Inside John Lennon’s Explosive Feud With Todd Rundgren — Rock’s Most Unexpected Clash

In 1974, Todd Rundgren found himself caught in a brief but fiery public feud with John Lennon — one that eventually ended with a surprise phone call and a mutual truce.

The clash began during Lennon’s chaotic “lost weekend” phase — a year-and-a-half stretch when he was separated from Yoko Ono and regularly seen carousing in Los Angeles with Harry Nilsson and other famous partygoers. Rundgren, a lifelong fan, met the former Beatle at a party during that time — and came away disappointed.

“He looked like a bundle of rags in the corner,” Rundgren recalled in a recent interview with The Guardian. “I was disappointed that he had nothing to say.”

That encounter lingered with Rundgren, and later, during an interview, he made a passing remark criticizing Lennon’s behavior. “I said something like, you can’t call yourself a revolutionary if you’re not walking the walk,” he said. The quote quickly made headlines.

Lennon wasn’t one to let criticism slide. He fired back with an open letter to the publication, insisting, “I have never claimed to be a revolutionary. But I am allowed to sing about anything I want! Right?” He continued, “I guess we’re all looking for attention… Do you really think I don’t know how to get it without ‘revolution’? I could dye my hair green and pink for a start! I don’t represent anyone but myself.”

The media fanned the flames, but Rundgren said the conflict quietly ended when Lennon called him directly. “He said, ‘I think we’re being used here, so let’s bury the hatchet.’ I said, ‘Fine,’ and that was that.”

Early Days and Studio Missteps with The Band

Rundgren also opened up about his early work as a studio engineer — specifically, his rocky experience recording with The Band, which happened to be his first major professional gig.

“I was a cocky kid,” he admitted. “I used to call Garth Hudson ‘old man’ because I thought he was too old to stay awake — not realizing he had narcolepsy.”

At the time, Rundgren wasn’t into roots rock and didn’t fully grasp The Band’s significance. “I wasn’t aware that they were one of the biggest acts in the world,” he said. “I just didn’t connect with their music.”

He remembered the sessions being chaotic, partly due to Levon Helm’s drug use. “Levon was into opiates, so while he may have chased me around the studio, he also spent a lot of time passed out under a pile of curtains.”

Despite the rough start, Rundgren said he eventually became friends with most of the group. “In later years, they all became my friends,” he said. “Except Robbie Robertson — he was kind of a snob.”

On Prince’s Brilliance — and Baffling Symbolism

Later in the interview, Rundgren addressed a long-circulated story about Prince waiting backstage to meet him early in his career — a meeting he doesn’t remember.

“Which isn’t to say it didn’t happen,” he clarified. “But I genuinely don’t recall it.”

He had high praise for Prince’s musicianship, particularly his ability to craft entire songs by himself. “He took the one-man-band concept to the next level,” Rundgren said. “I always wrote beyond what I could play, knowing there were better players out there. Prince, on the other hand, built his music around his strengths as a player.”

Still, Rundgren admitted that not all of Prince’s work resonated with him — especially lyrically. “Some of his songs are fantastic, but a lot of the lyrics left me completely confused,” he said. “‘Purple Rain’ — I have no idea what that even means. Is it a metaphor? Is it acid rain? I don’t get it.”