Todd Rundgren was inducted into the the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this weekend. Patti Smith virtually bestowed the honor on Rundgren during the ceremony, which took place in Cleveland. Rundgren did not appear at the proceedings, having said that it would be “hypocritical,” due to his persistent indifference toward the institution. In her pre-recorded video on Rundgren, Smith said, “Todd and I met in our early twenties. We were both from the Philadelphia area. The runt and the wallflower.” She continued, “Todd was already quite accomplished at 22 years old, the head engineer at Bearsville Studios. I was allowed to sit in the studio as he worked on Stage Fright with the Band.” Watch a portion of the speech below.
“He was unflinching in the face of new technology. He would just bend it in his hands,” Smith also said, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. “He would tell the band, ‘If you know what you want, I will help you. If you don’t know what you want, I’ll do it for you.’”
Todd Rundgren produced Patti Smith Group’s 1979 album Wave. Rundgren’s last studio album was 2017’s White Knight, which featured collaborations with Robyn, Trent Reznor, Daryl Hall, and more. Earlier this year, he “set out” on his Clearly Human virtual tour.
Foo Fighters, Carole King, Jay-Z, Tina Turner, and the Go-Go’s were also part of the 2021 Rock Hall class. Randy Rhoads, Billy Preston, and LL Cool J were honored with the Musical Excellence Award at tonight’s ceremony, while Kraftwerk, Gil-Scott Heron, and Charley Patton earned the Early Influence award.
Follow all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
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