An Interview With Todd Rundgren
- widr-promotion
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
On July 17th, 2026, I sat down for a digital interview with Psychedelic Pop Singer-Songwriter Todd Rundgren. Having been writing and performing original music for about 60 years, Todd Rundgren is embarking on his Damned If I Do Tour. During the interview, he had elaborated that this tour had an intentional focus on his older, fan favorite works. “I want to go out there and see to it that the fans have a good time,” Rundgren stated. At the time of recording, he was at a hotel in Lincoln, Rhode Island, where he was scheduled to play at Bally’s Twin Rivers Casino the following day.
When I got in the zoom call with him, I simply had to ask about the radio show he once hosted. During the mid 90’s, he DJed the syndicated program The Difference with Todd, which was nominated for a number of awards. The show ended in November of 1996, however, as a result of an altered show format. Rundgren was able to offer some valuable insight to his experience with the industry and why he left. “The station I was working with started taking advertising money from truck companies, which made them try and brand themselves for a certain demographic,” said Rundgren. “They were trying to get me to play more country music, but I only wanted to play music I truly believed in. That friction grew to a point where I had to step back.” The idea of radio being a space primarily occupied by corporate entities is not new, but hearing an instance of it happening to someone right in front of me was interesting.
Todd also shared his perspective on songwriting, and spoke about why he continues to write and perform music. I pointed out that many of his contemporaries no longer release music or tour, and wanted to know what kept him going. “I’m still enjoying it,” Rundgren responded simply. “Groups like the Eagles for example, they only really have the old hits that people want to hear. The new stuff is largely ignored. But if you’re dedicated and you have fans who are dedicated, there’s no reason to ever stop.” Todd Rundgren turned 78 this year in June, and that perspective is one that I have a lot of respect for. His career spans multiple decades of pop culture history and is one full of great stories and experiences.
I was curious to hear from him what he thought the biggest risk of his career was. In his eyes, it was his album A Wizard / A True Star (1973). This was his fourth solo album and his third to be released under the name Todd Rundgren. “Up until that point, I had mostly been doing more conventional sounding music, like I did on Something / Anything?. But with A Wizard / A True Star, I was able to try out a lot of things.” He also took pride in this record as being influential for a number of artists. “Down the line, this one had a lot of staying power,” Todd said. Rundgren added to this when I prompted him to tell me about his memories while recording A Wizard / A True Star. “It was a lot of fun,” he said through a smile. “We were given more or less full creative control there. We would just go into the studio and record anything that came to mind.” Listening to the album, his freeform approach to production, songwriting, and performance bleeds through every facet of the record, for better or worse.
To end the interview, I asked Todd if he was a coffee drink, what kind he would be. “I don’t drink a lot of coffee nowadays-” he said through a chuckle. “If I ever do get a coffee though, I would usually want a double shot espresso from Starbucks. I suppose that would be my answer.” As a certified Starbucks not-enjoyer, I was tepid on this response. But maybe the jokes on me for that, and a good joke it is.
Rundgren will be stopping in Kalamazoo, Michigan on August 17th, 2026 at Bell’s Beer Garden, and tickets are nearly sold out as of the date I am writing this. Fortunately for me, I was given a pair of tickets to this show and intend to share more about that experience when it happens.
Written By Lukas Filcek, General Manager '26-'27
