Todd Rundgren

Books I Read in 2019

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With the exception of Todd Rundgren‘s long-awaited “autobiography” and a meditation guide, I devoted the past year to reading and rereading the works of Bhante G. Here’s the list of books I read or reread in 2019:

  • Mindfulness in Plain English (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in Plain English (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • The Meditator’s Atlas: A Roadmap to the Inner World (Matthew Flickstein)
  • Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • Meditation on Perception: Ten Healing Practices to Cultivate Mindfulness (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • The Individualist: Digressions, Dreams & Dissertations (Todd Rundgren)
  • Journey to Mindfulness: The Autobiography of Bhante G. (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • Loving-Kindness in Plain English: The Practice of Metta (Henepola Gunaratana)
  • Buddhist Suttas for Recitation: A Companion for Walking the Buddha’s Path (Henepola Gunaratana)

I’m now halfway through a really good book on the music of the Beatles, but as I will not finish it by the end of the year, that book will appear on next year’s list.

More Todd Rundgren Live at the Park West

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More Todd Rundgren at Park West

Todd Rundgren did not fail to please at the Park West last week. Leading off with “I Saw the Light,” he then launched into “Love of the Common Man” and kept them coming, including “Open My Eyes,” “Sometimes I Don’t Know What to Feel,” “Black and White,” “Bang the Drum All Day, “Compassion,” “Drive,” “Lysistrata,” “Soothe,” “I’m So Proud/Ooh Baby Baby,” “Determination,” “Love in Action,” “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” “Hello It’s Me,” and “A Dream Goes on Forever.” Fuzzy pic, incredible evening!

My Favorite Albums of 2008

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Arena

Here are my favorite albums of 2008 in order of preference.

Arena (Todd Rundgren)
Without a doubt, my most-listened-to album of 2008. Some of my fave moments on the album remind me of P.O.V. (Utopia), and I enjoy all the rest as well.

Earth to the Dandy Warhols (The Dandy Warhols)
Great stuff, and like Arena, a pleasant mix of old sounds and new in terms of the respective artists and their output. With the exception of “Mis Amigos,” I gave these tracks lots of plays. It seems like I waited forever for this album, and the Dandys made it worth the wait.

Funplex (The B-52’s)
The B-52’s have always been a guilty pleasure of mine, and this album was no exception. I would have preferred more of the distinctive guitar sounds I have come to enjoy from this group, but that did not detract from the fun.

Brown Submarine (Boston Spaceships)
This debut CD from Robert Pollard’s new band got my vote for Surprise of the Year. I sometimes listen to a song I really like over and over, and “Two Girl Area” (track 5) was one of those in 2008.

My Top 10 Favorite Onomatopoeic Words

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Bam

Wikipedia defines onomatopoeia as “a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the source of the sound that it describes.” I’ve always thought of these types of words as fun. Even as a child, I marveled at how words describing animal noises (eg, “oink,” “moo,” “arf”) sounded like the sounds the animals made. Here are my top 10 favorite onomatopoeic words.

  • arf
  • bang
  • buzz
  • click
  • hiss
  • kerplunk
  • pop
  • twang
  • tweet
  • zap

For some real onomatopoeic fun, be sure to listen to “Onomatopoeia” by Todd Rundgren. The song, from Rundgren’s Hermit of Mink Hollow, contains many onomatopoeic words as well as samples of the sounds themselves.

My Fave Shows of 2013

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Of all the live music I’ve seen this year, two shows were so good that I’m sure they will be my fave shows of 2013 when the year comes to an end: Todd Rundgren and The Dandy Warhols. Rundgren had just begun his official State tour, while The Dandy Warhols celebrated the 13th anniversary of their album, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia, by playing the album in its entirety. Here are a couple of pics.

Todd Rundgren Park West 2013

Todd Rundgren, May 19, 2013, Park West, Chicago, IL

Dandys Vic 2013

The Dandy Warhols, June 8, 2013, Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL