Big rock music fan here. Rarely did I take the image and lyrics of any rock band or artist serious while growing up. It was always about the sound. One exception was Todd Rundgren. For a significant part of my music education, he and his music was a focus. It was still entertainment to my thinking, but I liked the added extra "mysticism" he tossed in from time to time. Made me think, or so I thought.

In truth, from a number of interviews and articles over the years, all of that was merely image creation for marketing. Artists were encouraged to find that "special something" in terms of image that fans would identify with. TR chose mystic. It reflected his spiritual interests at the time, which was mostly intellectual. He didn't go George Harrison level involvement with an eastern religion, but he went as close as a rock musician with a record contract in the 70's could get. It was enough for a number of albums to showcase images and lyrics all about what can be described as the search for the transcendent.

In 1976, his band Utopia (nudge nudge), produced an album with the title RA, which opened with the song, Communion With The Sun. It made for an interesting show with a pyramid stage set, plus wearing ancient Eqyptian clothing, and playing instruments shaped like an ank. The kids (me included) thought it was cool.

Politically, TR is and was very left of center. In 1981 he released another album titled Swing To The Right, which went after conservative ideals in the lyrics.