| re: Back Out Of Hell | |
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Posted by: |
tincrowdor 03:17 pm UTC 04/05/10 |
| In reply to: | Back Out Of Hell - steven_stuart 08:36 pm UTC 04/02/10 |
| "Someone needs to save music." He sounds like Ozymandias from Watchmen. hahaha! Good point about Cowell and cover versions - Meat actually talking sense > This is the recent Meat Loaf article from the Daily Mail. > Unfortunately Jim is only mentioned once but I suppose its > great that Dr. Fankenstein's greatest creation is still > out there and demanding attention. I really don't like > evrything he does but he is a great artist. > > "Meat Loaf is nothing if not a survivor. The American > rocker, who made his name more than 30 years ago with Bat > Out Of Hell, has overcome obstacles that would have > crushed lesser mortals. > > Now in his 60s, he has toured in a wheelchair after > breaking a leg, survived an on-stage heart attack and > recovered from a nervous breakdown brought on by his > inability to cope with fame. > > So, when everything fell to pieces once more when he was > touring in 2007 in support of the last in his trilogy of > Bat albums, he refused to be beaten. > > 'I was so depressed that I wanted to give up music,' he > says. 'I'd been doing shows all around Europe, despite a > cyst on my vocal cords of which I wasn't even aware. > > 'In Denmark, I played an open-air festival on a hot > summer's day and went down with sunstroke. I was > shivering, but went on with the show. When the gig ended, > I was so ill they covered me in a silver thermal blanket > and rushed me off in an ambulance.' > > Matters came to a head when the singer, who was in acute > pain, was forced to cut short a concert in Newcastle. The > rest of the tour was called off and Meat Loaf returned to > California. > > 'Everything surrounding that third Bat Out Of Hell album > was wrong - it was a negative time,' he says. 'But I've > always been a fighter. As soon as I felt better, I fired > everyone around me and started all over again. It was the > best thing I've ever done.' > > I'm sitting with Meat Loaf in a Covent Garden club, where > the singer - real name Michael Lee Aday - has just hosted > a playback of his new album, Hang Cool Teddy Bear. Slimmer > than the man mountain who turned Bat Out Of Hell into one > of the best- selling records of all time, he is still an > imposing sight. > > He is also reinvigorated by his new album. Brash, > guitar-driven and refreshingly diverse, it was produced by > Rob Cavallo (who has worked with Green Day) and features > energetic cameos from former Darkness singer Justin > Hawkins, Queen guitarist Brian May and Hollywood star Jack > Black. > > 'When you have a record as good as this, it's like > drinking from the fountain of youth,' says Meat Loaf. 'I'm > 62, but people can't believe my energy.' > > The album's most surprising star turn comes from the actor > Hugh Laurie. Once a classical pianist, he came to Meat > Loaf's attention when they appeared together in the TV > drama House. > > 'Hugh plays piano really well, but he was nervous,' says > Meat Loaf. 'It was strange seeing someone so confident > become a quivering mess. But Rob Cavallo took him outside. > They had a cigarette and chatted about music and > motorbikes. Then Hugh came back in and nailed it.' > > Meat Loaf's career has been defined - and at times > overshadowed - by Bat Out Of Hell. > > An epic, widescreen collaboration with songwriter Jim > Steinman, the album was ignored when it was released in > 1977, but has since sold 43 million copies and spawned two > sequels, 1993's Back To Hell and the ill-fated The Monster > Is Loose. > > But its success had unfortunate consequences for the > Dallas-born singer, who worked in musical theatre, > appearing in Broadway productions of The Rocky Horror Show > and Hair, before hitting the big time. > > Unable to deal with fame, he began using cocaine and had a > nervous breakdown. > > 'Fame frightened me,' he says. 'I didn't get into this > business to be famous. 'After Bat Out Of Hell, I'd lock > myself in my room for days and not go out. Some people > thrive on fame. It boosts their confidence. With me, it > was the opposite. It crushed my confidence. > > 'I ended up cutting my hair because I was getting > recognised in public all the time. The haircut made me > invisible for a while, but I eventually saw a psychologist > to get me back on an even keel.' > > Marriage gave the singer some much-needed stability. Meat > Loaf met his wife Leslie in 1978. > > His stepdaughter Pearl and daughter Amanda have followed > their father on to the stage: Pearl is a rock singer and > Amanda is an actress. > > 'Getting married helped, though it hasn't stopped me from > being crazy,' he says. 'But my daughters have inherited my > work ethic. Too many people sit around waiting for things > to happen. I stood on my own two feet.' > > The singer, whose future as a live performer was thrown > into doubt by his 2007 meltdown, plans to promote Hang > Cool Teddy Bear the traditional way - back on the road. > > 'I'm older, so I can't push myself too hard,' he says. > 'I'll tour for four weeks, then rest before going back > out. It'll cost more, but it's the only way. > > 'With this record, I'm doing my bit to save real music. > Too many singers are famous on the back of one or two > songs. We're not producing enough artists - that's killing > music. > > 'Simon Cowell is a smart man and I salute his success, but > he's not creating artists. He's creating people who can > sing decent cover versions. > > 'He has the power to reinvent the music business. He could > help take it back to the proper music we had in the > Sixties, Seventies and Eighties. > > 'Someone needs to save music. It's like saving the whales. > I'll do my bit, but we need to work together.'" > > > > > > > > | |
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