About Me
(((Please note: this fan created profile is not affiliated with TR himself.)))
TR-i timeline in his own words... 20000 BC - 1997
@20000 BC: Spiltdown Man
"Inventor" of the first beer in history. Was frozen to death in a glacial fissure while looking for a place to keep it cold.
169-130 BC: Cleopatois
Mush-mouthed monarch of the lower Nile, kept her kingdom in a state of constant misinterpretation by holding court in a perpetually drunken condition and lapsing into a slurred Scottish brogue. Died of snakebite after requesting "that bodacious, wiggly wee servant over there".
4–17: Judith Iscariot
Bratty sister of Judas who used to constantly tattle on her brother, setting a pattern for stoolieism that later proved eponymous. Choked to death on a handful of loose change.
406–453: Attila the Huh?
A clueless would-be conquistador from Way-outer Mongolia. The first person in recorded history to eat a dog, ordered by mistake in a Peking snack bar. Later died of an allergic reaction to dung beetles.
1387-1406: Joe of Arc
A dwarfish Frenchman who liked to dress in womens clothing. Accidentally burned to death while trying to singe the pills off of a woolen merkin.
1464-1491: Christopher Cincinatti
Early explorer who based all his adventures on the assumption that the world was indeed flat. The first to discover the Great Hudson Bay and, with his entire crew, the first to go over Niagara Falls.
1824-1877: Abraham Cadillac
The first black man to run for president in 1860, was a far more colorful and flamboyant figure than the eventual victor and was the preferred candidate of the slaves themselves. Later perished when he accidentally wrapped his buggy around one of the very first telagraph poles.
1903-1908: Jerry Houdini
Younger cousin of escapist Harry, died at the age of 5 by suffocation in an abandoned icebox.
1948–1950
Things are a little hazy...
1951-1953
Miserable preschool years. My first major dental accident.
1954-1962
Miserable early school years. Building strong patterns of animosity toward authority that will serve me well later.
1963-1966
Pathetic high-school years. At least learned how to play guitar, although no sex was forthcoming as a result.
1967
Form the Nazz , power-pop flash in the pan. Actual possibility of sex as a result, though hard to remember specifics.
1968
Nazz release first record and I avoid getting drafted for the first time.
1969
Nazz release second record, break up, and I beat the draft a second time (you know- crazy, gay, the whole 9 yards).
1970
Runt, my first solo record is released. Rad-feminist misconstruction of lyrics to hit song results in bomb threats to radio.
1971
The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren is released. I discover Sparks , who call themselves Halfnelson which is a cooler name.
1972
Release Something/Anything? and produce Badfinger 's Straight Up. I'm all over the radio. I meet Wolfman Jack & Brian Wilson .
1973
Release A Wizard, A True Star & Todd. That's over 2 hours of music. What was I on? Also produced Grand Funk Railroad .
1974
Release of the band's debut, Todd R's Utopia & produced Hall & Oates ' War Babies. Darryl blames his concept on me.
1975
Release of Initiation & Utopia 's Another Live. I produce Hello People's Brick. They are a group of singing mimes. Get it?
1976
Release of Faithful and I produce Steve Hillage 's L. He insists certain songs can only be recorded during a full moon. OK.
1977
Utopia 's RA & Oops! Wrong Planet are eclipsed by my production and eventual cash-cow, Meat Loaf 's Bat Out Of Hell.
1978
Release of The Hermit Of Mink Hollow & Back To The Bars, an album and tour on which I actually performed with mimes.
1979
Produced Patti Smith 's Wave, the Tubes ' Remote Control, Rick Derringer 's Guitars & Women and Tom Robinson 's TRB2. Whew.
1980
Utopia releases Adventures In Utopia & Deface The Music and still has time to back up Shaun Cassidy on Wasp.
1981
Released Healing and produced a Meat Loaf album that turned into a Jim Steinman album, Bad For Good. Appropriate title.
1982
Utopia releases Swing To The Right & Utopia & I produce the Psychedelic Furs ' Forever Now featuring "Love My Way".
1983
Released The Ever Popular Etc., produced Cheap Trick 's Next Position Please and Utopia 's Oblivion (The Black Album).
1984
Get into an argument with Bearsville Recs that lasts a year. Spending more time in SF Bay area with artsy counter-culture elite.
1985
Released A Capella, Utopia 's final album POV, and produced the Tubes ' Love Bomb. The Tubes break up soon after (not my fault).
1986
Produced XTC 's Skylarking and got slagged in the world press by Andy Partridge. I am redeemed by freak success of "Dear God".
1987
Produced Bourgeois Tagg 's Yoyo, which had a big hit, "I Don't Mind". Band then broke up (not my fault). Otherwise, slow year.
1988
Produced the Pursuit Of Happiness ' debut Love Junk, a great record that went nowhere and I'm still pissed about it.
1989
Released Nearly Human and toured US and Japan with large band. David Letterman tries to steal my background singers.
1990
Produced Jill Sobule 's debut Things Here Are Different, Takano's Cue and TPOH 's One Sided Story. Slow year.
1991
Second Wind released. Got way into the computer animation thing and started a studio with Newtek, the Video Toaster guys.
1992
I tour with Ringo . Nightly I smear various things on the mike stand before Burton Cummings licks it during "American Woman".
1993
NWO Interactive Music versions released. Disasterous attempt to mount interactive live show in Japan. Audiences dumbfounded.
1994
Played 10 shows in our special pod pavilion at Woodstock Festival. Took NWO on the road in Europe. Got really smashed in Munich.
1995
The Individualist enhanced CD released. On the road with Prairie, Larry, Jesse and John. Knock my tooth out on Labor Day.
1996
Move to remote tropical setting and get a yellow dog from the pound who, as it turns out, has severely reduced cranial capacity.
1997
Up Against It, my final CD is delivered to Pony Canyon. Henceforth creating at the mercy of kindhearted fans.
(from the 1997 version of tr-i.com )
