Rundgren to bring Arena to Academy
ACADEMY SET: Rundgren
IT’S a tried and tested career decision that artists have taken for time immemorial – namely going back to their roots.
Seeking the comfort of recording an album with the familiarity of your best work often leads to acts rediscovering that rich vein, which led to fame and fortune being achieved in the first place.
For his new studio offering grizzled Pennsylvanian rocker Todd Rundgren consciously decided to return to his riff-orientated rock beginnings – the resulting album is the hanger-like sounding Arena and now the singer-songwriter and producer is about to take it on the road, arriving at the Academy on November 6.
Ahead of the date, CityLife caught up with him on tour in the States:
How is the US tour going Todd?
Spectacular! Except for the flying and driving and strange lodging alternatives. Thank Goddess the shows are so much fun.
Are there parts of America you have been able to play that you haven't had chance to yet?
Well, after 35 years the places you haven't been might be frightening to visit - like Alaska.
What sparked your return to 'riff-orientated rock'?
I came to my senses and realized I should stop trying to play the piano. It's fine for making records, but I needed to get back on the guitar where the damage in a live context might be least catastrophic.
Did the Arena LP turn out how you pictured it in your mind's eye?
Pretty close. Stephen Colbert says "I think with my gut!". I was probably looking to satisfy what I imagined transpiring in several organs.
The upcoming tour sounds as if it will be a real communal experience for the fans - what can they expect?
The savvy fans expect to be confounded. Sometimes the show gets real communal, like when I slipped off the stage and fell into the crowd the last time we were in Cleveland.
Can you remember the first time you played in the UK - what are you abiding memories of the experience?
It was with The Nazz around 1968. We were there to record our second album and we did a showcase at Ronnie Scott's. The consensus was that we were too friggin' loud. And it was Guy Fawkes Day so we bought all the fireworks in the world and set them off in Queensgate.
Are they any particular aspects to British life that you look forward to indulging in when you come here?
In the ‘70s I would come to London for two weeks and buy clothes for a year. That's why people thought I was British. Now... probably food. Not THE food. With the dollar so weak, I'm just hoping to afford some.
You turned 60 in June - which is quite a milestone - how did you mark the event?
About 250 people camped on my lawn for a week or so. I was so busy rehearsing Arena that I only had time to tend bar. I did hike about 70 people over a mountain and back one day, and we only lost two!.
It's a completely different industry to the one you entered in the late 1960’s, do you feel comfortable still performing in it?
There are some uncomfortable places to perform, usually because of crappy dressing facilities. And cramming the band and luggage into a minivan is no treat. We usually never cross paths with Rick Astley, so there are none of those kinds of 'uncomfortable' moments.
You've always seemed to embrace the technological advancements in the music industry - what have you made of more recent developments like the rise of the iPod, music downloads and the decline in the charts?
I've heard that 'hit' records can be a valuable promotional tool, but I think I lost track of what that was a while ago. Praise Buddah people still by concert tickets and T-shirts and free drinks for us in bars or there would be NO MUSIC at all!
I imagine being an experienced producer - the tools at your disposal in the studio now must be pretty exciting too?
The exciting part is that I don't need a studio. I sang Arena in the linen closet- that's liberating! If you want to make industry standard product you may be forced to use industry standard tools. But we've already established that the industry has collapsed so...
You worked with Jim Steinman in the studio on Bat Out Of Hell - and he described you as a genius - which must have taken you back a bit?
We geniuses like to kid each other: "You're the biggest genius!","No you're a much bigger genius than I ever was!". We go on like that for hours. People find it pretty annoying.
Is there an artist dead/or alive who you would have loved to work with in the studio or even just to have a jam with?
What a horrible thing to do to a dead person. Make people imagine their image jamming with me and I am blowing this poor dead guy off the stage. Shameful.
The tour draws to a close back in America in December - what does 2009 hold for you?
The usual. Further conquest, shocking and awe-ing, slyly purloining whole genres of music. Did I mention bludgeoning?
Arena is out now. Todd Rundgren plays Academy 2 on Thursday, November 6. £18.50. Call 0161 832 1111.
Published: Mon, 06 October, 2008
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