Editing Todd Rundgren

{{Short description|American musician (born 1948)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name             = Todd Rundgren
| background       = solo_singer
| image            = Todd Rundgren (8470849856).jpg
| caption          = Rundgren performing in 2013
| birth_name       = Todd Harry Rundgren
| alias            = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1948|06|22}}
| birth_place      = {{nowrap|[[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.}}
| death_date       =
| death_place      =
| genre            = {{hlist|[[Pop music|Pop]]|[[rock music|rock]]|[[progressive music|progressive]]|[[electronic music|electronic]]|[[Contemporary R&B|R&B]]|[[psychedelic music|psychedelia]]|[[soft rock]]<ref name="allmusic.com">{{cite web |title=Soft Rock Music Artists |url=https://www.allmusic.com/subgenre/soft-rock-ma0000011841/artists |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 April 2023 |language=en}}</ref>}}
| discography      = [[Todd Rundgren discography]]
| occupation       = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|record producer|sound engineer|video producer|[[multimedia art]]ist}}
| instrument       = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|bass|keyboards|drums}}
| years_active     = 1966–present
| label            = {{hlist|[[Ampex]]|[[Bearsville Records|Bearsville]]|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]|[[Cleopatra Records|Cleopatra]]}}
| past_member_of   = <!--- Do not add acts for which he produced only one or two albums--->{{hlist|[[Nazz]]|[[The New Cars]]|[[Runt (album)|Runt]]|[[Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band]]|[[Utopia (band)|Utopia]]|Woody's Truck Stop}}
| module           =
  {{Infobox person | embed=yes
  | children       = [[Liv Tyler]] (adoptive/legal daughter)
  }}
  
}}

'''Todd Harry Rundgren''' (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands [[Nazz]] and [[Utopia (band)|Utopia]]. He is known for his sophisticated and often unorthodox music, his occasionally lavish stage shows, and his later experiments with [[interactive art]]. He also produced music videos and was an early adopter and promoter of various computer technologies, such as using the Internet as a means of [[digital distribution|music distribution]] in the late 1990s.<ref name="Tingen04">{{cite web|last1=Tingen|first1=Paul|title=Todd Rundgren|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/people/todd-rundgren|website=[[Sound on Sound]]|date=May 2004}}</ref>

A native of Philadelphia, Rundgren began his professional career in the mid-1960s, forming the [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] band [[Nazz]] in 1967. After two years, he left Nazz to pursue a solo career and immediately scored his first US [[top 40]] hit with "[[We Gotta Get You a Woman]]" (1970). His best-known songs include "[[Hello It's Me]]" and "[[I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren song)|I Saw the Light]]" from ''[[Something/Anything?]]'' (1972), which get frequent air time on [[classic rock]] radio stations, the 1978 "[[Can We Still Be Friends]]", and the 1983 single "[[Bang the Drum All Day]]", which is featured in many sports arenas, commercials, and movie trailers. Although lesser known, "[[Couldn't I Just Tell You]]" (1972) was influential to many artists in the [[power pop]] genre.<ref>{{cite book|title=All music guide: the definitive guide to popular music|page=[https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd/page/464 464]|author1=Vladimir Bogdanov|author2=Chris Woodstra|author3=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|year=2001|isbn=978-0-87930-627-4|url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd/page/464}}</ref> His 1973 album ''[[A Wizard, a True Star]]'' remains an influence on later generations of [[bedroom music]]ians.<ref name="p4kwizard" />

Rundgren is considered a pioneer in the fields of [[electronic music]], [[progressive rock]], music videos, computer software, and Internet music delivery.<ref name="AMbio"/> He organized the first [[interactive television]] concert in 1978, designed the first color [[graphics tablet]] in 1980, and created the first interactive album, ''[[No World Order]]'', in 1994.<ref name="Tingen04"/><ref name="Sonoma97">{{cite news |last1=Cahill |first1=Greg |title=A Cyber Wizard |url=https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/todd-rundgren/Content?oid=2177314 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |newspaper=[[Sonoma County Independent]] |date=August 1997}}</ref>{{dubious|date=August 2023}} Additionally, he was one of the first acts to be prominent as both an artist and producer.<ref name="p4kwizard"/> His notable production credits include [[Badfinger]]'s ''[[Straight Up (Badfinger album)|Straight Up]]'' (1971), [[Grand Funk Railroad]]'s ''[[We're an American Band]]'' (1973), the [[New York Dolls]]' ''[[New York Dolls (album)|New York Dolls]]'' (1973), [[Meat Loaf]]'s ''[[Bat Out of Hell]]'' (1977), and [[XTC]]'s ''[[Skylarking]]'' (1986). He was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2021.

==Early influences and Nazz==
[[File:From-upper-darby-1.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Rundgren's hometown, [[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania]], in 2007]]
Todd Harry Rundgren{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=21}} was born in [[Philadelphia]]<ref name="Buckley2003">{{cite book|editor-last=Buckley|editor-first=Peter|first=Nicholas|last=Olivier|chapter=Todd Rundgren|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7ctjc6UWCm4C&pg=PT902|year=2003|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-84353-105-0|pages=[https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock0003unse/page/902 902–903]|url=https://archive.org/details/roughguidetorock0003unse/page/902}}</ref><ref name="Tingen04"/> on June 22, 1948,{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=21}} the son of Ruth (née Fleck; April 29, 1922 – April 6, 2016) and Harry W. Rundgren (1917–1996). His father was of Swedish descent and his mother was of Austrian and German descent. He grew up in the bordering town of [[Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Jackson|first=Vincent|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=AC&p_theme=ac&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0FCC79166C5DF222&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Article Archives |website=Nl.newsbank.com |date=August 6, 2003 |access-date=September 24, 2012}}</ref> and taught himself how to play guitar with little help.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=17}} As a child, Rundgren was fascinated by his parents' small record collection, which consisted of [[show tunes]] and [[symphonic]] pieces, and especially by the operettas of [[Gilbert and Sullivan]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=22}} Later, he grew infatuated with the music of [[the Beatles]], [[the Rolling Stones]], [[the Ventures]], and [[the Yardbirds]], as well as the [[Philadelphia soul]] of [[Gamble & Huff]], [[the Delfonics]], and [[the O'Jays]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=23}} At the age of 17, he formed his first band, Money, with then-best friend and roommate Randy Reed and Reed's younger brother.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=23}}

After graduating from [[Upper Darby High School]] in 1966, Rundgren moved to Philadelphia and began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a blues rock group in the style of [[Paul Butterfield|Paul Butterfield Blues Band]].<ref name="woodyam"/> Rundgren stayed with the band for eight months, and in the process, they became the most popular group in Philadelphia.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=26}} He and bassist [[Carson Van Osten]] left before they released the eponymous first album<ref name="woodyam">{{cite web|first=Bryan|last=Thomas |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/woodys-truck-stop-mw0000852086 |title=Woody's Truck Stop|publisher=[[AllMusic]] |date=n.d. |access-date=March 14, 2016}}</ref> to form the rock band [[Nazz]] in 1967. By then, Rundgren had lost interest in the blues and wanted to pursue a recording career with original songs in the style of newer records by the Beatles and [[the Who]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=17}} As a member of the Nazz, he learned his craft as a songwriter and vocal arranger, and was determined to equal the artistry of the Beatles.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=17, 27}}{{refn|group=nb|He said he was not enamored with the Beatles after ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' (1967) and thought they lost their "momentum".<ref name="puremusic"/>}}

{{listen
| filename     = Nazz - Open My Eyes.ogg
| title        = "Open My Eyes" (1967)
| description  = Excerpt from the debut record by Nazz.
}}

In 1968, after recording four demo discs, the Nazz were signed by [[Atlantic Records]] subsidiary Screen Gems Columbia (SGC). They were flown to Los Angeles to produce their first album at ID Sound studio.<ref name=OpenAnt>{{Cite AV media notes |title=Open Our Eyes: The Anthology |others=Nazz |year=2019 |first=Kieron |last=Tyler |type=Booklet |publisher=Purple Pyramid Records}}</ref> Rundgren had no prior production experience and remembered that the producer, [[Bill Traut]], "just whipped through the mixes in a day or two ... So I got it into my head, 'Well, he's gone now, so why don't we just mix it again, more like the way we want it?' Our engineer didn't mind if we went and just started diddling around on the board ... It was pretty much trial and error."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=29}} He took an experimental approach to the recordings, employing techniques such as [[varispeed]] and [[flanging]], and despite having no formal training, scored music charts for string and horn arrangements.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=32}} Engineer [[James Lowe (musician)|James Lowe]], who Rundgren recruited for his involvement with arranger [[Van Dyke Parks]], believed that Rundgren had become the de facto leader of Nazz, and that a producer's credit was wrongfully withheld from him.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=30}}

Nazz gained minor recognition with their debut single, July 1968's "Open My Eyes" backed with "[[Hello It's Me]]", both songs penned by Rundgren. They subsequently released three albums: ''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]'' (October 1968), ''[[Nazz Nazz]]'' (April 1969), and ''[[Nazz III]]'' (1971).<ref name=Nazz>Sanctuary Records, liner notes for reissues of Nazz and Nazz Nazz/Nazz 3: The Fungo Bat Sessions (2006)</ref> In March 1968, New York singer-songwriter [[Laura Nyro]] released her second album, ''[[Eli and the Thirteenth Confession]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/eli-and-the-thirteenth-confession-mw0000651047|title=Eli and the Thirteenth Confession|last=Unterberger|first=Richie|author-link=Richie Unterberger|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> When Rundgren heard the record, he was struck by "all the [[major seventh chord]]s and variations on [[augmented chord|augmented]] and [[suspended chord]]s", and it had an immediate impact on his songwriting, especially as he began to compose more on piano.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=27, 30–31}} He elaborated:

