I think that’s accurate on some level. You’ve gotta have a little nerd in you to get through The Ikon or appreciate the concept of Singring and the Glass Guitar, although musically, there are some of Todd’s most melodic riffs and blistering leads in there. I saw that gig live in real time, btw, pyramid and all.
I was wondering who Todd was looking at when he turned his head back and forth but than I realized Todd didn't want to exclude the camera man from the conversation so he was looking at him too.....what a down to earth dude.
Todd was on the money, this interview was from 1978, he predicted mass media storage smaller than a sink in everyone's home, look what we've got now and it produces HD quality, staggering!
If he'd said these things ten years later- 1988 - it would still be way ahead of its time. In 1978 the vinyl LP still ruled and, in the UK at least, the VCR was still a novelty - and the size of a sink!! I love Todd more each day!
I love Todd Rundgren. Some people have said that because they really dig "I Saw The Light" or something. I Love Todd Rundgren because I relate to him and his art in a way that I can't explain. I've never quite felt a kinship with another creative individual like I do with him. I don't even know how to really describe it.
Same here.... his music moves me in a way I can't quite describe... it reaches corners and hallways and rooms of my soul like none other.. the sense of kinship is uncanny
Just Jeanne I couldn't have said it better! Every part of me as an artist seems like it is built, unbeknownst to me, upon Todd's spirit and artistry. Really hard to put into concrete terms!
I think it is funny that his two sons both were drafted by major league baseball teams (one nearly made it...got to AAA) and he never played sports. He probably would have been good at that too. He is exceptionally bright and apparently a diligent worker which accounts for his skill in musicianship and technology.....and he never sold out! Awesome.
I love how refreshingly PRACTICAL he is when it comes to technology. Look, no one beats Todd when it comes to the cutting edge--the difference is he knows how to USE it!
I've often wondered (sice I've been a fan since 1974) what is his IQ? That's why I've often thought, even if I could sit down and have a conversation with him, I'd almost be embarassed, because I'm SO not near his league. I know it's been said many times, by many people, but his talents are so underrated. But when you think of the concepts he's embraced, and the music that he's done not only for himself, but engineered & produced for others...it really does make you stand back & say ...
At 4:05 in this in 1978 he's talking about computer interactive/ television which we now know as RU-vid. He talked about how lame video disc would become. His insight was spot on. What a genius Todd was! Way ahead of his time musically, conceptually, artistically, intellectually. Fantastic interview. Kind of makes me feel like Forrest Gump when he talked about investing in some fruit company back when the movie came out in 1993. If only I hadda shoulda woulda coulda. Great interview!
So forward thinking. This was 1978 and Todd’s talking about home computers and music videos, years before mtv even first aired. I could listen to Todd for hours.
What's interesting is he nails all this stuff, predicts streaming, the blowup of cable, the folly of media like discs, tapes, etc. He accurately pictures TB disk storage in each home..and so much more. But he blows it on SNL, lol...implies they might not be around for long. Here we are in July 2013, SNL going strong. Kinda funny. Otherwise tho, always a prescient dude.
I remember story that my dad told me that you created you this work of heart and you picked him out of the crowd and recognized his art and signed it. Then my mother now divorced from him many years ago destroyed it
If you watch live interviews with Todd, you'll notice he is always rubbing and scratching his nose. I would bet it's more of a nervous habit than an actual itch.
Todd Rundgren has such a great voice I was instantly attracted to him when I first heard him sing back in the early ‘70s, then later discovering how intelligent he is made me love him more, and finally, finding out he was a dad to Liv Tyler when she was little and needed a real father in her life, sent me over the moon. Mad props to him for that alone because it shows the kind of person he is, on the inside, where it really counts. He’s got it, baby, he’s got it. A wizard, a true star (a great guy who’s down to earth & a brainiac too!)
Those big old video discs , NEVER caught on. DVDs of today are 1/5th the size, Here it is 40 years later, Todd was, and still is, RIGHT ON ! except his face got fatter .
this is what a GENIUS sounds like he can project into the future using the information he has at the time an mazing human being and so important to American music AN NO ONE LISTENS TO HIM ANY MORE kids don't even know who he IS all the music that was so important to "us" really falls flat on the kids
The McLuhan of rock. Interesting to see how this made it to interactive streaming video. And also interesting and ironic that he doesn't use a smartphone.
Todd wasn't wrong - "billion byte" storage computers were available before the 25 years after 1978 he predicted. Gigabyte hard drives were becoming common in the late 90s, when we also had Winamp and Napster.
Liv is actually Steve Tylers daughter. Bebe Buell was dating Todd on and off for like 8 years but during their split in 77 she became pregnant with Tyler's child, Liv. To protect her baby from Tyler's out of controll heroin and cocaine addictions she asked Todd to pretend to be her father untill he cleaned up. When Liv turned 8 years old she found out the truth becuase both Todd and Bebe felt it was time to tell her. She has said she always has and still does concider Todd a father to her! Very interesting stuff if you ask me :)
I never knew laserdiscs existed until I saw them mentioned on the toy story wikipedia page, of all places. They were available as far back as 1976 weren't they? Did they ever catch on much or was it something people generally didn't own, like the kind of thing a gadget fan might have?
Todd was always just a bit too far ahead of his time. One thing he didn't see coming was that shortly after this interview was recorded music video production would rapidly change over to film. It started in Europe, where film allowed them to get out of the studio as well as ditch the inferior look of video. Todd's multimillion dollar video studio was obsolete nearly overnight.
