PODCAST: Inside Berklee—Todd Rundgren '17H

In this episode of Inside Berklee, musician Todd Rundgren '17H reflects on his decades-long career as well as his Berklee experience as an honorary doctorate recipient and this year's commencement speaker.

May 30, 2017

The career of musician Todd Rundgren ‘17H has spanned more than 40 years within which he’s forged his own path as pop hit-maker, sonic experimenter, producer, and entrepreneur. This year, he adds honorary doctorate degree holder and commencement speaker to his list, as he addressed Berklee’s class of 2017 with a message highlighting lifelong education and the value of taking risks.

Currently on the road supporting his new record, White Knight, Rundgren took the time to check in with Inside Berklee over the phone for an interview in which, among other topics, he expanded on the reflections from his address. He also spoke about how deeply impressed he was with the commencement concert that highlighted hits from his career as well as those from fellow honorees Lionel Richie, Lucinda Williams, Shin Joong Hyun, and Neil Portnow.

As Rundgren says, “You hear of Berklee and you think ‘just music’ but you don’t realize that there are dance programs, there are production programs, and the fact that that show was put on principally by all the students in the school without necessarily having to go outside for anything—I was really impressed with that.”

In this episode of Inside Berklee, hear more from Rundgren on his Berklee experience and the versatility that has marked his distinctive career.

Producer: Bryan Parys
Engineer: Tony Brown
Recorded at the BIRN Studios

Watch Rundgren deliver his address to the Berklee class of 2017: