Avant-garde rock figure Todd Rundgren has launched a fierce attack on Taylor Swift, calling her the “apotheosis of mediocrity” and claiming she has “ruined music.”
Rundgren’s own recording career includes the hit singles I Saw the Light from 1972, Can We Still Be Friends from 1978 and Bang the Drum All Day from 1983.
He has also made his mark as a producer, playing a key role in the New York Dolls’ self-titled debut and Meat Loaf’s blockbuster album Bat Out of Hell.
In a new interview, the 78-year-old musician described Lady Gaga as a “real musician” and a “classically trained piano player,” contrasting her talents with those of Swift.
“Swift doesn’t do anything particularly great except grow hair. She’s not a great singer. She’s not a great songwriter. She’s not a great dancer,” Rundgren said.
He acknowledged Swift’s influence as a role model for young women and their daughters, noting that “it’s mothers and daughters going to Taylor Swift shows,” the We Gotta Get You a Woman singer told Vulture.
Our News Outlet has contacted representatives for both Swift and Rundgren for comment.
Avant-garde rock star Todd Rundgren has criticized Taylor Swift as the “apotheosis of mediocrity” and accused her of “ruining music.”
Rundgren’s hits include We Gotta Get You a Woman from 1970, Can We Still Be Friends from 1978 and Bang the Drum All Day from 1983; he is pictured in 2019.
“There’s an argument to be made that she ruined music. It’s an understandable phenomenon. It’s just that, to me, Taylor Swift is the apotheosis of mediocrity. It’s the era of the female artists,” Rundgren said.
The prog-rock veteran argued that female performers now dominate the music industry because of video games. Rundgren also composed the score for the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber, starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.
“Back in the ’90s, boys stopped spending money on music and started spending it on video games, and that left the music market with: ‘Well, where do we go here?’” he said.
Rundgren said record executives then decided to target young female listeners with disposable income. “Why don’t we start making music for young girls instead of Pearl Jam or something like that?” he recalled, adding that the shift helped produce artists including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and P!nk.
Rundgren’s comments came shortly before Swift won three MTV Video Music Awards, taking her career total to 33 and making her the most decorated artist in the ceremony’s history.
Until this past Sunday, Swift, 36, had been tied with Beyoncé, 45. Beyoncé now sits in second place with 30 VMAs.
One of Swift’s weekend honors was Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia, the lead single from her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.
During her acceptance speech, Swift dedicated the award to the late Dolly Parton, whom she called the “ultimate showgirl.”
Rundgren, 78, praised Lady Gaga as a “real musician” and “classically trained piano player” while contrasting her with Swift; Gaga is pictured in April.
Rundgren’s production credits include Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell; Meat Loaf is pictured touring behind the album in 1978.
Swift, who has directed 18 of her own music videos, also received the inaugural Artist Director Award from her friend Dakota Johnson.
When she received that prize, she concluded her acceptance speech by introducing the debut of her steamy new clip for her single Patient Zero, which stars her alongside Johnson, Colin Farrell and Cara Delevingne.
Patient Zero is one of the four songs Swift released last Thursday as part of a deluxe edition of her latest album called The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.
Although critics were left sharply polarized, the new tracks earned Swift the most single-day Spotify streams of any female artist this year, via Variety.
The fever-pitch publicity around Swift reached a zenith with her 1,000-guest Madison Square Garden wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce on July 3.
