Here, Todd Rundgren contemplates his eventful career during a recent portrait session in Los Angeles. The polymath performer, celebrated for his genre-bending approach and out-of-the-box studio practices, reflected back on 1977, the year he first started chipping away at an independent artistic identity in music. The aftereffects of his work with others can be felt throughout his own expansive discography. Its reach extends far beyond its record sales, having deeply inspired artists such as the late, great Prince.
Whether explaining the principles of sound design or detailing the ruthlessness of the modern music industry, Rundgren’s wisdom celebrates creativity, exploration, and artistry. Of Prince’s work, he expressed a deep appreciation while admitting that at times it was both brilliant and confusing. While Rundgren respected some of Prince’s music, he was honest as can be that some lyrics just weren’t his style. This subtle observation underscores Rundgren’s radicalism as a songwriting innovator. To do so, he frequently avoids formulaic patterns, instead choosing to pull directly from his own life and focus on artistic exploration.
In one of the more famous stories, model Bebe Buell shared the story of a young Prince Roger Nelson meeting his idol Todd Rundgren. She recalled how an equally star-struck and eager Prince waited for hours backstage to meet the performer baby-faced Rundgren after one of his famed shows. And so this moment illustrates Rundgren’s impact on his artistic heirs who idolized him as a creative trailblazer.
Rundgren’s creative process is equal parts impulsive and pensive. He recounted an experience in which he discovered his muse while holed up in a $10 a night hotel room in Kathmandu. Each day, a new melody started to emerge in his mind, inspiring him to let his fingers dance across the piano. After 20 minutes, a new song was born, testament to his talent for seizing momentary flashes of inspiration.
He still recalled the experience step by step of being up in the wee hours. The catchy tune for Bang the Drum All Day was swirling around in his head. These moments showcase Rundgren’s out-of-the-box poetic genius, which more often than not alights in unexpected places.
His album A Wizard, a True Star is an enduring proof of that artistic vision and life lived. Rundgren revealed that the project was “heavily informed by his hallucinogenic experiences,” reflecting a period when he sought to break away from traditional songwriting structures. His appetite for innovation didn’t stop there. He would go on to mine it further with his subsequent landmark “Something/Anything?”, fashioning songs in the brutally constrictive quarters of a small hotel room.
Rundgren’s collaborations with other artists help to demonstrate his innovative and exciting approach to the art of music. Beyond XTC, he worked extensively with longtime songwriting partner Colin Moulding. Moulding required extreme precision, even going so far as to have him “punch in every note of the bass part.” This devotion to detail showcases the fact that Rundgren has always been an artist deeply committed to the craft of production.
Though Rundgren has worked with some of the biggest names in music, he was just as ready to share hilarious tales from the recording booth. He reflected on having Levon Helm chase him around while recording, but admitted that he has seen the effects of substance abuse on Helm. These experiences speak to some of the challenges of navigating the music ecosystem, where the personal often intersects with the professional.
Rundgren’s production work on XTC’s album Skylarking has stood the test of time and is considered one of the signature milestones of his career. Nearly four decades later, he still contemplates the decisions made during its creation, reflecting on how those choices impacted the music.
His unguarded conversations with artists such as John Lennon give a glimpse of who he was. Rundgren then reminisced about a joke filled exchange with Lennon who shot back missives dripping with acerbic humor and sagely insight. To his credit, he acknowledged that he never saved such letters. Even more importantly, it demonstrates his wild spirit—he goes with the flow, living for the now and not wallowing in what used to be.
“I think we’re being used here, so let’s bury the hatchet.” – Todd Rundgren