6-6-6, Is the End of Days Upon Us?

I am back. This is the first post for June and oddly enough it is on 06/06/06 or 666, the number of the beast or Antichrist. Is there meaning to this? Considering that I was going to natter on about raccoons and squirrels, I would think not. Then something else caught my fancy.

It appears that Meat Loaf has sued his former friend and collaborator, Jim Steinman, for appropriating "Bat Out of Hell". In 1995, or so, Jim Steinman, copywrited or trade marked the use of "Bat Out of Hell" but Meat Loaf still used the terms until they had a falling out a couple of years ago. Then Jim decided to get all pissy with his former buddy, Meat Loaf, Meat to his friends. That is the set up and it is all true.

Now, let us think about this. In or about 1978, Meat Loaf releases his seminally recording "Bat Out of Hell", with such classics as "Two out of Three" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Even my father, who was not a fan of most of the stuff I listened to back then (he liked Matt Munro, Johnny Mathis and Broadway show tunes). I know the next question is "how long was your father gay?", if he was, it was a hell of a double life, then again, I never "saw" he and my mother having sex (thankfully, because do you know how bad that would have warped me?, try to imagine this even more warped) so I could not say for sure. I think that he saw his performance on SNL (we were in Florida and I was watching) and liked he. He said "that fat guy sure can sing" so he went out and purchased the recording on, this will show its age, 8 track.

So there we have a smash album in 1978 for Meat Loaf, written by one Jim Steinman. Anyway, they try to put out another album as a follow up and the key is too high for Meat Loaf, so it gets shelved or Jim Steinman puts it out and nobody buys it. I mean, who is looking for a Jim Steinman album.

We move to about 1993, I think, and Meat Loaf releases his "Bat Out of Hell" sequel, written by Jim Steinman (produced by him as well along with the original). This the album with "I Would Do Anything for Love" on it. It also has "Bat Out of Hell" in its title, just like a crappy Hollywood sequel, no disrespect to "The Godfather Part II". It did okay. Meat Loaf could now tour on two albums and milk his fifteen or so year hiatus.

He wants to put out another album titled "Bat Out of Hell" but cannot because he does not own "Bat Out of Hell", he has fallen out with Jim Steinman, and Jim is basically telling Meat to go to (Bat out of) Hell. That is the story. My only question to Meat Loaf is this, why do you feel the need to keep resurrecting (there is another, 666, Christ/Antichrist end of days, Armageddon, type of reference) that damn "Bat Out of Hell" name anyway. The fucking thing is over 25 years old, give it a rest and come up with another fucking title, you fat bastard! (He has gone from a fat guy who could sing to a fat bastard now).

On another related topic, I was watching a bit of the Blue Jays-Orioles baseball game when Oriole Kevin Millar was up to bat. The announcers mentioned he was a great guy and drove a Harley that looked like it was taken from the cover of, yup, "Bat Out of Hell". How is that for the universe telling me what to write.

So there you have it, the End of Days on 6/6/6, and it all came from Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman. Enjoy the rapture. Ciao!