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60 comments:
The studio version of this song on Global was an unexpected delight!
It looks like Todd's having fun on stage; good for him!
The girls have been pretty harshly criticized, perhaps they're starting to get the hang of it.
I'd prefer a band, let's just chalk it up to another unique presentation from "Our Hero"...
I really am enjoying Global (This Island Earth really DOES sound like something from the Todd album!)
As one of the critics of this tour, I have to admit Todd sounds in very good voice. Terra Firma is a catchy number. As for the back up dancers, all I can wonder is who was rejected? I mean if our hero actually held tryouts and this two ladies won, just imagine what woeful, wretched singer/dancers must be out roaming at large. Their dance moves are uncoordinated to the point of being comical. I have heard better harmonies from cats fighting in an alley. Good God they suck. I fear no amount of practice will get them up to par. I actually like the light show,but I am a sucker for that shit. Thanks for posting the videos for review.
One has to presume either that was all that tried out with that budget that fit, or I don't know what...if they were guys with guitars and they sucked as bad as everyone says, Todd would have them out of the band. But do you realize the audience is paying to watch these dancers "get the hang of it"? This is SO unprofessional. Either the Rundgrens knew they were awful or they didn't care which is even weirder.
Timing is a huge part of any dance class--that is "basic training" whether you plan to dance with a group or not-- and preparation and rehearsing like hell is a priority of any voice or choir -- you NEVER hit the stage unprepared. Even open mike. It's insulting to the crowd. And people who have a genuine gift for dance, well, one of the things that sets them apart from the herd is that they can get prepared VERY quickly. Their timing is spot-on; they remember sequences; good/great singers adjust or improvise on the fly. They think ahead.
I am unwilling to criticize TOO harshly as I have not seen this live yet and I know how bad a sound mix can be from the house, but ...according to the audition requirements, the dancers/singers knew what the pay was, and what would be asked of them re the singing, etc. Can't believe they couldn't find a troupe on Kauai or in Japan or SF or the many colleges with arts programs? I just can't believe they didn't get better tryouts. Crazy.
If Michellle really did pick these horrible dancers her fat ass should be ashamed.
Whooooaaaa Winston YOU ARE A HATER! I would say YOU SUCK!
Winston Smith
What you did is called Fat Shaming.
Your a weak bully who should be ashamed of himself.
You even referred to the two female singers as bookers.
What's the matter with you?
Are you a hater of women?
Your comments have been consistantly hateful.
You must be a sad, lonely person.
You refer the singers as hookers.
You call Michelle fat.
This is a fan of Todd Rundgren?
Slither away Winston, slither away
Todd (and, by association, Michelle) are public figures and are fair game for criticism.
It`s certainly sad that their lives seem to be falling apart but maybe they should be doing more to address that than releasing a worthless album and staging a shoddy and unprofessional tour.
Don`t shoot the messenger.
To some people constructive criticism is shaming or being hateful. Nonsense.. You put the album, you stage the tour, you roll the dice. Some folks like the new material, some don't. I think it is disgraceful to refer to the two talentless young ladies accompanying Todd as singers or dancers, but free speech is free speech. Go right ahead. How anyone could defend this travesty of a tour....no band....putrid setlist....under rehearsed nonsense....is beyond me. There is a reason Todd's career is in the shitter and he has been foreclosed on by his Cow Way bankers, and it ain't because of his critics. He can do better.
Winston Smith. I read your comment before you just now removed it.
Apparently you think it's constructive criticism to call Michelle a fat ass.
Really?
I can tolerate your constant negativity, but you've gone too far by calling the two girls "hookers".
Are you that much of a woman hater?
And to From 23rd...your comment basically agrees with Winston.
Great job, you should be proud of yourself.
I have a lovely daughter, and I hope she steers clear of shameful bullies like you and Winston.
Ugly, just plain ugly.
These are the most entertaining comments I have ever read on this blog. People are actually calling 'em as they see 'em on both sides. I almost feel like I'm at the Algonquin back in the 20s. Except the spelling would be better, but still.
Wow, if I ran this page I would not allow comments from Winston Smith and the like. Such disrespect and vulgarity. Wake up admin and run a better page. Pathetic.
Bravo to the folks commenting on the embarrassing remarks above.
IT IS SHAMEFUL.
I'd like to move away from the negativity for a moment to comment on Global.
I'm happy to report that Global is not only infinitely better than State, but it's a wonderfull showcase for all of the diverse types of Todd's sound!
Many layers of world consciousness supported by some fun, and seroiusly music..
Out of the 12 songs, I agree that the two weakest are Skyscraper and Terra Firma...They're not horrible... but the rest of the album is strong.
