In the song "Devil Without a Cause," the title track from his 1998 breakthrough album, Kid Rock [ tickets ] raps "I'm gonna stomp all over your test of time."

If suburban-Detroit-bred Kid Rock, born Robert Ritchie, has his way, his work-in-progress album will live up to that claim.

"It will be rock 'n' roll," Ritchie said via telephone during a press day in New York. "I'm trying to make a timeless, classic, off-the-wall, rock 'n' roll record. I'm really focusing on the songwriting on this one. I want just really great, timeless, rock 'n' roll songs."

Another aspect of Ritchie's career could be equally as timeless. A production company named Red Light District has its hands on an adult video featuring footage of Ritchie, former Creed singer Scott Stapp and a bevy of strippers. Ritchie sued successfully to block the distribution and sale of the videotape. Publicly, Ritchie has called Stapp an "idiot" for losing the tape. (In response, Stapp told liveDaily that he doesn't worry about things he can't control.)

Ritchie has more important things to think about, especially the recent release of his first live album, "Live Trucker," the cover-art for which pays homage to his idol fellow Michigander Bob Seger.

liveDaily: How did you choose the songs for your live album?

Kid Rock [ tickets ]: Obviously, we had to have the popular songs on there and the rest was whatever sounded the best.

Did you record a lot of different shows in anticipation of doing this?

Yes, we did, but the only ones we recorded to mobile truck and to tape was the Detroit stuff.

Instead of Sheryl Crow, country star Gretchen Wilson sings "Picture" with you on the CD. When did you record with her?

That was before she blew up. I played Cobo Arena [in Detroit]. We became friends. I invited her to come up there and sing before anyone knew who she was. So that's kind of cool.

How did you meet her?

I met her at John Rich's [of Big and Rich, and Wilson's Muzik Mafia cohort] birthday party in Nashville.

Do you live in Nashville now?

No, I bought a condo there though.

Are you working on a new album?

I'm trying to write a new record now.

Are you working with Uncle Kracker on it? He co-wrote most of your other material.

I kind of haven't been working on it too much with him, no. He's kind of been hard to find. I think he's hiding in Kenny Chesney's shorts.

Are you writing songs while you're on tour?

That's the problem. I should be writing while I'm on tour, but it's just too much fun.

So will you probably start that when the tour's over?

[Laughs] No, no. I need to start doing it now. I want to record when the tour's over. But I keep screwing around.

Do you know who's going to produce it?

I've been working with Rick Rubin forever. I've been friends with him for a while and talking with him. We said we're going to do it. But it's not anything we can put out officially yet. But that's the rumor.

Did you meet him ...

When I was first starting out, yeah. He's always sat down and listened to all my records with me, giving me advice and talking music and shop, and all sort of good stuff.

What's the best piece of advice that he's given you?

He said, "Recording an album is easy; writing it is the hard part." Which makes sense. Recording an album is really easy once you know what you're doing, if you have good players and stuff.

What can people expect from your live shows?

I would switch it up. We have a video wall now. But we don't just throw ourselves up there. We do a lot of interactive stuff. There's a lot of musical homage paid to people that came before me and all my musical heroes, and otherwise. And even some interaction with sound bites and pictures from DVDs interrupting the middle of songs. I've never seen anybody use it this way. I dare say it's pretty creative. Also, I have a low ticket price for a just good rock 'n' roll fiasco. It's a good way to get away and have a good time.

You've always kind of looked out for the fans with low ticket prices.

Yeah. It's very important. I just saw in the last [however] many years it just started to get ridiculous. I think that hurts music in general, because that takes dollars out of the market. People aren't allowed to see five or six bands a year because, by the time you get done with it--you take a friend or a girlfriend, or whatever--you're out $200 or $300 by the time you go to the concert, buy some shirts and dinner. It's just too much money. Everyone's being greedy, from Ticketmaster on down. Bloody greedy. Why charge surcharges that don't mean anything? It's ridiculous. It's out of control. As a result, touring is suffering.

A lot of shows I've been to lately haven't been sold out by any means.

No, not at all. It's very tough to sell out anything nowadays, especially arenas where we're playing. We're pretty fortunate to be doing 10,000 to 12,000 every night.

There aren't too many bands who can do that.

No, not unless you're over 50.

Speaking of musical heroes, what was it like to sing with Bob Seger during your Super Bowl-weekend concerts?

It was great. It was definitely a pinnacle, a high point in my career. It was always a dream. A dream come true, basically.

How did you set that up? He's been pretty reclusive lately, except for a performance with 3 Doors Down at DTE Energy Music Theatre in the Detroit area last summer.

We always were friends. We share a manager [Punch Andrews] now. I recorded a song with him in Nashville. We've been seeing a lot of each other in the last couple years. Our kids are the same age. He knows how much I look up to him. I inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I just talked to Punch and said these shows are going to be pretty special with the international market in town and everything, and this really being about Detroit and our party. If he's ever going to come out and sing--which I'd love him to [but] I'd never come out and ask him--this would probably be the time. Everyone agreed. He came both nights, so that was even more special.