{{blockquote|I know for a fact that her influences were the more sophisticated side of [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]], like [[Jerry Ragovoy]] and [[Barry Mann|Mann]] & [[Cynthia Weil|Weil]] and [[Carole King]]. ... and she also had her own very original and very [[jazz]]-influenced way of seeing things. It was that extra layer that made her influential. A lot of those chords she got from other people. But beyond the elements of her composition, I always thought it was the way she played her own material that really sold it. ... I met her right after ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession''. I actually had arranged a meeting, just because I was so infatuated with her and I wanted to meet the person who had produced all this music. ... after I met her the first time, she asked me if I wanted to be her band leader. But the Nazz had just signed a record contract and I couldn't skip out on the band, even though it was incredibly tempting.<ref name="puremusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.puremusic.com/todd3.html|last=De Main|first=Bill|title=A Conversation with Todd Rundgren |website=Puremusic.com |year= 2004|access-date=October 26, 2011}}</ref>}}

The rest of the band struggled to accommodate his changing tastes, and tensions between all the band members had begun to build up in the interval between recording their first and second albums as a result of their shared living quarters.<ref name=OpenAnt/> Tensions further increased during the recording of Nazz's second album, as the other members bridled at the formerly unassuming Rundgren asserting complete control of the sessions as the producer.<ref name=OpenAnt/>{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=31–32}} By the time ''Nazz Nazz'' was released, Rundgren and Van Osten had both left the Nazz, so the track selection was done without any input from them.<ref name=OpenAnt/> ''Nazz III'', which included leftover tracks from the ''Nazz Nazz'' sessions, was likewise released without Rundgren's involvement.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=31–32}}

==Production beginnings==
[[File:The Band (1969).png|thumb|upright=1|One of Rundgren's first gigs as a producer was engineering and mixing for [[the Band]] (pictured in 1969)]]
After departing Nazz, the 21-year-old Rundgren briefly considered working as a computer programmer, and then decided that his calling was as a producer. He moved to New York in the summer of 1969 and involved himself with the clubs of [[Greenwich Village]], particularly [[Steve Paul's Scene]], and met a number of Manhattan musicians and fashion designers.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=32}} Michael Friedman, formerly the assistant of Nazz manager John Kurland, offered Rundgren a job as staff engineer and producer under [[Albert Grossman]], which Rundgren accepted. Grossman, known for his management of [[folk rock]] acts, had just founded [[Ampex Records]], a joint business venture with the tape company of the same name, and built [[Bearsville Studios]], near Woodstock. Bearsville soon became its own record imprint.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=34}} Grossman promised to Rundgren that he would become the "highest-paid producer in the world", which later came true.<ref name="Quinn04">{{cite web |last1=Quinn |first1=Anthony |title=Todd Rundgren: Nothing but the truth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/todd-rundgren-nothing-but-the-truth-553053.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220621/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/todd-rundgren-nothing-but-the-truth-553053.html |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |website=[[The Independent]] |access-date=December 20, 2018 |date=July 14, 2004}}</ref>

Rundgren said he was initially relegated to "various old folk artists that they had who needed an upgrade: people like [[Ian & Sylvia]], [[James Cotton]], and other artists in Albert's stable."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=35}} Shortly after producing the [[Great Speckled Bird (album)|eponymous 1969 album]] by [[Great Speckled Bird (band)|Great Speckled Bird]], he was promoted as Bearsville's house engineer.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=35}} Accompanied by [[Robbie Robertson]] and [[Levon Helm]] of [[the Band]], he traveled to Canada to record [[Jesse Winchester]]'s eponymous 1970 debut album. Immediately afterward, he said, "the Band asked me to engineer their ''[[Stage Fright (album)|Stage Fright]]'' sessions. I think ''Jesse Winchester'' was a kind of run-through for that, because I was pretty quick to get the sounds and they liked that."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=36}} Released in August 1970, ''Stage Fright'' reached number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the highest chart showing the Band had to that point.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-band/chart-history/tlp/|magazine=Billboard|title=The Band|access-date=February 20, 2022}}</ref> Rundgren was dubbed Bearsville's "boy wonder".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=40}}

His work for the Band was followed by a second album for Winchester (which was then shelved for two years) and the album ''Taking Care of Business'' by the [[James Cotton Blues Band]] (1970). This project resulted in Rundgren meeting Cotton's keyboard player [[Mark Klingman|Mark "Moogy" Klingman]], who in turn introduced Rundgren to keyboard player [[Ralph Schuckett]], both of whom worked extensively with Rundgren over the next few years. Rundgren was to produce [[Janis Joplin]]'s third and ultimately final album, ''[[Pearl (Janis Joplin album)|Pearl]]'' (1971), but plans fell through, as the two artists could not get along with each other.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=35–47}}

==Solo career==
===1970–1984: Bearsville era===
====''Runt'' and ''Ballad of Todd Rundgren''====
[[File:1978 Todd Rundgren (5732526157).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Rundgren in 1978]]
Following a period where he thought he would never return to being a performing artist, Rundgren approached Grossman with the idea of what would become his debut solo record, ''[[Runt (album)|Runt]]''. Although his general attitude for any project was to "make the record [I] wanted to make and then hope the label can find a way to promote it", Rundgren ensured that any loss to Grossman would be minimal: "I didn't get an actual advance for ''Runt''. I just asked for a recording budget to pay the studio costs. ... I had no idea how much money I even had in the bank. If I needed cash, I would show up at the accountants and they would just give me hundreds or thousands of dollars."{{Sfn|Myers|2010|p=41}}

Released in mid-1970, ''Runt'' was not originally credited to Rundgren due to his anxieties about starting a full-fledged solo career, and instead bore the moniker "Runt".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |title=Runt |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/runt-mw0000195588 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 19, 2018|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine}}</ref> The album featured a bright sound and songs inspired by Laura Nyro.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=44–45}} It was recorded with the 17-year-old bassist [[Tony Fox Sales]] and his 14-year-old brother [[Hunt Sales]] on drums.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=43}} ''Nazz'' engineer James Lowe returned for the sessions and recalled that Rundgren seemed "more able to really lead a group. If you go back and listen to it, it's very sophisticated material, especially for a guy so young."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=45}} Lead single "[[We Gotta Get You a Woman]]" reached number 20 on the ''Billboard'' charts.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=49}} As he prepared a follow-up LP, he produced ''[[Halfnelson (album)|Halfnelson]]'', the debut album by the band that would later become [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=54}} Members [[Ron Mael|Ron]] and [[Russell Mael]] later credited Rundgren with launching Sparks' career.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=45–55}}

Rundgren's industry reputation grew substantially as a result of his success with ''Runt'', and for the first time in his life, he began using recreational drugs. Initially this was limited to [[marijuana (drug)|marijuana]]. He said that the drug gave him "a whole different sensibility about time and space and order" that influenced the writing for his second album, ''[[Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren]]''.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=57}} The material was mostly piano ballads and still largely based on Nyro's template, but a more conscious effort by Rundgren was made to refine his music and choice of subject matter, and to distinguish himself from his influences.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=57–58}} Released June 1971, ''The Ballad of Todd Rundgren'' bore two singles, "Be Nice to Me" and "A Long Time, a Long Way To Go", neither of which repeated the success of "We Gotta Get You a Woman". While initial reviews of ''Ballad'' were mixed, it came to be regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriter albums of the era.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=60}}

====''Something/Anything?''====
In late 1971, Rundgren was recruited to finish [[Badfinger]]'s third album ''[[Straight Up (Badfinger album)|Straight Up]]'', a project [[George Harrison]] had abandoned to organize the [[Concert for Bangladesh]], in London.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=62}} The album was a hit and its two singles were similarly successful, although Rundgren was not credited for the first ("[[Day After Day (Badfinger song)|Day After Day]]") and thus did not receive production royalties for that single.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=62–65}} Rundgren said that the song "didn't sound much like what [Harrison had] done" and speculated that the credit to Harrison "may or may not have been something purposeful, just some by-product of a general Beatle hubris".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=65}}{{refn|group=nb|Plans for Rundgren to produce their fourth album fell through after tracking a few songs in January 1972.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=65}}}} The ''Straight Up'' sessions lasted two weeks in September, after which Rundgren returned to Los Angeles to work on his third solo album, originally planned as a single LP.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=62–65}}

As with ''Ballad'', much of the newer material was written or conceived under the influence of marijuana. However, by this time, he had also begun experimenting with [[Ritalin]]. He recalled, "my songwriting process had become almost too second-nature. I was writing songs formulaically, almost without thinking, knocking [them out], reflexively, in about 20 minutes."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=66}} The use of Ritalin also helped him focus on the process as he worked up to 12 hours a day to beat the three-week deadline. To keep up the pace, he installed an eight-track recorder, mixer, and synthesizers into his living room so that he could continue recording after leaving the studio.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=66}} For the first time in his career, Rundgren recorded every part by himself, including bass, drums, and vocals.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=67}} About "an album and a half" was completed this way. He then decided to stretch the project into a double LP and quickly recorded the last few tracks with musicians, live in the studio.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=68}}

{{listen
| filename     = Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light.ogg
| title        = "I Saw the Light" (1972)
| description  = Lead single "[[I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren song)|I Saw the Light]]" became one of Rundgren's best-known songs.
}}

