"Kenny"

[Wario]

Did Meat really have a Best friend named Kenny that died in a plan crash as stated in Objects?

or is it symbolizing the loss of his mom in objects?

i have always wondered that and no mention of kenny is in to hell and back.

[MeatGrl1]

Not that I'm aware of.
But he did have a violent father after he had one too many to drink and that's why the song is personal for him I think but the Best Friend Kenny is fictionus (Is that even a word.. It is now LOL) to tie in with the song.

[Lord Kagan]

seeing as jim wrote it, maybe "kenny" is based on one of jims childhood friends???

[samurai7]

and seeing as the song is about a car crash...

(the video features a plane crash, but the song itself doesn't)

[Blackkat13]

I often wondered the same thing myself bout who kenny was or he could just be a character in the song.

[Monstro]

"Oh no, they killed Kenny!!!"

[RadioMaster]

"Oh no, they killed Kenny!!!"

exactly my thought! lol

[L96]

I think but the Best Friend Kenny is fictionus (Is that even a word.. It is now LOL) to tie in with the song.

"Fictitious" is the word you're after.

[MeatGrl1]

Thanks :cool:.

[mszee]

Good point about song being Steinman's, therefore, Kenny may not have been connected to Meat at all. As I ran in my mind through the names to rhyme, it seems like some other names could have been used so it appears to be that Kenny might have been chosen on purpose.

Seeing the times when Meat and Jim were growing up and were young men, I always said and always will again and again that, as far as I am concerned, "Kenny" is an embodiment of those who died young during the wars - remember when Meat and Jim were born, WWII just ended, Korean war came decade later and two decades later there was Vietnam war. There was a lot of bitterness among young American people about Vietnam war after a while...so I am pretty sure the reference in the song is about Vietnam war. An American just reads it between the lines without thinking for a moment about car crash or any other crash. Another confirmation is plane crash. This to me actually looks like one of those fighter planes.

And then again...I do not insist on forcing my opinion on anybody cause you never know...

[Hypnobabe]

As I ran in my mind through the names to rhyme, it seems like some other names could have been used so it appears to be that Kenny might have been chosen on purpose.

But if he'd used the name Bobby (or Billy or Tommy or Brian or any other name) we could be having the same conversation - it may have just been a random name picked out of the air because it scanned properly...

Oh, and ditto on the personal opinion thing before Jim's biggest fan comes along and corrects me... lol...

[RadioMaster]

But if he'd used the name Bobby (or Billy or Tommy or Brian or any other name) we could be having the same conversation - it may have just been a random name picked out of the air because it scanned properly...


totally agree

[Sapphire Lady]

I don't think Jim would have chosen the name Kenny totally at random - that's just not his style. His lyrics are all very carefully written and put together. I reckon Kenny was someone Jim knew and that's why he picked that name. The names we like tend to be the names of people we like as we can relate to them.

Could it maybe even be after Ken Russell who directed Pandora's Box video for "It's All Coming Back to Me"?

[Wario]

Could it maybe even be after Ken Russell who directed Pandora's Box video for "It's All Coming Back to Me"?
Now thats thinking out of the "box" ;)

[WhenItComes2LovingU]

In the "Dead Ringer" album, there is a single small notation:

"To the memory of Kenney Robb, a friend and a real front-line warrior"

The spelling is different, but it fits the video and it fits the lyric. Add to this mystery the fact that Steinman still uses "Kenny" as a character, as in his recent monologue "Dear Mama (Tomorrow We Learn to Die)," performed at the OTT/TDE concerts of 2006.

ETA: I wanted to add the monologue just to show this, and yes, it's not that new, but even so, a crappy copy-and-paste job, it is touching. Kudos to EvilNickname's site for this:

Dear Mama,

The entire country is burning. You can see the flames like the inside of a mad jukebox. Lost children wander the streets, their heads rocking with dream lightning. Motorcycles reproduce in nocturnal alleys, groaning with greasy pleasure. And they've blown up the YWCA like a giant balloon, full of screaming, lovely, lonely girls.

And my best friend Kenny - you remember him, Mama, from Maple Drive, you know - he's been here a year. Yesterday he stepped on a mine and wasn't hurt. It's a miracle. But twelve hours later, he held his chest and he looked at me, and he said he felt a fluttering, which made him think of the birth of angels. Then a sudden awareness and a thrashing of wings. Then he was dead.

I cried a long time, Mama. I'm afraid of angels being born every minute. And Mama, tomorrow, we learn to die. And all around the world, it doesn't matter where we're going or whatever we do, 'cause we got one thing in common, it's true: we'll never let a night like tonight go to waste. And let me tell you something, neither will you. Neither will you.

