Todd Rundgren

[Ash Armstrong]

The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect.

Very pleased to see this flawed but fascinatingly fun film by Todd Rundgren on YouTube.
It was broadcast on Channel 4 in the UK in 1984 or 1985, and as I recall I somehow got my father to tape it for me, since I didn't have a video recorder myself but occasionally hired one over a weekend to watch films, which were also hired, which is what one did back then by way of freeing oneself from both scheduling and the need to leave the house for televisual entertainment.
I've not seen this for over 35 years...

https://youtu.be/rTI2c9PytwE

[Soundwaveseeker]

Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect is one of my favorite Rundgren albums from the 80's and I love Utopia. But I've never seen that film, in fact I didn't know of its existence until your post! Is it a long-form video of several songs from the album (like Roger Waters Radio Kaos video EP for example)? I'll have to check it out if its on youtube. I remember a number of Utopia videos like 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now' where Todd & the boys were dressed up like giant garden bugs. Reminded me of the Cars as well. Thanks for the info!

[PeterCologne]

His most perfect album to me is Utopias Adventures in Utopia, a fancy mixed bag of arranged art-rock with ingrediants of pop, prog and new wave-layers. Every track has a different mix of colours. And the souped up harmony-vocals are almost as artful as the ones of Yes:

Hermit Of Mink Hollow is another fine album as well. And yes, thanks for the link! I will watch the movie and listen to the album again...

[Ash Armstrong]

Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect is one of my favorite Rundgren albums from the 80's and I love Utopia. But I've never seen that film, in fact I didn't know of its existence until your post! Is it a long-form video of several songs from the album (like Roger Waters Radio Kaos video EP for example)? I'll have to check it out if its on youtube. I remember a number of Utopia videos like 'Feet Don't Fail Me Now' where Todd & the boys were dressed up like giant garden bugs. Reminded me of the Cars as well. Thanks for the info!

It's a 90 min biographical video fantasy, using songs from across his solo career to illustrate/punctuate/puncture his own pretensions, linked by an interview with an unknown interlocutor.
Despite the title and that it came out about the same time (1984?), I don't think anything from that album appears at all. I stayed up till after 3.00am watching it again, and it got me into a major Todd frame of mind!

Spinning Something/Anything at the moment!

[Ash Armstrong]

His most perfect album to me is Utopias Adventures in Utopia, a fancy mixed bag of arranged art-rock with ingrediants of pop, prog and new wave-layers. Every track has a different mix of colours. And the souped up harmony-vocals are almost as artful as the ones of Yes:

Hermit Of Mink Hollow is another fine album as well. And yes, thanks for the link! I will watch the movie and listen to the album again...

Healing is a very important album for me personally, for lots of reasons, as is Todd.
I prefer his solo work to that with Utopia, for the most part, though obviously there's a lot of cross-over.

[PeterCologne]

Healing is a very important album for me personally, for lots of reasons, as is Todd.
I prefer his solo work to that with Utopia, for the most part, though obviously there's a lot of cross-over.

Oh yes, Healing, I like the fragility of that album.

[carlmarx38]

Todd was really good on the 2017 Yestival tour. Played a lot of his newer techno-y stuff. I hope fans know he is now in the RRHOF......last year's induction didn't get much publicity, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think TR even showed up for the show.

[carlmarx38]

Todd was really good on the 2017 Yestival tour. Played a lot of his newer techno-y stuff. I hope fans know he is now in the RRHOF......last year's induction didn't get much publicity, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think TR even showed up for the show.

here's a clip of Pattis Smith's Tribute played at last year's HOF ceremony

[Ash Armstrong]

Todd was really good on the 2017 Yestival tour. Played a lot of his newer techno-y stuff. I hope fans know he is now in the RRHOF......last year's induction didn't get much publicity, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think TR even showed up for the show.

He has expressed his dislike of the Hall of Fame, both as an idea and in practice, on several occasions.
The last time I saw him was touring with Joe Jackson about 15 years ago, along with a New York avant-garde electric string quartet called Ethel. Both Joe and Todd spoke high praise of Leicester De Montfort Hall's Fazioli grand piano... The show's climax was all of them jamming While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I think there's a live album been released of the tour.
Saw Utopia at Knebworth in 1979 supporting Led Zeppelin, and Todd at The Venue in London on several occasions, as well as various places on his 1982 solo tour.