From the propulsive opener Evrybody, to the tribal beat of Flesh and Blood, the beauty of Soothe, Blind, and Fate...I've read previous comments that This Island Earth sounds like something from the Todd album, and i actually agree!
Holyland is very unique, great little singalong chant!
There's messages aplenty here concerning the state of our world. Well done, Todd.
It may not be the greatest work he's ever done, but it's darn entertaining, and any long time Todd fan should be thoroughly entertained.
^^^Well said. Buncha crybabies who get pleasure from negativity. They are NOT well.
I think that it is a credit to TR that a 67 year rock star gets such passionate responses pro and con. That is pretty amazing. People care. Plead guilty for bad spelling but make no apologies for being Captain Obvious in calling for a real band and better singers and dancers. Just watch this video again. Terra Firma is a beautiful song, to me, but watch the dancers....the complete lack of rhythm and coordination screams that there was a total lack of rehearsal or maybe they are just the two worst dancers on planet earth. Ticket purchasers deserve a bit more. Some people seem hyper-sensitive to constructive criticism, forgetting that we must rise or we will fall. Peace and love.
Fat Shaming is NOT constructive criticism.
It hurts people.
How many cases of suicide have we heard of because people were bullied.
Winston, you're a misogynist, probably a gay basher, and it wouldn't surprise me if you're a racist too.
To everyone reading this, let's focus on Todd, Utopia, whether you like or dislike Global, and healthy topical communication.
I'll put in my two cents and say that I love Global, it's got so many of the aspects that Todd fans love about The Wizard!
Say something nice to someone today.
Put a smile on someone's face.
Corny?...
GOOD!!!
Awww come on folks, don't get too excited. I've called people far worse. Winston probably went a bit in emotional overdrive being plenty disappointed by the spectacle. Should, and i don't think its probable, Michelle read this she can take it, trooper she is. Remember she started out on the road with The Tubes, who weren't the disciples of Christ if you catch my drift. The more i listen to Global, the more it sounds like a typical Rundgren record.Not his best but for damn sure not his worst. I would recommend everybody listen a few times to the album, then check out the live stuff. Man do i prefer his Global tour over the stale and tiresome 'Unpredictable'evenings.
You forgot to call me a registered Republican, the ultimate indignity.
The "Global" CD isn't bad. 2 or 3 tunes, I skip, are not good, which is not unusual for a TR album.
Is sad he does not want to play any "real" instruments.
The CD is a heck of a lot better then the show he put together to promote the CD.
It must be easier for a movie star to leave Scientology than for some Todd fans to admit the sad fact that this is just a really, really bad tour. I feel very sorry for him.
To take another tack here, I think one thing that rankles is that this is likely the last TR album we`ll get for another three years or more. Forty and more years ago, if someone released a lame album, fans only had to wait eight or nine months for the next.
Maybe at 70, Todd could do a late-life equivalent of Ballad. If he toured it with himself on piano and maybe a small band, he wouldn`t look grotesque...as he surely does now jumping around to glorified disco crap.
As to the "hater" haters, grow up and stop being so hyper-sensitive.I am not, and I doubt that "Winston" is a bully, misogynistic, racist, homophobic or whatever other names We were called because one of us used the word "fat" and made what was obviously a joke about the mis-used girls being hookers.
What a bunch of babies.
NYTimes v Sullivan 1964 was the case where the Supremes established case law allowing Todd to write a song like Jessie as well as bloggers to critique Todd. Free speech is kind of a good thing, no?
I am far from a hater. I like hookers, strippers, fat folk, and I even like Mylie. I just don't like the new tour. At all.
I shudder to think that some hyper-sensitive blog reader felt compelled to whack themselves after reading a negative post. Well, at least they won't witness another live performance of Party Liquor. God and Todd forbid.
Stay classy, San Diego.
Todd has been grumping for a LONG time that he can barely make a living selling his music.
Maybe any appearance, even one that folks do not like...stirs up interest, and creates some sales.
It's true for me, I bought "Global" suffered through the show...and am now ordering a few CD's that I missed in recent years.
Maybe it's all about the old show biz saying "As long as they are talking about you, does not matter what they are saying"...
Also notice Global is not far off from the first two songs on "Liars".
Seems like "Arena" was the last really HEAVY Todd, that the old school'ers' want more of...
.
Todd should blame his lifestyle rather than his fans. His monthly mortgage for the Hawaii mansion was 17k, and the bank is kicking him out on his ass as we speak. Even hot artists are having difficulty making a living off an ellpee's worth of tunes these days.
Jesus, a "living" is one thing but 17K is around what I made all of last year! I and roughly half of us in the "land of the free" live (not very sumptuously) from paycheck to paycheck.