[Sapphire Lady]

Wow that's very interesting. Well spotted :D

[Pudding]

In the "Dead Ringer" album, there is a single small notation:

"To the memory of Kenney Robb, a friend and a real front-line warrior"

There's also reference to a Kenny Robb on Cool & The Gangs 1981 Something Special LP and in memorium to Kenny Robb Click -----> HERE (http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~koolgang/discography/19koolandgang/19_kool.html)

So I'm taking a wild stab in the dark here and saying Kenny Robb had something to do with the music industry, like THIS (http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kenny+Robb) guy.

Pud :twisted:

[RadioMaster]

didnt expect you to be a cool and the gang fan :-P

[Monstro]

didnt expect you to be a cool and the gang fan :-P

Or to know how to use Google?

[RadioMaster]

google is overrrated

[evil nickname]

After seeing the credits for the previous Cool & The Gang album (http://www11.ocn.ne.jp/~koolgang/discography/18koolandgang/18_kool.html), I'd guess that Kenny Robb was most probably an engineer at the House of Music studios, where Dead Ringer was (partially) recorded.

[Ankie]

But no online article found by either one of you that gives a clue wether this Kenny is the Kenny referred to in the song?

Like how old he was when he died; or a cause of death?

[evil nickname]

I couldn't find anything.

[RadioMaster]

to the main topic:
I dont think Steinman would use an actual person he dealt with in his life for a song or a lyric. He's always talking about "creating worlds" with a song and going "over the top", its not his style to write a song (or lyrics) "from his heart"
Closest we could get was the first mentioned, Kenny as a friend of Meat Loaf who died, but I'd say that's unlikely, as he wouldve mentioned it somewhere in an interview or his book, etc. Just look how often he talked (talks) about the second verse of the song. I dont think hed keep that to himself.

[Pudding]

its not his style to write a song (or lyrics) "from his heart"

How do you know? I think there's plenty of songs that Jim has added personal lyrics to and Objects is no different. Wasn't Bat2 put on hold for nearly 12 months because Jim wanted to get Objects just right? Obviously the song meant something to him.

Pud :twisted:

[djfierce]

i think every song writer has to a bit of themselves in a song for them be successful.

[Wario]

How do you know? I think there's plenty of songs that Jim has added personal lyrics to and Objects is no different. Wasn't Bat2 put on hold for nearly 12 months because Jim wanted to get Objects just right? Obviously the song meant something to him.

Pud :twisted:

Never knew that, but if that was true, Jim may have a connection to this Kenny and if he did an autobiography mabey it can come out.

[RadioMaster]

How do you know? I think there's plenty of songs that Jim has added personal lyrics to and Objects is no different. Wasn't Bat2 put on hold for nearly 12 months because Jim wanted to get Objects just right? Obviously the song meant something to him.

Pud :twisted:

I'm sure that all (or most) of his songs are in one way or another personal to him, but not in a way that he would add the name of an actual person to the lyrics.

just thinking if he used any other names in songs, but off the top of my head I cant think of any (except for the obvious musical lyrics (tdv, wdtw, tde, etc)

[Evil One]

Jenny and Johnny.

[Wario]

just thinking if he used any other names in songs, but off the top of my head I cant think of any (except for the obvious musical lyrics (tdv, wdtw, tde, etc)

Good Girls Go To Heaven (Jenny and Johnny) and from Objects again is "Julie" (from the line "backseat with Julie like a Romeo") , but thats all I can think of

[mszee]

Good Girls Go To Heaven (Jenny and Johnny) and from Objects again is "Julie" (from the line "backseat with Julie like a Romeo") , but thats all I can think of

You gotta be kidding...and you American...Jenny and Johnny...yeah, that's definitely from personal experience...

Also...when Steinman will come up with his biography...pigs will fly too...

[RadioMaster]

Good Girls Go To Heaven (Jenny and Johnny) and from Objects again is "Julie" (from the line "backseat with Julie like a Romeo") , but thats all I can think of

erm.......yeah.........right.....ever heard of a guy called "Shakespeare"?

[djfierce]

Objects again is "Julie" (from the line "backseat with Julie like a Romeo") , but thats all I can think of

they're not so much names, it is more of a metaphor as in they were acting like the greatest lovers of all time :?

[djfierce]

Never knew that, but if that was true, Jim may have a connection to this Kenny and if he did an autobiography mabey it can come out.

Both Meat and Jim have mentioned this in several interviews. I wouldnt hold my breath for an autobiography, Jim seems far too private for that

[tonyloaf]

hey anji with them 2 you never know whats gona happen lol

[Pudding]

i think every song writer has to a bit of themselves in a song for them be successful.

I wonder what part of Sheb Wooley is in 'The Purple People Eater' song :))

Pud :twisted:

[mszee]

I wonder what part of Sheb Wooley is in 'The Purple People Eater' song :))

Pud :twisted:

The part of serial killer of parents patience

[djfierce]

I wonder what part of Sheb Wooley is in 'The Purple People Eater' song :))

Pud :twisted:

ok ok maybe not EVERY song lol :bleh: ;)