Kid Rock: Anger Management

Kid Rock is feeling a little testy these days. That was evident enough from the scene at Sunday night's MTV Video Music Awards, where the Detroit rap-rocker landed at least one (and possibly two) good blows to Tommy Lee, of fellow-ex-husband-of-Pamela-Anderson fame. It was actually the Motley Crue drummer, not Kid Rock, who was escorted out of the auditorium, possibly because some witnesses said he started the confrontation. But, upon interviewing Rock after the show, Las Vegas police did cite him for misdemeanor battery.

We did our own interview with the Kid a few days prior to the VMA scuffle and noticed that he was a little bit on edge. Maybe Lee was really just a proxy figure for the smackdown Kid Rock would like to give the lawyers and possibly (gulp) journalists of the world. Kid Rock did eventually warm up to us, we're happy to say, but there were a couple of tense moments. The entire interview, which went into depth about his Oct. 2 release, will appear on EW.com next week. In the meantime, here are a few excerpts.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let's start with the album title, Rock and Roll Jesus. So, how messianic are you feeling right now?
KID ROCK: I have no idea what that word means.

I guess I'm asking, are you meaning to say you're the rock and roll Jesus? And is rock ailing and in need of your healing touch?
[Long, uncomfortable pause] I don't think I've said it quite like that. If you want to write it like that because it sells more magazines...

Well, no, we just...
No, when the Virginia Tech shooting was going on, and people were getting killed, afterwards I heard that people were writing letters asking God where he was, and I think God, if he could speak, would look down and say ''What, you f---in' kicked me out of school — you don't want me there anymore. You want to change this whole country and take me out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and all your crazy f---in' weirdo left-wing s---, just like your crazy Bible-thumping right-wing s---.'' I think [the album title] is a way of putting Jesus' name back out there. It's not blasphemy, because I don't need money. I'm already f---in' rich. It's just something that I think is the right thing to say right at this time. It's much deeper than just saying ''I'm the king of f---in' [music], here to save rock and roll.'' But I'm sure being Kid Rock, that's what people want to construe it as. But you know, five years from now they'll think differently, like they have of everything I've done. So once again, it's a big ''Hey, go prove yourself, motherf---er — who are you?'' People looove to hate other people. Well, welcome to the real world.

Okay. Well, I didn't want to misconstrue it.
There you go.

NEXT PAGE: ''I just watch all that s--- going on and it's just like, come on: 'I'll sell more than you the first day!' It's like [saying], 'I'll kick your ass after school!' That'll take you far in life.''