Todd Rundgren and the Punk Production Trajectory

 

Charlie Peacock circa 1979. Would-be producer gets his first production call.    

 

According to a recent FB message it's been thirty years since my first commercial production, a 7" 45rpm single on the art-punk band Labial Fricative, "Chumps" b/w "Auto-erotica" [1979].  Drummer Rick Daprato sent me a message saying: "Time has apparently rendered it worthwhile since copies of the 45 are selling for $30 and a record label wants to reissue it."  I checked into the label a bit, SS Records.  Their website implies they have offices in a number of places including: Sacramento, Seattle, Zurich, and San Quentin (which is an infamous west coast prison in case you're not up to speed with your Johnny Cash/Merle Haggard lore).

Aspiring producers often ask me: How did you get started?  The inspiration to start was a Todd Rundgren album cover and recording, Something/Anything.  The actual production beginning was just about friends making music together -- like the story above.

When I was 15 years old, Rick Gibson, a young deejay on my hometown Top 40 station (KOBO/Yuba City, CA) took me for a spin in his El Camino and played Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything for me. The Camino was fitted with JBL speakers which was a big deal at the time. Hearing Todd’s masterpiece at earth-shaking volume and seeing the cover photograph of him at work in his living room studio was life-changing.  Made me think I needed to get a living room full of flashing lights.  Rick, a drummer and novice recording engineer, offered to help me realize the dream. A few weeks later he invited me to an unkempt ranch-style home hidden within a peach orchard—the “band house” of a local rock group named Whitefire (a decade later, the band’s drummer, Mark Proctor, would become a founding member of the legendary Christian rock group the 77s - a band I would later produce). 

Rick was already setup to track Whitefire and kindly squeezed me in for an all-night recording session of the first two finished songs I'd ever written. This would also be my first studio experience.  Shortly after that I started buying my own gear - 1/4" reel-to-reel tape decks to do what was then called sound-on-sound, a kind of poor man's multi-track recording.  Everything had to be one take; there was no punching in.  Ironically, 18 years after the serendipitous ride in Rick’s El Camino, I met Todd Rundgren backstage at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville. My friend bassist Larry Tagg introduced me as the co-writer of a song Todd had produced for Larry’s band (Bourgeois Tagg).  “Oh yeah, a big hit,” said Todd, raising his eyebrows to emphasize the sarcasm. Coming from a one-time musical hero, this hurt a little, but not too much, considering Todd had just come offstage dressed as a giant condom. 

I was never really a bonafide punk and I'm not sure Labial Fricative was either, with the possible exception of the lead singer, Maria, a six footish female body-builder.  What did I do with the band?  I took an audio picture of them making music together.  Not a bad starting place for producing.   

Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something/Anything%3F

Labial Fricative: http://www.nokilli.com/inbred/bands/labial-fricative.htm

The 77s: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Fall_Down_(77s_album)

Bourgeois-Tagg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourgeois_Tagg

Labial Fricative on stage circa 1980.  Musicians in photo: Henry Robinett, Jimmy Griego, and Maria. Robinett, cousin of Charles Mingus, is an accomplished jazz recording artist and Sacramento, CA studio owner.  

    

Comments

[Brian Seth]

"Labial fricative"... inspired by the Bonzo Dog Band by any chance?

[Charlie Peacock]

Daniel, thanks for reading and writing. This condom moment was just that, a moment, no mania, just small part of a concert here in Nashville where Todd played his hits and more. I missed the SF event.

[Retroblognet]

great post Charlie.

I just wanted to point out that the "Condomania" show that Todd and Bourgeois Tagg did was most likely in S.F. and not in Nashville.

looking forward to more of your posts!

Daniel

[Brian Steckler]

Really enjoying the blog, Charlie. Been a longtime fan of yours. Came to a couple class at the Art House back when we lived in Nashville for a few years, but we never met.

I got started on a mentor's Mac Plus and a D-50, then a 4-track and on from there. I think I like my current PTHD rig the best. HA!

[www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=831560693]

Love the blog. All Fall Down was a great record Charlie. "welcome to the truth custom-made, come in and have some lemonade...bababa..." good stuff. right on. keep it coming!

[Matt Kees]

I remember 'ping-ponging' tracks from one cassette deck to another... until after about 5 or 6 passes, the tape hiss was so overwhelming, you dare not add any more. Then, my dad bought me a Tascam PortOne - four tracks... loved that thing... and the Korg M1, my first sequencer.

Your blog is reminding me of the joy and excitement I experienced during those first recording sessions and studio experiences... something that seemed to get lost over the years.

keep the stories coming!

[Reid Davis]

Dimly remembering my one and only linguistics class at Covenant College, I love that someone named a band "labial fricative." Not as dirty as it sounds, folks. ;-)

[Keith Smith]

See, at some point I probably would have emailed you asking "How did you get started?" Now I don't have to.

Love the blog. More than learning anyone's specific tricks, I love to get a picture into how you approach music. These stories are great for that.

Thanks for reaching out the us recording guys.