Love him or hate him, call him schlocky, even cheesy, but there’s no one like Meat Loaf. Blessed with a powerful, operatic voice, he’s carved a unique niche for himself in the world of rock ‘n’ roll.
Michael Lee Aday (born Marvin Lee Aday on September 27, 1947 in Dallas, Texas), better known by his stage names Meat Loaf and Meat Loaf Aday, is an Amercian rock legend and well-known actor. He is noted for the Bat Out of Hell album trilogy consisting of Bat Out of Hell, Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell and Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose. Bat out of Hell has sold more than 40 million copies. After more than 30 years, it still sells an estimated 200,000 copies annually, and stayed on the charts for over nine years. Meat Loaf also earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo for a track on the latter album and ranked 96th on VH1’s Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.
As Meat Loaf was paying his rock and roll dues, he also enjoyed his first success as an actor. In 1969, he landed a part in Los Angeles production of the infamous ‘60s stage musical, Hair, then traveled with the show to Detroit, and eventually, to Broadway.
Appearing in over 50 movies and television shows, Meat Loaf sometimes plays himself or characters resembling his stage persona. His most notable roles include Eddie and Dr. Scott in the American premiere of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Robert "Bob" Paulson
in Fight Club, Tiny the bouncer in Wayne's World, Dennis the Spice Bus Driver in
Spice World, the Bus driver in Leap of Faith, and Jack Black's father in
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (a character who, ironically, hates rock music and believes it to be evil). Meat Loaf starred as police detective Jack Morris in
The Hallmark Channel original film Citizen Jane.
Now, more than 30 years after he exploded onto the world stage, Meat Loaf is back with a new record, Hang Cool Teddy Bear (a title taken from a line in the classic Russ Meyer trash movie Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls). From opener Peace On Earth to closer Elvis In Vegas, its 13 tracks drag the classic Meat Loaf sound kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
"I wanted it big, I wanted it dramatic, I wanted a rock record," says Meat Loaf. "Yes, it sounds like a Meat Loaf record. But it sounds different too - it sounds new, it sounds fresh. It speaks to you in a different way."
Much of this newfound energy can be put down to Meat Loaf's working relationship with his new collaborator, producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance Paramore, Fleetwood Mac). For the singer, it was a chance to work with one of the hottest producers around. For Cavallo, it was an opportunity to work with a childhood hero and a proper rock 'n' roll legend.
"Rob is the Number 1 rock producer in the world because he leaves his ego out of the equation and gives an artist his voice, making it sound better than the artist could even imagine," says Meat. "I was like a fisherman looking for a big mouthed bass. I put on the right worm. The first song I played to him, I hooked him. The second song, I nailed him."
The pair hit it off immediately, and this electrifying creative partnership immediately raised the bar several feet. Meat Loaf brought more than 40 songs to the table, which the duo whittled down to the 13 that appear on the final record, including the furious ‘Living On The Outside’ and hilarious first single LosAngeloser.
Hang Cool Teddy Bear is Meat Loaf's album. More than four decades into his career, the man - and his voice - is as big, bold and important as ever.
"How do I keep the fire burning?" he asks. "I don't know. I just do. I'd bet in advance that if I sat with somebody in a room and said to them, 'I'll give you five pounds if you don't go 'Whoah!' after the first song', they'd forget about the five pounds and they'd go 'Whoah!'. You can't help it. And it's like that across all the songs. This record is spectacular!"
Some people think big. Some people think huge. And then there's Meat Loaf.