John Mellencamp Says He Was Initially 'Against' Son Hud Joining Claim to Fame But Ultimately Found It 'Fun' (Exclusive)

John Mellencamp wasn’t exactly sold on son Hud’s recent stint on reality TV — but he’s since come around.

The legendary rocker, 73, tells PEOPLE that he was initially a bit hesitant when Hud, 30, told him he’d be appearing on the hit ABC reality series Claim to Fame, which sees contestants who each have a secret celebrity relative going head to head as they try to figure out clues that reveal each relationship.

“I was against it at first,” he says. “Me and his mother Elaine [Irwin] were kind of like, ‘Hud, do you really need to do this?’”

Despite dad’s lukewarm reaction, Hud joined the cast of the show’s third season, which premiered in July. He did great, too, coming in second place to Adam Christoferson, nephew of Michael Bolton. 

“Once we watched the show and we watched him on the show, it was fun,” says Mellencamp. “It was fun for everybody in the family and it was fun for him, and he did really well.”

Hud is not the first of Mellencamp’s kids to make a name for themselves on reality TV; daughter Teddi, 43, was a main cast member for three seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (Mellencamp is also dad to daughters Michelle, 53, and Justice, 39, and son Speck, 29).

The proud dad praises Hud — who teased a post-show romance with Trace Adkins’ daughter Mackenzie in an interview with PEOPLE — as a “very handsome kid” and Duke University graduate. He also touts son Speck’s skills as an artist, and says he sees his boys “a lot,” as they both live nearby.

“[Speck] paints every day for eight hours. Beautiful, beautiful paintings. And he’ll send them to me, and sometimes they’re so good you just can’t help but to go, F--- you. This is too good,’” he says.

Both sons were on hand to support their famous father when he received a life-size statue at Indiana University in Bloomington on Oct. 18.

“My dad used to say to me when I was a kid, he would go, ‘John, here today, gone tomorrow, forgotten in two weeks.’ And that stuck with me,” Mellencamp says of leaving behind a legacy. “It made my life easier. People struggle and they worry about their legacy and what they’re going to leave behind. I never gave a fuck about it. I didn’t care about it because in my brain, it just wasn’t real. I didn’t need that motivation, for legacy. I was always just motivated because I’m lucky. You’re talking to the luckiest guy in the world.”