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Meat Loaf – a complicated musical giant

<p>Ridiculed by critics and custodians of cool, Meat Loaf’s bombastic performances were loved by millions, providing the soundtrack to the lives of various generations. </p> <p>The man born Marvin Lee Aday was something of an unreliable narrator. He offered contradictory accounts in interviews of such basic details as his date of birth, real name, or why and how he came to be known as Meat Loaf. According to <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/to-hell-and-back/david-dalton/meat-loaf/9780753504437">his autobiography</a>, an inheritance from his mother allowed him, as a disturbed and distressed teenager, to leave the house of a violent alcoholic father to live, first in Dallas, and subsequently California.</p> <p>He was cast in the original Los Angeles productions of both Hair and The Rocky Horror Show, also appearing in the 1975 film adaptation of the latter. On auditioning for budding playwright/songwriter <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/meat-loaf-remembers-jim-steinman-1160041/">Jim Steinman’s</a> More Than You Deserve musical – the title track of which would later pop up on the Dead Ringer album – Steinman identified his ideal leading man for the Bat out of Hell project.</p> <p>Record executives were less convinced. They thought that the pairing of a large sweaty singer with unorthodox musical arrangements, pitched somewhere between Phil Spector and Wagner, was a complete anomaly in the age of punk and disco. The odd pair were eventually signed by independent label Cleveland after getting Todd Rundgren onboard as a producer.</p> <p>The Texan-born singer and actor outlived his chief collaborator by less than a year. Their signing with Cleveland would be the start to a career full of hits and as many highs as there were lows.</p> <h2>Difficult success</h2> <p>Bat Out of Hell – one of the top five selling records of all-time – was released in 1977. Almost all the songs originated from a university project of Steinman’s based on Peter Pan. Unable to clear the rights with JM Barrie’s estate, Steinman recycled the material into Bat Out of Hell instead. Jukebox musicals typically rely on a pre-existing songbook but Bat out of Hell is best characterised as a cast album that had its first outing in the charts before the stage. </p> <p>Given that three of the album’s seven songs exceed eight minutes, remarkably not a moment is wasted. Epics such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw&amp;ab_channel=MeatLoafVEVO">Paradise by the Dashboard Light</a> and Bat out of Hell (designed to top the 1960s hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjQgkHzbTk&amp;ab_channel=John1948Ten">Tell Laura I Love Her</a> as the ultimate motorcycle crash song) are more than guilty pleasures. They encapsulate the sensations if not perhaps the realities of being a hormonal teenager in thrall to sex, death and rock‘n’roll.</p> <p>The album sold over 10 million copies in the US, and spent over ten years on the UK charts. Meat Loaf was not, however, mentally or physically prepared for the pressures of success or large-scale touring. After losing his voice on the Bat Out of Hell tour in 1978, he had multiple nervous breakdowns and attempted suicide. Steinman lost patience, and a planned sequel to Bat was put on the backburner.</p> <p>There were occasional hits in the 1980s without Steinman (for instance <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCHWD9HeRKY&amp;ab_channel=PeterSchulz">Modern Girl</a> and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/5TvUFX8blX7LAw4nMtYji4?highlight=spotify:track:0UeoAe8yipWeSNr3zfCPfx">Midnight at the Lost and Found</a>) but Meat Loaf’s star was on the wane. Despite recording one of the most successful albums of rock’s golden age, by 1983 the singer was facing the prospect of bankruptcy. </p> <p>Yet by playing smaller venues and adopting more sophisticated vocal techniques, a constant touring schedule through the latter part of the 1980s transformed Meat Loaf into one of world’s most accomplished live performers. A nearly three-hour 1988 concert recording <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0gkNPhmn-0">from Edinburgh</a> shows why this period is considered his live peak by hardcore fans.</p> <p>It also ensured he was better prepared to reap the rewards when he and Steinman staged one of rock’s most unlikely comebacks with Bat out of Hell II in 1993, with lead-single I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t do That) topping the charts in 28 countries. The 1990s marked Meat Loaf’s imperial phase, selling out arenas and enjoying celebrity, appearing in films such as Fight Club (1997) and Spice World (1999).</p> <p>Yet unlike Peter Pan, Meat Loaf wasn’t forever young, often appearing lost in the new millennium. After collapsing on stage in Newcastle in 2007, he said he wouldn’t perform in concert again. In reality, he continued touring for another decade, the musical equivalent of a veteran boxer not knowing when to hang up the gloves.</p> <p>Steinman also launched a legal action when the singer sought to go it alone with <a href="https://ultimateclassicrock.com/meat-loaf-bat-out-of-hell-iii/">Bat Out of Hell III</a> (2006). An out of court settlement effectively gave the songwriter free rein to develop a stage version of Bat out of Hell. Despite their differences, Meat Loaf took on promotional duties as Steinman’s health prevented him from undertaking for the 2017 premiere of <a href="https://www.batoutofhellmusical.com/">Bat Out of Hell the Musical</a>.</p> <p>Now that so many of rock’s founding fathers have died, my current research into rock musicals such as this and David Bowie’s Lazarus sees them as repositioning one of the major forms of cultural expression from the second half of the last century. </p> <p>Blessed with one of rock’s most distinctive voices (admirers include Axl Rose and Kurt Cobain), quality control was never Meat’s forte. At his best, however, the Loaf was a heavyweight contender, able to hold his own alongside the world’s finest performers irrespective of genre.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/meat-loaf-a-complicated-musical-giant-175552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Music

