Dear Superstar: Kid Rock

He’s a white-trash hip-hop pimp. A country balladeer. A ’70s-nostalgic arena-rock star and an all-around anti-PC smartass. But when Kid Rock extends his hand in greeting, he introduces himself as Bob.

Dressed in his standard-issue wife-beater, black ­fedora and sunglasses, the man born Robert James Ritchie fingers an unlit cigar as he sits poolside at L.A.’s Sunset Marquis hotel. Ducking from the pounding midday sun under an umbrella, Kid Rock, 36, starts to talk about his new CD, Rock N Roll Jesus — and that’s when the trademark cockiness flares up.

“A lot of people have been telling me for the last three years they’d like to see me step in and make a great American rock album,” he says. “There’s a lack of star power these days. You look around and … pfff.” Pretending to survey the miniscule competition on the horizon, he waves his hand dismissively.

He sits back in his chair, wearing a shit-eating grin, and scans a pool-food menu for some appetizers. Not so fast, Bob: It’s time for the third degree …

Please take us through a day of Kid Rock drinking: What’s a good drink for morning, for midday, for the evening, and for nighttime?
Tryglobyte, Norfolk, VA
I heard it said best, and it stands true: “How can you drink all day if you don’t start first thing in the morning?” I follow the formula: Beer during the day, wine at dinner, whiskey afterward. And then, usually, sex.

Is celebrity rehab a crock?
S.Rheza, Plano, TX
Yes. It’s also gay.

You had three separate wedding ceremonies with Pam Anderson. Which was the wildest?
Cindy.Frost, Los Angeles
I’m not really gonna talk about that, but I will tell you this: Getting married is a ball. Getting married is the most fun you can have in life. Being married sucks.

Please fill in the blanks: I sing better than I _____, but not as well as I _____.
LilMissKittie, Ramsey, NJ
I sing better than I think, but not as well as I think.

What hobby do you have that would surprise us?
Pweezeme, Montreal
Antiquing. When I’m in different towns, I like to go to antique stores. I love to find old brass lamps with bald eagles on ’em — they’re impossible to get. So maybe if you print this, someone will bring some lamps to the backstage door when we go on tour, and we can work something out.

What’s wrong with America?
F.J.Stephens, Louisville, KY
Nobody’s got a backbone anymore. Guys will say fucked-up things on the radio, or Mel Gibson gets drunk, and they start apologizing, crying to everybody. I’m tired of everybody saying “I’m sorry,” especially when you know they’re really not. I never get into trouble for anything I say, because people just expect it. If I did, I would say, “It’s not that I didn’t mean to say it; it’s just that I wish I wouldn’t have.”

Besides your sex tape with Scott Stapp, do you often record yourself getting busy?
Thierry_DuPont, Arabi, LA
Never. That wasn’t my tape; that was his tape — which I haven’t seen, but it’s gotta be funny. Who’s got it? Send it to me! I haven’t seen it! I do want to apologize publicly for that tape, though. Not for the tape … just for hanging out with Scott Stapp.

What was the scariest moment during your time as a teenage crack dealer in Mt. Clemens, Michigan?
Bhuzo8, Port Arthur, TX
I never felt that threatened, really. We’d stand on the corner and make some extra money selling a vial full of rocks. Usually we’d just stay in the parking lots and drink 40s and tell jokes, y’know? But I don’t know if there was a scary moment involved. It wasn’t like there were gun battles. I had a few friends who got shot and died, but I wasn’t around to witness that.

You publicly challenged Vanilla Ice to a fight. Did you ever hear from him?
AllBranMegaton, Staten Island, NY
I’ve seen him a few times since then. We’ve hung out and talked; he’s a nice kid. It’s like anything else. You get money, and all that shit suddenly seems unimportant, but when you don’t have money it’s important: When your grandparents come over for Thanksgiving and they say, “What are you up to?” and someone says, “Oh, Bobby’s a rapper,” and they go, “Oh, like Vanilla Ice,” that makes you want to kick his ass.

Can I buy the eight-foot middle finger from the Devil Without a Cause tour off of you?
MetalScythe, Royal Oak, MI
I’m sure it’s in one of our warehouses. I’d probably give it to you just because you asked. That would be a cool thing for some Kid Rock fan: Have a barbecue and blow up that eight-foot thing. You couldn’t say it wouldn’t be fun!

continued...