God of Low
 

Offered without commentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uhr4T5Q7WM

Huh. Sounds kinda like Billy Joel, the verses resemble "You May Be Right" in particular. Does anyone else hear that, or is it just me?

It's a break up song about old men. I don't think it's going to be a hit.

Offered to Stoke a fire? Lol.
But say what you like, I much prefer a fantastical or metaphorical lyric than trying to be overly literal.


Don’t see it being much of a hit either ��~♂️

Nobody? I'm the only one thinking Billy Joel?

I like Kasim’s work. It’s really pleasant to listen to and the lyrics are always thoughtful. There probably isn’t a hit amongst any of his songs but I get the feeling he already knows that. This particular tune has been in my head all day after I heard it here yesterday for the first time. Can’t blame him for using his medium and talent to express his feelings. Meat Loaf was a complicated guy with no ‘one’ personality. He was unpredictable and impulsive as far as I can tell from my outside perspective… but I still loved his work. Kasim deserves to tell his truth and he has via this song, it was obviously a cathartic process as he appeared online to talk about ML recently and did so with fondness and dignity.

PS yes, Billy Joel!

God of Low was released over 7 years ago so isn't a new track.

Kasim said it was about a "boss who is hated" or words to that effect if memory serves me right.

Oh yes, just spotted the release date and a few YouTube videos
From 2015. The version of this with the live band is really good.

Was Kasim sacked by Meat? I remember Meat saying it was good to freshen the band up...

He is no Jim Steinman when it comes to writing songs.:shock:

No. Afaik he left on good terms.

Still, to imagine you're the boss of someone you have to work with because he/she is a fan favorite while you don't want to work with that person. Might be hard on your ego.

this should not be in general messages. should be in lost boys and golden girls. and stirs a pot.

Patti has been posting on twitter again I see.....she appears to be very upset over something?

Shame Kitchen Sink didn't actually tell us what the actual problem was?

It’s all very strange.. and to be honest very poor!

Yet not as poor as what it's in response to.

If you don't understand that answer (and this is no slight on you or anyone else here), then maybe, maybe the post wasn't intended for you.

As far as my own position goes with regards to those posts - and this isn't going to be an ongoing conversation - I wouldn't have made them, but I understand why Patti did. I understand why Kasim wrote God of Low. I understand why Rory had multiple threats upon his life and safety, and was ripped off at every turn. I understand why Bruce Springsteen might have a bone of contention over 'the flesh and the fantasy'. I understand why a little known writer, Patrick Ryan Frank, had to assert his legal rights - via his lawyer - given Jim's 'unsolicited use of his work' with regards to its sudden inclusion within the musical. On and on. So it goes. Ad nauseam. Doesn't mean you can't enjoy the music and the myth. For me, there's a certain comfort in that.

Sadly, I'm not taking questions, because the answers are not mine to give, but if you want to know these things, feel free to ask those who were involved and, if you approach them in a remotely human way, you may even get an answer. I mean this sincerely. I would start with Patrick.

With regards to Patti - she is going through a serious personal tragedy right now, and has been for some time. This is not band related. Cut her some slack. Posting here and talking amongst yourselves is only natural, and you should feel free to do that, but attacking her privately, sending death threats, and espousing moral certainty over things that, frankly, you know nothing about - have no involvement in - is not the way to go.

Again, this is not directed at any one individual, but regardless is something that had to be said.

Other than this, it's finally starting to feel like Spring again up here in the Highlands. Wishing a happy, prosperous, and bountiful Beltane to you all.

Traditionally a time of rebirth and renewal, there's some peace to be found in letting go of the old and embracing the new. Something we could all probably learn from.

Whatever you're doing on Sunday, cast a thought to the above. Life's negative aspects are only cyclical if you let them be.

Remember: enjoy the music.

In the meantime, mine's a scotch :up:

Little offended I wasn't mentioned in that message. I certainly haven't been silent, and they're welcome to ask me too. :-P

But in all seriousness, the rules of thumb to take away from this conversation are:

1) Chaos often looks like randomness, but it isn't.
2) Monsters aren't real, but monsters are real, and heroes often have feet of clay, which is why so many advise against building a pedestal for them.
3) For every piece of information, be mindful of who's telling you it, and why. None of us is immune to stirring the pot, but the reason behind it is pretty important.
4) The star-shaped block goes in the star-shaped hole. This isn't always true, but start with it and see how everything stacks up.
5) If somebody threatens or hurts you, don't tell anyone -- tell everyone. (And screw high-minded pronouncements about things like privacy from people who seem only to cast aspersions on others without asking questions if that is the case. Anybody that thinks they know "what's going on" generally doesn't unless they have direct experience of the situation.)

What I take away from this conversation is that TWG understands a lot of things.

I don't think he's right about "flesh and the fantasy" though. That was clearly Jim hinting at the possibility of another Bat Album while he was doing Pandora's Box. The flesh clearly means "Meat" and the fantasy was the demand for another colaboration, and it "all came back to [Jim]" at the time.

