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.

Tags: Hang Cool Teddy Bear, Hugh Laurie, Jack Black, Meat Loaf, New Album

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.

Tags: 1977, Bat Out of Hell, DVD, Live, Meat Loaf, Original Tour, Stadthalle Offenbach

Meat Head Impersonates Meat Loaf & Phil Collins Puts Down The Sticks

Meat Loaf Impersonator Arrested

Perhaps nobody but Eric Brown, 37, of Middletown, KY knows why he thought he could get away with pretending he was Meat Loaf, but the booking photos make it apparent that the man arrested after grabbing the steering wheel of a taxi he was a passenger in does not look like Meat Loaf.

Although the long hair and stocky build are qualities he has in common with the Meat Loaf of years gone by, anyone familiar with the Bat Out of Hell rocker and actor would know Mr. Brown was not who he claimed to be. For heaven’s sake, Meat Loaf guest hosted on House last season!

Check out the story at KYPost.com.

Phil Collins Unable To Play Drums

Best known, perhaps, for his years with prog rock group Genesis, Phil Collins is being forced to take a break from playing drums.

The multi-talented 58-year-old who resides in Switzerland these days, has told a German newspaper that recent surgery to repair a dislocated vertebra in his neck has left him with limited use of his fingers.

Collins reports that the only way he could currently play would be to “glue drumsticks to my hands.”

It appears that the condition is expected to be temporary.

Read more at the Star Tribune.

Tags: Arrested, Drums, Fingers, Impersonator, Kentucky, Meat Loaf, Phil Collins, Surgery

Fox Serves Up ‘Meat Loaf’ on Tonight’s Episode of House

I’ll admit I’m a pretty dependable fan of the Fox television show House. Beside the fact that I have always been fascinated by medical mysteries, the one thing I really find refreshing about the show is that the main character is such a jerk. Sure, it may be more complicated than that, but that would take us a little too far off course for the purposes of a site devoted to classic rock.

Anyway, I just love the whole idea of a show about a doctor who also happens to act like an ass much of the time. It’s more like real life, and oh so not Dr. Kildaire or Dr. Lochner from Medical Center. Yeah, those two go back a ways, but to be honest, Medical Center is the only one I really can remember.

As last week’s show ended and Fox rolled the preview for this week’s episode of House, I saw a familiar face on the screen. Obviously portraying a patient of the notoriously grumpy physician, I saw an actor that I thought I recognized. “Is that Meat Loaf?,” I remember thinking to myself. Yes, indeed it was.

The Bat Out of Hell rocker is already known for his acting abilities and has appeared in both The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Fight Club. This time he’s managed to land himself a spot on his favorite television show, and despite his previous acting experience and years rocking in front of live audiences, he reports that he was quite nervous about his role on House.

“I love House. I love Hugh. I love his character on the show,” said Meat Loaf. “I was so excited and very nervous, I might add. I was very nervous because I love the show so much. If I didn’t like the show and I never watched it, I probably wouldn’t have been so nervous. I get nervous every time I go onstage. I’m a nervous person.”

He also honors House star Hugh Laurie by referring to him as his favorite actor, and apparently, his admiration for Laurie does not end there. Having heard Laurie play piano in the past, Meat Loaf actually invited him to play on one of the tracks that will be included on his next album. Laurie was obviously honored and agreed immediately.

To prepare for his role on House, Meat Loaf admits that he studied the performance of Ted Danson who also portrayed some who was sick on the television show Damages. He was very impressed with Danson’s ability to look like a sick person, and I guess House fans (myself included) will find out tonight how well Meat Loaf pulled off acting like a sick guy.

For more, check out E! Online.

Tags: Fox, House, Hugh Laurie, Meat Loaf, Simple Explanation, TV

Classic Rock Briefs For Thursday, October 16, 2008

Recording Engineer Jay Messina Talks About The Early Days of Working With Aerosmith

This is the kind of stuff that might be more interesting to audio geeks than to the typical Aerosmith fan, but who knows? Some fans may find this kind of history interesting. It gets rather technical, something that’s sure to please the hard-core audio crowd, and perhaps the nostalgia may even bring a tear or two to their eye. Full Story.

Meat Loaf Back on Track For Florida Performances

After exhibiting some rather strange behavior at an awards ceremony in the U.K. recently, it appears that “The Meat” is back in shape after a short stay in the hospital. Vertigo and a some medication he was taking for a torn retina are being blamed for his recent bout with odd behavior and an apparent lack to navigate at the London event. Full Story.

Def Leppard’s Joe Elliot Angers Some Hockey Fans By Violating Stanley Cup Etiquette

I’m not sure there actually is any official etiquette having to do with the National Hockey League’s beloved Stanley Cup, but if there is, I’m guessing Joe Elliott violated it the other night.

Def Leppard was performing just prior to the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs game in Detroit. This all has to do with some deal that was cooked up to involve the NHL and the British rockers called “Face-Off Rocks,” and at some point Elliott picked up the Stanley Cup trophy and then set it back down. Upside-down.

Many hockey fans are a bit ticked off over this, and knowing how seriously they take their hockey up over the border in Canada, I have to wonder if they’ll ever let the group enter their country again!

Seriously, though, I think it’s understandable that a British guy might make such a mistake. Elliott says he takes full responsibility for the mistake, but also points out that “Like most of my fellow Brits, I’d never seen it (Stanley Cup) before until it was handed to me sideways, by which time I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Whoops." Full Story.

Ron Wood’s Wife May Not Let Go Without A Fight

Although there were reports that Ron Wood’s wife Jo had met with her attorneys recently, that may not mean that she has given up on her marriage quite yet.

Today, the word is that Jo intends to fight to save her marriage.

“I don’t want to divorce Ronnie but I don’t know if he’ll come back. I really don’t know what is happening at the moment. I haven’t spoken to him about it," she is reported to have said. Full Story.

Tags: Aerosmith Engineer, Def Leppard, Joe Elliott, Marriage, Meat Loaf, NHL, Ron Wood, Stanley Cup