''[[Something/Anything?]]'', the first album officially issued under the name "Todd Rundgren", was released in February 1972, shortly after Bearsville had signed a long-term distribution deal with [[Warner Bros. Records]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=34, 62}} The album included many songs that would become his best-known. Included among straightforward pop songs are extended [[jam (music)|jams]] and studio banter, such as the spoken-word track "Intro", in which he teaches the listener about [[lo-fi music|recording flaws]] for an [[egg hunt]]-type game he calls "Sounds of the Studio".<ref name="p4kwizard" /> Magazine ads depicted a smiling Rundgren daring the reader to "ignore me".<ref>{{cite web|website=PopMatters|url=https://www.popmatters.com/todd-rundgren-something-anything-atr50|first=Rob|last=Moura|title=Todd Rundgren's 50-Year-Old 'Something/Anything?' is a Paean to the Possibilities of the Studio|date=February 1, 2022|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> The album peaked at number 29 on the ''Billboard'' 200<ref name="TRBillboard200">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/todd-rundgren/chart-history/tlp/|title=Billboard 200: Todd Rundgren Chart History |date=2018  |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 22, 2018 }}</ref> and was certified [[Music recording sales certification|gold]] in three years.{{sfn|Myers|2010}}{{page needed|date=November 2019}}  Lead single "[[I Saw the Light (Todd Rundgren song)|I Saw the Light]]" peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.<ref name="TRBB100">{{cite magazine |title=Billboard Hot 100: Todd Rundgren Chart History |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/todd-rundgren/chart-history/hsi/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 22, 2018 |year=2018}}</ref> "Hello It's Me", which followed late in 1973, reached number 5.<ref name="TRBB100" />

According to music critic [[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]], ''Something/Anything?'' has since been "rightly regarded as one of the landmark releases of the early 70s".<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|year=2011|title=[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|publisher=[[Omnibus Press]]|edition=5th|isbn=978-0857125958|chapter=Todd Rundgren}}</ref> "Couldn't I Just Tell You" was influential to artists in the [[power pop]] genre. Music journalist [[Paul Lester]] called the recording a "masterclass in [[compression (audio)|compression]]" and said that Rundgren "staked his claim to powerpop immortality [and] set the whole ball rolling".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author-link=Paul Lester|title=Powerpop: 10 of the best|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/feb/11/power-pop-10-of-the-best |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=February 11, 2015}}</ref> Musician [[Scott Miller (pop musician)|Scott Miller]]'s 2010 book ''[[Music: What Happened?]]'' calls the song "likely the greatest power pop recording ever made", with lyrics "somehow both desperate and lighthearted at the same time", and a guitar solo having "truly amazing dexterity and inflection".<ref>{{cite book|last=Miller|first=Scott|author-link=Scott Miller (pop musician)|title=Music: What Happened?|year=2010|publisher=125 Records|page=68|isbn=9780615381961|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aduy1H1mUx0C&pg=PA68 }}</ref> In 2003, ''Something/Anything?'' was ranked number 173 on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine's list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|"500 Greatest Albums of All Time"]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/todd-rundgren-something-anything-20120524|title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: 173: Something/Anything|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=May 31, 2009|access-date=July 13, 2013}}</ref>

====''A Wizard, a True Star'', ''Todd'', and Utopia====
[[File:Todd Rundgren 1978 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Rundgren performing with [[Utopia (band)|Utopia]] in 1978]]
[[File:New York Dolls - TopPop 1973 04.png|thumb|upright=1|[[New York Dolls]], whose [[The New York Dolls (album)|1973 debut album]] was produced by Rundgren]]
Subsequent albums, beginning with ''[[A Wizard, a True Star]]'' and the spin-off group [[Utopia (band)|Utopia]], saw a dramatic shift away from straightforward three-minute pop.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-wizard-a-true-star-mw0000191575|title=A Wizard, A True Star|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|access-date=October 6, 2013}}</ref> After the success of ''Something/Anything?'', Rundgren felt uncomfortable that he was being increasingly tagged as "the male [[Carole King]]". "With all due respect to Carole King," he said, "It wasn't what I was hoping to create as a musical legacy for myself."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=71}} Now relocated back to New York and experimenting with a host of [[psychedelic drug]]s, he began to think that the writing on ''Something/Anything?'' was largely formulaic and borne from laziness, and sought to create a "more eclectic and more experimental" follow-up album.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=73}}{{refn|group=nb|He recalled taking [[mescaline]], [[psilocybin]], and mushrooms, and was not aware if he took [[LSD]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=73}} }} His music tastes also started to lean toward the [[progressive rock]] of [[Frank Zappa]], [[Yes (band)|Yes]], and the [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=84}}  In 2017, while giving a commencement speech at the [[Berklee College of Music]], he described the record as:

{{blockquote| ... my act of tyranny after having achieved commercial success. ...  I threw out all the rules of record making and decided I would try to imprint the chaos in my head onto a record without trying to clean it up for everyone else's benefit. The result was a complete loss of about half of my audience at that point ... This became the model for my life after that.<ref name="Berklee"/>}}

The sound and structure of ''Wizard'' was heavily informed by Rundgren's hallucinogenic experiences.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=74}} It was envisioned as a hallucinogenic-inspired "flight plan" with all the tracks segueing seamlessly into each other, starting with a "chaotic" mood and ending with a medley of his favorite soul songs.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=75}} He said: "With drugs I could suddenly abstract my thought processes in a certain way, and I wanted to see if I could put them on a record. A lot of people recognized it as the dynamics of a psychedelic trip—it was almost like painting with your head."<ref name="Quinn04"/> Rundgren and Moogy Klingman established a professional recording studio, Secret Sound, to accommodate the ''Wizard'' sessions. The studio was designed to Rundgren's specifications and was created so that he could freely indulge in sound experimentation without having to worry about hourly studio costs, although he maintained that the album still felt "kind of rushed through because the studio wasn't finished".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=74}} Some of the other influences on the album included musical theater, [[jazz]], and [[funk]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=78}}

''A Wizard, a True Star'' was released in March 1973.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=80}} At Rundgren's behest, no singles were issued from the album, as he wanted the tracks to be heard in the context of the LP.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=79}} Its release coincided with the success of the "Hello It's Me" single, which gave Rundgren a reputation as a ballad singer, in marked contrast to the content on ''Wizard''.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=80}}<ref name="Betrock">{{cite magazine|last=Rundgren|first=Todd|author-link=Todd Rundgren|editor1-last=Betrock |editor1-first=Alan |title=Todd: Rundgren Reviews Himself |magazine=[[Phonograph Record (magazine)|Phonograph Record]] |date=March 1974 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/itoddi-rundgren-reviews-himself|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Although critical reception to the album was mixed,{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=80}} ''Wizard'' became highly influential to musicians in the ensuing decades.<ref name="Berklee">{{cite web |last1=Rundgren |first1=Todd |title=Todd Rundgren: 'A Wizard A True Star' Was Abomination to Everyone Else, But It Was My Defining Moment – California Rocker |url=https://californiarocker.com/2017/05/16/todd-rundgren-wizard-star/ |website=California Rocker |access-date=January 15, 2020 |year=2017}}</ref> In 2003, music journalist [[Barney Hoskyns]] called the record "the greatest album of all time ... a dizzying, intoxicating rollercoaster ride of emotions and genre mutations [that] still sounds more bravely futuristic than any ostensibly cutting-edge electro-pop being made in the 21st Century."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hoskyns|first=Barney|author-link=Barney Hoskyns|date=March 2003|title=He Put A Spell On Me: The True Stardom of Todd Rundgren|magazine=Mojo|url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/he-put-a-spell-on-me-the-true-stardom-of-todd-rundgren|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2018, ''Pitchfork''{{'}}s Sam Sodomsky wrote that the "fingerprints" of ''Wizard'' remained "evident on [[bedroom music|bedroom auteurs]] to this day".<ref name="p4kwizard" />

In the weeks following the album's release, Rundgren produced [[Grand Funk Railroad]]'s ''[[We're an American Band]]'' and the [[New York Dolls]]' [[The New York Dolls (album)|self-titled debut album]], which were among the most significant LPs of the year. The former album reached number two on the US charts, while the latter became a seminal forerunner of [[punk rock]], although Rundgren never became known as a "punk producer".{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=81, 90, 99}} Rundgren also prepared a technologically ambitious stage show with a band later to be known as Utopia Mark I, consisting of Tony Sales, Hunt Sales, keyboardist Dave Mason, and synthesizer specialist Jean-Yves "M Frog" Labat. The tour began in April and was cancelled after only a couple weeks on the road.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=99}}

Once Rundgren was finished with his production duties, he began formulating plans for an improved configuration of Utopia, but first returned to Secret Sound to record the more synthesizer-heavy double album ''[[Todd (album)|Todd]]'', which was more material drawing on his hallucinogenic experiences.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=81}} This time, he had also formed a fascination with religion and spirituality, reading books by authors such as [[Madame Blavatsky]], [[Rudolf Steiner]], and [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=103}} Originally scheduled for release in December 1973, ''Todd'' was delayed to the next February due to a vinyl shortage caused by the [[1973 oil crisis]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=108}}

During the making of ''Todd'', Rundgren took note of the "[[fusion jazz]] sensibility" between session musicians [[Kevin Ellman]] (drums) and John Siegler (bass). Rundgren chose them, along with Klingman and keyboardist Ralph Shuckett, to be the new configuration of Utopia. This line-up performed their first show at [[Central Park]] on August 25, 1973, sharing the bill with [[the Brecker Brothers]] and [[Hall & Oates]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=106}}{{refn|group=nb|The main purpose of this show was to record the ''Todd'' track "Sons of 1984" live.{{sfn|Myers|2010}}}} Utopia played more shows throughout November and December, performing material from ''Something/Anything?'' and ''Wizard'' after a solo opening set by Rundgren on piano playing along to a pre-recorded track.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=107}} On December 7, Rundgren appeared by himself on ''[[The Midnight Special (TV series)|The Midnight Special]]'' performing "Hello It's Me" while dressed in jarringly flamboyant glam attire to the chagrin of some of his bandmates and Bearsville executive Paul Fishkin, who recalled that Rundgren looked "like a fucking drag queen".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=108}}

{{Quote box
|align=left
|quote=If I get that one minute of total illumination then I don't care if my whole career goes down the drain. I'd know there was an answer to everything—to existence, to death.
| source=—Todd Rundgren, September 1974<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years 2">{{cite book| first= John| last= Tobler| year= 1992| title= NME Rock 'N' Roll Years| edition= 1st| publisher= Reed International Books Ltd| location= London| page= 268| id= CN 5585}}</ref>
|width  = 25%
}}

Utopia embarked on their first successful tour between March and April 1974, after which Rundgren produced [[Hello People]]'s ''The Handsome Devils'' and Hall & Oates' ''[[War Babies (Hall & Oates album)|War Babies]]''.{{sfn|Myers|2010}}{{page needed|date=November 2019}} The band's debut record came in the form of the LP titled ''[[Todd Rundgren's Utopia (album)|Todd Rundgren's Utopia]]'' (November 1974). It marked Rundgren's first full-fledged venture into the progressive rock genre. Utopia released several more albums between 1975 and 1985. Although they gradually rebranded toward a [[pop rock|rock-pop]] sound, ''Todd Rundgren's Utopia'' remained their highest album chart showing at number 34.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=108, 126, 149}} Keyboardist [[Roger Powell (musician)|Roger Powell]] recalled that Bearsville wished Utopia would have "just gone away", however, "Todd's contract called for a certain number of albums over a certain number of years, so he decided that every other album would be a solo album and the next one a Utopia album."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=149}} {{clear}}

====''Initiation'', ''Faithful'', and ''Hermit of Mink Hollow''====
[[File:Todd-utopia-atlanta-77.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Utopia on their ''[[Ra (Utopia album)|Ra]]'' tour at the [[Fox Theatre (Atlanta, Georgia)|Fox Theatre]] in [[Atlanta]] in 1977.  Rundgren is pictured on second-right.]]
[[File:WMMS Todd Rundgren Simulcast - 1978 print ad.jpg|thumb|upright=1|1978 print ad for Rundgren's simulcast concert at the [[Agora Ballroom]] in [[Cleveland]]]]
''A Wizard, a True Star'' included "Rock N Roll Pussy", a song aimed at former Beatle [[John Lennon]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=205}} In 1974, Rundgren and Lennon were embroiled in a minor feud over comments Rundgren made in the February edition of ''[[Melody Maker]]'' magazine.<ref name="lesterTR" /> In the article, he accused Lennon of striking a waitress at [[Troubadour (West Hollywood, California)|the Troubadour]] in Hollywood and called him a "fucking idiot" proselytizing revolution and "acting like an ass".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|title=John Lennon|date=February 1974}}</ref> In September, the magazine published Lennon's response, in which he denied the charges and referred to the musician as "Turd Runtgreen": "I have never claimed to be a revolutionary. But I am allowed to sing about anything I want! Right?"<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|date=September 1974|last=Lennon|first=John|author-link=John Lennon|title=An Opened Lettuce to Sodd Runtlestuntle (From Dr. Winston O'Boogie)}}</ref> Later, Rundgren said, "John and I realized we were being used and I got a phone call from him one day and we just said: 'Let's drop this now.'"<ref name="lesterTR" />

''[[Initiation (Todd Rundgren album)|Initiation]]'' (1975) showed more experimentation with synthesizers, and displayed the musical influence of the avant-garde [[jazz fusion]] of contemporary acts such as the [[Mahavishnu Orchestra]] and [[Frank Zappa]]. Once again the original LP issue saw Rundgren pushing the medium to its physical limits, with the side-long suite "A Treatise on Cosmic Fire" clocking in at over 35&nbsp;minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.allmusic.com/album/initiation-r17087 |title=Initiation – Todd Rundgren &#124; AllMusic |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |work=allmusic.com |year=2011 |access-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/toddrundgren/albums/album/172573/review/5943920/initiation |title=Todd Rundgren: Initiation : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone |first=Jim |last=Miller |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |year=2011 |access-date=July 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116112856/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/toddrundgren/albums/album/172573/review/5943920/initiation |archive-date=January 16, 2009 }}</ref>

Released in May 1976, ''[[Faithful (Todd Rundgren album)|Faithful]]'' saw Rundgren celebrating his tenth year as a professional musician. The album featured one side of original songs and one side of covers of significant songs from 1966, including the Yardbirds' "[[Happenings Ten Years Time Ago]]", [[the Beach Boys]]' "[[Good Vibrations]]", and two Lennon-penned Beatles songs. The arrangements of the covers were intended to sound as close to the originals as possible, and Rundgren's original songs were written as a reflection of his 1960s influences. He cited the song "The Verb 'To Love'" as the point in which he made the conscious decision to stop writing superficial love songs and "seek out all other kinds of subject matter to write about".{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=136, 142}} Despite the lack of sales and promotion for ''Faithful'', lead single "Good Vibrations" received regular airplay on American radio.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=142}}

Following the completion of ''Faithful'', Rundgren spent two months on an eastern spiritual retreat, visiting Iran, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bali, Thailand, Japan, and Hawaii.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=141–142}} He also opened Utopia Sound Studios in [[Lake Hill, New York]], just outside of Woodstock, and bought a home nearby, as well as an adjoining property to be taken over as accommodation for artists who used the studio.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=142}} The Lake Hill complex on Mink Hollow Road remained Rundgren's base for the next six years.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=131, 251}} In the interim until his next solo effort, he recorded three albums with Utopia. The first, ''[[Disco Jets]]'', was a tongue-in-cheek collection of instrumental [[disco]] tracks left unreleased until 2001. ''[[Ra (Utopia album)|Ra]]'' (February 1977) was a concept album based on Egyptian mythology, which prefaced a lavish tour involving an extravagant stage set with a giant pyramid and [[Sphynx]] head.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=140, 146, 169}} ''[[Oops! Wrong Planet]]'' (September 1977), recorded immediately after the tour,{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=169}} signaled the start of a more pop-oriented direction for the group.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=Hermit of Mink Hollow |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hermit-of-mink-hollow-mw0000650724|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>

By late 1977, Rundgren was in the midst of separating from then-girlfriend [[Bebe Buell]] and their infant daughter [[Liv Tyler]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=140, 146, 170–171}} Rundgren recalled leaving his home in New York City and sequestering himself at Mink Hollow, "after I discovered that I didn't want to cohabit any longer with Bebe, in any sense of the word ... A fortunate by-product of being so out of everything all the time and always being the odd man out ... is that you have plenty of time for self-examination."{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=171}} He intended the songs on his next solo album to be performed on piano with minimal arrangements, apart from the bass, drums and voices. In that sense, he stated that the songwriting process appeared to be "fairly conventional".<ref name="Demain">{{cite book|title=In Their Own Words: Songwriters Talk about the Creative Process|url=https://archive.org/details/theirownwordsson00dema|url-access=limited|page=[https://archive.org/details/theirownwordsson00dema/page/n100 88]|last=DeMain|first=Bill|publisher=Praeger Publishers|year=2004|isbn=0-275-98402-8}}</ref>

''[[Hermit of Mink Hollow]]'' was released in May 1978.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=176}} Popularly viewed as his most immediately accessible work since ''Something/Anything?'', it received more public attention and radio airplay than most of Rundgren's efforts since ''A Wizard, a True Star''<ref name="Fricke78">{{cite magazine |last1=Fricke |first1=David |author-link1=David Fricke |title=Nothing/Anything: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren |magazine=[[Trouser Press]] |date=July 1978 |url=https://beatpatrol.wordpress.com/2009/12/20/david-fricke-nothinganything-the-ballad-of-todd-rundgren-1978/}}</ref> and was heralded as a "return to form" after the string of prog records with Utopia.<ref name="Swanson">{{cite web |last1=Swanson |first1=Dave |title=35 Years Ago: Todd Rundgren Releases "Hermit of Mink Hollow" |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/todd-rundgren-the-hermit-of-mink-hollow/ |website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]] |date=April 8, 2013}}</ref> In the US, the LP peaked at number 36, while single "[[Can We Still Be Friends]]" reached number 29. The song became Rundgren's most-covered, with versions by [[Robert Palmer]], [[Rod Stewart]], [[Colin Blunstone]], and [[Mandy Moore]].<ref name="AV2012">{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Will |title=Todd Rundgren on his musical history, from Nazz to The New Cars |url=https://www.avclub.com/todd-rundgren-on-his-musical-history-from-nazz-to-the-1798231009 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |date=April 9, 2012}}</ref> To promote the work, Rundgren undertook an American tour playing at smaller venues including [[The Bottom Line (venue)|The Bottom Line]] in New York and [[Roxy Theatre (West Hollywood)|The Roxy]] in Los Angeles. These shows resulted in the double live album ''[[Back to the Bars]]'', which featured a mixture of material from his solo work and Utopia, performed with backing musicians including Utopia,{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=176}} [[Spencer Davis]], [[Daryl Hall]] and [[John Oates]] and [[Stevie Nicks]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-bars-mw0000650723/credits|title=Back to the Bars – Todd Rundgren|work=AllMusic|access-date=February 16, 2022}}</ref>

In 1980, Utopia recorded a Beatles parody album in the form of ''[[Deface the Music]]''. It included "Everybody Else Is Wrong", another song perceived to have been aimed at Lennon.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=204}} Later that year, Lennon was killed by [[Mark David Chapman]], an obsessive Rundgren fan who was incensed by Lennon's remarks on religion. When he was apprehended, Chapman was wearing a promotional T-shirt for ''Hermit of Mink Hollow'' and had left a copy of ''Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren'' in his hotel room. Rundgren was not aware of the connections until "way after the fact".<ref name="lesterTR"/> When asked about the ''Melody Maker'' feud, Chapman stated he was not aware of the musicians' interactions in the press until years after they occurred.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Jack|title=Let Me Take You Down: Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman, the Man Who Killed John Lennon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aUvyhraJmJcC|year=2011|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-307-77996-0}}</ref>

====''Healing'' and ''Tortured Artist Effect''====
The year 1981 saw the album-long concept work ''[[Healing (Todd Rundgren album)|Healing]]''.<ref name="Larkin"/> His music video for the song "Time Heals" was among the first videos aired on [[MTV]], and a video he produced for [[RCA]], accompanied by [[Gustav Holst]]'s ''[[The Planets]]'', was used as a demo for their videodisc players. Rundgren's experience with computer graphics dates back to 1981, when he developed one of the first computer paint programs, dubbed the Utopia Graphics System; it ran on an [[Apple II]] with Apple's digitizer tablet.<ref name="GuardianLiars">{{cite news| title =Talk time: Todd Rundgren | newspaper = The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2004/mar/18/onlinesupplement/print |access-date=April 21, 2010 |date=March 18, 2004 |first=Hamish | last=Mackintosh}}</ref> He is also the co-developer of the computer [[screensaver]] system [[Flowfazer]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=213}}

During this period, Rundgren's Mink Hollow home was robbed. He and his girlfriend were tied up in the home by the robbers as part of the crime. 

The [[New wave music|new wave]]-tinged ''[[The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect]]'' (1982) included a cover of the [[Small Faces]]' hit "[[Tin Soldier (song)|Tin Soldier]]".  "[[Bang The Drum All Day]]", an album single, was a minor chart hit. It later became more prominent and was adopted as an unofficial theme by several professional sports franchises, notably the [[Green Bay Packers]]. Disc Jockey Geno Michellini of KLOS in Los Angeles used "Bang The Drum All Day" as an unofficial kick-off to the weekend on Friday afternoons. "Bang The Drum All Day" was also featured in a [[Carnival Cruise Line|Carnival Cruise]] television advertising campaign. It is now considered one of Rundgren's most popular songs.<ref>{{cite web| last = Guarisco| first = Donald A.| title = Bang The Drum all Day| publisher = AllMusic| date =|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t4246117|pure_url=yes}}}}</ref> ''Tortured Artist'' marked the end of Rundgren's tenure with Bearsville Records.<ref>{{cite web|website=Discogs|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/138572-Todd-Rundgren|title=Todd Rundgren|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref>

===1980s–1990s: ''A Cappella'', ''Nearly Human'', and ''2nd Wind''===
Rundgren signed with [[Warner Bros. Records]], who issued his next album, ''[[A Cappella (Todd Rundgren album)|A Cappella]]'' (1985), which was recorded using Rundgren's multi-tracked voice, accompanied by arrangements constructed entirely from programmed vocal samples.<ref>{{cite web|website=AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-cappella-mw0000198336|title=A Cappella|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> Rundgren scored four episodes of the popular children's television show ''[[Pee-wee's Playhouse]]'' in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|website=Chicago Tribune|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-01-15-8701040801-story.html|title=Pee-Wee's Show Dances to Rundgren's Tunes|date=January 15, 1987|access-date=February 21, 2022|first=Brian|last=McTavish}}</ref>

''[[Nearly Human]]'' (1989) and ''[[2nd Wind]]'' (1991) were both recorded live—the former in the studio, the latter in a theater before a live audience, who were instructed to remain silent.<ref>{{cite web|website=AllMusic|title=Nearly Human|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/nearly-human-mw0000653376|first=Stephen Thomas|last=Erlewine|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref><ref name="D'Agostino">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-03-29-ca-849-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|title=His Generation : Rundgren Turns His Talents to Thoughts of Growing Old|first=John|last=D'Agostino|date=March 29, 1991|access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> Each song on these albums was recorded as a complete single take with no later [[overdubbing]]. Both albums marked, in part, a return to his [[Philadelphia soul|Philly soul]] roots. ''2nd Wind'' also included several excerpts from Rundgren's musical ''[[Up Against It]]'', which was adapted from the screenplay (originally titled "Prick Up Your Ears"), that British playwright [[Joe Orton]] had originally offered to [[the Beatles]] for their never-made follow-up to ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]''.<ref name="D'Agostino"/>

Rundgren was an early adopter of the [[NewTek]] [[Video Toaster]] and made several videos with it. The first, for "Change Myself" from ''2nd Wind'', was widely distributed as a demo reel for the Toaster. Later, he set up a company to produce 3D animation using the Toaster; this company's first demo, "Theology" (a look at religious architecture through the ages featuring music by former Utopia bandmate Roger Powell) also became a widely circulated item among Toaster users.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Nunziata |first=Susan |date=October 17, 1992 |title=NewTek Cooks Up Low-Budget Gear |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBIEAAAAMBAJ&dq=rundgren+video+toaster+theology&pg=RA1-PA45 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 21, 2022}}</ref>

In 1989, Rundgren hit the road with ''Nearly Human—2nd Wind'' band, which included brass and a trio of [[backup singer]]s (one of whom, Michele Gray, Rundgren married).<ref>{{cite web| website=The Second Disc| title=Nearly Human, Completely Rundgren: Todd's 1990 San Francisco Concert Revisited| date=January 4, 2013| first=Joe| last=Marchese| url=https://theseconddisc.com/2013/01/04/nearly-human-completely-rundgren-todds-1990-san-francisco-concert-revisited/| accessdate=November 27, 2024}}</ref> He also toured during 1992 with [[Ringo Starr]]'s second [[Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band|All-Starr band]].<ref>{{cite book|title=THe Ringo Starr Encyclopedia|first=Bill|last=Harry|year=2012|publisher=Ebury Publishing|isbn=9780753547168}}</ref>
A brief 1992 tour of Japan reunited the Rundgren/Powell/Sulton/Wilcox lineup, and ''[[Redux '92: Live in Japan]]'' was released on Rhino Records.<ref>{{cite web|website=AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/redux-92-live-in-japan-video-dvd--mw0001080572|title=Redux '92: Live in Japan [Video/DVD]|first=Mark|last=Deming|accessdate=November 27, 2024}}</ref>

===1990s–2000s: TR-I, PatroNet, and ''Liars''===
{{Quote box
|align=right
|quote=As the 90s began, Rundgren was already moving away from conventional notions of what a rock producer or recording artist should be ... While Rundgren would continue to produce records for himself, and others, many of the innovative and individual technologies and business models he embraced and/or pioneered over the next 20 years would have such an empowering effect on future artists as to render redundant record producers, big studios, and even record labels.
| source=—[[Paul Myers (musician)|Paul Myers]], ''A Wizard, a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio''{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=292}}
|width  = 25%
}}

The mid-1990s saw Rundgren recording under the pseudonym TR-i ("Todd Rundgren interactive") for two albums. The first of these, 1993's ''[[No World Order]]'', consisted of hundreds of seconds-long snippets of music, that could be combined in various ways to suit the listener. Initially targeted for the [[Philips CD-i]] platform, ''No World Order'' featured interactive controls for tempo, mood, and other parameters, along with pre-programmed mixes by Rundgren himself, [[Bob Clearmountain]], [[Don Was]] and [[Jerry Harrison]]. The disc was also released for [[IBM PC compatible|PC]] and [[Apple Macintosh|Macintosh]] and in two versions on standard [[Compact disc|audio CD]], the continuous mix disc ''No World Order'' and, later, the more song-oriented ''[[No World Order Lite]]''. The music itself was quite a departure from Rundgren's previous work, with a dance/[[Techno music|techno]] feel and much [[rapping]] by Rundgren. The follow-up, ''[[The Individualist]]'' (1995), featured interactive video content, that could be viewed or in one case, played; it was a simple video game along with the music, which was more rock-oriented than ''No World Order''.

Rundgren returned to recording under his own name for ''[[With a Twist...]]'' (1997), an album of [[Bossa nova|bossa-nova]] covers of his older material. His PatroNet work, which trickled out to subscribers over more than a year, was released in 2000 as ''[[One Long Year]]''. In 2004, Rundgren released ''[[Liars (Todd Rundgren album)|Liars]]'', a concept album about "paucity of truth", that features a mixture of his older and newer sounds.

As the Internet gained mass acceptance, Rundgren, along with longtime manager Eric Gardner and Apple digital music exec Kelli Richards, started PatroNet, which offered fans (patrons) access to his works-in-progress and new unreleased tracks in exchange for a subscription fee, cutting out record labels. The songs from Rundgren's first PatroNet run were later released as the album ''[[One Long Year]]''. Since then, Rundgren has severed his connections with major record labels and continues to offer new music direct to subscribers via his website, although he also continues to record and release CDs through independent labels. As of 2022, the PatroNet.com website was not active.

===2000s–2010s===
[[File:Tony Levin & Todd Rundgren (2006).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Rundgren and [[Tony Levin]] in [[Toronto]], September 2006]]
[[File:Todd Rundgren (48981278786).jpg|thumb|upright=1|Rundgren (right) at the [[Library of Congress]] in 2019]]
In the aftermath of the [[September 11 attacks]], Rundgren created the score for the film ''A Face to a Name'', directed by [[Douglas Sloan (filmmaker)|Douglas Sloan]]. The film depicted numerous photographs of missing New Yorkers that were displayed on Bellevue Hospital's 'wall of prayers' following the attacks. The film was part of a special screening at the [[Woodstock Film Festival]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=Art Illuminates|url=http://www.woodstockfilmfestival.com/press/releases/Sept_2002_9.11.htm|publisher=Woodstock Film Festival|access-date=September 11, 2002}}</ref>

In late 2005, the [[Boston]]-based band [[the Cars]] were planning to re-form despite bassist [[Benjamin Orr]]'s death and lack of interest on the part of former lead singer [[Ric Ocasek]]. Rumors followed that Rundgren had joined [[Elliot Easton]] and [[Greg Hawkes]] in rehearsals for a possible new Cars lineup. Initial speculation pointed to [[the New Cars]] being fleshed out with [[Clem Burke]] of [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]] and [[Art Alexakis]] of [[Everclear (band)|Everclear]]. Eventually the group completed their lineup with former Rundgren bassist Kasim Sulton and studio drummer [[Prairie Prince]] of [[the Tubes]], who had played on [[XTC]]'s Rundgren-produced ''[[Skylarking]]'' and who has recorded and toured with Rundgren.

In early 2006, the new lineup played a few private shows for industry professionals, played live on ''[[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno]]'' and made other media appearances before commencing a 2006 summer tour with the re-formed [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]]. Rundgren referred to the project as "an opportunity ... for me to pay my bills, play to a larger audience, work with musicians I know and like, and ideally have some fun for a year."<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/60605/rundgren-steps-in-for-ocasek-in-new-cars|title=Rundgren Steps in For Ocasek in New Cars|magazine=Billboard}}</ref> The New Cars' first single, "Not Tonight", was released on March 20, 2006. A live album/greatest hits collection, ''[[It's Alive! (album)|The New Cars: It's Alive]]'', was released in June 2006. The album includes classic Cars songs (and two Rundgren hits) recorded live plus three new studio tracks ("Not Tonight", "Warm", and "More")

In April 2011, ''[[Todd Rundgren's Johnson]]'', a collection of Robert Johnson covers, which had been recorded more than a year earlier, was released. In another 2011, an album of covers, ''[[(re)Production]]'', features Rundgren performing tracks he had previously produced for other acts, including [[Grand Funk Railroad]]'s "[[Walk Like a Man (Grand Funk Railroad song)|Walk Like a Man]]" and [[XTC]]'s "Dear God".

In 2017, Rundgren released ''[[White Knight (album)|White Knight]]'', which features collaborations with [[Trent Reznor]], [[Robyn]], [[Daryl Hall]], [[Joe Walsh]] and [[Donald Fagen]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/white-knight-mw0003030522 |title=White Knight - Todd Rundgren |publisher=AllMusic |date=May 12, 2017 |access-date=May 24, 2017}}</ref>

In December 2018, Cleopatra Press published his self-penned memoir, ''The Individualist: Digressions, Dreams, and Dissertations''. The book contains 181 chapters, each one page long, and each consisting of three paragraphs. He said that "I realized that I have to do this or somebody else will do it. I'm getting to the point where I could at some point not be able to do it myself, and then someone else would do it and I wouldn't be happy with the result."<ref name="Willman18"/>  Its coverage ends at Rundgren's 50th birthday in 1998, which was the same time he began writing the book. Since then, he said, "my life has been a lot more boring ... I'm not doing as much record production as I used to, so interesting tales that go along with those projects don't exist anymore."<ref name="Willman18" /> On October 21, 2019, he stopped by the [[Library of Congress]] and signed a braille copy—which was produced for him by a fan and [[National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled]] patron who is blind.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/news/quarterly-newsletter-news/news-october-december-2019/|title=News October–December 2019|website=National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) {{!}} Library of Congress|access-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref>

Rundgren toured in late 2019 with [[Micky Dolenz]], [[Jason Scheff]], [[Christopher Cross]] and [[Joey Molland]] of [[Badfinger]] in celebration of the Beatles' [[The Beatles (album)|self-titled 1968 album]] on the "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-white-album-tribute-tour-9-30-19/|title=Dolenz, Rundgren, Molland Begin Beatles Tribute Tour|website=Bestclassicbands.com|date=July 30, 2015}}</ref>

===2020s===
Rundgren collaborated with [[Weezer]] frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]] in 2020, releasing the single "Down With The Ship".<ref name="Turman">{{cite news |last=Turman |first=Katherine |url=https://www.spin.com/2020/10/todd-rundgren-and-rivers-cuomo-join-forces-on-ska-song-down-with-the-ship/ |title=Todd Rundgren and Rivers Cuomo Join Forces on Ska Song 'Down With The Ship' |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]] |date=October 9, 2020 |access-date=October 21, 2020 }}</ref> In December, he released his English translation of the 1978 song "[[Flappie]]", originally by Dutch comedian [[Youp van 't Hek]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oor.nl/news/todd-rundgren-covert-flappie-van-youp-van-t-hek/|title=Todd Rundgren covert Flappie van Youp van 't Hek|website=oor.nl|date=December 2, 2020}}</ref> That April, he reunited with [[Sparks (band)|Sparks]] 50 years after producing their debut album, releasing a single "Your Fandango".<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Exclaim!]]|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/sparks_and_todd_rundgren_team_up_for_their_first_new_song_in_50_years|title=Sparks and Todd Rundgren Team Up for Their First New Song in 50 Years|last=Thiessen|first=Brock|date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> In September 2022, he released the album ''[[Space Force (album)|Space Force]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=Todd Rundgren Reveals New Collaborations Album, 'Space Force,' and Talks Rock Hall Honors, Bowie Tribute Tour |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/todd-rundgren-space-force-collaborations-album-announce-interview-1235343520/ |website=Variety |access-date=July 2, 2024 |date=August 17, 2022}}</ref>

He provided additional vocals along with the [[Sunday Service Choir]], on the track "My Soul", by [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] superduo [[¥$]], from their album ''[[Vultures 2]]'', released on 3 August 2024.

==Style and recognition==
===As a solo artist===
Writing for [[AllMusic]], music critic [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] recognizes Rundgren thus:

{{blockquote|Todd Rundgren's best-known songs – the Carole King pastiche "I Saw the Light", the ballads "Hello, It's Me" and "Can We Still Be Friends", and the goofy novelty "Bang on the Drum All Day" – suggest that he is a talented pop craftsman ... but at his core, Rundgren is a rock & roll maverick. Once he had a taste of success with his 1972 masterwork ''Something/Anything?'', Rundgren chose to abandon stardom and, with it, conventional pop music. He began a course through uncharted musical territory, becoming a pioneer not only in electronic music and prog rock, but in music video, computer software, and Internet music delivery as well.<ref name="AMbio">{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/todd-rundgren-mn0000936425/biography|title=Todd Rundgren|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> }}

As a solo artist from 1972 to 1978, Rundgren scored four US Top 40 singles on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including one Top 10 hit with "Hello, It's Me",<ref name="TRBB100" /> and three US Top 40 albums on the ''Billboard'' 200.<ref name="TRBillboard200" /> He is one of the first acts to be prominent both as an artist and as a producer.<ref name="p4kwizard">{{cite web |last=Sodomsky |first=Sam |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/todd-rundgren-somethinganything-a-wizard-a-true-star/ |title=Todd Rundgren: A Wizard, a True Star |work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=January 20, 2018 |access-date=January 21, 2018}}</ref> and he was also influential in the fields of power pop, [[lo-fi music|lo-fi]], [[overdubbing]], and [[experimental music]].<ref name="HoF2018"/> Rundgren performed in an eclectic variety of styles, so much so that his singles often contrasted with other tracks from the LPs from which they derived, which curtailed his mass appeal.<ref name="AMbio"/> Of his early incorporation of digital technology, he said "I wasn't the first to start recording digitally, because it was so expensive. But once the technology came down to where I could afford it, then I went digital."<ref name="Harris2016" /> Rundgren said that adapting his sound to meet commercial expectations was also never an issue for him since he already made "so much money from production", a rare luxury for an artist.<ref name="UCR18">{{cite web|title=Five Reasons Todd Rundgren Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame|last=Deriso|first=Nick|date=November 9, 2018|website=[[Ultimate Classic Rock]]|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/todd-rundgren-hall-of-fame-reasons/}}</ref>

===As a producer===

{{Quote box
|align=right
|quote=If it weren't for my musical career, I probably would have ended up attending college to become a computer programmer.
| source=—Todd Rundgren{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=35, 295}}
|width  = 25%
}}

Comparisons are sometimes drawn between Rundgren and producer/artists Brian Wilson and [[Brian Eno]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author2=Hot Chip |author-link1=Paul Lester |author-link2=Hot Chip |title=That's one potent hot toddy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/jul/25/popandrock.toddrundgren |website=[[The Guardian]] |date=July 24, 2008}}</ref> Biographer [[Paul Myers (musician)|Paul Myers]] attributes the recording studio to be Rundgren's "[[recording studio as an instrument|ultimate instrument]]".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=17}} Rundgren acknowledged that, in the case of his own records, he does not think "as a producer", but uses the studio to "assist in creating a performance".{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=47}} His recording processes continued in the same tradition as multitrack recording innovator [[Les Paul]] as well as the studio experiments of the Beatles and the Beach Boys.{{Sfn|Myers|2010|pp=17–18}}

According to biographer Myers, Rundgren himself came to inspire "a generation of self-contained geniuses like [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] ... Ironically, some of his innovations would come to liberate the recording artist in such a way as to lessen the perceived value, or need, for a record producer at all."{{Sfn|Myers|2010|p=18}}{{refn|group=nb|A popular rumor is that Prince, before achieving fame, would attend Rundgren's concerts and attempt to meet him backstage.<ref name="UCR18"/><ref name="lesterTR">{{cite news |last1=Lester |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Lester |title=Todd Rundgren: 'Every once in a while I took a trip and never came back' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/may/01/todd-rundgren-interview |access-date=December 16, 2018 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=May 1, 2013}}</ref>}} Rundgren's influence is also cited to [[Hall & Oates]], [[Björk]] and [[Daft Punk]].<ref name="UCR18"/><ref name="HoF2018">{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/nominee/todd-rundgren|year=2018|title=Todd Rundgren|website=[[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]}}</ref> ''Slate'' writer Marc Weingarten identified ''A Cappella'' as the precedent for Björk's "all vocals, all the time" experiment ''[[Medúlla]]'' (2004) and said that, overall, "The two [artists] share more common ground than their fans might think."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Weingarten |first1=Marc |title=Bjork, Meet Todd Rundgren |url=https://slate.com/culture/2004/09/bjork-meet-todd-rundgren.html |website=Slate |date=September 14, 2004}}</ref>

Rundgren's production work for other artists were largely one-off affairs. Exceptions were [[Grand Funk Railroad]], [[the New York Dolls]], [[the Tubes]], [[Hello People]], and [[the Pursuit of Happiness (band)|the Pursuit of Happiness]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=18}} He described his typical function as being a "'songcraft' agitator". In cases where the act's songs were unfinished, he would complete them and decline a writer's credit.{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=47, 257}} Some of his collaborators frequently characterize him as a "genius", but also "sarcastic" and "aloof".{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=18–19}}{{refn|group=nb|For example, [[Greg Graffin]] of [[Bad Religion]] recalled for the sessions of ''[[The New America]]'' (2000): "Most producers suck your dick. ... That's why most records suck: You're not challenged. But we were legitimately challenged. He would be very honest. We got along great. He had a sharp tongue, and so do I."{{sfn|Myers|2010|pp=18–19}} Conversely, Ev Olcutt of [[12 Rods]] remembered that on ''[[Separation Anxieties]]'' from the same year, "All he would do was press the 'record' button and go back to doing crossword puzzles. Some of those songs are good, but Todd Rundgren did the absolute worst job possible with that record."<ref>{{cite web|date=January 11, 2015|title=10 years later, 12 Rods is back|website=[[Star Tribune]]|url=http://www.startribune.com/10-years-later-12-rods-is-back/287990711/}}</ref> Waymon Boone, frontman of the band Splender, recounted the time when Todd produced their album "Halfway Down the Sky" in 1999 on the Rundgren Radio Show in a 2010 interview. Boone went on to say that working with Rundgren was a nightmare, and that he would constantly leave early, not give any feedback during recordings, and once they'd run through a song, he'd tell them it was "fine" and would want them to move onto the next song. Boone even recounted at one point having to restrain himself from punching Rundgren in the face.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rundgren Radio with Waymon Boone by Todd Rundgren Talk Radio • A podcast on Anchor|url=https://anchor.fm/rundgrenradio/episodes/Rundgren-Radio-with-Waymon-Boone-ejfnd4|access-date=October 15, 2020|website=Anchor|language=en}}</ref>
}} His most notorious production was for [[XTC]]'s 1986 album ''[[Skylarking]]'', known for the creative tensions and disagreements that arose during its sessions.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=19}} The album is sometimes regarded as both the pinnacle of Rundgren's production career and of the career of XTC.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mendehlson|first1=Jason|last2=Klinger|first2=Eric|title=XTC's 'Skylarking'|url=http://www.popmatters.com/post/192717-counterbalance-xtcs-skylarking/|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=April 24, 2015}}</ref> He commented that, in spite of the turmoil surrounding its making, the record "ultimately ... sounds like we were having a great time doing it. And at times we ''were'' having a good time."<ref name="Parker2016">{{cite news|last1=Parker|first1=Adam|title=Rundgren still bangs the drum all day Rock and roll titan to play at Music Hall|url=http://www.postandcourier.com/features/arts_and_travel/rundgren-still-bangs-the-drum-all-day-rock-and-roll/article_7b358388-63b5-5e1d-bdbc-02afdcdee8a2.html|newspaper=[[The Post and Courier]]|date=February 6, 2016}}</ref> All three members expressed admiration for the end product.{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=19}}

===The Fool guitar===
[[File:The Fool guitar body (replica), HRC San Antonio.jpg|thumb|upright=1|Throughout his live performances in the 1970s and 1980s, Rundgren often sported [[The Fool (guitar)|The Fool]] guitar originally owned by [[Eric Clapton]] and given to Rundgren by [[Jackie Lomax]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=61}}]]
During the mid-to-late 1970s, Rundgren regularly played the eye-catching [[psychedelic art|psychedelic]] [[Gibson SG]] (known variously as "Sunny" or "[[The Fool (guitar)|The Fool]]"), which [[Eric Clapton]] had played in [[Cream (band)|Cream]]. After he had stopped using it ca. 1968, Clapton gave the guitar to [[George Harrison]], who subsequently 'loaned' it to British singer [[Jackie Lomax]]. In 1972, after meeting at a recording session, Lomax sold the guitar to Rundgren for $500 with an option to buy it back, which he never took up.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Legendary%20Guitar_%20The%20Saga%20of/ |title=Steven Rosen, "Legendary Guitar: The Saga of Eric Clapton's Famous Fool SG" |website=Gibson.com |access-date=October 26, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008193834/http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/Legendary%20Guitar_%20The%20Saga%20of |archive-date=October 8, 2011 }}</ref> Rundgren played it extensively during the early years of Utopia before retiring the instrument for a short time in the mid to late 1970s, which in that time he had the guitar restored having a lacquer finish applied to protect the paint and replaced the tailpiece and bridge to stabilize tuning, bringing the guitar back out on tour during the 1980 [[Deface the Music]] tour and using it on and off throughout the 1980s until 1993 when he permanently retired the guitar, eventually auctioning it off in 1999; he now uses a reproduction given to him in 1988 by a Japanese fan.<ref name="TheFool">{{cite web| title = Fool Guitar: Psychedelic Gibson SG |url=http://www.whereseric.com/ecfaq/guitars-amps/fool-guitar-psychedelic-gibson-sg.html | access-date = September 2, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502160144/http://www.whereseric.com/ecfaq/guitars-amps/fool-guitar-psychedelic-gibson-sg.html  |archive-date = May 2, 2008}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Rundgren began a relationship with model [[Bebe Buell]] in 1972. During a break in their relationship, Buell had a brief relationship with [[Steven Tyler]], which resulted in an unplanned pregnancy. Buell gave birth to [[Liv Tyler]] on July 1, 1977. Buell initially claimed that Rundgren was the biological father and named the child Liv Rundgren. Shortly after Liv's birth, Rundgren and Buell ended their romantic relationship, but Rundgren remained committed to Liv. At age eleven, Liv learned that her biological father was Steven Tyler.<ref name="People - Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/liv_tyler/biography|title=Liv Tyler Biography|access-date=June 23, 2008|work=[[People (American magazine)|People]]}}</ref><ref name="Hello - Bio">{{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/livtyler/?|title=Hello Magazine Profile&nbsp;– Liv Tyler|access-date=June 23, 2008|work=[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]]|date=May 23, 2006 |publisher=Hello! Ltd}}</ref><ref name="telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3553957/Liv-Tyler-living-for-today.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3553957/Liv-Tyler-living-for-today.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Liv Tyler: living for today|last=Dominus|first=Susan|date=June 20, 2008|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=January 7, 2009 |location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref> According to Liv Tyler, "Todd basically decided when I was born that I needed a father so he signed my birth certificate. He knew that there was a chance that I might not be his, but ..." He paid to put her through private school, and she visited him several times a year.<ref name=Wonderland>{{cite web|last=Brealey|first=Louise|title=Liv Tyler interview|url=http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/0911/04/liv-tyler/|work=Wonderland Magazine|access-date=November 29, 2012|date=Feb–Mar 2009}}</ref> As of 2012, Tyler maintained a close relationship with Rundgren. "I'm so grateful to him, I have so much love for him. You know, when he holds me it feels like Daddy. And he's very protective and strong."<ref name=Wonderland /> Buell's stated reason for claiming that Rundgren was Liv's father was that Tyler was too heavily addicted to drugs at the time of Liv's birth.<ref name="news au">{{cite news |first1=Ernst |last1=Reinhart |first2=Gillian |last2=Cumming |url=http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23789004-5009160,00.html |title=Tyler Liv's life to the full |work=[[The Daily Telegraph (Sydney)|The Daily Telegraph]] |publisher=Nationwide News Limited |location=Sydney, New South Wales |date=June 1, 2008 |access-date=January 7, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130110100109/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/insider/tyler-livs-life-to-the-full/story-e6frewt9-1111116499956|archive-date=January 10, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Rundgren had a long-term relationship with Karen Darvin, with whom he had two sons, Rex (born 1980) and Randy (born 1985). Rex was a minor league baseball player ([[infielder]]) for nine seasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/stats?sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=446621 |title=Rex Rundgren Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights &#124; MiLB.com Stats |website=[[Minor League Baseball]] |date=November 20, 1980 |access-date=November 23, 2016}}</ref> Darvin had previously been in a relationship with [[Bruce Springsteen]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Armadillo World Headquarters: A Memoir |last1=Wilson |first1=Eddie |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=2017 |isbn=9781477314166 |publication-date=April 4, 2017 |pages=290 |last2=Sublett |first2=Jesse |editor-last=Marsh |editor-first=Dave}}</ref>

Rundgren married Michele Gray in 1998. Gray had been a dancer with [[the Tubes]] and had performed with Rundgren as a backup singer on the tour for his album ''[[Nearly Human]]'' which led to a number of appearances on ''[[The David Letterman Show]]'' as one of "The World's Most Dangerous Backup Singers".<ref>{{cite web|title=Michele Rundgren profile |url=http://kkcr.org/djs/michele.htm |publisher=KKCR Kaua'i Community Radio |access-date=November 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320153257/http://www.kkcr.org/djs/michele.htm |archive-date=March 20, 2012}}</ref> Together, they have a son, named Rebop,<ref name=Michele>{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Darren |date=2010-09-23 |title=A man and his island |url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/a-man-and-his-island-20100923-15of1.html |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |language=en}}</ref> and an adoptive son, named Keoni.<ref name=Michele/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1529163.html |title=Rundgren visits DePauw campus |date=April 9, 2009 |access-date=2024-02-12 |website=Banner Graphic |last=Barrand |first=Jamie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412164941/https://www.bannergraphic.com/story/1529163.html |archive-date=12 April 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Paul Myers, in his 2010 book on Rundgren, ''A Wizard, a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio'', reported that Rundgren diagnosed himself with [[attention-deficit disorder]].{{sfn|Myers|2010|p=37}}