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Meat Loaf’s daughter remembers her dad

<p dir="ltr">Amanda Aday, daughter of musician Meat Loaf, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 74, has spoken to the media for the first time since her father’s death, telling<span> </span><em>People<span> </span></em>he was a “complex man with a lot of passion who wore his heart on his sleeve”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Aday, 41, said that she and her sister Pearl "lived a very dichotomous life" as daughters of the<span> </span><em>Bat Out of Hell<span> </span></em>singer, touring arenas, travelling on tour buses, "and having all of these amazing experiences" as they travelled with their dad around the globe. When the tours were over and they returned home, however, "it was home and he was just dad," she says. "He wasn't Meat Loaf anymore."</p> <p dir="ltr">Aday describes Meat Loaf, whose real name was Michael Lee Aday, as a very involved parent, directing their school plays and coaching their softball teams. She said, "If we didn't get good grades, we were grounded, and all of that stuff. So, it was very much, when we weren't out on tour living this crazy life, it was very important to him that we were grounded in our home."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZA1AWMMeJC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CZA1AWMMeJC/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Amanda Aday (@amandaaday)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">He encouraged his kids to think for themselves and avoid following trends. Aday said, "Growing up, when we were little, he always said he never wanted to be hip. Pearl and I would want a new pair of shoes or something, whatever was in trend, fashion-wise or whatever, and he'd always say, 'Don't be trendy. Don't be hip. Be cool, because cool is always.' And that was him."</p> <p dir="ltr">Aday revealed that Christmas was his favourite time of year, sharing that, "He would stay up all night making train sets around the Christmas tree." She also shared an anecdote from her sixth Christmas, when Meat Loaf bought her every Playmobil toy imaginable. "He stayed up literally all night and erected an entire Playmobil city and circus underneath the Christmas tree, because that's what he did. He was dad,” she told<span> </span><em>People.</em></p> <p dir="ltr">She also revealed that both she and her sister rushed to Nashville to be by their father’s side after receiving a call informing them that his health "was declining very rapidly, more rapidly than expected."</p> <p dir="ltr">"As soon as we could, we just went to his bedside at the hospital and just sat with him and held his hand," she said, adding that she was “very thankful” they had a chance to see him before he died.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc</em></p>

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Scrumptious peach, coconut and hazelnut loaf

<p>This easy and delicious peach, coconut and hazelnut loaf is the perfect addition to your afternoon tea. Whether you choose to accompany the homemade dessert with a cup of tea or a glass of fresh juice, this unique and fresh recipe is sure to be a hit.</p> <p>Try it out for yourself below.</p> <p><strong>Preparation time:</strong> 15 min</p> <p><strong>Cooking time:</strong> 50 min</p> <p><strong>Makes:</strong> 1 loaf</p> <p><strong>Ingredients:</strong></p> <ul> <li>125g butter, softened</li> <li>2/3 cup caster sugar</li> <li>1 tsp vanilla extract</li> <li>2 eggs, at room temperature</li> <li>1 cup sour cream</li> <li>2 yellow peaches, stone removed, finely diced</li> <li>1 ½ cup self-raising flour</li> <li>½ cup plain flour</li> <li>½ cup desiccated coconut</li> <li>1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, finely chopped</li> </ul> <p><strong>Method:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 6-cup capacity (20cm x 10cm x 7cm deep base measurement) loaf pan and line with baking paper, 5cm above line of pan. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until pale and creamy. Add egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.</li> <li>Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in sour cream, peaches and coconut. Sift flours over batter and gently fold until combined.</li> <li>Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. Smooth top and sprinkle with chopped nuts, pressing gently into batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.</li> </ol> <p><em>Recipe and image courtesy of <span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AustraliaSummerStonefruit">Australian Summer Stonefruit</a></span>.</em></p>

