Unless you’ve had your head firmly planted in a pile of sand for the last 20 years, you know Kid Rock is a red-blooded American music icon. With hits spanning the genres of rock, country, hip hop and practically everything in between, it’s clear he knows a thing or two about music and just generally how to be badass. Check out these 9 things we could all learn from Kid Rock and become enlightened on the topic of American Badassery.
1. How to Reinvent Yourself
Remember your weird look from the ’80s you wish you could forget? If not, congratulations–the years of therapy paid off. For the rest of us, no doubt some parts of our past make us say, “What the f*ck was I thinking?!” This look might be a thing of Kid’s past, but it’s never slowed him down in his career, although it might’ve picked up some wind resistance.
Fast forward nearly a quarter-century later, and the Kid’s rockin’ a ‘do that no longer rules out wearing a hat, plus a musical repertoire jam packed with hits that span multiple genres and cultural boundaries. Lesson to be learned? Pay attention to the current climate, and don’t get too stuck in old ways. You might miss out on the best version of yourself yet.
2. How to Handle Criticism
When you’re as outspoken as Kid Rock, you’re bound to gain a few enemies. The Kid gained thousands of them earlier this year when his opinions incurred the wrath of a certain pop star’s rabid fan base. In true American Badass style, Rock stood his ground with a simple yet powerful statement.
3. How to Be a Cowboy, Baby.
He says he can smell a pig from a mile away… Who doesn’t want to know how to do that?!
4. How to Reconcile Our Differences (featuring Sean Penn)
Whether you lean to the left, ride on the right or stand somewhere in the middle, Kid Rock recognizes that ultimately it’s our right to think differently that makes this country great.
5. How to Make It Rain
Kid Rock’s Buffalo Chip performance during the 2013 August music festival has become the one to which all bands are compared. It was truly epic, with neither Kid Rock nor the crowd settling for anything less than a full concert despite it taking place in the middle of a hellacious South Dakota thunderstorm. It seemed as though Mr. Rock harnessed the power of the storm to enhance the performance via synchronized thunderclaps and an electric light show, captured in the above photo.
6. How to be A-maze-ing!
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Kid Rock is not one to hide his opinions, but the closest you’ll get to actually being inside his head is by visiting this Kid Rock-inspired corn maze at Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch in Midland, Michigan. There’s nothing corny about having a maze made in your likeness, and sources say it’d be a-maze-ing if you could find your way through it in under an hour!
7. How to Pickup Chicks
Kid Rock recently developed a signature Chevy pickup- that just might be big enough to haul the bevy of babes he’s dated over the years. Pam Anderson, Jaime Pressly, Kellie Pickler, Alyssa Lipsky and Jaime King are only a few of the high-profile hotties the Kid’s been involved with in the past.
8. How to Party
Perhaps one of the most valuable lessons to learn from Kid Rock is how to party. Even if you’re a master of shaking your moneymaker, you can never know too much about the art of throwing a legendary shindig. The man recently launched his own brewing company, American Badass Beer Company. If that’s not a sign of someone who doesn’t mess around when it comes to partying, then nothing is.
9. How to Win Stevie Nicks’ Heart
We already mentioned the lengthy list of lovely ladies Kid Rock’s dated over the years, but not every ladies’ man has the power to make a woman as magical as the legendary Stevie Nicks weak in the knees. However, Kid Rock makes it look like child’s play.
As stated earlier, Kid Rock is a master of reinvention, which means his evolution is never complete. That’s why you definitely don’t want to miss his performance at the Chip on August 7, 2016. It’s going to be an absolutely epic, life-changing experience that will teach you even more about what it takes to be an American Badass… and that’s something we ALL could stand to learn more about.
