Meat Loaf on InnerVIEWS with Ernie Manouse

as an actor he has appeared in over 50 movies and TV shows including the Rocky Horror Picture Show Fight Club and tenacious D but it says a superstar rocker that he recorded one of the most successful albums of all time his musical union with composer Jim Steinman has built a musical legacy that few can match and their album Bat Out of Hell still sells over 200,000 copies annually more than 30 years after its release hello i'm ernie manouse coming up on interviews our conversation with Grammy award-winning performer meatloaf do you find there's a difference between singing a song and performing one well there's a huge difference most people don't know how to perform a song most people Alvis knew how to perform a song Springsteen knows how to perform a song there's a few people that really know how to perform a song a wreath in you how to perform a song Frank Sinatra you had a performer song Roger Daltrey is somebody in the know inside of a form of song performing a song and just singing a song that it's my problem with American Idol the ones that went on Adam Lambert for example who went out to perform a song they were constantly saying you know things like well why didn't you just have a tank out here I thought what a great idea that is there's a huge difference in standing on the stage and singing song and performing a song and critics ignorant critics tend to believe that if you can't write the song you can't possibly feel it and that's to me is like telling a Marlon Brando that in streetcar named desire because Tennessee Williams wrote it he could possibly never feel the role our any movie any play that's ever been written by anybody else Hoffman tell all these actors Hackman Hoffman Pacino De Niro Johnny Depp you didn't write the script you can't possibly feel it you can't possibly bring it to life and that just goes to show you how really idiotic that and how pretentious and how they have no idea what they're talking about when you first get a song outside of like Steinman's work when you get us on can you tell immediately if it's one that you'll connect with or not sometimes there's potential in it and I will I I'm never saying any so that has not been reworked over and over and over again the character has to come to life the character has to come to land take a movie if you I read scripts all the time and if there's no character development and a lot of scripts it's just about a story but the stories aren't really interesting until you develop a character and you know who those people are and so even if I take a movie where I think the character isn't developed enough I will develop him inside him and force the director his hand into shooting what I believe I am ways of doing that without you know just by putting a pretty little smile on my face and patting him on the head and tell him I'm good they are and it's all about character development like last night I was late I forgot song of madness was coming and and it's like I get sent there and I bring my characters to life in my head and I was late getting set and my character he never locked he was in and out and that song and it made me crazy after the show nobody else in the entire world would know but me I was a hair late on little things and it was it was making me crazy so it's it's all about the character it's all about the development and especially with hang cool teddy bear it's all about Patrick and and the situation's and the different characters and the different people that email he's the same person he becomes help me with that album a little bit because what I'm interested in was this Patrick story already written before the album started or did it develop how to put what happened was a song literally fell out of the sky and hit me on the head and I've no idea where it came from the guy who wrote it doesn't know how I got it the people that would send you peace on earth they don't know how I got it my managers don't know how I got it nobody there is nobody in existence that knows how this song appeared in my hand and I heard this song and Rob Cavallo had said to me we had 19 other songs and we cut three tracks and he said these other 19 songs we're not going to be able do the same tracks that were done but that we've done with these three with these others that doesn't mean they're bad songs it's a different style and we you went for a style and the first tracks we cut were song called like a rose Los Angeles and was it living on the outside I remember what the third song was but they were rocked and they were modern and they were contemporary and they were built in for a younger demo if everybody can remember back even in the 80s like Entertainment Tonight would be about movies and about music and and the shows in the 70s being about Don you know Don Kirshner and Rael would be about and they'd have movies they'd have a system Ebert and they'd have they'd have real artistic shows about artistic things now it's about Paris Hilton getting busted for cocaine and I don't know what her name is wanting to reduce her breast size from G and they don't do anything but why doesn't the industry learn I mean especially take for example bat out of hell nobody wanted to touch that album it goes on to be one of the top somebody wanted to touch it because because it it scared them because they said nobody's want to hear this and I said dude we just sold out Carnegie Hall and I don't have a record and all I've done is plain little clubs like Reno Sweeney's that holds 175 this other club that holds 60 and we've been traveling around in New York City playing these little supper clubs and I said all of a sudden somebody says we're going to put you in Carnegie Hall it said Wow and we sold it out because of doing that and it wasn't because you know I was you know the sex image of all time and we had you know really scantily clad women and Jim Steinman and I are nine examples of your rock gods and what it was about was it about them is the music touch to people and I knew that it was the same as Rocky Horror but let me ask that though if in fact you recognize that how is it that the record execs never seemed to rush stupid how can they all and I mean I see this happen over again not they're not all stupid you know like at the time we had a real we had a couple of supporters mo Austin and Warner Brothers was one rust I read at Warner Brothers was one lenny warner Kurt Warner Brothers was not one so they refused he said I'm gonna having this record on my label so Steve Popovich was one Albert Grossman of a Bearsville was one so there was and there don't let mo Austin