Being kicked out of Kauai may be the best thing to happen to Todd in a long time. It might just make him "nearly human" again and maybe then we`ll hear some songs imbued with contact with reality.
He lost the house July 29 of 2014, I'm sure booty has hit the sidewalk, long ago.
And agree to a degree. I have heard him say he never knew how sales were going and judged it by "Sales Good = Happy Record Company", "Sales Bad = Unhappy Record Company".
I know Artists "don't care about mohnee" and all that but...I'm sure millions have past though ye old bank account, he should have figured he would be old folk, one day, 'eh?
.
Todd actually tried to appeal this to the Supremes, believe it or not, but they didn't take up the case. I heard Chase is just now forclosing on the house. I could be wrong. Maybe he is already on the streets. There is a wonderful Live From Darryl's House episode filmed there. Check it out....talk about a couple of great singers.i guess Michelle will lose her silly Tiki Bar next. What foolishness.
Hey, Global lovers, how would you like to be in the audience on the night that Todd learns that he is now legally homeless?
Give him love, give him bread.
Of course, he`ll land on his feet. He`s not broke; he was just living beyond his means. He`ll be fine.
I don`t need the "hater" haters to accuse me of relishing his misfortune; but he brought this on himself.
Wow...right you are!
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/23/us-usa-court-singer-idUSKBN0MJ1QS20150323
That was dated March 23, 2015, and:
"The Rundgrens' lawyer, Gary Dubin, said the couple are still in their home and have other defenses to fight the foreclosure.
"This is just the beginning," Dubin said by email."
===
This has GOT to part of the decision to hit the road with the DJ as 'band' and the two lovely 'non-singin, non-dancer' gals.
.
A man has simply got to be as mad as a hatter, to think Michelle could possibly get any fatter.
Hard to imagine one of the greatest artists and producers in the history of rock is a broke ass deadbeat. Don't blame me. I have bought tons of his music and gone to at least 30 of his shows. I wonder what Our Hero blew his money on? Coke? Women? Cow way? Party liquor? Angry birds? Whatever, if he des another good tour I will be right back with my wallet out supporting him again!
I was going to say that earlier...don't blame me, as I bought dang near his entire catalog since Runt, for full price, when it was current.
"Global" was the first time I got to see him...he never once came close enough to where I grew up, to go see him.
But now, I wish I had driven 8 or 10 hours each way to have seen him 'back in the day'...
Mr Smith refers to the DJ a C-List.
He earns something for his efforts & is likely the only DJ who is interested enough & offered to work with TR if he could. On the other hand 'Winston' would never earn a dime as a critic & would be booed out of any Todd event if his real I.D. were known. That is my last word on the non-constructives. Go find a better artist who has as much to say about kindness & the state of our environment etc etc.
Ta ta, RR
Totdd has earned a lot more than a dime, and is getting his ass evicted from his Cow Way mansion. To call the DJ C-list is to grade on the curve. Kindness and the environment are not advanced by launching such a shitty, amateurish concert tour.
A dream goes on forever, but Chase Bank will only let you miss two mortage payments and then you're back on the street again.
"You don't need talent to be in show business. You need courage."
-- George M. Cohan
If you click the link to see the actual supreme court filing, you'll see the plaintiffs are the "Todd Rundgren Trust" and the "Michelle Rundgren Trust".
You don't form Trusts, unless you have piles of money.
It's very unlikely that Todd and Michelle's Trusts are anywhere near empty.
I would saw there is something else behind all of this besides the Rundgrens being broke.
Considering the monster hit singles from the early 70's and Todd's fine production work in the mid to late 70's for some major selling artists, it is hard to imagine he doesn't have enough residuals to pay $17,000 per month. Word on the island is that he way way overpaid for the property in Princeville, which might be the root of the issue. The tiki bar seems pretty empty most of the time, so that could be the next legal entanglement in the Arkansas of the Pacific. His money troubles are sad for a man of his age and accomplishment and I hope they resolve, as they seem to be negatively impacting the quality and integrity of his recording and touring product and forcing him to accept demeaning sideman projects beneath the dignity of a great artist like he certainly is, so perhaps he can return to Mink Hollow one day and all will be well.
in response to anonymous comment
I BELIEVE IN FREE SPEECH. I HAVE NEVER AND WILL NEVER SENSOR COMMENTS. IM NOT GOING TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLES EVERY ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO A CRAPPY OPINION.
Anonymous said...
Wow, if I ran this page I would not allow comments from Winston Smith and the like. Such disrespect and vulgarity. Wake up admin and run a better page. Pathetic.
I saw his concert in Milwaukee last night. It was the worst concert I have ever seen. I was totally let down. Not what I expected. Do not waste your money.