Food & Wine

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Apricot loaf

<p>Passed down through generations in the Watson family, this delicious cake/loaf is best enjoyed with a smidgen of butter and a cup of your favourite brew.</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></p> <p>• 1 cup all bran<br />• ½ cup castor sugar<br />• 1 cup of milk<br />• 1 cup self raising flour<br />• 1 cup chopped dried apricots<br />• 1 tablespoon golden syrup<br />• 2 tablespoon desiccated coconut</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Method:</strong></span></p> <p>1. Grease a loaf tin and pre-heat oven to 180°C.</p> <p>2. Soak the all bran, castor sugar and milk for at least half and hour.</p> <p>3. Add the self-raising flour, dried apricots and golden syrup to the mixture and mix well.</p> <p>4. Add mixture to loaf tin, sprinkle with desiccated coconut, and bake for 45 minutes. Check loaf toward ends to ensure it doesn’t cook sooner.</p> <p>5. Serve with butter.</p>

Food & Wine

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Pumpkin and zucchini loaf

<p>Maggie Beer’s loaf cake is perfect to slice and freeze, pulling out a piece at a time to toast with tea, anytime you want a delicious afternoon snack.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>2 cups grated pumpkin</li> <li>1 cup grated zucchini</li> <li>¼ cup tahini</li> <li>5 eggs</li> <li>3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil</li> <li>2 cups almond meal</li> <li>1 cup oat meal</li> <li>2 teaspoons baking powder</li> <li>¼ teaspoon Himalayan sea salt</li> <li>¼ teaspoon nutmeg</li> <li>¼ cup pumpkin seeds, to top bread</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat to oven to 165°C. Grease and line a loaf tin with parchment paper.</li> <li>In a large bowl place the pumpkin, zucchini, tahini eggs and oil- mix well. In a second bowl mix together the meals, baking powder, salt and nutmeg.</li> <li>Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix well and spread evenly into the loaf tin. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and place into the preheated oven.</li> <li>Cook for 45 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin.</li> <li>Serve warm or leave to cool completely.</li> <li>Slice 1.5cm thick and freeze portions of two slices in snap lock bags.</li> </ol> <p>Doesn’t this sound like an incredible recipe? Have you tried a similar one, and would you suggest any alterations to make it your own? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Recipe courtesy of the Maggie Beer Foundation. To find more information please visit their <a href="https://www.maggiebeerfoundation.org.au/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">website here</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em><strong>Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 178 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now</span></a>.</strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/05/zucchini-and-sweet-potato-vegetable-slice/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Zucchini and sweet potato vegetable slice</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/05/zucchini-and-corn-fritters-with-smoked-salmon/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Zucchini and corn fritters with smoked salmon</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/04/zucchini-tomato-macadamia-salad/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Zucchini, tomato and macadamia salad with parmesan crisps</strong></em></span></a></p>

Food & Wine

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Apricot bran loaf

<p>As featured in the Over60 cookbook, here Lyn shares her scrumptious apricot bran loaf recipe.</p> <p>“This recipe went around during my mothers’ club days at my kids’ primary school. It was always a favourite.” Lyn Batson</p> <p>To discover 174 other recipes and the lovely stories behind where they came from, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">why not order your very own copy of the Over60, The Way Mum Made It, today</span></strong></a>.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span></strong> 10–12</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li>1 cup chopped dried apricots</li> <li>1 cup milk</li> <li>1 cup unprocessed bran</li> <li>1 cup sugar</li> <li>1 cup self-raising flour</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Add the apricots, milk, bran and sugar to a bowl and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.</li> <li>Mix in the self-raising flour. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a 20 cm x 10 cm loaf tin and line with baking paper.</li> <li>Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the centre.</li> <li>Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, slice and spread with butter.</li> </ol>