and and Steve Popovich and those guys are real mute were real music guys Clive Davis didn't get it because it didn't have just first bridge chorus but but Clive Davis and a retrospect later on they asked him is there one artist that you missed in not signing and he said yes meatloaf and he said I just didn't get it he said but obviously in the audience did was an overnight I got another good six months to go on hang cool teddy bear and I think I can make it connect it's never going to Selma been in a hell because nothing sells but if I can look if they want identifying to 20 million downloads I'll take it see I'm shocked Los Angeles isn't a huge hit I can explain this to you it's actually because in in the 70s and in the 80s radio it it didn't make any difference about anything other than the song was the some radio programmers in other words each station had its own radio program each station was independent now it's one big giant thing and if some guy over here says oh well that's not going to work in Cincinnati and that's not and it's all about demographic Los Angeles her is a brilliant song well I'll tell you this in England they were smart enough in England then it was the number one most played song on the BBC Radio 2 so don't anybody here tell me that it doesn't work because it does and it was big in Germany and and so you know for them to sit here and tell me oh this song doesn't work for our people it's just stupid because they go oh well we have a demographic that is 16 to 24 and you're way too old it's that's one that literally is what it's about it's about age suma Graham and then you go they go well we're gonna start off a classic rock and classic rock says oh our demographic is too old for this song a good song is again if you go back in history and you think of all the songs that would have come out right now in this market place and what classic songs that people love and listen to would have never been heard because of how it's set up and the record executives say it's because of downloads it's not it's because music is nothing more than a Frigidaire refrigerator that hums at you there's a and the people that have the ability to go out and do the right record big-big artist and that will get played they're lazy they are now become lazy and they make horrible records was there a point in your career where you realized success didn't guarantee the next step because I was exhausted now I'm guarantees the next step and I would think coming off bat out of hell you must have thought okay we're gonna be on easy street here no I didn't ever you never I've never in my entire life thought I was gonna be an easy street really I've fought my entire life on everything I've ever done the acting world and it likes me yeah almost every movie I've ever done I've gotten nothing but positive reviews I mean I would say 98% of my reviews in a movie have been positive there's been reviews where well they didn't use him enough or you know and stuff like that but I just know the accolades that Bob got from Fight Club I I know things about the Golden Globes and and crazy in Alabama if it would have done better business what what was going on an excellent movie that a lot and I'm not seeing and when I did Shakespeare in the Park for Joe Papp I got rave reviews from the times and I never read Shakespeare but I got rave reviews because they said I was a real person and and anything I do acting music anything it's about the truth and it's about finding the truth and for somehow some reason that was in it wasn't instilled it was a it was a gift and and I was lucky enough to figure it out I had to get thrown off the baseball team to get to figure it out because I won't tell you what the coach said I called him I was going to do the lead in the musical and he and he looked at me and he used a certain word you're going to do that blank musical over playing baseball well then you can't do both and I'm so rebellious that when somebody goes at me like that I told him to take his baseball team shove it and I went and did the musical and that's when it all kind of started and there was a senior year in high school times in your in your quiet times that you've looked back on the career both film and in music and you realize how much you have touch people know I know I know no no because it doesn't mean any difference what you did yesterday it really doesn't like last night was a great show no I mean we best show that places scene ten years and I'm gonna tell them so and and my focus now is I'm going to Orlando now that show has to be better than that show so what happened yesterday means nothing that and 250 will get you a cup of Starbucks but when you step out on the stage and I saw last night and you realize that all of these people they know every word of what you're about to say they're so in tune with it you realize as you mentioned some people have used your songs at weddings and that's become the soundtracks of their lives yeah it's not that you've what I mean not the only I mean the Beatles I mean there's you're in a handful of people that really said there's and there's a lot of the Beno Springsteen Billy Joel you know become probably the soundtrack of my life would be a Hotel California yeah that's like that and and there's a Dobby grey album and Linda Ronstadt if those were the three people that had the most influence on me with a Linda I would say any singer in the world the singer because Linda she's a singer right had more influence on me than anybody Ronstadt which is a very strange thing but yeah but when you're up there you must realize you know I don't realize I can't it doesn't it's not there it's not there I'm no I'm off I mean I'm we're doing peace on earth and and those things if I break character in the middle of Los Angeles her away from Patrick to deliver that little speech to the audience yeah because and that was real hard on the record not to do as myself excuse because the speech is so fitting but live I give it I give it to the audience but um peace on earth and and living on the outside and song of madness took the words that we have fun with opportunity and I I don't take that any character because I said I would never bring Yeti back to the stage so I don't I just play around and have fun with the girls and it's just like this fun little thing but once we get into break it that's a character and he's there dead serious so half the time I couldn't tell you what the audience is doing because the audience I don't thrive on the audience most I would say 90% of the performers draw their energy from an audience I don't I give the same show in front of