The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s 2021 class of inductees was announced this morning, and naturally, most of the artists honored are pretty excited. I say “most” because it seems Todd Rundgren doesn’t really care all that much. As Billboard notes, his response to the news was a simple statement that doesn’t convey his feelings about the situation: “I’m happy for my fans. They’ve wanted this for a long time.” This comes a few months after he told the publication, “It’s no secret I don’t care about [the Hall Of Fame].”
Rundgren also expressed disappointment about artists who aren’t historically known for making rock music getting into the Hall, saying, “I’m a big Dionne Warwick fan, but name me one Dionne Warwick rock n’ roll song. 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?”
He went on to note, “True halls of fame, to me, are for retirees and dead people, because your legacy has been established. I’m too busy working to worry about my legacy — and plan to continue working until whenever.”
Read more from Rundgren here.