Todd Rundgren Talks About Loathing Trump

Donald Fagen sings lead on the anti-Trump song “Man in the Tin Foil Hat,” but it’s hard to tell who wrote what in the tune, because the chord progressions and biting humor both sound like both of you. That was one of the more interesting collaborations on the record, because
it’s the only one in which me and my collaborator were in the same physical place at the same time. I’ve known Donald since he spent some time living out at Kauai, where I still live, and he just happened to be on vacation on the island in January. We went out to dinner, and I
thought, well, geez, why don’t I just spring it on him? The song was primarily driven by our common frustration with what happened in the recent election. It was still pretty fresh, and we were still pretty mad about it, so it happened pretty organically. So who knows? If I’m
actually in the room with a collaborator, a lot of things can happen. But I think the process of doing it remotely, where you sent the files to somebody else and give them the time they need to get comfortable and into the project, is actually an advantage. Because often if I’m
in the same room with someone, I might be expressing an opinion that potentially could be useful, but it could also potentially stop any sort of creativity from happening. Because you start micromanaging things. As a producer, you kind of can’t help it. The anti-Trump song you did with Fagen reminded me of when I saw you perform in Los Angeles last year, and right after you made some remarks about your feelings about Trump, the couple next to me angrily
walked out. You left the impression that doesn’t bother you. No. If I had the power, I’d say: If you’re a Trump supporter, don’t come to my show, because you won’t have a good time. And also, I don’t understand your frickin’ values. Because I’m not singing about that. If you don’t understand that basic thing, you’re just fooling yourself. I guarantee that in this show, if you’re a Trump supporter, you will likely be offended. Let the buyer beware! I mean, if you can’t take a joke, or you can’t admit that you’ve made a mistake, you don’t belong with the rest of us. [Laughs]