Todd is God

I posted this on my other blog yesterday, but thought it deserved a place here too. “ I’m looking for backing for an unauthorized auto-biography that I am writing. Hopefully, this will sell in such huge numbers that I will be able to sue myself for an extraordinary amount of money and finance the film version in which I play everybody” – David Bowie  My relationship with the music of David Bowie began in 1975 with the re-release of Space Odity. I was seven. I’d been vaguely aware of his existence before then, but this was the moment when I said: I like this song, play it again. NOW. What a song.  The next few years gave me other little gems: Golden Years, Sound and Vision, Heroes, Boys keep Swinging. But as the seventies drew to a close I still don’t think I’d actually bought a Bowie record. My brother had a few and I’d listened to his, but I’d not bought anything myself. That changed with Ashes to Ashes (1980). Major Tom was back and he coincided with a big singl...

Last night.

San Jose Mercury News, 7th jan has an interview with Jill Sobule, ahead of a gig this Sunday at Redwood City's Club Fox on Sunday, where she shares the bill with Mr Kasim Sulton. The piece talks about Todd. Sobule's first album, 1990's "Things Here Are Different," was produced by Todd Rundgren . "I was a big fan. I hadn't met, really, any celebrities, let alone one of my icons. I hadn't been in the studio much. And Todd was really intimidating back then, in that time period. So it was really sort of semi-terrifying. "Right before then, I was just excited to play an open mic at The Bitter End in New York. That was a big deal. Or right before that, I played Josephina's Pizza in Denver, Colorado. So my eyes were overly wide open," she says, laughing. "I didn't have any expectations." The album failed to register with record buyers. The next one, produced by Joe Jackson, went unreleased. "People who you adore,...

Peter Guy at the Liverpool Echo talked to local musician Claire Wells (Liverpool Echo, January 8) http://clairewelles.bandcamp.com/ about her music and influences. What are your influences and which artists do you listen to at the moment? For this current LP, I was listening to a lot of late '70s-early '80s Sparks (their Georgio Moroder era), Julian Jumpin' Perez mixtapes circa 1986/7 and Todd Rundgren - who has been a mainstay for many years now. More recently, I've been really impressed with artists such as Julia Holter, Jenny Hval, Daniel Lopatin (Oneohtrix Point Never) and Susanne Sundfør. Note my preference for solo artists! I also enjoy listening to absolute crud such as Hall & Oates, Phil Collins and enigmatic '80s musician/ Wall Street trader "Lewis". Great seeing Todd mentioned but also Oneohtrix Point Never  and Susanne Sundfør who produced two of my favourite records of last year.

Erykah Badu recently recorded this interesting re-working of Todd's Hello It's Me [Based more on the Isley Bros cover]

I think Mr R being a little harsh here: “I don’t have the same kind of feelings that a lot of people do about this new generation of victim singers like Adele and Sam Smith, where it just seems like they’re abused animals,” he added. “Everything they sing about is, ‘Oh, I’m so needy, I’m so hurt.’ I don’t think the world needs more of that. The world needs more of ‘I can’t feel my face.’” [ Revue 29 Dec ]

The new year begins with this from the Scottish Daily Express... TODD RUNDGREN & UTOPIA: Live At The Old Waldorf **** (Esoteric)  Another entry to the Rundgren Archive Series, this is a first official release for an August 1978 concert in San Francisco, where Rundgren mixed songs from his cosmic prog rock band Utopia and the more soft-rock material from his solo career. So while they can ramp it upon the more outlandish tracks like The Seven Rays, Abandon City and Gangrene, Rundgren likes to tone it down a bit when he offers Can We Still Be Friends and Couldn't I Just Tell You.

Awards and a look back at 2015, including our all important album of the year.  Check out this episode!

The one where we ditch the ho ho ho's and instead talk about: Kiss, Pet Shop Boys, Fishbone, NIN, Spirit and David Bowie (and not a little drummer boy in sight). Check out this episode!

Dave Gahan & Soulsavers - Angels & Ghosts Little Mix - Get Weird Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete Derrhunter - Fading Frontier Anna Von Hausswolff - The Miraculous Grimes - Art Angels Check out this episode!

So, there I was watching the (rather patchy) A Very Murray Christmas on Nextflix last night when mid programme Jason Schwartzman and Rashida Jones (playing a couple who are meant to be getting married) launch into a duet of 'I Saw the Light'. Made me smile. The presence of Paul Shaffer and David Johansen (both artists produced by Todd) made this even funnier.

