Todd Rundgren has been forced off the road due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he’s not going to let that stop him for interacting with his fans.
On June 22nd, which happens to be his 72nd birthday, the Utopia singer will debut the new streaming web show Todd’s Honest Truth live from his home on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
“Forty years ago I reserved a transponder on a satellite, hoping to broadcast to homes across the world,” Rundgren tells Rolling Stone in a statement. “Apparently, that satellite got lost or blew up or something so a dream was put on hold… until now! And I don’t even have to leave my house!”
According to a press release, the “interactive virtual television series” will mix live commentary with a pre-recorded segment titled “The Word of Todd” that will be shot in front of a green screen “to provide mood-appropriate settings.”
“He will also be answering audience questions in real-time,” reads the release. “There will be a live chat window open for viewers to interact, and Todd will encourage audience members to submit content that he will curate in between shows and select standouts for inclusion on upcoming episodes.”
The show will not be free. General Admission tickets will cost $15 per show and a $95 VIP option will allow upwards of 40 fans per episode to interact with Rundgren one-on-one after the broadcast.
Rundgren, meanwhile, is continuing to work on a new version of his 1973 anthem “Just One Victory” to aid Democratic candidates in the 2020 election. Joe Walsh, Daryl Hall, Don Was and many others have signed onto the effort.
“It’s really the kind of thing to get people hyped up and ready to go out and vote,” Rundgren said in April. “That’s because we cannot go on like this. The banana Republican Party is an organized crime syndicate and it has permeated every level of government at this point. And so it isn’t enough to get rid of Trump. You have to get rid of all of them. They all have to go.”