Meat. Passion & Power

The Day The Lightning Struck

Meat Loaf died a few weeks ago, and so did Lata Mangeshkar. We, in India, refer to Lata Mangeshkar as “The Nightingale of India”, and she was a fabulous and accomplished singer. Yet, her death left me cold. Zero. She lived. She died. In contrast, when I read about Meat Loaf’s passing, sadness flowed through me, because his passion and power always moved me and he was gone. I remember the day when I first heard his song, “Bat Out of Hell”. That day the lightning struck, and music changed.

I also remember one evening when a bunch of us gathered around to listen to “Bat Out of Hell”. Those days, we didn’t have YouTube or huge, fancy music systems, so we plugged our rusty music system into the electrical mains and let it rip. One of my friends, a crass fool, made a nasty crack about Meat Loaf’s girth, and compared him to most rock musicians who are skinny. He almost died night, when we all pounced on him with a yell, saying, “Who cares? It’s the voice. It’s the music.”

A Magnificent Legacy

Meat Loaf – a brilliant singer, magnificent singer and great human. After he died, I listened to an interview in which he confessed to being asthmatic and often requiring oxygen after a show. This man gave his heart and soul when singing, and while performing in front of a crowd. Have a look at this performance of “Bat Out of Hell” with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and you will know what I mean. For the audience that was the day the lightning struck, and I doubt anyone walked away unmoved by the man.

I have seen Lata Mangeshkar sing, and she always stood still and sang. Nothing in her face or body language conveyed emotion, and this stands in contrast to Meat Loaf.

A Glimpse of The Man

The other video I want you to pay attention to is this interview with a young James Corden. Not only did he speak to him and give him his full attention, but he was also human and gave him some of the best advice a young boy could get. You rarely see people who have reached a certain level of power, fame, wealth, etc., talking to a young person and treating them with respect. I am serious when I suggest you watch this interview. It is short and gives you an excellent idea of the man behind the singing voice and the legend.

I am convinced lightning struck James Corden that day, and I say this because I detected deep emotion on his face.   

Meat Loaf – a brilliant singer, magnificent singer, and great human. Rest in Peace.

Partinng Thoughts

I’d like to leave you with some last thoughts.

• Whatever you do, put your heart and soul into it.
• No matter how high you rise, don’t lose your soul and humility.
• Don’t quit
• Never grow old

Tough ones!

It took me a long time to accept that my corporate days are over.  I spent many years looking over my shoulder back to the days of my imagined glory. It took me a long while to realize I must look ahead and embrace my future in the worlds of photography and writing. So, I will put my heart and soul into these areas, and I won’t quit.

Inshah’Allah.

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