TODD RUNDGREN CALLS TAYLOR SWIFT "THE APOTHEOSIS OF MEDIOCRITY" IN NEW INTERVIEW

Todd Rundgren has taken aim at Taylor Swift again, calling her “the apotheosis of mediocrity” and claiming “there’s an argument to be made that she ruined music” in a new interview with Vulture’s Devon Ivie.

Image: Library of Congress Life via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)

Key facts

The remarks came when Ivie asked Rundgren who he would spoof if he ever made a parody album — a question nodding to his celebrated production career, which includes producing Meat Loaf’s 1977 blockbuster Bat Out of Hell, a record he has said was partly conceived as a send-up of Bruce Springsteen. Rundgren’s answer was blunt: “Taylor Swift, of course.”

He went on to call Swift “the apotheosis of mediocrity” and declared, “There’s an argument to be made that she ruined music,” describing it as “an understandable phenomenon.”

Rundgren questioned Swift’s talents across the board, saying she “doesn’t do anything particularly great except grow hair.” He added: “She’s not a great singer. She’s not a great songwriter. She’s not a great dancer.” He drew a sharp contrast with Lady Gaga, praising her as “a real musician” and “a classically trained piano player.”

He also offered a theory for the rise of female pop stars: back in the ’90s, he said, boys stopped spending money on music and started spending it on video games, so the industry redirected its attention to the allowances of young girls.

This is not the first time Rundgren has aired such views — he made similar remarks about Swift on Rick Rubin’s Broken Record podcast in 2022. Swift has not publicly responded to the latest comments, which were reported by Billboard and the music press on September 28, 2026.

What he said, in his own words

“To me, Taylor Swift is the apotheosis of mediocrity.”

“There’s an argument to be made that she ruined music. It’s an understandable phenomenon.”

“Taylor 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.”

“Lady Gaga, she’s a real musician. She’s a classically trained piano player.”

“Back in the ’90s, boys stopped spending money on music and started spending it on video games...”

Frequently asked questions

Q: What did Todd Rundgren say about Taylor Swift?
A: In a Vulture interview, he called her “the apotheosis of mediocrity” and said “there’s an argument to be made that she ruined music,” criticizing her singing, songwriting, and dancing.

Q: Where did the comments appear?
A: In a new interview with Vulture’s Devon Ivie, reported by Billboard and the music press on September 28, 2026.

Q: What did Rundgren say about Lady Gaga?
A: He called her “a real musician” and “a classically trained piano player,” contrasting her with Swift.

Q: Has Rundgren criticized Swift before?
A: Yes — he made similar remarks about Swift on Rick Rubin’s Broken Record podcast in 2022.

Sources

Vulture interview with Devon Ivie, via Billboard; Digital Music News, September 28, 2026.