I take away that people are enjoying that they know things but are unwilling to talk about them unless the correct sequence of question is asked.
Tbh as much as I would love to know more about the behind the scenes and the man I met several times, if the info isn’t worth repeating because it’s someone else’s story then what’s the point?

The man is dead, he can’t fight back. Fire Ball is not about to come online and shout.
In my opinion people should stop swirling their spotlight around the point and either light it up and turn it off and let it be.

That goes for everyone. Kasim/Patti/whoever. Either tell your tale or don’t.

What I stated was stated for one reason only. It's self explanatory. It has nothing do with any of the things that you made up.

Read it again, and maybe it'll be clearer.

:up:

P.S. With regards to 'people enjoying that they know things', if you think that any of this is or was in the least bit enjoyable, you are woefully misinformed, and the idea that parties involved are somehow beyond reprisal is wonderfully naive.

Exactly! Great post. In my opinion you either tell your tale (all of it) or don’t say anything at all!

I'm sure Harvey Weinstein's fans said the same thing ;)

That was a cheap shot, but you get the sentiment (and, no, I'm not comparing Meat to Weinstein).

This is the very last time that I'm going to reiterate this, and then I'm out. Whatever happens thereafter, it's on you guys. I wish you all the best - sincerely - but I have neither the time or the energy these days.

Here it is.

It's coming.

Ready?

Okay, here goes:

You had a wonderful opportunity here. In fact, you had an opportunity that most fans seldom get. It was there, right in front of you. But you blew it. That may sound hard, but look at how you responded to everything that Patti put out over the past couple of years (Kitchen Sink or otherwise). I would doubt that you're going to get much in the way of explanation from Kas, either, given the reactions above and the fact that the song really does say it all. But what do I know. From what little conversations we've had, I'm sure that Rory wouldn't come here at all (for personal reasons).

There's a lesson in this.

If you think that you know better than those who were directly involved.
Guess what?
You don't.

If you believe that you're right and they're wrong, because you simply can't understand why some things have to be the way that they are in the short term - then guess what?
You're wrong.

That's not to say that you shouldn't discuss those things amongst yourselves - you absolutely should enjoy that right - but when you operate out of blind bias and the woods suddenly outshine the trees, you can't have a rational conversation and, make no mistake here, those involved owe you nothing. What they do, they do either out of courtesy or for personal reasons. If you don't understand those reasons, then you really can't expect to argue against them and be taken seriously.

That said, I know that Patti loves you guys.

I don't mind you, either :lol:

I had hoped that, after Patti had told her story in full (which was on the cards, and still may be, albeit in a truncated form as the timeline has moved on and, as stated earlier, Patti has enough on her plate right now), we could've opened up some of the better memories and experiences - of which there is a wealth - and you would've been treated to an amazing inside view of the recording of various albums and the staging of various tours, stories from the road and recordings from the vault. You would've learned about whole albums and projects that were never released in the public domain, and whole other arrangements and takes of tracks that you didn't know existed.

We could've talked about the development of the musical, and what it was really like knowing and working with Jim for four years.

Sadly, I think we're beyond that now. I would've loved to have done a Kitchen Sink on the 80s albums. Maybe that'll happen one day. Those of you issuing death threats via Twitter (note - if you're going to do this, at least use a half decent VPN - even I can work out who some of you are, and I'm the least tech savvy guy in the room), really aught to stop. Ditto for the constant harassment and the insulting pronouncements that Patti needs 'mental help'. A better use of your time would be to actually go and speak to ex band members, former collaborators, notable writers, etc and ask them if they wouldn't mind sharing their own experiences. It's a small stepping stone on the way to understanding the complex personalities and sometimes unbelievable situations that your musical heroes operated in.

To address the quoted post above: it's nothing that I haven't said already. There are multiple reasons as to why everything can't immediately come out in the open, simply to appease ten fans (and two trolls) on an Internet forum. It just can't happen. To address it in such simple terms is either willfully naive or utterly misguided. And that's with no aspersion cast on you - simply a general statement about the reality that we're operating within. NDAs. Other legal agreements. Trigger happy estates with the best lawyers money can buy. Ill health. The void and the mire. Exorcising the past in order to enjoy a happy and healthy present. The higher path. The greater good. Something like that.

And we all slip up from time to time. Of course we do. We're just people.

So talk amongst yourselves.

Talk to others.

Honestly, it's healthy. Find out all that there is to know.

Maybe then things that you read elsewhere will suddenly start to make more sense. Until that time, I'm going to bid you all farewell for now. Keep enjoying the music, the past shows and the incredible performances. In his prime, few did it better than Meat Loaf. Your memories are and always will be yours. Whatever you hear, whatever you realize - it shouldn't ever change that.

So good luck, sincerely, and maybe one day we'll cross paths again :up:

@TWG:

You do realize you are giving away how desperately you need a hug?
Tell you what: If you get your book published, I will read it, and I will write a minimum two page essay about everything I like about your book and nothing I dislike and mail it to you. And I will write a detailed and positive review on amazon.

:up: