Interview Roundup: Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren and I go way back, even if he doesn’t know it. I grew up with his music, though I missed my first opportunity to see him live. Utopia was on a double-bill tour with The Tubes, and I was out of town when they came through Atlanta. Happily, I got to see him not long after, on Thanksgiving Day at the Moonshadow Saloon in Atlanta, a date on the A Cappella tour. A few years later, Todd was doing a demonstration tour promoting the CD-i technology; after that, I saw him on the TR-i tour. Weird stuff to be sure, but groundbreaking.
The author with Todd Rundgren in 2008
I would see him in concert, meet him and interview him quite a few times after that. The most recent conversation I’ve had with him was early this year when we chatted about his time – very early on – in Nazz.
One of my very first published works as a music journalist was a 2004 career-spanning critical essay on Todd’s body of work, written for Trouser Press. Nearly 20 years later, I’m still at it, and – thank goodness – so is he.
- Todd Rundgren (2008) discussing his then-current album Arena
- Todd Rundgren (2016) discussing his then-current ‘An Evening with Todd Rundgren’ tour
- Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (2018) chatting about the reunion tour (includes interviews with Willie Wilcox and Kasim Sulton)
- Todd Rundgren and Joey Molland (2019) discussing the ‘It Was Fifty Years Ago Today’ tour
- Todd Rundgren (2021 #1) discussing his ‘Virtual Tour’ with emphasis on Chicago
- Todd Rundgren (2021 #2) discussing the ‘Virtual Tour’ with emphasis on the Bay Area
- Todd Rundgren (2023) — just published here a few days ago, it’s a dive into Todd’s Nazz years.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.