Meat Loaf has left the building. Thank you all for your questions. If you’ve just joined us, read his responses below – and look out for Bat Out of Hell: The Musical in summer 2017.
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s1nnah asks:
Whats the average yearly royalty on something like Bat Out of Hell … you must still be selling copies?
Guardian contributor My yearly royalty rate on Bat Out of Hell has been zero since 1978.
BewilderedMark asks:
I have a vague recollection of you killing two US presidents in an episode of The Outer Limits. I think it involved time travel and someone pretending to be Abraham Lincoln. Was I imagining it?
Guardian contributor Updated
SwindonNick asks:
1) Are you fit, healthy and feeling OK?
2) You were on Celebrity Apprentice with Trump, what’s your view of him?
3) How did the Rocky Horror Picture Show role come about?
Guardian contributor
HearAndSpeakNoEvil asks:
How’s your health? Do you consider yourself a singer who can act or an actor who can sing? Do you ever regret the fallout with Jim Steinman, it seems you two made a good team, for a while anyway!
Guardian contributor My health is fine. 2) Rob Cavallo, the producer of Hang Cool Teddybear - look him up - he said it best: Meat Loaf is an actor who acts like he can sing. Jim Steinman in 42 years have never had an argument or fallout, that is media BS. And that's what that is. You obviously believe everything you read, so if you believe anything you read, I have some land in Florida that I'll be more than happy to sell you.
My next question to you is: have you bought the new record Braver Than We Are? Jim Steinman considers it the best record we've ever done. We changed everything around differently than we'd done before. Can you imagine the same artist painting the same rose for 40 years? The same band that does the same kind of material year after year, people get tired and go away fast. I've been doing this for 50 years in February.
karlcronin asks:
How do you deal with fame, instant recognition, lack of privacy?
Guardian contributor I don't. I'm a human being. People come up to me and talk to me - I'm no different to you, if people come up and talk to you about things. It's the same thing. I don't always like having my picture taken, but I'm sure you don't either.
Doug Neilson asks:
You still tour and perform. Do you like/need to do that? Do to plan to go on forevermore? Put your feet up and play the records.
Guardian contributor Yes, I still tour and perform, but I also do film and I'm going to concentrate on that in the next few years. I would suggest you put your feet up and you play the records, because if you do put your feet up and play the records, there's a lot you can learn from playing those records. It's obvious that you have listened to them, but you've not heard them. My suggestion would be for you to actually hear the records.
RaoulChateaubriand asks:
Do you still think you should have been given Total Eclipse of the Heart?
Guardian contributor I never thought that! I think Bonnie Tyler did an extraordinary job. If I was meant to have sung it, I would have sung it. Bonnie Tyler was meant for it, and she did an incredible job. Absolutely fantastic.
25aubrey asks:
Mr Meatloaf, have you ever been offered to have a sing off with Noddy Holder about who could shout “It’s Christmas!”the best?
Guardian contributor First thing, Meat Loaf is not one word, but two. So if you're gonna ask me a question, make sure you spell my name right. It's on every album I've ever done. It's on my Facebook.
Borucs asks:
I read somewhere that you were taken aback by the raciness of Rocky Horror during its final rehearsals. Surely nothing would shock after performing in the musical Hair?
Guardian contributor Whoever wrote that, I would like to have his name, because he's a complete moron.
Spock asks:
When I was 19 in 1979 I was playing darts in a pub. It was the weekend before Led Zeppelin were about to play at Knebworth. When your track, with that incredible guitar solo, on the jukebox came on, I immediately started scoring triple twenties ... slight exaggeration but my motivation went up. Any chance you can write another record like that?
Guardian contributor Don't ever change that story - you definitely scored triple twenties.
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Ollie Tipler asks:
Meat, would you point me in the right direction to help character development in a live performance?
Guardian contributor Yes, to build a real character you need to do what is called: backstory them. You need to start the character when it was born, who were its parents, what school did it go to, was it an athlete, was it bullied, who was this person that you're trying to find? That will tell you who the character is. Now, however old you think the character is at the time of what you're doing, you keep referring to the backstory, and you'll get more and more information about the character you're about to play.
SkavArt asks:
Are you now able to talk about Fight Club? And are you in any other movie/TV roles in the near future?
Guardian contributor No.
I've starred in 61 films, five Broadway shows, two Shakespeares, off-Broadway shows, standup comedy, guest hosted a TV show, and was the host of a game show. Why? To experience everything. I'm not done yet. I've also directed a film and six videos, but there is a lot more to experience. You can never stop learning.
JoeUsual asks:
Given how hard it was to get the concept of your musical presentation through the door of the commercial music industry, was there anything you abandoned in order to make it?
Guardian contributor It was hard for Jim and myself to get through any door in the music business, in any form. I also wear hearing aids - can you tell me what brand you wear, because I can't hear well enough through mine!
wjelly asks:
Which role or song do you wish you got (or still fancy a go at)?
Guardian contributor There are never any roles or songs that I wish I would have gotten, because the world did not mean for me to do them.
noirnoirnoir asks:
Is it true you used to have a full-sized gingerbread house a la Hansel and Gretel built in your dressing room before every show in the 80s?
Guardian contributor I suggest that you read the answer I gave to the person right above you. In fact, I don't know that I would wait that long before having brain surgery. Because anyone who believed that is in serious need. You may have a tumour which is affecting your ability to actually deal with reality.
glosrfc asks:
Are you considering changing your stage name to The Artist Formerly Known As Mince?
Guardian contributor Are you considering seeing a neurologist to talk over having brain surgery? Because I seriously believe that your family should intervene before you hurt yourself.
GAMilnthorpe asks:
Are you involved in Bat Out of Hell the musical and are you excited?
Guardian contributor I've been involved in this musical since the first note of Bat Out of Hell. Am I excited? Absolutely. To watch my friend and someone who I love dearly finally see his dream come true.
labellevue asks:
Have you ever been to an owl sanctuary?
Guardian contributor
KathyGB asks:
Might Bat Out of Hell the Musical be brought to the United States?
Guardian contributor
badflower asks:
My friend Dean described you as one of the most charming men he has ever met. Why is that people often seem to be wary of you?
Guardian contributor Why are they wary of me? They're shy. That's their problem, not mine.
Oneleggedpig asks:
Could you sum up your life’s philosophy?
Guardian contributor My life's philosophy is: everything you do, whether it be interviews, work on a stage, a live show, a film, working on a tour book, whatever it is, you give it everything you have to give. What you see on stage at a live show, you'd see in a rehearsal of a live show. What you see on film for a rehearsal of a film, you would see on film. In other words, you practice as hard as you play.
Liam Quane asks:
What was it like working with David Fincher?
Guardian contributor It was a dream. Any time you can work with one of the five best directors in the entire world, every moment is magic.
BetterOffTed asks:
How do people address you?
Guardian contributor Usually the put the address of where I live. That's how they address me. They call me Meat.
Caryl Burton asks:
What was it like working with Amanda directing your music video for Going All the Way?
Guardian contributor Amanda is a director, and one day I think she'll be a great director, and it wouldn't surprise me to see her win an Oscar as a director.
Caryl Burton asks:
What are your thoughts and feelings now that Jim’s musical is finally going to be staged in the UK?
Guardian contributor Jim has been my friend for 42 years, and someone that I love dearly. It makes me tremendously happy to know that his dream is finally coming true.
PeteD asks:
I hope you’ve made a good recovery [from your onstage collapse], did it shake you up and will it affect future performances, will you be holding back a bit and being more cautious?
Guardian contributor If you're referring to the fall in Edmonton, that was nothing. That was dehydration from having the flu three days before. I have since had spinal fusion, which has nothing to do with the fall in Edmonton. I don't know if it'll affect future performances.
Matt Price asks:
What makes you happy? What excites you the most these days?
Guardian contributor
vambeefco asks:
Have you ever been in the presence of a spectre’s todger?
Guardian contributor Yes I have! Are you telling me that you haven't been? Well, if you haven't, you don't know what you're missing. It's hard for me to sit here, in this chair, and believe that a person like yourself has never been in the presence of a spectre's todger. You should be ashamed of yourself.
Irene Gruenauer asks:
What advice would you give to a young actor?
Guardian contributor Go to class and study. And try to find a technique that works for you. The technique that works best for me is Meisner - it's a guy, a different technique to Stanislavski. They teach method, and that means part of the character comes from yourself. Meisner's technique says it's on the page. If you open a script and read the line, you don't have to look anywhere else. That's the character, and that's what the character is supposed. Method, you wind up half the time playing yourself. And you hear actors on TV... the announcer will say, did you watch this movie? And the actor will say: I can't watch myself. that's a dead giveaway that they're playing themselves. I've done 61 films and I can watch every one of them. I've had people call me 20 minutes into a series, and say: it's you on TV! I've just realised it was you! That was my best friend. That's how well I hide.
Gooseladyann asks:
I missed your last tour of the UK. Are you feeling better after a brief ‘rest’ and hopefully some treatment for your back and knee? And will I really need to go to the States to see you ever again?
Guardian contributor I just had spinal fusion, and it will take over a year for me to ever walk on a stage again. So we'll know after a year if I'll ever perform on stage again. Up until then, we don't know, I have to do a lot of physical therapy and at the moment I have several movie offers. So we'll see.
DenkiBran asks:
Could you please share your best meatloaf recipe?
Guardian contributor Yes, go back and find the Hairy Bikers show I was on. And they cooked a chicken meatloaf. Find out the recipe from them!
bryfox asks:
Is it right you once offended Pavarotti by saying he’d stolen your act?
