When Rolling Stone's David Peisner set out to learn how Kid Rock went from a fedora-wearing rapper with rock-infused party anthems to a regular on Fox News, nearly a year passed before the performer, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, agreed to speak with him. Peisner weaves this strange meeting at Ritchie's Nashville mansion—modeled to resemble the White House, but with fun-house vibes—through the story of how Ritchie became a rapper, while looping in those once close to him who are still trying to figure out how he ended up besties with former President Trump. Longtime collaborator Mike E. Clark likened Ritchie's extreme turn right to "losing a family member."
Peisner notes how the provocative Kid Rock persona dips in and out of his conversations, as Ritchie tries to needle him into arguments by stringing together a Madlibs of far-right buzz words. As the Nashville interview moves from the mansion to Ritchie's nearby recording studio, the entertainer gets progressively drunker, and things get weirder. The political talk turns aggressive, handguns get waived around, and when Peisner attempts to exit, Ritchie lobbies for a sleepover ... multiple times. Peisner ultimately lands on Ritchie's MAGA conversion being a last-ditch effort to remain relevant. "He's always longed for the spotlight, and now, as a 53-year-old more than a decade removed from his last big hit, he's doing whatever he can to keep it on him." Read the full story at Rolling Stone. (And read more longforms recaps here).
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