TODD RUNDGREN Biography A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren's 1973 solo album aptly foreshadows the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist and interactive artist, Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music. With a reputation for applying his talents to a diverse range of projects and for bringing true versatility to his profession, Rundgren continues to expand his audience. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found quintessential 60's cult group The Nazz. In 1969 he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Rundgren into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him "Rock's New Wunderkind." This was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow, A Wizard, A True Star and such hit singles as I Saw The Light, Hello It's Me, Can We Still Be Friends? and Bang The Drum. In 1974 Rundgren formed Utopia, an entirely new approach to the concept of musical high adventure, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that, for millions, defined the term "progressive rock." Standout Utopia offerings included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia and Oblivion. As a producer, Rundgren has brought his creativity to bear on albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, the Psychedelic Furs, Meat Loaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, Paul Shaffer, and other artists. Rundgren composed all of the music and lyrics for Joseph Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's Up Against It -- the screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was to have been their third motion picture. Someone who has always acted to liberating technology in the service of creativity, Rundgren is regarded as one of the pioneering multi-media artists. In 1978, Rundgren performed both the first interactive television concert in Columbus, Ohio, and the fi rst live radio concert broadcast nationally by microwave, linking 40 cities around the country. In 1979, he opened Utopia Video Studios where his first produced project, Gustav Holst's The Planets, was commissioned by RCA SelectiVision as the first demonstration software for their new videodisc format. In 1980, Rundgren directed and produced Time Heals, the first music video to utilize compositing of live action and computer graphics, a project which became the second video to be played on MTV. In June 1981, following his creation of the first digital paint program for PC's, which was licensed to Apple Computer. In 1982 he performed the first live national cablecast of a rock concert via USA Network. Rundgren established a new musical genre when he composed, produced and performed the world's first interactive audio-only CD-ROM project No World Order, which was licensed to both Philips Interactive Media and Electronic Arts and released in 1993, simultaneous with his record company's release of the traditional non-interactive, linear version of the album. In June 1995, Rundgren will cap his long history of multi-media "firsts" by releasing The Individualist. Described by Rundgren as a "multimedia album," the title will be released exclusively on CD+ via an exclusive licensing arrangement with ION, a Navarre-distributed interactive CD label. Featuring both the redbook audio as well as enhanced visual content, the CD+ behaves like a conventional CD when operated with a standard audio CD player. As a sidebar to his many other activities, Rundgren also hosts a weekly radio show, "The Difference with Todd Rundgren." Syndicated nationally to over 35 major-market stations (generally AAA format but also including AOR market leaders such as WNEW in New York and WLUP in Chicago), the two-hour show is adding stations each week. A melange of music, interviews and Rundgren's wry commentary, "The Difference" is syndicated by United Stations. A unique validation of Rundgren's contributions to the arts came in May 1995, when he received the prestigious Berkeley Lifetime Achievement Award from the Popular Culture Society at UC Berkeley along with fellow recipients Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Aretha Franklin, David Hockney, Liza Minelli and Brian Wilson. Bestowed annually, the awards "honor artists who redefine a genre, show excellence through diversity in their art, communicate the essence of a time period, or work towards positive social change." Previous recipients include John Lee Hooker, Ed Ruscha, Lauren Bacall, Billy Wilder and Alice Walker, among others; Todd's recognition comes from his work in multimedia. In 1994, No World Order won "Best Composition/Arrangement for from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' inaugural awards and the "Best Interactive Disc of the Year" Award from Video Magazine. # # # updated 6/01/95