Todd Is.....

...my new favorite artist of all time. Seriously.

Thanks to Rogert Ebert's tweet about a friend's article,
resurrection of the renaissance man, an homage to Todd Rundgren, I fell down a rabbit hole and my summer has been transformed, both musically and mentally. I think I have a bit of a crush now, truth be told.

I started clicking the video links and remembered how much I loved Todd ages ago, and realized I didn't know a damn thing about the man or his music now. So I learned, I read, I listened. I am in awe. He puts so much of himself into his music, and he's just a great guy, brilliant, wickedly articulate, refreshingly honest, funny, a good husband and father, and a fascinating artist, one who never sold out, never stopped learning and growing. An all around amazing guy.

I learned, among other things that on his Something/Anything album (It Wouldn't Have Made any Difference, Hello it's Me) he wrote, performed, sang, recorded and produced the album himself, even figured out how to fit more tracks on the vinyl. He is the total package. How many artists can match that? His music video Time Heals was among the first ever shown on MTV and he made it himself, because in addition to musician, he's one seriously smart guy and a complete computer geek. Oh, and he also produced some monster albums like Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell, and a list of who's who bands from the 70's and 80's like the Band, Grand Funk, the Cars, the Tubes, the Psychedelic Furs, Hall and Oats, Patti Smith and many others. While I wasn't listening to Todd, I was listening to almost everything he had a hand in producing, I just didn't realize it at the time.

On his recent album, Arena, which he recorded at 60, on a Mac all by his lonesome at home in Hawaii, he channels AC/DC, Robin Trower and some ZZ Top type vibes to express his outrage at the Bush administration and his wish for us to collectively man up as a nation. I wish I had it to listen to when I was awash in my own outrage. I've listened to it dozens of times and it keeps getting better. I'm especially hooked on the song Afraid. His current album Todd Rundgren's Johnson is a cover of Eric Clapton covering Robert Johnson's blues and is very well done. Coming out next is ReProduction, Todd's dance covers of hit songs he produced for other bands, including Love My Way, Dear God, Walk Like a Man, Out of My Mind - I can hardly wait. There aren't many genres or ideas he hasn't explored. Say what you will about Todd, but he is never boring, always interesting, always chasing his inner muse. I have had a blast catching up with his work since the 80's, and although I'm sorry I missed those decades since, I've really enjoyed plugging into the matrix of his music and his life in one massive upload.

Here are a few wonderful youtube clips showing just a little of Todd's amazing vocal and musical range. In his 60's he still has it going on.

For the Want of a Nail - a soul fest with Daryll Hall - which got me hooked on the Live from Daryl's House series. Amazing stuff - you should play it while you do the dishes. You'll be dancing and singing in no time - don't hold back, don't hold back, Heyyyy!



Pretending to Care - a song so powerful that about three minutes in, brought tears to my eyes. Originally recorded on his A Capella album, which used no instruments, just multiple tracks of Todd's voice. In this live performance he is accompanied by Ethel, a fabulous string quartet.



Can We Still Be Friends - my first favorite Todd song:


For a flash-back fix, try the funky Unloved Children, recorded live in Japan. Note the lovely blonde backup singer in the middle, the one and only Michelle Rundgren, an amazing person and performer in her own right.



Musically, his amazing voice, his sense of melody and harmony, coupled with his interesting chord progressions are fascinating me. Not to mention his lyrics. How can I change the world when I can't change myself? Try again tomorrow... I have so many of his songs stuck in my head, and I've found that some of his music takes a listen or two to seep in. I liken the experience to learning to enjoy different types of wine. I read an interview where Todd tried to explain why he doesn't enjoy playing his hits, as they don't interest him musically. To paraphrase, he asked if you tried a dish that was wonderful, would you want the chef to only make that for your, or would you let him cook you something else to try? I'm so very glad I let Todd expand my palate and take me on this very cool musical adventure. I wish I'd seen him on tour before now, but he'll be in Milwaukee for Summerfest and going to hear him live is at the top of my wish list.

Until then, I'm going to have be sampling his immense catalog, watching the hundreds of videos on youtube, and rewatching his guest spots on Live from Daryl's House. And I will wait for my book A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio to arrive in the mail, plus DVD's of his live performances. I've already bought dozens of mp3 downloads and a couple of cd's. Like I said, I think I have a little crush thing going on. It's been refreshing and exactly what this old soul needed.

Happy listening to whatever makes your soul sing...