Yes, he is a wizard, a true star, but he is also one of the few true artists of rock & roll who have innovated music delivery. Is there anything that Todd Rundgren CAN’T do? He is a successful singer, writer, composer, producer, technologist, entertainer. There does not seem to be a medium that he hasn’t conquered. I wish that I had just a speck of his talent. I grew up listening to Todd… my older sister was a fan and introduced me to his AWATS album when I was just a little kid. That album was ground-breaking at the time. His use of electronics to create unique, peculiar sounds and his blending of several songs into a medley without a cut made it an interesting listen. I have to admit, I did not fully appreciate the artistry of Todd until many years later, after I was old enough to see him live in concert.
I saw Todd perform locally a couple years ago. It was a real thrill for me since I had not seen him live since I was in high school. He played an intimate venue and as I discovered while talking with the people sitting near me while waiting for the show to start, Todd still has MANY avid fans and groupies who follow him to shows all over the country! Not bad for a guy who has been active in the rock world for 50 years! He had captioned the show “An Unpredictable Evening with Todd Rundgren” and he must have had a blast coming up with the surprises he mixed into the set. In fact, he started the show with a completely unpredictable cover of…. wait for it….. “Muskrat Love”! I think it took us a few bars to figure out what he was playing, but always the musical master, only Todd could make pop drivel from the 70’s sound cool. You just know that he would be fun to hang out with.
His production work is vast and if you aren’t a Todd follower, you may not be aware of the long list of bands/albums he has produced. One of the most notable from my teen years was Meat Loaf’s “Bat Out of Hell”, a top-selling album of the decade. Todd also produced music for pop artists Hall & Oates, XTC, and The Psychedelic Furs, to name just a few. He did a brief stint with The New Cars several years ago. And in terms of backstory, he has links to John Lennon and Liv Tyler. But it is to the delight of his lifelong fans that he has been back on the road these past couple years with some of his longtime Utopia bandmates and pals….shout out to Kasim Sulton! I still get a jolt of happiness each time I listen to Todd’s music and I have a feeling I always will. Thank you, Wizard Todd.
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