New Todd Interview

[CarylB]

Originally Posted by White of High

... yes, HCTB was for money. The only video (Los Angeloser) was a kitsch, they recorded two rap songs with rap stars and 'celebrities' from a TV show, he had famous guest stars like Jack Black and Dr. House on piano. C'mon, why not his old friend actor-musican Dennis Quaid? Because he is not trendy anymore? All HCTB was about business...

It can be silly but don't be naiv, music is more money industry than hobby in the last 20 years...

No-one said you did. You said Bat2 and HCTB were. Clearly the BACKERS of both, indeed ALL, would need to see the potential for commercial success. But you implied Meat made them for the money.

IN YOUR OPINION! Not in mine, nor in that of others. All the things you list and take as "evidence" are not evidence to me. Meat has told us why he used the artists he collaborated with on HCTB .. and I believe him. But then I have a rather higher opinion of and admiration for the man than you seem to.

We know why he recorded SITS with Lil John .. nothing to do with commercialism for HCTB, because it was released as a single after that, and then included on HIAH. He liked the song Backbone recorded FOR CHARITY, and it had a brilliant fit with what he wanted to say on HIAH (as well as contributing to the charities again I'd have thought). Recording and working with Lil John got him interested in rap, and we know how the collaboration with Chuck D came about .. just as we know how that with Hugh Laurie did. He and Jack Black (this WAS on HCTB) had long wanted to work together. In my view you confuse Meat's collaborative and inclusive bent with commercialism.

The decision to produce a video for Los Angeloser would have been commercial .. made largely by those providing the funding. For heaven's sake .. videos aren't made to be nice for a few fans .. they are made for commercial reasons. No-one has suggested the backers aren't motivated entirely by bottom line profit .. that WOULD be naive.

However to imply that those of us who see Meat for the creative artist he is, driven far more by that and not by money, (simply as far as I can see because we don't agree with your propensity to see him in a negative light) as naive, is as irritatingly dismissive as it is rude.

Post an opinion and we can offer an alternative. Post your opinion as proven fact and we will disagree. Call me naive and I will say that to me you seem very quick to see the negative in a an who in my view, and that of many others here, is an artist motivated by the work rather than the money. We're not talking about any artist .. we're talking about Meat.

He has said many, many times, on this board as well, he doesn't do things for the money .. whether it be records, tours, films. He has reached a stage in his life and has been sufficiently hard-working and successful that he does not need to do what he does for the money. His projects need to be sufficiently business focused that he can get backing to do them, but making money is not why he does what he does. I believe him. So also do many, I'd say most, on here.

Caryl

[Wario]

Originally Posted by White of High

I didn't say Meat did all of his albums for money. Bat1 or Dead Ringer wasn't for money, he had fire. Bat3 was for money and yes, HCTB was for money. The only video (Los Angeloser) was a kitsch, they recorded two rap songs with rap stars and 'celebrities' from a TV show, he had famous guest stars like Jack Black and Dr. House on piano. C'mon, why not his old friend actor-musican Dennis Quaid? Because he is not trendy anymore? All HCTB was about business...

It can be silly but don't be naiv, music is more money industry than hobby in the last 20 years...

Those Rap artists were on HIAHB, not HCTB. You know that, youre just trying to get a malicious rise.

Jack Black and Hue Laurie were his FRIENDS. Thats why they on that record. WTF are you trying to say?

He prolly tried to get Dennis, but he was busy for all we know.

You wanna get a rise, bake a cake.

[Sebastian.]

Originally Posted by Wario

Jack Black and Hue Laurie were his FRIENDS. Thats why they on that record. WTF are you trying to say?

Jack Black is also a huge Meat Loaf fan. Someone asked him "what Dead Rock star he'd love to be?" He said ."Not dead. But Meat Loaf".

[AndyK]

So, before the trolling and counter-trolling deteriorates any further, can we get back onto topic please?

[The Flying Mouse]

I've just had a clean up of the thread.

Please see the forum rules regarding our expectations of mutual respect.

It is entirely possible to disagree with the views of another without calling their point of view silly or stupid.
Also, if you think someone has said something that really is silly, you can count on many other fans feeling that way too without your input

As for insults bordering on the personal, no way.

Disagree with the point of view, don't attack the person.

[The Flying Mouse]

Apologies to Andy if he thinks this is still off the main topic, but I wanted to comment on Todd's motivations for doing Bat as opposed to those of Meat & Jim.

Originally Posted by White of High

He was talking about he had done Bat for money. I'm not naiv to believe musicans do music for only their hobby. Bat2 was for money, HCTB was for money and all concert are for money and not for being good. If you are realistic, Todd is right!

Todd's motivation for doing Bat are his own.
Meat & Jimmy, I believe, were motivated more by creating something great, and maybe to gain a little recognition and acclaim (although this turned out to be something that bit Meat in the ass as his problems with being called a star took hold).

You can't believe the motives of one are the motives for all.

Money is a very useful thing to have (let's be realistic here), but an artist (be it a singer, a painter, a writter, or a balloon animal sculpter) who does what they do for the financial is nothing but a monkey.
An artist who works just for money rather than a form of expression is a fraud.

How many artists have gone undiscovered, unappreciated, and unsold, until after their deaths.
Should these people have just given up and gone out and got a real job?
They carried on because it was in them to do it.

As for Meat's other works (including Bat II and HCTB).
You're missing the artistic tempriment.
What would happen if an artist were happy creating one masterpiece in their lifetime?

Would Michelangelo have quit to live off a sack full of cash long before he painted the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel?

Stephen King would have quit long before starting The Dark Tower series.

The Mona who?

Originally Posted by Evil Ernie

Even though I do think that there's a saturation point with artists. I mean, how much money do you really need to be happy?

Money can't buy happiness.
Money is a (very nice) by product of success.
It can be earned and deserved, and if it is you have every right to it

One thing I can say, hand on heart, is no matter if I were never paid to sing again, or weather 100 million landed in my bank account tomorow, i'd still keep doing what I do.

So, to come full circle after explaining my point rather extensively ........

Todd's reason for doing Bat are his own, but you can't say they are the motivations of everyone involved

[duke knooby]

Originally Posted by The Flying Mouse

Apologies to Andy if he thinks this is still off the main topic, but I wanted to comment on Todd's motivations for doing Bat as opposed to those of Meat & Jim.

Todd's reason for doing Bat are his own, but you can't say they are the motivations of everyone involved

yep, whatever his motivation was for doing it, or his feelings about it since, i'm still glad he did it, and made it the record it is.

his contribution to the structuring, the sound, the guitars, the backing vocals are all pretty much legendary

and the fact he's alledged to have pretty much paid for the album to be made himself, when no one in the industry believed in it, or thought it would be successful says alot.

without todd, being there at the begining, the whole bat/meat/jim story couldda been very very different.

but, of course... it's not all down to todd, or meat, or jim

it was simply the right people and the right concept at the right time...

and that's what brought us something special, something unique, something personal

Bat out of Hell

[Evil Ernie]

Originally Posted by White of High

I didn't say Meat did all of his albums for money. Bat1 or Dead Ringer wasn't for money, he had fire. Bat3 was for money and yes, HCTB was for money. The only video (Los Angeloser) was a kitsch, they recorded two rap songs with rap stars and 'celebrities' from a TV show, he had famous guest stars like Jack Black and Dr. House on piano. C'mon, why not his old friend actor-musican Dennis Quaid? Because he is not trendy anymore? All HCTB was about business...

It can be silly but don't be naiv, music is more money industry than hobby in the last 20 years...

I can't disagree. There's nothing wrong with that either.

There has to be a balance of things you do as an artist and things you do for money. There's no reason why you can't do both.

Even Steinman has admitted that he did some things for the money. Was Air Supply's version of MLOONAA bad? Certainly not. Would he have preferred someone else to do it? Certainly. Did he make Pandoras Box: Original Sin for the money? Probably not.

Now with ML you have his the 80's production on BA and BBIS. He said that he hated how they sounded, yet he still released them (or even got those type of producers to begin with). Why? To make them more marketable, so that a song is catchier for it's era so that people with hear it and and go buy the record.

Musicians do things for the money folks. If they didn't make money than they would have to get real jobs and have less time making music. That's why being an artist can be so hard, because it's all about compromises.

What one says and what one does are two separate things.

[Evil Ernie]

Originally Posted by The Flying Mouse

One thing I can say, hand on heart, is no matter if I were never paid to sing again, or weather 100 million landed in my bank account tomorow, i'd still keep doing what I do.

