I don't remember what we were even talking about. It was probably the late 1970s or early 80s and I was hanging out with Jason Ringenberg (likely at the little gas station where I was working and playing guitar). For some reason I can recall plain-as-day Jason mentioning people referring to Todd Rundgren as "god." Who knows where the conversation went after that...
Well, I heard "Todd is god" several times from fans the other night at The Clyde Theatre when Mr. Rundgren brought his "Me/We" tour to Fort Wayne.
Jane wasn't able to go, and I went back and forth as to whether I should shell out the money to see yet another aged former star that I wasn't really 'into' all that much other than the radio hits. But, you know, it's literally five minutes from our house... and it IS Todd Rundgren, after all... So I got a ticket and took myself out on the town.
First let me say, I LOVE The Clyde. The fact we have a state-of-the-art concert venue in the neighborhood, the sound is incredible, free parking... everything! I am not, however, a big fan of their seated shows. Yes, sometimes I get tired of standing all night, but I'd much rather be able to move around than have to squeeze myself into the space of a plastic folding chair with no leg, arm, or shoulder room. To make matters worse, while I was able to snag one of the few aisle seats left, I spaced out and forgot that the one side was along a rail so it wasn't really 'on' an aisle. Sure enough, I walked in, and even though my row towards the back only had four chairs in it, the other three people were - how you say - somewhat large. There was no way I was sitting there. Fortunately there happened to be a padded stool along the wall (I think it was for an usher), and I just perched myself in it and acted like I was supposed to be there! About halfway through the show I ended up just standing along the back wall by the bar. So it worked out okay.
On to the show... I was glad there was a good crowd. I think it holds around 600 for seated shows (2,000 for standing), and it was nearly full. I ran into a few people I knew, even though I literally walked in at 7:58 for the 8pm show. It started right about 8.
I have to say, the first hour was... Weird. I know Todd is known as somewhat of an "artsy" sort; and I've heard he occasionally has off nights (plus he is 76 years old). I mean, people were polite, clapped and whatnot, and maybe I just didn't "get" what he was trying to do, but I debated whether to just call it a night and head home.
I stuck it out, though, and I'm glad I did. The second half of the show was much better. Personally, I prefer the more "rock" type numbers, and I know that's not really his forte so much anymore, but he did rock out some. Around 9:50 they did the obligatory leave-the-stage-like-it's-over, and after raucous applause returned and... this was really the only time all night Todd addressed the crowd. He even noted that the biggest complaint he gets is that he doesn't talk enough. So he talked a bit, and then finished up with a nice medley of some of his biggest hits. The place was going wild by the time he ended shortly after 10pm.
All in all, it was a good show and I'm glad I went (it's okay that I didn't enjoy every bit of it, because obviously some people did).
I'm also glad I did a little digging for this post and discovered some things about the man that I did not know (or I'd forgotten). For starters, I didn't realize he was sort of Liv Tyler's "father" for much of her life. From the Todd Rundgren Wiki page is this tidbit:
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 Todd 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. 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. As of 2012, Tyler maintains 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." 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.
I also stumbled onto this interview from 2004 where, in response to being asked if there was anything that's eluded him as an artist, he said:
No. I think people often think that our career is the most important thing in your life. And though it is a hugely important thing in my life, I had other goals for as long as I can remember and one of them I knew was to have a family. The fact that I’ve survived that [big laugh], to me, is the greatest achievement for me. The fact that I’ve had fairly, substantially happy family life and had the kids I wanted to have and watched them grow up. As pedestrian as that sounds, you have to cover the basics in life. That’s what life is about...
I like that. So, whether Todd really is god or not... I don't know... But he seems like a pretty decent human being. :)
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