(Credits: Far Out / Todd Rundgren / Alamy)
Fri 6 June 2025 19:00, UK
It’s a bit of a misconception that everyone in the world likes The Beatles. Yes, they’re one of the most universally recognised bands, and yes, there was a period during the 1960s where you couldn’t walk around a street corner without hearing someone enthusing about the Fab Four, but that doesn’t mean that everyone including you, your grandmother and your grandmother’s dog has to appreciate the fact that they changed the shape of pop music with their music. Todd Rundgren is a prime example of someone who actively detests their work and has regularly spoken about his ire with the group.
In fact, plenty of famous musicians hated The Beatles, both at the apex of their fame and long after. Lou Reed was consistently outspoken in his dislike of the Liverpudlian band, and claimed that they never really did as much for music as people like to claim they did, and legendary producer Quincy Jones very famously said that they were a terrible band and a bunch of “no-playing motherfuckers”. If that’s not a criticism of the band, then I don’t know what is.
When it comes to stars who hate the band, it’s usually down to the fact that they’ve met them and had terrible experiences in their company. Of course, being a much-beloved band doesn’t automatically mean that your behaviour is going to be exemplary and that people have to appreciate you on a human level, and if people were put off by the personalities of The Beatles, then a deep-rooted hatred is perhaps quite well justified.
In the case of Rundgren, a large amount of his disillusionment with the group stems from the fact that he actively despised John Lennon as a person. He was so put off by their personal encounters that he struck up a lifelong vendetta against them, taking any and every opportunity to have a swipe at the pop revolutionaries.
Rundgren would have most likely had plenty of opportunities to meet Lennon and the rest of the band throughout his career, but in actual fact, the duo only ever had one face-to-face meeting, which was courtesy of their mutual friend, a certain Harry Nilsson. Nilsson was known for having been a close accomplice of Lennon’s and a heavy drinking partner, so when the two exchanged pleasantries and nothing else, Rundgren immediately thought of Lennon as somewhat aloof.
What annoyed him even more was the fact that the music press were painting him as a revolutionary character, and because Rundgren was well aware of his less-than-savoury attitudes towards women, he felt that his entire image was nothing more than a facade. In a 2009 interview with Classic Rock Magazine, he laid out his feelings towards Lennon’s unfavourable character traits for all to see.
“My opinion at the time was that if you’re going to encourage people to change the world, you have to have a certain amount of personal credibility,” he stated. “If you start going backwards and abusing women when ostensibly you are supposed to be a feminist, it’s time to either be just what you are or drop the revolutionary shtick and clean up your act. So this started a whole faux conflict between us.”
Lennon’s reaction, as Rundgren puts it, was the sort of petulant response that he had come to expect from a character so high and mighty. “His take on it,” Rundgren claimed, “was that he attributed my commentary down to some issues I might be having with my father. Anything that happened at that time John attributed down to some infantile issues.”
While Rundgren’s issues with Lennon are rooted in real-world moral issues, Lennon’s retort to Rundgren smacks of someone who knows he’s been found out – essentially proving that Rundgren’s assessment correct that his “revolutionary shtick” was nothing but a load of bullshit.
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