Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren’s Wikipedia Page

Todd Rundgren is many things to many people. He is…

  • A radio-friendly pop artist whose enduring Top 40 hits include “Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw the Light", “Bang the Drum,” “A Dream Goes on Forever” and “Can We Still Be Friends.”

  • A fearless innovator whose groundbreaking albums “A Wizard, A True Star,” “The Hermit of Mink Hollow” and “Something/Anything?” — all released in the 1970s — sound fresh and vital today.

  • A progressive-rock dynamo, whose band Utopia counted the young Prince among its biggest admirers.

  • An award-winning producer who has overseen standout albums by such diverse artists as The Band, Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, New York Dolls, Badfinger, Steve Hillage, Meatloaf, XTC, The Tubes, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall And Oates and more.

  • A high-tech trailblazer whose credits include the first two commercially released music videos (in 1982), the world’s first interactive album on CD-i (in 1993) and — in 2016 — the first full-length concert shot using multiple 360 cameras.

In this WisdomVR story, we sit with Todd backstage next to the monitor mixing board while he tells us of an experience he had in Iran circa 1978 while on a trip around the world. He reflects on the warm feelings he felt from the Iranian people, unaware that behind the scenes the Shah was losing his tenuous hold on power after many years of being propped up by the American CIA. It’s a personally reflective geopolitical story from one of the great iconoclastic individualists.

Plus, you can have an on-stage experience with Todd and the band during their performances of “Black Maria,” “A Dream Goes On Forever” and “I Saw the Light” from the auteur’s 1973 double album "Something/Anything" -- with a preface by Todd in “Black Maria” about his roots relationship to his guitar and how he didn't want to be viewed as "the male Carole King."

More exploration of the wisdom of Todd Rundgren is available here:

The wisdom of Todd Rundgren circa 2017.

Breaking it down in a nearly 2hr wide-ranging discussion.

The wisdom of Todd Rundgren in song, circa 1975.

Mark Maron’s illuminating podcast interview.

To get the most from these experiences, view using an Oculus Go, GearVR or Google Daydream/Cardboard headset and use the SamsungVR app. For other headsets, watch on YoutubeVR using the links for “A Glimpse of Iran, 1978” here, “Black Maria” here, “I Saw the Light” here and “A Dream Goes on Forever” here and then add the videos to your custom Wisdom Teachers playlist to access in VR. Need help with the SamsungVR app? Click here.