Death of Michael 'Marvin' Lee Aday - MEATLOAF

 I was saddened to hear of the death of Meatloaf (Michael or reportedly Marvin Lee Aday born in 27/09/1947 Dallas, Texas)

I enjoyed his humour and wit and his acting career came as a pleasant revelation (Fight Club was an especial favourite) but musically I never cared for anything and found the overblown histrionics a tad too much. From his collaborative hype with Jim Steinman of Bat Out of Hell to the hilarious nonsequitor of I Would Do Anything for Love (but I won't do that!) I appreciated his place in music but it is an unfortunate coincidence concerning my traumatic relationship with Bat Out of Hell. This song was played when we lived in a flat in Oxford when the downstairs neighbour, a raging alcoholic, would play this track from the album at incredibly loud volume at all times of night and day dependent upon how much drink he had consumed. Despite banging on the floor or my pleas to his 'better nature' it did not stop until I decided one day to fight fire with fire and having a solid state Hi-Fi valve amp Leak .1 sound system and huge Wharfedale speakers placed face down on my living room carpet, as soon as the opening bars of 'Bat' struck up once more I turned on at high volume Lou Reed's live 'Rock 'n' Roll Animal' album and 'Sweet Jane' with window rattling power! You could have heard this from several miles away I suspect . . . . . . . .

He didn't play Meatloaf again . . . . . . . . . but I still quake whenever I hear the opening bars of that melodramatic piece!

Theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote: 

"The vaults of heaven will be ringing with rock"

UPDATE:

NEW YORK POST discloses Michael 'Marvin' died from Covid-19 and the 74 year old was fervently opposed to pandemic restrictions, slamming lockdowns and mask mandates during an interview last summer although it wasn't clear whether he actually received the vaccine at all. 

Jim Steinman died last April from the after effects of two strokes

 “If I die, I die, but I’m not going to be controlled,” Meatloaf is alleged to have said according to reports