Ted Nugent Refuses to Renew His Driver’s License
Rock musician Ted Nugent has created controversy after saying he refused to renew his driver’s license. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Nugent called the renewal process “stupid” and said it represents pointless bureaucracy.
He explained that he spent nearly 45 minutes trying to follow the instructions before giving up, deciding the system itself was not worth complying with.
“When somebody tells you to do something stupid, don’t do it,” Nugent stated. “I tried to renew my driver’s license. I spent 45 minutes trying to follow their directions. Then I stopped and thought and I left them a message. It was a two syllable message. Could be one word, could be two words, but it was two syllables.”
His Argument Against License Renewal
Nugent believes renewing a license makes no sense if nothing about a person has changed. He argued that his name, photo, address, and license number are still the same, so renewal should not be required.
In his view, a person does not “expire,” and neither does an address. Because of this, he questioned why the government requires people to repeatedly prove the same information.
“I’ve got a driver’s license. And that’s my name, that’s my photo, that’s my address, and that’s my driver’s license number. It’s not expired cuz here I am,” he explained. “The driver’s license, that picture, that’s me, officer. That address is my home officer. I’m not expired. My address is not expired. Why do I renew it? It’s me.”
Criticism of Vehicle Registration
The musician extended his frustration to car registration rules. He said a vehicle’s VIN number does not change and ownership remains the same, so renewing registration feels unnecessary to him. Nugent framed this as an example of people accepting rules without questioning their purpose.
“‘Well, you got to renew your registration for your car.’ No, I don’t. That’s the VIN number. That’s my car. I’m the owner. Nothing’s expired. It hasn’t expired. I’m still here. The car still has the same VIN number. That’s the car. It’s registered. See what we’ve allowed to happen?”
Views on AI and Bureaucracy
Nugent also used the discussion to criticize artificial intelligence in music, arguing that technology can imitate sound but not human emotion or individuality. Overall, his comments showed a greater anger toward systems he sees as encouraging blind obedience, leading to a debate about whether renewal requirements are logical or outdated.
“AI kiss my a—. Artificial intelligence will never be able to play the guitar solo to ‘Journey to the Center of the Mind.’ Oh, it’ll sound like it, but it won’t have those nuances. It won’t have that piss and vinegar. Won’t have that edge. Won’t have the grit from my fingertips.”
