When rock and roll great Meat Loaf collapsed on stage this past June during a concert in Canada, his fans feared the worst. The dramatic video of him lying motionless on stage as minutes ticked by went viral. Fortunately, he was only diagnosed with severe dehydration and made a full recovery.
Beating the odds is nothing new to Meat Loaf. After surviving 18 concussions, eight car wrecks, a heart attack, and even a stint on Celebrity Apprentice, Meat Loaf once again proved why he calls himself "the original fighter." Now he's back with a new CD titled Braver Than We Are, his fourth featuring songs exclusively written by his long-time pal Jim Steinman. The two first collaborated on Meat Loaf's 1977 masterpiece Bat Out of Hell. It went on to sell over 30 million copies, making it one of the most successful albums of all time. Steinman also helped Meat Loaf have one of the most remarkable comebacks in the music industry with the Grammy-winning "I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)."
Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman are rock and roll royalty, creating monster hits for nearly four decades. The duo stands shoulder-to-shoulder with other song writing teams like Bernie Taupin and Elton John. While Taupin writes songs for John of introspection and reflection, Steinman creates big, sweeping story telling ballads set to Meat Loaf's husky yet vulnerable voice, leaving the listener humming the lyric and wanting more.
Meat Loaf’s new CD, Braver Than We Are, features songs that range from picking up the pieces after heartbreak to raging against establishment and celebrating the outsider and the underdog.
Meat Loaf says the CD was written as a script. If you're looking to find out who's cast in the lead role, Meat Loaf isn't saying. What is clear is the main character in his "script" is angry.
The first song on the CD, "Who Needs the Young," was written by Steinman in 1969, but Meat Loaf says the song has never been more relevant than it is today. The song speaks to the annoyance over aging and the audacity of those who are younger. At 69 years old, Meat Loaf has a deep and meaningful connection to the lyric. "It is so politically incorrect, and I love it for it," he says. "I'm sick and tired of political correctness. We have lost our ability of freedom of speech. The country has become more divided and more bigoted."
Meat Loaf has never been shy to speak his mind. When asked about the song "Who Needs the Young" and his opinion of the young, he doesn't hesitate in saying many younger people have an "attitude of entitlement."
Meat Loaf also has a few choice words to critics who say he sings flat or doesn't have the vocal range he once had.
"These people who write this have absolutely no idea about music."
In addition to music, Meat Loaf also has a notable acting career. He’s made 61 films, but says only Focus, written by Arthur Miller, and Fight Club starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton have really satisfied him.
Meat Loaf says his new CD, Braver Than We Are, may be the most satisfying thing he's ever done. "Yesterday I got up at 3:15 in the morning, and I went to my office and listened to the record seven times in a row. I have never listened to one of my records seven times in a row--ever. There is something about this record where Jim and I came full circle," he says.
Next year Meat Loaf will celebrate his 50th anniversary in show business. Even after selling over 80 million records and recording rock anthems like Steinman's "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through," people still assume that just because he calls himself Meat Loaf he can't be taken seriously. That humors him. "People think they know who I am. They don't have a clue," he says. "I am nothing more than the guy who goes to work every day and tries to take care of his family. I'm not a primadonna. I try to do as much for myself without asking other people."
He learned at a young age to take care of himself. Born Marvin Lee Aday in Dallas, Texas, his mother was a school teacher and his father was a police officer who would often go on drinking binges and disappear for days at a time. At 18 his mother died. Meat Loaf left Dallas and headed to Los Angeles. He formed his first band. In 1974 his popularity grew when he joined the cast of The Rocky Horror Show and eventually made the film.
With the persistence of his friends Gilda Radner and John Belushi, Meat Loaf was given the opportunity to perform two songs from Bat Out of Hell on Saturday Night Live. Immediately following his appearance, Bat Out Hell's album sales skyrocketed and the Meat Loaf phenomena began.
Reflecting on the past he says he didn't get into the business to be famous. Perhaps that's been one of the secrets to his staying power. "People either love Meat Loaf or they don't," he says.
His longevity as rock and roll royalty proves people like Meat Loaf just fine. He says he still has something to prove to himself. And just when you think you've seen the last of Meat Loaf, he returns like a bat out of hell. It makes you wonder if the lead character in Braver Than We Are is the brave, original fighter himself.
Braver Than We Are is available Sept. 16. For more information visit www.meatloaf.net