Meat Loaf!

The larger-than-life mighty-voiced rock-opera-pop legend has been amazing audiences for nearly 40 years. From stage beginnings in stage show 'More Than You Deserve', his long association with the idiosyncratic Jim Steinman reached a zenith when they hooked up with maverick Todd Rundgren to create the classic album 'Bat Out of Hell', one of the biggest sellers of all time. Meat & Jim had their ups & downs over the years, but together or apart, they created some of the most unforgettable and long-titled songs in the history of pop & rock. Meat has also occasionally turned his hand to acting, too, whether in the infamous musical of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show', or the cult classic 'Fight Club'. Here are just a handful of his highlights:

Bat Out Of Hell

Paradise By The Dashboard Light

Dead Ringer For Love (ft Cher)

I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)

Two out of Three Ain't Bad

You can probably tell from the extended intro that this is someone I'm quite a fan of   

Meat Loaf: Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
From sometime this century, this was a cod-operatic hour with Mr Loaf. Due to a gift for long songs, you get less per hour, but it feels like more. He encored with I'd Do Anything For Love, But I Won't Do That.

Meat Loaf: Live at Rockpalast
From 1978, this was pretty much a runthrough of the 'Bat out of Hell' album, and thus a chance to hear lesser stuff like 'All Revved Up and No Place To Go' for once. The same rule of thumb on song length applies. I still can't get over the fact that BOOH opens with the BOOH song. Meat even did some kind of standing somersault during the encore, which is astonishing when you think about it.

Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise
An hour and a half covering the opening week of his 2007 world tour to push Bat III. The story often focussed on Meat's health, and press criticism of 'Paradise by the Dashboard Light', in which he has to pretend to make out with a 28 year old who looks much younger. By the end of the week, he's restaging that performance to nullify the critics, wearing an outfit to make him look like his late-70's heyday. He also gets Dennis Quaid on stage for a cover of 'Gloria' on one of the nights. I'm a big ML fan, let's be honest, and this was a pretty good account.

Meat Loaf - Guilty Pleasure Tour
From the Sydney Entertainment Centre in 2012, a reliable hour with the rock legend, mixing a few recent numbers, along with 3 from Bat out of Hell, and 1 each from Bat II and Bat III. His voice may not be all-conquering anymore, but his heart always will be.

Meat Loaf: In and Out of Hell
He's got a new album coming out soon, so here was another chance to run through the epic tale of how the unlikeliest multi-million-selling rock album ever got put together, plus what happened afterwards. The sobering sideline was seeing how aged some of the people in this story now look. Steinman unsurprisingly did not feature in any new chat, though footage of him attempting to prove he was as capable a performer as Meat Loaf was was different. If the songs are good enough, there's no reason to suppose they won't have another success this time around too. As long as they don't fall back on talk of Bat Out of Hell IV...

Meat Loaf caused concern last week when he collapsed on stage and had to be taken to hospital. Happily, it was only dehydration this time:

"a fainting episode"

The 68-year-old singer, real name Michael Lee Aday, was performing his hit song I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That) at the Jubilee Auditorium in Edmonton, Canada when he fell over and initially failed to respond as crew members rushed to revive him.

He was subsequently taken to a local hospital following what medics have described as a "fainting episode" and his representative told CBS New York he was in "stable and in good condition".

It has now been revealed doctors have determined he was suffering from severe dehydration and he is "recovering well."

I don't think it's too much to point out the guy has had health battles over the years, but it's good to know he's still battling onwards

You clearly can't keep some old rockers down. He's got a new album out called "Braver Than We Are", in which he has reunited with Jim Steinman, and Ellen Foley and Karla DeVito even. Here's an interview he gave to plug it:

Looking good?

Should be interesting

His health continues to draw as much attention as his new LP, with the usual PR tour providing opportunities to appear looking sickly on all sorts of shows.

Bat out of Hell - The Musical, comes to the stage next Summer, with previews taking place in February. Somehow, these seems like an idea that should have been done long before now, but hey.

Neil McCormick's Needle Time: Meat Loaf
Even by Meat's standards, this was particularly quirky, as the prolonged anecdotes came thick and fast, many of which seemed completely new. He's very hot on pushing the latest album, which will apparently be his last collaboration with Jim Steinman. He managed to cover his early years and put straight the June stories of his health crisis in Edmonton. He spent time in a duet act before going to Broadway, and then meeting Steinman. He relishes acting and the learning process, and has only appeared as himself once on film in error - actors who claim they can't watch themselves on screen are saying they weren't inhabiting a role. And so on. But he's still full of plans, and he sounded well, so we'll just have to watch and wait.

