'Something/Anything?'

I am convinced that Todd Rundgren is probably one of the top five cockiest musical artists that has ever lived.

I have no actual proof of this. But, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

Take his 1972 opus "Something/Anything?" for example. One of my favorite all-time albums.

It's a double album. If you've think you've written enough songs to fill four whole vinyl LPs, then you're cocky. Even the Beatles couldn't work that out (the White album has some turds).

Two, he plays every instrument, does every vocal on three-fourths of the record. He produces everything. One one level, the guy's very talented and motivated to get his vision out to the public. Or he just doesn't trust anyone else to record the songs write so he does it himself.

On either disc 1 or 2, he has the "little game" where he makes random studio noise in some kind of bullshit guessing game that only he really cares about, although he knows the noises by heart because he sits in his own studio all day and produces double albums of rock and pop songs. He assumes we, the listeners, do not know anything about noise, recording or the like so he plays for us random noises for no apparent other than to be fucking cute.

He took over for Ric Ocasek with The New Cars. That takes nerve.

On the inside sleeve of the "Something/Anything?" LP, there's a photo of Rundgren inside a hotel room or his apparent, standing on a table, guitar strapped around him, instruments and record equipment strewn about and he's got his arms outstretched in a Christ pose, peace signs hanging out on both sides of him. A clear asshole photo.

But I still love him because he's a white boy with a black artist's soul.