three trees and you wouldn't know the difference yeah is it always work for you or does it ever cross over into fun or is it oh no you can tell I have fun as we get a paradise is fun I mean paradise is hysterical and then I start to have fun with boneyard and and then we go into free bird vajura but he just couldn't believe if I wanted to do but it works great and - all revved up and then we fire the guns those bet those are the fun moments but when we're when I'm dead serious inside those songs oh I'm dead serious I couldn't even tell you what the erection in the audience is when the songs are over especially after peace on earth going into livin on the outside because Patrick's in a daze and Patrick doesn't know where he is so I am totally locked into Patrick I have no idea what anybody's doing around me other than when I know that this song starts I couldn't tell you what the band's doing I couldn't say what the audience is doing I couldn't tell you what anybody is doing where did the style of performing come from for you when did you realize that's how you have to do because that's how an actor is yeah if you're not that if you're not that into play and you're not that in a film when I'm doing film there I don't see cameras I don't see anything there's an actor and there's a me and and if there's not another actor it's me cameras are gone crews gone they disappear they're gone I'm so locked that nothing exists do you prefer acting film wise or music on stage it's all the same it's the same difference only I have to stay in time there's things that I would do and I do I want someone but I catch up inside the songs that you would do there's there's beats and acting and in in its in some styles there's a real tempo is equivalent to music but a lot of most contemporary pieces there's beats but there's no time you you know you get him 4/4 bar inside of two four and sign two three four I'm inside of a one four bar if you want to take it musically when you're acting because you can have these huge long dramatic pauses and that if the director smart enough to let him work if the actors are really locked where you and you see it with it where they where they do nothing but he cuts back and forth between the looks and if he's really good in these two actors are really good it will really keep you on your seat to if the tensions right what are they going to do next and in it and it's like if you can get an actor and and you have to have a you have to have a good actor with you you to to let that yeah that flow because that's what it is was like I weren't with Glenn Close and and she's that kind of actress and and it's just like let that flow go and we're talking without talking and that's the hardest thing as an actor the hardest thing in as an actor is not the dialogue its what to do when you're not talking right that's the hardest thing that's when I teach my band because I my band is in acting school every day about timings about when to move when to do this it it's it's it looks very improv and it and it is to a point but it's not to a point because they know that tension they know not drop on their shoulders they know about this I mean I've talked to all people have come to see my show and they they realize that there's something different about it and and big big names big names we won't get them have come to me and go can we talk to you yeah so I you know tell them look I just gave a note to a band guitar playing the other day in a band I went to see and they said we got it on film we'll check it out I said check it out watch what he does okay we're running out of time last thing I want to ask you though I read something that disturbs me greatly that teddy bear might be your last studio album no no okay not true no don't be intense you know what I'm right I only do it to piss people off well good because you pissed me off but now I'm happy that everything's okay no I just get I get tired of it's like my mother's to say be happy in the clothes God gave you and be happy in your life and be happy with what you've got and don't worry about what you don't have be happy with what you have and we're in an age of so much self-importance and so much an attitude of entitlement that I just want to go ahead and choke people I won't but when people get something and and they they say they're fans and then they start this dribbling on about this in that and this and that and then I write little things about well did you read the short story well I've read it all well then shut the up and so they make me man so I tell them okay I'm doing this and that and then the fat lady's gonna sing I just I just want to get them because it's my only opportunity to get them back and then they all don't quit don't stop don't stop on too late now you're people piss me off I don't care about the people anymore I want you all to go away you really need to learn to appreciate what you have you need to appreciate your life you need to appreciate your loved ones I was watching his show and it was really depressing but it was about families in LA with two three kids and dad was working but they couldn't afford any more than these transit motels one-room motels and and and it was this whole expose on that but there was every time they went in to talk to one of these families now whether they were putting on a good face or not but but what they were all saying was look and someone been homeless and millon girls yeah we were homeless my mama it was hard I didn't I was scared but now we're here and they will make sure that they sit at the dinner table and they have dinner as a family together it was very sad to watch but in but it was also that the father came home the mother sent there they did they put they made sure that they had the family time and everyone there was about 12 and those families now they that is a typical example of appreciating what you have at the moment knowing that you want to improve your situation and and willing to work for it that's the other thing there is no free rides that's why you say I don't live in my past I live in Orlando right now and meatloaf I cannot say anything but thank you so much for doing a wild gletscher meatloaf okay bye kids to order a DVD of this or any episode of interviews please visit Houston pbs.org

Channel: HoustonPBS

Views: 11,444

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: meat, loaf, on, innerviews, with, ernie, manouse, interview, houston, pbs, channel, bat, out, of, hell, rocky, horror, picture, show, rock, and, roll, singer

Id: IA0MK6mDylI

Length: 26min 48sec (1608 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 21 2011