Discovering: Meat Loaf
How he and Jim Steinman created operatic rock (as opposed to rock operas). His sad childhood led to success touring with 'Hair' before a spell with Motown, and in a duo. Had a spell in 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' too, before the behemoth of Bat Out Of Hell. Dead Ringer was an under-rated follow-up, before he went into a decline. Bat II brought him and Jim back. Humour and health concerns continued to prevail. Made Bat III without an ill Steinman. Leaves a legacy of bombast.

Classic Albums: Bat Out Of Hell
OK, so I've seen this before, many times in fact, but it still bears re-viewing. Made in 1999, with Meat and Todd separately at the mixing desk. Meat revels in his similarity of singing 22 years later, and even quirky unheard moments that got cut. Jim Steinman is in perky mood too, pounding at the piano, and explaining a crackerjack box. Karla de Vito and Ellen Foley spoke of their respective roles on stage and in studio. The journey of making the record and then getting it released was well explained, and archive footage showed how the phenomenon worked its magic. Again, I am always put in mind that Todd was the 3rd genius in the production, from knowing when to pare lyrics to their best, or creating motorcycle effects on a guitar.

The Big Interview w/Dan Rather - Meat Loaf
Taken fairly recently after his Edmonton collapse, he gets to offer his side of the story again, how he was already ailing, but his wife, who is from Edmonton, really wanted him not to cancel that show. Then again, he also shoots down the idea that he and Jim Steinman have ever fallen out - but their managements have issues. He was promoting the Braver Than We Are album, only his 4th with Jim. Jim was set to get some stage show premiered after trying for half a century. He also discussed his movie work and getting into characters. He dislikes I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That). He talks about rowing with Gary Busey on Series 11 of The Celebrity Apprentice USA:

Whoever yells first, loses.

Though he points out that the editing made things look worse. He suggests For Crying Out Loud is the greatest love song ever. He's had 19 concussions. Casey Kasem detested Paradise By The Dashboard Light. He even tells a new story that his name came from his father after he was born. He recalls nearly being stabbed by his father, and how he thinks his mother stopped him committing suicide after her death. John Belushi and Gilda Radner lobbied to get him onto Saturday Night Live, which did Bat Out Of Hell a world of good. His parents both died when they were 54. He has a large Pop Art collection.

Sadly, his legendary and frequent writer Jim Steinman died this week at 73. He'd been ill for a while, and suffered kidney failure. Besides Bat out of Hell, he wrote many other formidably different songs which were sung by the likes of Celine Dion and Sisters of Mercy. RIP 

Even more sadly, Meat has now gone to join his collaborator. He was 74. He hadn't been in great health in recent years, and was always prone to give 110% to his performances, regardless of the personal cost. I've got most of his album. RIP 

Meat Loaf, the singer and actor whose debut album "Bat Out of Hell" in 1977 became one of the best-selling of all time, has died at the age of 74.

"Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side," a post published on the star's official Facebook page early Friday said. The cause of death was unclear.

Born Marvin Lee Aday, the rock musician's career spanned six decades across the music and film industries. He was beloved by fans and soared to unlikely rock stardom with theatrical, dark-hearted anthems and an iconic long-haired look.

He was also known for the song “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)" and for playing Eddie in the cult film “Rocky Horror Picture Show," with his show-stopping song "Hot Patootie (Bless My Soul)."

Meat Loaf died surrounded by loved ones including his daughters Pearl and Amanda, according to the post.

HARDtalk: Meat Loaf
Unsure how I missed this first time around in 2016, but Stephen Sackur gave him a typical going over. Meat was marking 50 years in showbiz, pushing the Braver Than We Are album, his relationship with Jim Steinman, Jim's current Bat out of Hell stage show, his relationships with his parents, having had 18 concussions, calling himself "a cat with 49 lives". He was ready to die on stage, and wanted the band to play either "When the Saints go Marching In" or, if in the USA "Take me Out to the Ball Game". Well, that was then.

Saturday Night w/Hayley Palmer - Bat Out Of Hell special
Hayley talked to 4 cast members from the BOOH stage show, 2 in each half, about their experiences in the show, other parts of their career, and played some classic ML vids as well. They were at the Peacock Theatre, London, which had recently opened at the time. They said this show was like a mash-up of several other types of show, all in 1 package. Sounded good.