What if you were a great singer, but nobody liked the style of the songs that you sung, but they offer you a $100 Million deal to sing nothing but Justin Bieber type songs?

Would you do it than? I'd like to say that I wouldn't, but it's hard to say when it's scenario that would never happen.

[AndrewG]

Originally Posted by Evil Ernie

Musicians do things for the money folks. If they didn't make money than they would have to get real jobs and have less time making music. That's why being an artist can be so hard, because it's all about compromises.

What one says and what one does are two separate things.

So what is a real job then if what Meat does isn't a real job? I am curious because for him not having a real job he seems to have to put in a lot of hours and be away from home a lot of the time. Does a ticket tout have more of a real job? Does Meat pay taxes? Does a ticket tout?

[Wario]

this conversation hsould be moved to its own thread.

[Evil Ernie]

Originally Posted by AndrewG

So what is a real job then if what Meat does isn't a real job? I am curious because for him not having a real job he seems to have to put in a lot of hours and be away from home a lot of the time. Does a ticket tout have more of a real job? Does Meat pay taxes? Does a ticket tout?

[The Flying Mouse]

Originally Posted by duke knooby

Alot of wise stuff

Very well said
I'm very grateful to all those involved in making that epic album.

Originally Posted by Evil Ernie

What if you were a great singer,

What do you mean if

Originally Posted by Evil Ernie

but nobody liked the style of the songs that you sung, but they offer you a $100 Million deal to sing nothing but Justin Bieber type songs?

Would you do it than? I'd like to say that I wouldn't, but it's hard to say when it's scenario that would never happen.

I'd probably give it a go (in all honesty), but I really don't think I could process that kind of material.
If they said he's $100 million, sing Bieber songs, and ONLY Bieber songs, that would be another thing.
As you say, it's hard to imagine what you'd do, but I believe I would tell them to go f*ck themselves.

If someone walked into Leonardo Da Vinci's office and told him his current stuff is crap, but he could make a mint selling only landscapes, I think Leo would have kicked him out on his ass.

But Todd wasn't exactly going a million miles from his genre when he did Bat.
In fact, come to think of it, i'm not sure how much I believe Todd when he says he did it just for the money.
Bat was such a rank outsider from the start I don't think Todd would ever have believed how big it was going to be without the aid of a crystal ball, a bowl of tea leaves, and a wandering gypsy woman
After all the rejections that Bat had in those days, doing Bat just because you thought you could make a sack load of cash off it is akin to someone with a gambling problem sticking the days racing form on the dartboard (after scibbling out all the favourites) and chucking a dart on it to see which horse he should bet his last fiver on.
If he wanted money, I dare say there were much more promisingly lucrative offers he could have taken up.

Perhaps he says that he did it for the money because it's his sardonic nature at work, or maybe because his views have changed over the years, but I think he did Bat because it was a great piece of work and he wanted to be a part of it.

Maybe i'm wrong

[The Flying Mouse]

Originally Posted by Wario

this conversation hsould be moved to its own thread.

I don't think there's much mileage in the current direction.
IMHO, everything to be said has been said

We should be OK if we steer back onto what Todd has to say in his interview (about himself) rather than continue to debate what Meat and Jim will and won't do for money

Sort of what Andy tried to do a few posts ago

[anotherday]

Originally Posted by The Flying Mouse

I don't think there's much mileage in the current direction.
IMHO, everything to be said has been said

We should be OK if we steer back onto what Todd has to say in his interview (about himself) rather than continue to debate what Meat and Jim will and won't do for money

Sort of what Andy tried to do a few posts ago

I would do ANYTHING for money, but I won't so THAT?!

[Paul Richardson]

Originally Posted by The Flying Mouse

In fact, come to think of it, i'm not sure how much I believe Todd when he says he did it just for the money.
Bat was such a rank outsider from the start I don't think Todd would ever have believed how big it was going to be without the aid of a crystal ball, a bowl of tea leaves, and a wandering gypsy woman
After all the rejections that Bat had in those days, doing Bat just because you thought you could make a sack load of cash off it is akin to someone with a gambling problem sticking the days racing form on the dartboard (after scibbling out all the favourites) and chucking a dart on it to see which horse he should bet his last fiver on.

I think Todd said on Classic Albums that when he got involved, 'the commercial potential of the album was completely unknown', which hardly sounds like someone who was only interested in the money ?!