Davey Lane Spoke, guitarist with Aussie band  You am I was asked the following question in an interview (21 Nov) published in Townsvilleeye WHAT SONG ARE YOU JEALOUS OF? WHAT SONG DO YOU WISH YOU HAD WRITTEN? " One of my favourite songs of all time is a song called International Feel by Todd Rundgren and that's on his album A Wizard, A True Star. It's a pretty short song but just in terms of the song itself and the production. I've talked about it with the guys from Tame Impala because they're all big Todd Rundgren fans too and if there's anything that's a template for what I've set out to achieve it probably would start with that song."

Chvrches - Every Open Eye John Grant - Grey Tickles, Black Pressure New Order - Music Complete Deafheaven - New Bermuda Janet Jackson - Unbreakable Taylor Swift/Ryan Adams - 1989 Check out this episode!

This list of 50 Classic Albums of Nashville's Post-Dylan Era, Part I (1966-72) from the Nashville Scene has two mentions of  Todd: Dennis Linde, Linde Manor (Intrepid/Mercury, 1970) Today, the Texas-born Linde is probably best known for writing such hits as "Burning Love," definitively recorded by Elvis Presley. But Linde, who died in 2006, was Nashville's equivalent to Todd Rundgren — an experimental pop musician. Produced by Jerry Kennedy and Billy Swan at Wayne Moss' Cinderella Studios, Linde Manor features horn arrangements by Bergen White. DJ Shadow sampled the title track on his 1996 trip-hop classic Endtroducing. Great Speckled Bird, Great Speckled Bird (Ampex, 1970) Moderately famous as Todd Rundgren's first production credit, Great Speckled Bird was a Nashville version of the kind of folk-rock Fairport Convention was making at the same time. "Rio Grande" was about a cocaine bust, while "Smiling Wine" was straight cou...

S. Victor Aaron over at Something Else cast thoughts back to Arena, correctly describing it as ' unabashed, hook-filled fun.'

It's autumn or fall but the music is still coming. This month we cast our ears over The Libertines - Anthems for a Doomed Youth Craig Finn - Faith in the Future David Gilmour - Rattle that Lock Keith Richards - Crosseyed Heart Dam Funk - Invite the Light Duran Duran - Paper Gods Check out this episode!

"I just got off a tour with him. I learned a lot from the tour bus. He’s a little aloof, but he’s a genius. I didn’t realize he was a tough guy, but he’s a sensitive guy as well, by the lyrics that he’s written. There’s a lot of positive material; a lot of cynical stuff too. It just came about because a few people invited him to Funkosphere, which is my club. He ended up saying, “You know what? I can’t make it there, but are you interested in going on tour?” Because he wants to not take a band anymore, just go for a DJ type of vibe. I’m not even DJing, I just play keyboards and background vocals." What was the most surprising thing you learned on tour with him? That he’s really prompt. That’s what taught me about in the future, and even now with my band, staying on time, being in the lobby at the right time, starting the soundcheck at the right time. He’s very professional. He’s very methodical. Every set each night went the same way. And it was good because every audienc...

Feels like the end of summer doesn't it Frank Turner - Positive Songs for Negative People Foals - What Went Down Public Enemy - Man Plans God Laughs Ghostfaced Killah - Adrian Younge presents 12 Reasons to Die II Chelsea Wolfe - Abyss Wilco - StarWars Check out this episode!

Michael Austin in his Orlando Sentinel (Florida) article ' How to take wine just seriously enough' has one of my favourite throw away Todd mentions I've seen in a while: " Dogs are funny and wine culture can still be a little too serious, even today. For the people who make it, serve it and sell it, OK. It's your business -- you can be serious about that side of it. But for the rest of us who have no obligation other than to enjoy it and simply appreciate it for what it is, let's keep it fun. Even though wine is one of our greatest creations -- right up there with language, flight, medicine and the music of Rush and Todd Rundgren -- let's not fetishize it." Meanwhile another review for the Runddans album - this time from The Age in Australia. Todd Rundgren is mercurial. In his long career he's been a guitar-shredding rock star, a creator of sublime pop, recording studio wizard, pioneer in the use of synthesisers, he's dabble...

Seether is neither black nor white ... Yes, another helping of mimbling and rambling from your friends at CTTB Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes Jason Isbell - Somethinh More than Free Joy Williams - Venus Ashley Monroe -The Blade Tame Impala - Currents The Chemical Brothers - Born into the Echoes  Check out this episode!