Interview: Todd Rundgren brings Burt Bacharach Songbook tour to Indy – WFYI

Todd Rundgren’s April 18 performance in Indianapolis will focus on the music of the late songwriter Burt Bacharach.
Todd Rundgren rose to prominence in the 1970s with hit records like “Hello, It’s Me” and “I Saw the Light.” Those songs have become staples of classic rock radio.
Rundgren is also a prolific producer. He’s worked with a long list of artists, including Hall & Oates, Patti Smith, Grand Funk Railroad, Bad Religion, and Meatloaf, among many others.
His April 18 performance in Indianapolis will focus on the music of the late songwriter Burt Bacharach. WFYI’s Kyle Long spoke with Rundgren to learn about his interest in Bacharach’s music.
This transcript has been edited for style and clarity.
Kyle Long: Todd, you'll be performing in Indianapolis on April 18 at the Old National Center. The tour is titled What the World Needs Now: The Burt Bacharach Songbook Live. Thank you so much for taking time to join me. I'm a huge fan.
Todd Rundgren: Great, it’s my pleasure.
Long: Before we talk about Burt Bacharach, I'd like to ask you about your work as a producer. I do a lot of research around the music history of Indiana. In 1976, you produced three tracks for the debut album by Roadmaster, legendary rock band here in the city. I'm curious if you have any memories of working with Road Master.
Rundgren: Well, I do. Roadmaster at the time, included the mighty Adam Smasher, if you recall, who went to on to be a DJ, I think, in Washington D.C. and then other places after that. He was quite a personality.
I remember we were playing somewhere in the Indianapolis area, somewhere in Indiana, and went to see the band, and I thought they were really good. They were rocking, and they had their own kind of slant on things. So I arranged for them to come to Bearsville to do a little bit of recording, and, you know, had a lot of fun with the guys.
I see some of the guys from the from the group every once in a while when I'm coming through the Midwest. So in my recollection was it was a pleasant experience.
Long: Todd, as I mentioned, you're bringing the Burt Bacharach Songbook tour to Indianapolis on April 18. I understand it was Dionne Warwick's 1964 recording of “Walk On By” that first hooked you on the music of Burt Bacharach. Can you tell us what first drew you into Burt Bacharach’s music?
Rundgren: Burt Bacharach was not a household name at the time that “Walk On By” came out, but because he had so closely aligned himself with Dionne Warwick, you know, he wrote everything and produced everything on her and, you know, did all the arrangements on her early records.
And so he kind of found the ultimate interpreter of his material. And so that's how I became aware, and I think other people became aware when they bought the Dionne Warwick album, and then they saw Burt Bacharach had written everything and scored everything and produced the record.
Then you suddenly realize, wow, this guy has a style of his own, approach of his own, these really lush orchestrations, and a somewhat different harmonic sense also.
Long: Any final thoughts you want to share about this tour before we go?
Rundgren: You know, it's fairly definitive at this point. You know, we've got six singers, six featured singers, so you won't get bored listening to the same person over and over again. I happen to be featured, that's because my name is more familiar than a lot of the other people in the cast.
One thing about it is that people just really do respond to the material. It's one of those things where you you're suddenly reminded, oh, there's another Burt Bacharach song that I know.
Long: Todd, thank you for taking a few minutes to speak with me today. I look forward to this show in Indianapolis.
Rundgren: Terrific, see you in Indy.
This interview originally aired on WFYI's Cultural Manifesto.
 

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