Saturday, April 24, 2010

Day 18: Dead Ringer

Meat Loaf was in debt. The cost of touring for Bat plus the cost of gifts and loans equaled more than he was earning, plus he was still getting pressure from the PtB. He had signed a contract.

He needed to regain his voice.

He's desperate. Enter "alternative healer" Warren Berrigian. A guy who looked like a cross between a kindly old man and a mad scientist explained to Meat that he had a psychological short circuit that needed to be overcome, blocks that were triggered on the self-destructive Bat Tour of 1978. So, he convinced Meat to lay on the floor and sing while Berrigian laid a sheepskin pad over the leg Meat had broken on tour and took a sander to the pad on Meat's leg.

~blink, blink~
I'm pretty sure that's not covered under most health insurance plans.

Crazy treatment for the nutter, but Meat claims it worked...well, that plus a loving wife and kicking his coke habit. Meat re-entered the studio, but his one-time collaborator simply handed him the songbook for Dead Ringer and went back to the disaster would would be Bad for Good. Meat had been self-destructive on Bat. This time around, it was his handlers that would lead him to disaster. Advances for tours magically disappeared after one performance. Merchandising investments vanished into off shore accounts that didn't have his name on them. Shoe boxes of money entered lavish offices styled with french antiques, then were never seen again. The movie, "Dead Ringer," in which Meat was yet again the star, was only shown once at the Toronto Film Festival, then the handlers had it re-edited into a Meat mockery.

One bright spot? Meat got to work with Cher on the music video for the title track.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting how you can hear his voice doesn't have the depth it once did. Really fascinating series! I regret my early mockery.

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  2. I completely agree. Whether it's the stress of learning how to cope with the ick of fame and fortune, teetering health, or just time, the 80s aren't his best years.

    No need for regrets. All are welcome to the Meat Madness. Nutters optional.

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