Todd Rundgren recalled how John Lennon contacted him privately to end a public war of words that broke out in 1974.<\/p>\n
The pair met during the ex-Beatle\u2019s infamous \u201clost weekend,\u201d a time when he was frequently drunk, stoned and out of control. It had been a disappointing experience for Rundgren, a massive fan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met him at a party in the period he was drinking with Harry Nilsson and misbehaving all over Hollywood,\u201d the guitarist and producer told the The Guardian in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Todd Rundgren Reveals His Songwriting Inspiration<\/p>\n
\u201cHe 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\u2019t be a revolutionary and preach one thing if you\u2019re behaving in another way, and that became the headline.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lennon read the article and responded by sending an open letter to the magazine, writing: \u201cI have never claimed to be a revolutionary. But I am allowed to sing about anything I want! Right?<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess we\u2019re all looking for attention…do you really think I don\u2019t know how to get it, without \u2018revolution?\u2019 I could dye my hair green and pink for a start! I don\u2019t represent anyone but my self.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rundgren remembered the disagreement developing into a “kerfuffle,\u201d which the press appeared to be enjoying. \u201cThen one day I got a call and it was John, saying: \u2018I think we\u2019re being used here, so let\u2019s bury the hatchet.\u2019 I said: \u2018Fine!\u2019 and that was that.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the same interview, Rundgren admitted to having upset the Band when he worked with them as a studio engineer \u2013 his first major professional engagement. \u201cI was a smart-ass kid, like calling Garth Hudson \u2018old man,\u2019 thinking he was too old to stay awake, not realizing he had narcolepsy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t into that kind of music and not cognitive of the fact the Band were one of the biggest acts in the world. \u2026 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.<\/p>\n
Todd Rundgren Doesn\u2019t Understand Prince\u2019s \u2018Purple Rain\u2019
\n\u201cIn later years they all became my friends,” Rundgren continued, “except Robbie Robertson, who was kind of a snob.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rundgren also said he had no memory of meeting a young Prince, who was reported to have waited backstage to see him. \u2018[Which] isn\u2019t to say it didn\u2019t happen,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cPrince 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\u2019s, who was a crazily funky drummer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought some of Prince\u2019s stuff was great, but some of the lyrics made no sense to me at all. I don\u2019t know what the hell \u2018Purple Rain\u2019 is. Is it some kind of pollution?\u201d<\/p>\n
Todd Rundgren Albums Ranked
\nFor more than half a century, the superstar producer has made some of the weirdest records to hit the charts.
\nGallery Credit: Michael Gallucci<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4434,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"yoast_head":"\n