Todd Rundgren will unsurprisingly not be attending the 2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony where he will be honored. However, there is a chance he will appear in some capacity during the ceremony.
Rundgren is set to perform a show in Cincinnati on October 30, which is the same night the induction ceremony will be held in Cleveland. He told Ultimate Classic Rock, “I have offered to do something live for them from my venue. I will stop my show and acknowledge the award and mostly acknowledge my fans, because it’s for them. They’re the ones who wanted it, and now they’ve got it. So it’s a celebration for them, not so much for me. I’ve been totally willing to do that. But for me to do something extraordinary for the Hall of Fame would just be hypocritical. You know, I’m too much on the record about my feelings.”
That’s certainly putting it lightly. One of the issues Rundgren has with the Rock Hall stems from when he was first nominated in 2019, place third in the fan vote but failed to get inducted. As previously reported, he told Billboard in May, “They essentially hosed my fans. That made me angry, and I had to tell [the fans] that it was pointless casting votes, ’cause it really doesn’t count for anything.”
Rundgren’s other big issue with the Rock Hall is one that many have and that’s the induction of non-rock acts.
“I’m a big Dionne Warwick fan, but name me one Dionne Warwick rock n’ roll song,” said Rundgren following the announcement of the 2021 Rock Hall nominees. “While I’m aware of Fela Kuti, I can’t name a single musician who’s ever cited him as a principal influence. Year by year it makes even less sense, so why would I be more excited about it or suddenly change my mind? Why don’t they just start inducting blues guys? Why do they have to go to Dionne Warwick or Mary J. Blige?”