23 December 2004
Newsdesk
At first blush, it's hard to grasp what guitarist and producer extraordinaire Todd Rundgren and jazz-piano punk Joe Jackson have in common, other than storied careers. Next spring, though, the two will embark on a tour that will show how in tune they are, taking a string quartet with them.
Rundgren and Jackson met recently at a benefit concert for Joe's Pub in New York City. The benefit, believe it or not, involved a 1966 movie that The Beatles never made.
"Up Against It" was to be The Fab Four's third movie. The screenwriter, Joe Orton, was murdered before the final rewrite, and the movie was scrapped for "The Magical Mystery Tour."
Orton's estate dusted off the script in 1989, and Rundgren wrote the music. The show was performed at New York's Public Theater. For the Joe's Pub benefit (located inside the theatre), Rundgren repeated the performance with the original cast, but this time one member was a regular in Broadway's "The Producers."
It was suggested that Jackson be invited to play the part, and he accepted. The two musicians got along fabulously. This summer, they played together in a very successful Central Park concert, implementing Ethel, an amplified string quartet. Rundgren and Jackson played solo sets, then joined with Ethel for the finale.
The April-May tour will replicate the experience at performing arts centers. Rundgren's management says the response has been overwhelming, with three times more offers than they can accept.
The tour begins at Melbourne, Fla.'s Maxwell C. King Center April 13th and the last date on the books so far is Redwood City, Calif.'s Little Fox May 21st. More dates may be added and, if it's successful, there could be an international tour. A live DVD and CD will also be recorded.