Guardian contributor
35 Kanyon asks:
Do you think rock music still has a future or do you feel, like Gene Simmons, it has no future?
Guardian contributor Rock music is not something that you put on a CD or vinyl. Rock music is something that you live. So even if all the artists who did rock music decided they weren't going to do any more, people will still play drums and guitar, it might be only on the weekends in Chris's basement, but rock music will live forever. It's the same as symphonies or operas. It's the same as African music, or Native American music with the drums - which may not sell millions of records, but they still play it and feel it. Rock music isn't about selling records - maybe it is to Gene, I don't know. To me it's about a feeling. And not about my feelings - it's your feelings, and the public's feelings.
Courtney Marshall asks:
How do you still go on? And will you be making another album?
Guardian contributor Well, either by plane, by car or by bus. Or else my wife drives me. Or Francis, who has been working with me for 8 years, drives me. That's how I keep going.
OleksandrOK asks:
What does music mean to you?
Guardian contributor The answer is really this: what does music mean to you? That's the question. Why? Because people make music for other people. So it's not what it means to me, it's what it means to you when you get your hands on it and you hear it. No matter if it's Beethoven, Bach, LIeber and Stoller, The Beatles, The Goo Goo Dolls, The Police... doesn't matter. What does it mean to you?
vambeefco asks:
British satirist Chris Morris was kind enough to give you a shout out during the 1994 Comedy Awards – just wondering if you had any nice words for him?
Guardian contributor That was 20 years ago. I can't say that I've ever met Chris Morris, but if he gave me a shoutout, then that was very kind and polite and nice. Then I will give him one now: Yo! Chris! Babe!
JennyHorner says:
YO LOAF – If Axel [sic] Rose can perform with AC/DC on stage with a broken leg in a chair you CAN continue even if you require a knee replacement!
Guardian contributor Yo whoever you are! I did perform with a knee replacement, and I've done probably close to 100 shows since my knee was replaced. And before you were born, I broke my leg, and also did shows in a wheelchair. Take that and smoke it in your pipe!
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qqqqqqmn asks:
Where is the motorcycle from RHPS?
Guardian contributor
Cheryl Lawrance asks:
What do you consider to be your favourite track for live performances?
Guardian contributor My favourite is... well, this is the track my wife hates the most, and the one I love the most: Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire. I have no idea why she hates it! I love it because I don't listen to myself sing. I may be the only one who doesn't. The only time is the first four lines of the night, because I want to know where my voice is, can I hit all the notes dead on without having to worry? And I would say 92% of the time I can, and if I don't on the first verse, I'll listen to the second verse and try to fix it. I'll keep listening and I'll always get it fixed by song 2.
I play a film in my head and the films are never the same, and I sing in character. If you pay close attention to me live, you will notice that on every song my hands move different, I move different. I come from the school of Brando, where movement is the main thing of every character. So the movement of that character is very different that any other song. Plus the images that Simon wrote are so vibrant. There's another song like that: Bat Out of Hell. But Frying Pan is my favourite - when we get to "fire, fire, fire", I'm really feeling fire. Sometimes it's actually there of course! But even the real fire, I don't see. I see the fire in my head. Bat Out of Hell is the same way. Because Jim writes with such great humour, that if you did it that way, it would seem stupid. Take the lyric, he's singing to the girl: I'm lying at the bottom of a pit in the blazing sun. To me, that's hysterical! But when I sing it live it's real, it's the truth, so you can't make it funny. You have to make everything real and be in the truth of the moment.
Samuel Smith asks:
Will you ever guest on an Anthrax record?
Guardian contributor Well, I've asked Scott to play on two now. I asked him to play on the last one, but he has to take care of his wife and my grandchild so he's already busy. So we could never find a time, and moving things around was impossible.
I'd much rather sing in a live show, than be on a record.
Meat Loaf is with us!
Post your questions for Meat Loaf
With his energetic strutting, mighty physical heft and near-operatic voice, Meat Loaf remains one of rock music’s larger than life characters.
His breakthrough came with The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, but it was his 1977 album Bat Out of Hell that made him a star, eventually selling 43m copies worldwide. Its sequel album featured the single I Would Do Anything For Love, which went to number one in 28 countries; he has also taken numerous film roles, including a memorably voluptuous turn in Fight Club.
He’s bounced back from an onstage collapse this year with new album Braver Than We Are, while a musical version of Bat Out of Hell is heading to London’s West End in summer 2017. His songs form the backdrop to a post-apocalyptic story of star-crossed lovers, penned by his longtime songwriting partner Jim Steinman.
As he helps launch the project this week, he’s joining us to answer your questions in a live webchat on Wednesday 2 November at 1pm GMT – post them in the comments below, and he’ll answer as many as possible.
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Thanks for all the great questions, and for those of you who thought you were clever in asking stupid questions, when you really become clever, then you can ask me a really clever question. But so far you're not very clever. For those of you who asked honestly, I thank you, and love you very much.