A Partridge in a Rundgren Tree

I follow Andy Partridge on Twitter so saw most of this unfold online, but Ultimate Rock have pulled it all together nicely. Nothing new really in the P v T ongoing spat but still amusing it continues.

“a great arranger. Really talented, we were lucky to work with him.”  “He is a mediocre engineer at best. As producer his ‘bedside manner’ is appalling. He was bullying, hectoring, divisive to the band, and if you think that’s sour grapes from me, just ask anyone else who has worked with him. I’ve met several and they all have the same stories. Ask Sparks, the Dolls, Meat Loaf and on and on.”

Petty and Rundgren

The Gainesville Sun (Florida) has an interesting article mentioning the beginnings of Tom Petty 'How one Southern college town - Gainesville - changed the historyof rock 'n' roll' (Marty Jourard) which in turn mentions Todd:

Nothing is sharper than hindsight, and the mystique that surrounds Tom Petty today has led to much speculation about his early years in Gainesville. At first meeting, Tommy presented as a longhaired Southern hippie musician, part of a large community of like-minded souls. Further observations revealed Petty as a serious songwriter who was fully engaged in music, with a quick mind and a truly indescribable sense of humor.

In early 1972, he lived for a while in the converted attic of a house on a property adjacent to the railroad bridge at SW 13th Street, now the site of Wildflower Apartments. I visited one day as Tommy was listening to Todd Rundgren's new double album, "Something/Anything," a collection of 25 tracks that included the hit "Hello, It's Me." We sat and listened for awhile and he explained that Rundgren had not only written the 18 songs on the first three sides but had also played every instrument on those recordings, including the hit "I Saw The Light." We looked at the inside photograph of Rundgren standing on a table in his house with his electric guitar, surrounded by musical instruments and an 8-track recorder. "He did it all himself" was Tommy's general comment. Several months later Mudcrutch recorded the demo tape that led to their record deal — in the living room of keyboard player Benmont Tench's parents' house.