Todd Rundgren Salutes ‘American Bandstand’
As the world celebrates the life of Dick Clark, who died Wednesday from a heart attack at age 82, attention is turning to his groundbreaking TV program, American Bandstand. Clark hosted and produced the music show from 1956 until its final season in 1989; under his direction, Bandstand hosted some of the biggest music acts in pop music history, including the Beach Boys, Stevie Wonder, Simon and Garfunkel, Pink Floyd, Madonna and many more.
Clark and American Bandstand had no shortage of famous fans, including Todd Rundgren. In this clip, the Something/Anything? rocker fondly remembers watching the show while growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where the show was based. “I remember riding on the subway into town, and the studio where they did American Bandstand was the last thing you saw before the El went into the tunnel,” he says.
Despite badly wanting to attend the show, Rundgren did face one obstacle. “I didn’t know how to dance,” he admits, “so I was never going to get on American Bandstand.”
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