Food & Wine

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Banana, chocolate and almond cake

<p>There are few traditions that have a link with family in the way that baking does. Much of what I bake has been passed on to me by my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. The taste of my great-grandmother's fruit cake is something I will never forget. To this day I use her recipe and will go out of my way to pass it on to the next generation.</p> <p>Sometimes, new traditions appear. I've been meaning to write about this particular banana bread recipe for a while now. I came across it a couple of years ago, and it is now entrenched here in the Mannering household. Loaf cakes seem to stand somewhere in the middle between health-conscious treat and all-out guilty pleasure. This is indeed a bit of both. What I don't feel at all bad about doing is grilling great thick slices of it in the oven for breakfast.</p> <p>Use whatever type of chocolate you like. Sometimes I prefer the bitter kick of dark chocolate, but almost equally often I crave the sweet richness of milk chocolate.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients</span>:</strong></p> <ul> <li>150ml vegetable oil</li> <li>200g brown sugar</li> <li>1 teaspoon vanilla essence</li> <li>2 eggs</li> <li>350g ripe bananas, roughly mashed</li> <li>70g Greek yoghurt</li> <li>50g roast almonds, roughly chopped</li> <li>150g chocolate, roughly chopped</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking soda</li> <li>1 teaspoon baking powder</li> <li>1 teaspoon cinnamon</li> <li>Pinch of salt</li> <li>220g wholemeal flour</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Preheat the oven to 170°C.</li> <li>Grease a regular loaf tin (mine is 26cm x11cm) and line with baking paper.</li> <li>In a large mixing bowl, beat together the vegetable oil, brown sugar, vanilla essence and eggs.</li> <li>Add the mashed banana and yoghurt, followed by the almonds and chocolate, and mix well to combine.</li> <li>Combine the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and flour in another bowl, then sieve into the banana mixture. Gently fold in so that everything is only just incorporated.</li> <li>Transfer the mixture to the lined tin and smooth off the top.</li> <li>Bake in the preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.</li> <li>Allow to cool down in the tin before turning out and polishing off.</li> </ol> <p><em>Written by Sam Mannering. First appeared on <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong>Stuff.co.nz</strong></a>.</span></em></p> <p><strong><em>Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 178 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now</a></span>.</em></strong></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/05/diy-pumpkin-bread/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">DIY pumpkin bread</span></em></strong></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/04/macadamia-date-chocolate-torte/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Macadamia, date and chocolate torte</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/lifestyle/food-wine/2016/04/banana-oatmeal-cups/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Banana oatmeal cups</strong></em></span></a></p>

Food & Wine

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Easy cranberry and orange loaf

<p>Light and spongy, this cranberry and orange loaf is the perfect homemade treat to enjoy with a hot tea.</p> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span></strong> 4-6</p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong> </span></p> <ul> <li>2 cup self-raising flour</li> <li>¾ cup sugar</li> <li>1 ½ tsp baking powder</li> <li>¾ tsp salt</li> <li>½ tsp baking soda</li> <li>¼ cup margarine or softened butter</li> <li>1 tbsn orange zest</li> <li>¾ cup orange juice</li> <li>1 egg</li> <li>1 cup cranberries, chopped, fresh or frozen</li> <li>1 tbsn orange juice, extra</li> <li>1 cup sifted icing sugar</li> </ul> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p> <ol> <li>Grease the bottom of a 8 x 4 loaf pan.</li> <li>Combine sugar, flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl. Add margarine or butter and mix until crumbly.</li> <li>Add orange peel, ¾ cup of orange juice and egg. Stir until mixed through. Add cranberries.</li> <li>Pour thick batter into a pan and bake until a knife comes clean from the centre- approximately 50-75 minutes.</li> <li>Combine 1 tablespoon of orange juice with icing sugar to great a glaze, and drizzle over the loaf once cooled and removed from the tin. Serve with slices of orange on the side.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <div class="advert" style="margin: 20px 0 20px 0; float: right;"></div> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/01/sweet-potato-chips/">Healthy sweet potato chips</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2014/12/banana-date-and-walnut-cake/">Banana, date and walnut cake with cream cheese icing</a></em></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/2015/03/flourless-hazelnut-chocolate-cake/">Flourless hazelnut chocolate cake</a></em></strong></span></p> <p> </p>

Food & Wine

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