==Awards and honors==
* 1984: Grammy Award nomination for Best Music Video – "Videosyncracy"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200925035847/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/todd-rungren/13822 Todd Rungren] Grammy Awards</ref>
* 1995: Berkeley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Popular Culture Society at [[UC Berkeley]].<ref name="Sonoma97" />
* 2017: Honorary doctorate from [[Berklee College of Music]], where he delivered the commencement address, and an honorary doctorate from [[DePauw University]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Tori Donahue |url=http://www.berklee.edu/news/honorary-doctorates-lionel-richie-lucinda-williams-todd-rundgren-neil-portnow-and-shin-joong-hyun |title=Lionel Richie, Lucinda Williams, Todd Rundgren, Neil Portnow, and Shin Joong Hyun Receive Honorary Degrees &#124; Berklee College of Music |website=Berklee.edu |date=May 13, 2017 |access-date=July 21, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Bernsee |first=Eric |url=http://www.bannergraphic.com/story/2414093.html |title=Local News: Rundgren left speechless by DePauw honorary degree (5/21/17) &#124; Greencastle Banner-Graphic |website=Bannergraphic.com |date=May 21, 2017|access-date=July 21, 2017}}</ref>
* 2018: Nominated for the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]'s class of 2019.<ref name="HoF2018" /> Since becoming eligible in 1995,<ref name="HoF2018" /> he has often been asked about his absence from the Hall of Fame.<ref name="Willman18">{{cite web |last1=Willman |first1=Chris |title=Couldn't He Just Tell-All? Todd Rundgren Reveals Enough in Candid, Funny New Memoir |url=https://variety.com/2018/music/news/todd-rundgren-tells-all-new-memoir-individualist-1203092813/ |website=Variety |date=December 18, 2018}}</ref> A 2018 poll conducted by the institution, which is not factored in the final vote, placed Rundgren as the third-most deserving nominee on the ballot.<ref name="janet"/>{{refn|group=nb|[[Janet Jackson]], who did make the induction, was more than 100,000 votes behind in sixth place.<ref name="janet">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/2018/12/rock-roll-hall-of-fame-voters-goofed-by-leaving-todd-rundgren-out-of-the-class-of-2019-chuck-yarborough.html|title=Rock & Roll Hall of Fame voters goofed by leaving Todd Rundgren out of the Class of 2019: Chuck Yarborough|first1=Chuck|last1=Yarborough|date=December 13, 2018|website=The Plain Dealer}}</ref>}} In 2016, Rundgren told an interviewer: "It doesn't have the same cachet as a [[Nobel Peace Prize]] or some historical foundation. If I told you about how they actually determine who gets into the Hall of Fame, you'd think that I was bullshitting you, because I've been told what's involved. ... It's just as corrupt as anything else, and that's why I don't care."<ref name="Harris2016">{{Cite news|url=https://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/todd-rundgren-hates-the-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-loves-edm-and-might-be-a-techno-psychic/Content?oid=5721015|title=Todd Rundgren hates the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, loves EDM, and might be a techno psychic|first=Vincent|last=Harris|newspaper=[[Charleston City Paper]]}}</ref>
* 2021: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rockhall.com/class-2021-inductees|title=Class of 2021 Inductees &#124; Rock & Roll Hall of Fame|website=www.rockhall.com}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Todd Rundgren discography}}{{see also|Utopia discography}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
'''Solo albums'''
* ''[[Runt (album)|Runt]]'' (1970)
* ''[[Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren]]'' (1971)
* ''[[Something/Anything?]]'' (1972)
* ''[[A Wizard, a True Star]]'' (1973)
* ''[[Todd (album)|Todd]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Initiation (Todd Rundgren album)|Initiation]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Faithful (Todd Rundgren album)|Faithful]]'' (1976)
* ''[[Hermit of Mink Hollow]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Healing (Todd Rundgren album)|Healing]]'' (1981)
* ''[[The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect]]'' (1982)
* ''[[A Cappella (Todd Rundgren album)|A Cappella]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Nearly Human]]'' (1989)
* ''[[2nd Wind]]'' (1991)
* ''[[No World Order]]'' (1993) {{small|(as TR-I)}}
* ''[[The Individualist]]'' (1995) {{small|(as TR-I)}}
* ''[[With a Twist...]]'' (1997) {{small|(remakes album)}}
* ''[[One Long Year]]'' (2000)
* ''[[Liars (Todd Rundgren album)|Liars]]'' (2004)
* ''[[Arena (Todd Rundgren album)|Arena]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Todd Rundgren's Johnson]]'' (2011) {{small|(covers album)}}
* ''[[(re)Production]]'' (2011) {{small|(covers album)}}
* ''[[State (Todd Rundgren album)|State]]'' (2013)
* ''[[Global (Todd Rundgren album)|Global]]'' (2015)
* ''[[White Knight (album)|White Knight]]'' (2017)
* ''[[Space Force (album)|Space Force]]'' (2022)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/todd-rundgren-new-album-2022/|title = Todd Rundgren's 'Space Force' Album Moved to 2022| date=September 20, 2021 }}</ref>
{{col-break}}
'''Nazz'''
* ''[[Nazz (album)|Nazz]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Nazz Nazz]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Nazz III]]'' (1971)

'''Utopia'''
* ''[[Todd Rundgren's Utopia (album)|Todd Rundgren's Utopia]]'' (1974)
* ''[[Another Live]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Ra (Utopia album)|Ra]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Oops! Wrong Planet]]'' (1977)
* ''[[Adventures in Utopia]]'' (1979)
* ''[[Deface the Music]]'' (1980)
* ''[[Swing to the Right]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Utopia (Utopia album)|Utopia]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Oblivion (Utopia album)|Oblivion]]'' (1984)
* ''[[POV (album)|POV]]'' (1985)

'''Other albums'''
* ''[[Up Against It!]]'' (1997) <br /> {{small|(1980s demos for the [[Up Against It|musical of the same name]])}}
* ''Somewhere/Anywhere'' (1998) <br /> {{small|(Japanese-imported compilation of unreleased tracks)}}
* ''[[Disco Jets]]'' (2001) <br /> {{small|(Utopia album recorded 1976)}}
* ''[[It's Alive! (The New Cars album)|It's Alive!]]'' (2006) <br /> {{small|([[The New Cars]])}}
* ''[[Runddans]]'' (2015) {{small|(with [[Hans-Peter Lindstrom|Lindstrøm]] and [[Emil Nikolaisen]])}}

{{col-break}}

'''Selected productions'''
* ''[[The American Dream (band)]]'' (1970) 
* ''[[Straight Up (Badfinger album)|Straight Up]]'' (1971) – [[Badfinger]]
* ''[[Halfnelson (album)|Halfnelson]]'' (1971) – [[Sparks (band)|Halfnelson/Sparks]]
* ''[[New York Dolls (album)|New York Dolls]]'' (1973) – [[New York Dolls]]
* ''[[We're an American Band]]'' (1973) – [[Grand Funk Railroad]]
* ''[[Shinin' On]]'' (1974) – [[Grand Funk Railroad]]
* ''[[War Babies (Hall & Oates album)|War Babies]]'' (1974) – [[Hall & Oates]]
* ''[[Bat Out of Hell]]'' (1977) – [[Meat Loaf]]
* ''[[Remote Control (The Tubes album)|Remote Control]]'' (1979) – [[The Tubes]]
* ''[[Wasp (album)|Wasp]]'' (1980) – [[Shaun Cassidy]]
* ''[[Forever Now (The Psychedelic Furs album)|Forever Now]]'' (1982) – [[The Psychedelic Furs]]
* ''[[Next Position Please]]'' (1983) – [[Cheap Trick]]
* ''[[Love Bomb (The Tubes album)|Love Bomb]]'' (1985) – [[The Tubes]]
* ''[[Skylarking]]'' (1986) – [[XTC]]
* ''[[Dreams of Ordinary Men]]'' (1986) – [[Dragon (band)|Dragon]]
* ''[[The New America]]'' (2000) – [[Bad Religion]]
* ''[[Separation Anxieties]]'' (2000) – [[12 Rods]]
* ''[[Cause I Sez So]]'' (2009) – [[New York Dolls]]
{{col-end}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Myers|first=Paul|author-link=Paul Myers (musician)|title=A Wizard, a True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K1WFL1CgvDIC&pg=PA212|year=2010|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1-906002-33-6}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Todd Rundgren}}
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* {{AllMusic | id=mn0000936425 | label=Todd Rundgren}}
* {{AllMusic | id=mn0000377892 | label=The Nazz}}
* {{AllMusic | id=mn0001452762 | label=Hello People}}
* {{AllMusic | id=mn0000837486 | label=Utopia}}
* {{AllMusic | id=mn0000616815 | label=Todd Rundgren & Utopia}}
* [http://www.depauw.edu/news-media/latest-news/details/23334 Ubben Lecture at DePauw University] (April 8, 2009)
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/todd-rundgren Todd Rundgren Interview] [[NAMM Oral History Program]]
* [http://www.toddrundgrenradio.com/ Todd Rundgren Radio]

{{Todd Rundgren}}
{{2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Utopia (band)}}
{{The Cars}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rundgren, Todd}}
[[Category:Todd Rundgren| ]]
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