Over a thirty-year career, Todd Rundgren has explored every musical avenue possible as a producer, recording innovator, composer, performer, and sought after guitarist for dozens of projects. He has even had his own radio show, which was nominated for several awards. Through it all, Todd has continued to pursue his own path of creativity, whether it was successful or not. He can be compared to Brian Eno or Philip Glass as an avant-garde composer of unconventional music. Yet he refuses to be categorized. However, in certain circles, Todd Rundgren is an American music icon–with a loyal cult following.
Recently, Todd was touring with the New Cars project until one of the musicians broke his collarbone. As a “happy accident” he hooked-up with the Tony Levin group playing lead guitar. He had a three week window to book some gigs with Levin. It also gave Todd an opportunity to finally yield to his fans’ desire that he showcase his guitar playing. Presently, Todd has no album to promote, but he’s working on various recording projects and producing assignments. I caught Todd in Philadelphia where he was due to play the next night with Levin.
“Yeah, the New Cars thing was fun, but now I’m enjoying playing lead guitar with Tony Levin. I get volumes of emails from fans who want me to play more electric guitar. So this opportunity came up and it’s been a blast.”
“Funny, I started out imitating other musicians and over the years I got organized and started to distill these influences into my own sound–a derivation of everything that came before. I developed many different styles of both playing and manipulating my music in the studio as a creative endeavor unto itself. Luckily, my sideline of being a record producer has given me the financial freedom to be unencumbered by the expectations of other people. I just do my thing and live in the moment. When I hear other artists, I know where all their influences come from.”
“Tony (Levin) was with Peter Gabriel, who has taken a long hiatus, so Tony has been looking for opportunities to gig in the medium venues of two-thousand seaters, like the Florida Theatre. This gig with Levin gives me the chance to cut loose on guitar, recreating the old arena rock sound. When I released Liars, which was my first concept record in a long time, it received unexpected acclaim. Now I’m attempting to bring the same high concept to live performing the way Liars came off.”
“My career has come full circle, from the early pop years, to the experimentation, and now I’m content to produce records and go out with friends like Ringo Starr and The New Cars band. I’ll be sixty years old soon, but I feel great. I don’t’ have the energy of Mick Jagger who runs the equivalent of a marathon on that big stage every time he performs. I’m building a new house and working hard at my various projects. When I spend a long time in the studio, I get restless and look for performing opportunities. So life is good.”
That concluded our chat. Fans can expect surprises at any Todd Rundgren show. Every time he goes on tour it’s a new concept or a new band. I have a feeling Todd will keep on performing and recording far into the future. Todd Rundgren performs live at the Florida Theatre May 6th at 8:00 pm.
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