Todd Rundgren recalled how John Lennon contacted him privately to end a public war of words that broke out in 1974.
The pair met during the ex-Beatle’s infamous “lost weekend,” a time when he was frequently drunk, stoned and out of control. It had been a disappointing experience for Rundgren, a massive fan.
“I met him at a party in the period he was drinking with Harry Nilsson and misbehaving all over Hollywood,” the guitarist and producer told the The Guardian in a recent interview.
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“He looked like a bundle of rags in the corner and…I was disappointed that he had nothing to say. Later I was being interviewed…and I said something along the lines of that you can’t be a revolutionary and preach one thing if you’re behaving in another way, and that became the headline.”
Lennon read the article and responded by sending an open letter to the magazine, writing: “I have never claimed to be a revolutionary. But I am allowed to sing about anything I want! Right?
“I guess we’re all looking for attention…do you really think I don’t know how to get it, without ‘revolution?’ I could dye my hair green and pink for a start! I don’t represent anyone but my self.”
Rundgren remembered the disagreement developing into a “kerfuffle,” which the press appeared to be enjoying. “Then one day I got a call and it was John, saying: ‘I think we’re being used here, so let’s bury the hatchet.’ I said: ‘Fine!’ and that was that.”
In the same interview, Rundgren admitted to having upset the Band when he worked with them as a studio engineer – his first major professional engagement. “I was a smart-ass kid, like calling Garth Hudson ‘old man,’ thinking he was too old to stay awake, not realizing he had narcolepsy.
“I wasn’t into that kind of music and not cognitive of the fact the Band were one of the biggest acts in the world. … Levon Helm got into opiates; so while he may have chased me round the studio he spent as much time underneath a pile of curtains, dead to the world.
Todd Rundgren Doesn’t Understand Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’
“In later years they all became my friends,” Rundgren continued, “except Robbie Robertson, who was kind of a snob.”
Rundgren also said he had no memory of meeting a young Prince, who was reported to have waited backstage to see him. ‘[Which] isn’t to say it didn’t happen,” he pointed out.
“Prince took the play-every-instrument thing to another level. I wanted to write beyond what I could play and realized there are better players, whereas he tailored the songs to his capabilities as a player. So the drums are simple, certainly not like Stevie Wonder’s, who was a crazily funky drummer.
“I thought some of Prince’s stuff was great, but some of the lyrics made no sense to me at all. I don’t know what the hell ‘Purple Rain’ is. Is it some kind of pollution?”
Todd Rundgren Albums Ranked
For more than half a century, the superstar producer has made some of the weirdest records to hit the charts.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
