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Classic Rock News And Views
April 16, 2010
Meat Loaf Not Impressed With Contemporary Bands
Meat Loaf, the former long-haired big guy who brought us the classic album Bat Out of Hell, has been speaking his mind on a variety of subjects lately, and he does not appear to be ready to stop just yet.
With the release of his new album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear just a few days away, he’s voicing his disappointment regarding today’s current crop of bands that he feels are just going through the motions, and not giving as much to their fans as some other artists, including himself.
Thinking back on some Meat Loaf concert footage from the late 70’s when he was touring, it’s hard to argue that the guy wasn’t putting his heart and soul into his sweat-soaked show. To this day, he sounds like a performer that prides himself on making sure that his audience gets their money’s worth.
“You can ask my band – every night they have no f******g clue what I’m about to do and neither do I,” the 62-year-old rock veteran says.
He describes some of the “famous bands” that have opened for him basically as posers, stating that they are too predictable, and too mired down in the same well-rehearsed performance routine. I think it is a sentiment that is shared by a lot of rock fans who continue to shun most contemporary rock groups. Classic rock is still very popular for a reason.
In my own experience, the majority of contemporary rock acts just don’t have a sound that stands out, and they tend to blend into a background of mediocrity. That’s not to say there aren’t any contemporary groups that are making good music. There are, and I’ve mentioned just a small number of them here. There are likely more of them out there whom I have not yet heard of, and would be happy to discover.
Getting back to Mr. Loaf, or perhaps he prefers Mr. Meat – who knows – his recent comments don’t stop at his disappointment with modern groups. He has also criticized American Idol judge Simon Cowell in recent weeks, stating that he’s not qualified to be seated in that position.
“I wanna talk to him really bad and say, ‘You have really good instincts but you’ve never walked a stage in your life’,” he says. Somehow I think Cowell will get the message, and spare Meat Loaf the task of tracking him down. Cowell, certainly not one to pull punches himself, may have a few words to fire back, but we’ll have to wait and see.
See STV for more.
March 4, 2010
A Journey Into The Mind of Meat Loaf
Well, that’s how the man is describing it himself – not in so many words, but when the Bat Out of Hell rocker talks about his new album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear, he reveals that, “It’s the one that tells you the most about me. It tells you about how my mind works.”
For that opportunity, he credits producer Rob Cavallo, who reportedly allowed Meat Loaf to be the “the captain” during the process of creating the new album. Whether or not that was a wise choice will be revealed by the numbers that follow the April 23rd release.
The new album is not without controversy, even before hitting store shelves. A certain track that revolves around the story of a man that falls for a prostitute is comprised partly of lyrics that are not likely to be well-received by some. The passage in question is on a track entitled “California Isn’t Big Enough,” and it makes reference to the size of a certain part of the male anatomy. Not too tough to figure that one out.
The 62-year-old rocker sounds as if he had some reservations about going ahead with the controversial lyrics, but in the end, he decided that it really was something that was important to convey the message in that particular song.
He makes an interesting point as he compares the lyrics to the content one might be exposed to while watching an R-rated movie. Certainly a thought-provoking viewpoint, considering that, technically, the language used on “California Isn’t Big Enough” does not even include any profanity. It’s more a contextual thing, I suppose, but there are bound to be very strong opinions on both sides of the argument.
Joining Meat Loaf on the new album are some other well-known names – some surprising and some not so much. Jack Black duets on a track called “Like A Rose,” while British actor Hugh Laurie of House fame plays piano on “Can’t Have You.” Not long ago, Meat Loaf was a guest star on an episode of House, and the two struck up a friendship, which led to an invitation to play on the new album.
Meat Loaf, like a lot of other rockers in his age group, has no plans to slow down. “I’m like the Energizer rabbit right now. I don’t even need to be plugged in. I need to be unplugged,” he says.
There’s more to be read regarding Meat Loaf and his new album at MSN.
November 10, 2009
New Live Meat Loaf DVD Hits Stores Today
Shot at the Stadthalle Offenbach, Bat Out of Hell: The Original Tour catches the raw exhilaration of Meat Loaf’s colossal 
stage performance. Larger-than-life songs such as “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth (Hot Summer Night)” and “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” sounded utterly extravagant performed live.
Not only does Meat Loaf totally command the stage, but he also enthralls his audiences with the gripping nature of his material, with the assistance of the album’s songwriter Jim Steinman and female singer Karla DeVito. Its visual validation of the power of Bat Out Of Hell, which was certified 10x Platinum and sold over 40 million copies. Also included on the DVD is a bonus interview from 1978 with Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman.
The DVD was filmed during Meat Loaf’s 1977 tour and features most of his major hits such as “Paradise By the Dashboard Light” and “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” At the time, the band included Bruce Kulick who would go on to play guitar for KISS, something which results in some of the material coming off a bit heavier in concert.
