then, as an aside to the audience: “That’ll keep me off the (‘Real Time with Bill Maher’) show.”

To which Maher laughingly replies, “Just that, Rich. That’s the only thing that is keeping you off the show. I’m always trying to find ways to reach that hard to get at, 75- to 100-year-old demographic that’s so coveted in television. If there’s one thing the kids love, it’s a Carnac reference. Oh, Rich.”

But the political imbalance of star power seems to be changing, too, particularly with the rise of country music from niche genre to white America’s pop music, providing a forum for conservative stars.

Does Nugent no longer feel so alone?

“Slowly but surely, more and more people from every walk of life are waking up to honest pragmatism and the American Dream of being the best that you can be,” he writes. “Some are just a little slower at seeing the light. I welcome everyone who hustles into the asset column. Better late than never.”

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.