Personal reflections on meeting Meat....

[nightinr]

I wondered if anybody would care to share their personal meetings with Meat?

I've seen clips of Meat being very personable with fans and others where he has been abrupt. I suppose that mirrors Meat's contributions on here and on Facebook. Sometimes he is great, other times he seems a little bad tempered. Perhaps these "mood swings" make him such a great artist?

I suppose my question is - what is Meat really like as a person?

[Dick]

Any time I've spent in the mans company I've felt he is always very genuine and generous. Sometimes more tired than others (after concerts). But he has always been very chatty.

So in answer to your question...im gonna say he's pretty damn decent. Does that work for you?

Originally Posted by nightinr

I wondered if anybody would care to share their personal meetings with Meat?

I've seen clips of Meat being very personable with fans and others where he has been abrupt. I suppose that mirrors Meat's contributions on here and on Facebook. Sometimes he is great, other times he seems a little bad tempered. Perhaps these "mood swings" make him such a great artist?

I suppose my question is - what is Meat really like as a person?

[CarylB]

I have never seen anything to suggest he has been "abrupt" with a fan .. save a very few occasions where it was entirely understandable that he did not linger and chat, eg after a show when he was exhausted or ill and simply wanted to get into his car and away. Actually I have seen him pestered at M&Gs by fans wanting him to take a CD of songs, or to sign their skin for a tattoo, and he has been endlessly polite before just moving on if they have persisted.

With his fans he is always attentive, gracious, interested, kindly, generous, putting the nervous at ease, because he never forgets he owes them a debt of gratitude.

As a person? I have always found him to be very modest and self-deprecating for one so successful. He has more drive than Ford Motor, lives to work rather than works to live, sets himself the highest standards, and gives himself the hardest time when he doesn't think he's met them. He's intelligent and thoughtful, and even when I haven't agreed with a position he takes, I can see he's researched and thought it through. He cares about those who work for him (ask his crew, they will say they get the best transport, best food on a Meat Loaf tour) .. I remember the guy running video for him was shitting himself at the end of one show when something had gone badly wrong .. but when he saw him after the show Meat just said "It's OK, don't worry .. things happen .. we'll get it right next time, yes?", yet I bet Meat was unforgiving of himself when he listened to the board tapes and heard a missed note most of us didn't even notice He values trust and loyalty very highly .. gives it unstintingly, and is hurt when it isn't returned.

I would say as a person he is a very genuine, passionate, brave yet sensitive, kind and caring human being, with no pretensions of "greatness", and one of the least acquisitive people I've met. Can he lose his temper on-line and shoot from the hip? Yes, he's human .. yet quick to apologise when he thinks he's gone too far, and constantly working at not losing it, because he cares about people and their feelings .. and actually he puts up with a lot imo. There are still people who will come on and give him a hard time for a cancelled show from years ago, and like humans rather than saints, his patience is not inexhaustible

So I'm going to say .. a very damn decent human being indeed

[stretch37]

Originally Posted by CarylB

I have never seen anything to suggest he has been "abrupt" with a fan .. save a very few occasions where it was entirely understandable that he did not linger and chat, eg after a show when he was exhausted or ill and simply wanted to get into his car and away. Actually I have seen him pestered at M&Gs by fans wanting him to take a CD of songs, or to sign their skin for a tattoo, and he has been endlessly polite before just moving on if they have persisted.

With his fans he is always attentive, gracious, interested, kindly, generous, putting the nervous at ease, because he never forgets he owes them a debt of gratitude.

As a person? I have always found him to be very modest and self-deprecating for one so successful. He has more drive than Ford Motor, lives to work rather than works to live, sets himself the highest standards, and gives himself the hardest time when he doesn't think he's met them. He's intelligent and thoughtful, and even when I haven't agreed with a position he takes, I can see he's researched and thought it through. He cares about those who work for him (ask his crew, they will say they get the best transport, best food on a Meat Loaf tour) .. I remember the guy running video for him was shitting himself at the end of one show when something had gone badly wrong .. but when he saw him after the show Meat just said "It's OK, don't worry .. things happen .. we'll get it right next time, yes?", yet I bet Meat was unforgiving of himself when he listened to the board tapes and heard a missed note most of us didn't even notice He values trust and loyalty very highly .. gives it unstintingly, and is hurt when it isn't returned.

I would say as a person he is a very genuine, passionate, brave yet sensitive, kind and caring human being, with no pretensions of "greatness", and one of the least acquisitive people I've met. Can he lose his temper on-line and shoot from the hip? Yes, he's human .. yet quick to apologise when he thinks he's gone too far, and constantly working at not losing it, because he cares about people and their feelings .. and actually he puts up with a lot imo. There are still people who will come on and give him a hard time for a cancelled show from years ago, and like humans rather than saints, his patience is not inexhaustible

So I'm going to say .. a very damn decent human being indeed

Beautiful words Caryl...I think you captured the essence Meat's heart and soul with your answer.

[JennaG]

I often think back to my first experience of meeting Meat. I had this idea that whilst he'd be reasonably polite, he'd still have that air of celebrity arrogance about him but I couldn't have been proved more wrong.

I was terrified and I remember Meat asking me questions and just about managing to get out a few words in reply. I jumped when he put his arm around me for the photo and by that point I wanted the ground to swallow me up. As soon as the photo was taken, I almost dashed off like a little frightened rabbit but Meat called me back and did the fist pound that he'd greeted everyone else with that evening.

I think he could tell that I was terrified and was very gentle in his approach with me and when I reflected on it a couple of years later, I think that he could quite easily have let me run off after the photo but he didn't and wanted to let me know that by calling me back, that it was okay and he totally got it.

I didn't feel that there was any arrogance to him at all, just a genuine human being who was showing a little kindness. :)

[greg]

I found meat . To make you feel at ease . And was asking me questions about how I was , and about my life . And any questions I asked meat . He would tell you he answer and a lot more to my questions. Even when a Germany crew turned up to interview meat at the time .this was meat show at Wembley . He told the Germany crew .they had to wait ,as he was talking to he fans . Thanked us for being at the show. A true gentleman in every way .people say don't meet your idol .well I'm well pleased I meet my idol X