I was saddened to learn todd is due to appear on Letterman with this group of clowns. A 67 year old man jumping up and down to techno like a glue-sniffer lends itself to Chuck Barris and the Gong Show rather than David Letterman and a big national audience.
At least the television - and upcoming webcast - viewers won`t have spent money to see this nightmare. The top ticket price at the Highline in New York is a staggering $80.00.
What if all ticket-holders witnessing these freebies just decided to stay home instead of attending these sad, insulting performances?
The purchased tickets are a sunk cost. That said, not attending would save the travel costs to the show and the drinks etc at the venue, so perhaps it is better to cut losses. I hate to admit I am holding tickets to this ghastly affair when it plays my hood, and I am torn. On one hand I am repulsed that our hero is spitting in the face of his fan base and all music-lovers everywhere by touring with this buffoon DJ and the Talentless Two, who seems to be wearing outfits designed by Huggy Bear. Then the curiosity factor sets in, kind of like when we rubber neck as a grisly car crash that we really don't need to look at.....I just don't know. Mildly criticizing this tour seems to have brought a lot of pain to some of the Todd fans still seemingly traumatized by having lunch money taken away in third grade, but I think it does TR a disservice not to label this tour as revolting horse shit.
Don`t feel bad; I actually attended the State show at the Gramercy in New York, but at least the lights were impressive.
I don`t even like the visuals for this travesty.
I am so glad others felt the way I did.
Bickman85's comment above echo's my thoughts on the April 14th Colorado Springs show.
GAWD, I couldn't believe it.
Felt so sorry for Grandpa.
Poor Chicago, is being assaulted...as I type...
Wow! It`s looking increasingly like the verdict is in.
Todd can`t be unaware, by now, of how this is going over.
Is he just drunk through all of this?
Todd and Michelle do not give a shit about fans or reviews. If they can sell enough 80 buck tickets they can hang on a bit longer in Cow Way. It doesn't cost much money to pick up a no-name DJ and a couple of karaoke bar rejects n lieu of a band. Real dancers and musicians cost money. This gang of 4 is disgracing themselves and putting a stain on TR's legacy. Is he drunk? He seemed so during Unpredictable. Here he just seems desperate. Watching a 67 year old man jump up and down in flop sweat during these techno songs is utterly depressing.
Could this all be some sort of brilliant performance art, kind of a joke like Andy Kaufman? Surely TR knew during the audition that the two ladies couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Their harmonies sound like coyotes baying at the moon.
Can't wait to see if he really has the balls to let these amateurs on Letterman...
When is the Letterman show on?
I think Todd's been drinking since about 1986...and I feel very sorry about it. I don't want him to end up like Keith Moon or something for god's sake.
Maybe TR will just sit in with the Letterman band and do one song like "Soothe" but you never know. I'm sure Dave could rustle up a couple of singers if needed.
Monday April 27 Todd on TV!
The Late Show With David Letterman
.
Hopefully most people will be watching Fallon, Kimmel or the NBA playoffs and miss seeing our hero debase himself. Maybe Dave has them scheduled for stupid pet tricks rather than the musical guest slot. Imagine a 67 year old man jumping around to this drivel backed by Damn Fake and the Talentless Two. TR should be watchful in NYC as Chase headquarters there and may have a process server staking out the Ed Sullivan theatre. Is it too late to cancel the appearance and entire monstrosity of a tour?
From video evidence and the reviews it's clear the singer dancers are unable to sing and dance.
They must have done something right at their audition.
Boo-yah!
Because of budget concerns I'm sure TR delegated the hiring and rehearsing of any women to Michelle, and he may have just said the final OK on the singing and trusted her on the dancing assessment. Clearly these admin things are not something he wants to take on (he has enough to do) but maybe he should pay more attention to these areas of his life such as contracts, etc.
If I were his manager I would have advised against it financially if they were bringing the show down as you say. I haven't seen it yet and won't for a while so these are just my random thoughts. But TR may be indifferent to a great many things and the show running may be one of them. In interviews he seems more interested in learning about DJing from Dam Funk.
Hey Winston and Anonymous,
Why don't you both post your tour dates, so we can check out your skills?
Or, is anonymously attacking someone whose accomplishments dwarf your own your only claim to notoriety?
Fuck off, losers.
We don't have time to post all the tour dates, but go online to www.eatshitanddie.com you can find them there. Hope this helps.
I've been a Rundgren fan for decades and saw the Global show at the World Cafe in Philly tonight. He sang great, I liked the light show a lot, and the DJ and backup singer/ dancers were great too. I don't understand the criticism. Everyone loved the show tonight, that's for sure!
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