Todd Rundgren's Utopia Found: The Great Pyramid of Massachusetts
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2/12/11 9:28 PM
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WEIRD NEWS
Todd Rundgren's Utopia Found: The
Great Pyramid of Massachusetts
Feb 7, 2011 – 6:16 PM
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Those great stage sets of the mid-1970s took arena rock where it had
never gone before.
Pink Floyd delighted its fans with a giant, inflatable pig. The Rolling
Stones had a six-pointed "lotus petal" stage that opened to reveal the
Chris Epting
Contributor
entire band. And the Electric Light Orchestra had its own onstage
spaceship.
That era brought rock concertgoers their first taste of strawberry wine, and also their first taste
of high-concept stage productions.
While it's all but impossible to track down what happened to all of these elaborate (and
expensive) stage props, there is one that remains today, blissfully suspended in a state of 1970s
animation.
In 1976, in support of the
album called "RA," Todd
Rundgren's Utopia set off
on an ambitious, yearlong
trek around the U.S.
Complementing the
Egyptology motif of the
"RA" album and tour was
a spectacular stage set
that featured a giant
(nearly three-story)
turquoise-and-goldcolored sphinx replete
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Courtesy of Chris Epting
Todd Rundgren on stage with his group, Utopia, in 1977.
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Todd Rundgren's Utopia Found: The Great Pyramid of Massachusetts
2/12/11 9:28 PM
with a green laser light emitting from the mysterious cat's forehead.
In front of that was the stage centerpiece, a 24-foot-high iron-pipe pyramid structure that
Rundgren would scale during the concert climax, armed with his silver Egyptian Ankh-shaped
guitar, and then tumble from while holding a bungee cable (of course, this being the '70s, there
were also thick layers of dry-ice fog, wind machines and laser beams).
The death-defying act
thrilled fans (many of
whom had become
entranced with the
"Pyramid Power" wave of
the 1970s), but once the
tour wrapped in 1977, the
props were packed away
in a Woodstock, N.Y.,
warehouse never to see
the light of day again.
Right?
Not so fast.
In the mid-1990s, Rundgren's path was crossed by longtime fan, Dan Harple, a renowned
Internet pioneer.
As Jeffrey L. Pulver recently blogged, "If you use Skype, GoToMeeting or YouTube, among
others, Harple's technology and its influence has touched your life."
Rundgren (something of a computer pioneer himself) and Harple worked together on a variety
of projects, including Patronet, Rundgren's interactive fan-artist concept that allowed fans to
directly support the creation of new Rundgren projects.
Harple and Rundgren became good friends, and so when it was time to empty that Woodstock
warehouse several years ago, Rundgren asked Harple if he had any interest in the sphinx and
pyramid.
Harple jumped at the chance to own one of the most storied stage sets in arena rock history.
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"I pictured it on my property in coastal Massachusetts called 'Treetops," Harple told AOL News.
"Both the sphinx and pyramid at first. Then I learned that the sphinx was made of a hard foam
that would not withstand the elements, so I passed on that. But the pyramid, which is made of
iron, seemed like the perfect piece of architecture to put out in the middle of this open field we
have."
And so the massive structure was trucked to Harple's property and erected according to
Harple's careful specs.
"I researched Egyptian
pyramids, most notably
the Great Pyramid,"
Harple says. "It was
aligned with the four
points of the compass,
perfectly aligned with the
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"bio-artists" are hoping to turn the remains of his last
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NEWS PHOTO GALLERIES
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Todd Rundgren's Utopia Found: The Great Pyramid of Massachusetts
2/12/11 9:28 PM
NEWS PHOTO GALLERIES
four cardinal points."
Many pyramidologists
believe that the meridian
line running north and
south on the globe passing
Courtesy of Dan Harple
Dan Harple stands atop the former Utopia pyramid at his Massachusetts property.
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through the pyramid (31
degrees east of Greenwich) should be the zero line of the whole world.
"After being totally engrossed in this I became resolved to line the 'RA' pyramid up precisely as
per the Great Pyramid. Once it was placed, I then got the John Deere tractor out and created
the grass-cut hieroglyphs that are now seen on Google Earth."
Harple, who today splits his time with his family in Amsterdam and at Treetops, appreciates
the pyramid on several levels.
"In one way, I like it because it reminds me of the work of Todd Rundgren. I play guitar, and in
my teens I followed him closely. He was like a spiritual lantern for me in how he dealt with
things. He has always stayed the course on what was right for him, and I respect that."
But Harple (who most recently founded and was chairman of Gypsii.com, a social media
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network in China) also likes the fact that the pyramid has been repurposed as something that
has deep meaning.
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"Pyramids are a major symbol of life and optimism," he said. "And so having it out here in the
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middle of nowhere seems to bring a real sense of peace to whomever sees it."
As well, Harple appreciates what it is like to climb the pyramid, just as Rundgren did during so
many Utopia concerts.
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thing every night, while he played guitar. Some people
get a little scared up there, but when you position
yourself at the apex, you're treated to a rare, spectacular
communion with nature. It's peaceful up there. There
are hawks and deer you see. But the peace at the top
helps you resolve everything involving who you are and
who you want to be. It's very therapeutic."
Harple also has a feeling about his pyramid as it applies
to what is happening today around the Great Pyramid at
Giza.
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"The crisis in Egypt has me thinking," he said. "It's really a synchronicity, but I find it
fascinating that our stewardship of this pyramid at Treetops, when juxtaposed against the crisis
in Egypt, really has a message. Our pyramid, the Utopia pyramid, is all about serenity, natural
order, beauty and wholeness. Some of these ingredients would surely be apt in Egypt right
now."
No doubt that gentle, 1970s-evoking sentiment will have many agreeing with Harple. Especially
right now.
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