Believe it or not, Ted Nugent has a softer side. Though the legendary hard rocker is better known for his Tarzan-like stage antics, affinity for hunting and conservative political views, the Motor City Madman also spends his time with terminally ill children in an effort to raise their spirits. "I can't remember a year that went by since the '60s that I haven't done this," Nugent tells Spinner. "I find it amazing that these little kids can connect with an old fart like me. I'm probably the ultimate youth counselor in America, dare I say."

The visits, set up by foundations like Make-A-Wish, Wish Upon a Star and Hunt of a Lifetime, bring the children to Nugent's SpiritWild Ranch in Texas for days of fun. Two of the most recent visitors, 5-year-old Macon Lynn, who's suffering from inoperable brain cancer, and 6-year-old Brianna Curry, who's fighting a brain tumor and happens to be a fan of Nugent's music. "They all love going four-wheeling, exploring the wild grounds here and seeing the wildlife -- the deer, ducks, geese, herons and turtles -- so there's always something fascinating," Nugent says. "Little Brianna and I stopped and picked a bunch of wildflowers and I laid down in the field made angels like you do in the snow -- just being a complete dork and she laughed. I'm sure the chemo and radiation and pain and the ugliness was gone for a little while. It's just very magical."

Nugent, who recently received the Defender of Freedom Award from the National Rifle Association, also teaches the kids how to shoot rifles and a bow and arrow. "I have a certain training regimen that I do every day and when the kids come, we alter it a bit for their youthfulness," he says. "We use the proper firearms, the little .22's with the quiet little CB caps and the proper ear and eye protection. And the bow and arrow is just very magical. When you shoot it, it's just you and where that arrow is going." He also makes time for the kids to play with his Labradors: Blackjack, Thunder and Gonzo. "When you're playing with the dogs, you just laugh and be silly," he says. "The kids love doing that."

Despite his toughness, the visits can still be difficult for Nugent. "You don't know how to act," he says. "A teenager with his hair all shaved off and the predictions are that he'll be gone in 30 days, I mean, what the hell do you say? You don't want to be pitiful, negative or melancholy. They didn't come to hang out with the melancholy madman, so I turn energy, the buoyancy and the humor." That's not to say that Nugent ignores their illnesses completely. "They are dying and we don't want to dwell on that but you want to pretend that you don't know it," he says. "I try to articulate that they've been dealt a hand, through no fault of their own, that there are people who can live 10 times as long who won't live as good as they have in their short life, people who were given health and decided to do meth or be criminals or decided not to love their family."

The days usually end with a cookout and campfire. "I always cook up a nice barbecue for them. I'm the master of the grill and we have a damn good time," he says, noting that "dead s--- is my specialty." "We've always got a nice smorgasbord of wonderful, pure, natural protein and handled by Uncle Ted on the mesquite coals, it is heaven on earth, I assure you."

It's around these campfires that Nugent wrote a song to honor the occasions. "I've written a song as a direct result of my time with these terminally ill people and also inspired by the time I've spent with the wounded heroes of the military," he says. "It's called 'Never Stop Dreaming' and it's without question my favorite piece of music in the history of noise. The people I play it for tend to agree. We are fortified by the powerful, buoyant spirit of families in trying times that bless us and honor us by even thinking of me to share that very important time with them, so it's powerful medicine."