[Soundwaveseeker]

Lots to love with mr. Rundgren - A Wizard A True Star and Todd are just off the wall magic. And yes, Healing - with the bonus Time Heals 45 that came with it - MAGIC. Dreamy stuff. He has his own sound which you can hear a mile away, the production, the harmonies. Magic, I tell you. Saw him a few times as well, solid stuff. And I enjoyed his set at the Yestival 2017 tour because it was a different pair up and added variety to the evening. One of the more recent albums from the 2000's I really like a lot is State. It's one of the more 'techno-y' ones but it's got that production, that glow.

I'm really half 'n half with Todd/Utopia. Like them both, probably equally. That first Utopia album from 1974 equals Relayer in many ways. And 1977's RA is great. Of the more new wave ones, Adventures In Utopia is an excellent blend, as mentioned.

[Ceasar’s Palace]

Agree with a lot of what’s been said. Just two more observations.

1. When the Utopia single Set Me Free came out, it was the first time I’d really noticed him. But I actually thought it was......... Billy Joel!

2. He also was great ca 1990. The Want Of A Nail and I Love My Life are great Todd “gospels”.

[Cast Iron Leader]

Lots to love with mr. Rundgren - A Wizard A True Star and Todd are just off the wall magic. And yes, Healing - with the bonus Time Heals 45 that came with it - MAGIC. Dreamy stuff. He has his own sound which you can hear a mile away, the production, the harmonies. Magic, I tell you. Saw him a few times as well, solid stuff. And I enjoyed his set at the Yestival 2017 tour because it was a different pair up and added variety to the evening. One of the more recent albums from the 2000's I really like a lot is State. It's one of the more 'techno-y' ones but it's got that production, that glow.

I'm really half 'n half with Todd/Utopia. Like them both, probably equally. That first Utopia album from 1974 equals Relayer in many ways. And 1977's RA is great. Of the more new wave ones, Adventures In Utopia is an excellent blend, as mentioned.

I am totally on the same page Soundwaveseeker! Healing by Todd and those 3 Utopia albums are terrific!

[Soundwaveseeker]

I think he was supposed to put out a new album last year called 'Space Force', but haven't heard anything new about it. Another great Utopia album is that self-titled one from 1982 where they kinda look like The Cars. Catchy stuff all the way through. Came out as a 3-sided double album or actually album-and-a-half. Side three and four were the same! Of course on CD it's just a regular album. The Beatles one he did (Deface The Music) was clever but one I don't play too often. Rather listen to the actual Beatles. Back To The Bars is a great live album.

[pianozach]

He has expressed his dislike of the Hall of Fame, both as an idea and in practice, on several occasions.
The last time I saw him was touring with Joe Jackson about 15 years ago, along with a New York avant-garde electric string quartet called Ethel. Both Joe and Todd spoke high praise of Leicester De Montfort Hall's Fazioli grand piano... The show's climax was all of them jamming While My Guitar Gently Weeps. I think there's a live album been released of the tour.
Saw Utopia at Knebworth in 1979 supporting Led Zeppelin, and Todd at The Venue in London on several occasions, as well as various places on his 1982 solo tour.

Todd and the RRHOF . . .

Like many artists that were unjustly excluded for so long, while cr*p bands got in ahead, well, they became "disenchanted" with the whole concept of the RRHOF.

[Ash Armstrong]

Todd and the RRHOF . . .

Like many artists that were unjustly excluded for so long, while cr*p bands got in ahead, well, they became "disenchanted" with the whole concept of the RRHOF.

I think his lack of interest in the whole thing is genuine, not sour grapes or envy, from what I've read and heard. As a European I find it an odd kind of set up, but it seems to occupy a lot of people's attention within the US, though why that is isn't something I've troubled to look into. I personally don't see the point of it at all, but I have the same view of honours and awards and titles and such over here anyway.