I'd Do Anything For Loaf (But I Won't Do That)

I didn't begin to fully appreciate Meat Loaf (Michael Lee Aday) until last year, when I watched a made-for-television movie on VH1 that chronicled Loaf's life from the small theater stages to arenas to the big screen. I had always found his music to be a little too, well, theatrical, dramatic, and over-the-top for my tastes. Every time I heard or saw the music video to "I'd Do Anything For Love," I'd let out a huge laugh at that miserable, ugly-looking man who leered in the dark corner of a castle and chased after the beautiful model through the forest. What was it, exactly, that he wouldn't do? (Calling all kinky minds to hypothesize.) Meat Loaf was like the butt of a joke without a punchline. I never took him or his music seriously.

Anyway, the movie portrayed Meat Loaf more as a person than a persona (with some random actor cast as Meat Loaf), and I suddenly gained more appreciation for the man and how he kind of defied what a pop star could look or sound like. When I found Bat Out Of Hell on vinyl a couple months ago, I didn't hesitate to bring it home with me. Not that the dollar bin where it was found had anything to do with it.

This morning, I received an invitation to attend the red carpet premiere of the new Meat Loaf documentary, Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise, where Meat Loaf will be in attendance. Oh man, what an opportunity! I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement. I've only seen a depiction of Meat Loaf's life played out through actors (for a made-for-TV movie, it was excellent). Now I'm given the chance to see the man, the myth, the meat share his up-and-down life experiences on the big screen, seated in the same room as the subject, and I can't - the premiere is in New York City!

I'd do anything for a lot of things, but I won't fly across the country in the name of Meat Loaf. That's just embarrassing.

Watch the trailer: