AndyK
08 May 2008, 14:58
Lot's of press coverage in Canada at the moment for the cinematic release and upcoming DVD release of the In Search Of Paradise documntary.
From nationalpost.com (http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=500251)
He serves the perfect slice
Meat Loaf's career in film and music has spanned almost 40 years, and his two passions converge in the new documentary Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise, which chronicles the star-crossed Canadian leg of his 2007 World Tour. Mark Medley recently spoke with Meat -- that's what he prefers to be called--about the film, which hits theatres today.
Q Did you have any hesitation about allowing the cameras into your life?
A Oh, I didn't let them in most of the time [laughs].
Q How was having the cameras around all the time?
A I wasn't looking forward to it, but I thought, you don't always do everything that's good for you.
Q What kind of access did you give director Bruce David Klein? Did you impose any rules?
A If I owned the NFL, they'd be hard-pressed to play because I change the rules all the time. So whatever rules were [made] for the documentary, I would break them. It changed from day to day. Basically what it was, was I had a shot list in my head, and if I thought they had the shot, then don't bug me anymore about that shot.
Q So what did you think of the movie?
A When they sent me their first cut, I was all prepared: I had the notepad out and I [was] ready to go, 'No, no, you gotta cut!' I saw this and the only note I had was 'Where's my wife's interview?' Other than that, I said, 'This is really working.' I'm sure I tweaked one or two little things, but usually I have pages of notes. If they ever give me an opportunity when I'm doing a film to show me the first cut I always have pages of notes.
Q What's the film about?
A It's about me trying to figure out how to stop those critics from making themselves look stupid. It was my gift to the critics, because they were just looking like complete morons. I don't know how old these people are, but all I know is they need a vacation. They need to go somewhere and escape the harsh reality of their lives. They need to watch some Disney movies.
Q Would you do another doc? How about a reality show?
A No. Not a prayer. I would never do a reality show. They've made me so many offers it's unbelievable.
Q What kind of offers?
A I'm telling you, within one month of Ozzy coming on [with] The Osbournes, they were all over me. Because they think I'm like Ozzy Osbourne and I'm so far removed from Ozzy. I love Ozzy. I really like Ozzy. But Ozzy and I are two completely different animals. I am boring, as you can see in this documentary. I don't do anything.
Q In the movie you're very hard on yourself. Dennis Quaid [who makes a cameo appearance] calls you "an angster." Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?
A If it's not perfect, it's not good enough. And it's never perfect. I've never done the perfect show. Have I ever done a show I considered great? No. Have I ever done a show that I thought was pretty good? Yeah.
Q At the start of the film, you tell a crowd never to stop rocking ...
A I say it every night.
Q You're 60 now. Do you ever consider it?
A Oh yeah. I don't have that many more tours left. And I don't have any more tours like the last one in me. That's not going to happen again, where we try and go out for 100 shows. That just is not going to happen. Not in a single year, anyway. As an actor I understand underplaying, but as a singer I don't know how to underplay. The songs that Jimmy [Steinman, songwriter] has written and I do, they don't lend themselves to underplaying. They don't exist in that world. It's basically, to coin an old rock phrase, balls to the wall. All the time.
From nationalpost.com (http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=500251)
He serves the perfect slice
Meat Loaf's career in film and music has spanned almost 40 years, and his two passions converge in the new documentary Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise, which chronicles the star-crossed Canadian leg of his 2007 World Tour. Mark Medley recently spoke with Meat -- that's what he prefers to be called--about the film, which hits theatres today.
Q Did you have any hesitation about allowing the cameras into your life?
A Oh, I didn't let them in most of the time [laughs].
Q How was having the cameras around all the time?
A I wasn't looking forward to it, but I thought, you don't always do everything that's good for you.
Q What kind of access did you give director Bruce David Klein? Did you impose any rules?
A If I owned the NFL, they'd be hard-pressed to play because I change the rules all the time. So whatever rules were [made] for the documentary, I would break them. It changed from day to day. Basically what it was, was I had a shot list in my head, and if I thought they had the shot, then don't bug me anymore about that shot.
Q So what did you think of the movie?
A When they sent me their first cut, I was all prepared: I had the notepad out and I [was] ready to go, 'No, no, you gotta cut!' I saw this and the only note I had was 'Where's my wife's interview?' Other than that, I said, 'This is really working.' I'm sure I tweaked one or two little things, but usually I have pages of notes. If they ever give me an opportunity when I'm doing a film to show me the first cut I always have pages of notes.
Q What's the film about?
A It's about me trying to figure out how to stop those critics from making themselves look stupid. It was my gift to the critics, because they were just looking like complete morons. I don't know how old these people are, but all I know is they need a vacation. They need to go somewhere and escape the harsh reality of their lives. They need to watch some Disney movies.
Q Would you do another doc? How about a reality show?
A No. Not a prayer. I would never do a reality show. They've made me so many offers it's unbelievable.
Q What kind of offers?
A I'm telling you, within one month of Ozzy coming on [with] The Osbournes, they were all over me. Because they think I'm like Ozzy Osbourne and I'm so far removed from Ozzy. I love Ozzy. I really like Ozzy. But Ozzy and I are two completely different animals. I am boring, as you can see in this documentary. I don't do anything.
Q In the movie you're very hard on yourself. Dennis Quaid [who makes a cameo appearance] calls you "an angster." Do you consider yourself a perfectionist?
A If it's not perfect, it's not good enough. And it's never perfect. I've never done the perfect show. Have I ever done a show I considered great? No. Have I ever done a show that I thought was pretty good? Yeah.
Q At the start of the film, you tell a crowd never to stop rocking ...
A I say it every night.
Q You're 60 now. Do you ever consider it?
A Oh yeah. I don't have that many more tours left. And I don't have any more tours like the last one in me. That's not going to happen again, where we try and go out for 100 shows. That just is not going to happen. Not in a single year, anyway. As an actor I understand underplaying, but as a singer I don't know how to underplay. The songs that Jimmy [Steinman, songwriter] has written and I do, they don't lend themselves to underplaying. They don't exist in that world. It's basically, to coin an old rock phrase, balls to the wall. All the time.