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« Our 'Halloween' pledge: No more dead nudity | Main | Best movie songs of the 80s: Nos. 41-60 »

October 12, 2008

Live chat: Meat Loaf, bad podcasts and more

Ferris Our long vacation from Sunday chats is officially over. I missed you, '80s nation. I'm now online and plan to stick around til about 11 pm Eastern time.

Some of things we can chat about:

  • I'd love to talk about the audio commentary we did for Halloween, and maybe give you some insider scoop on that night's frivolity.
  • If everything goes according to plan, I'll be interviewing Meat Loaf in the next couple of days. So I'd love to get your questions to ask him. Plus, let's talk about his influence on the '80s.
  • Ideas for upcoming podcasts, including the idea of a CD-listening party

Sean's back from Cleveland, so maybe he'll drop in and say hello too.

Comments

from the news this week:

"Fifty-seven-year-old rocker Meat Loaf has been hospitalized for undisclosed reasons after an awards ceremony left him almost floored - literally.

According to Meat Loaf's publicist, the star was hospitalized for three days in London after nearly falling off-stage at an awards ceremony this week."

... Ask him about Rocky Horor Picture Show, what was that all like, did he know it was going to become a piece of pop history, or did he just do it on a lark?

"You've had meatloaf before .... "



I was in NY when Mr. Loaf played GMA a while back. It was kind of embarrassing for him when he pulled up to the stage in a cool black convertible, with flames painted on the sides, ready to jump out & hit the stage --- except his a** got stuck in the car seat & 2 guys had to pull him out. It was sorta downhill after that. Funny to see, but I don't think you should bring it up in your interview.

But, HEY! How about that exciting, roller coaster RAYS WIN last nite? I still can't come down from that! They Rays are gonna make me fat with all their FREE DUNKIN' DONUTS after winning games. I need to practice self control. I was wondering? Do the BUCS give out any free food after a win?

Almost falling off stage, a** getting stuck, Jeeze, Meatloaf is NOT having a good year. Best to remember his influence in the 80s. I liked him in RHPS, & the whole Todd R produced Bat out of Hell record, altho I think it came out in the late 70s.

ill be here for the chat, as for meatloaf, maybe a question about his time on the set of black dog. why this movie you ask, well hes in it with swayze.

Ask him about the terrible Anthony Michael Hall movie "Out Of Bounds".

Hey Young Lovers, here are my picks for next Steve-Steph-Sean commentary (I'll bring the Pepsi!)...

Fatal Attraction (!)
Red Dawn
First Blood
Rocky III
Dirty Dancing
The Last Starfighter

Horror, drama, kitsch, schlock all work better than established and revered comedies. I mean, why talk over Caddyshack or Stripes or Sixteen Candles?

Rocky III, schlock????

I pity da foo ... a man ain't nuffin' if he don't belebe in hisself ...

Where is SHERRIE!? She's an uber-mega-huge Meatloaf fanatic!!

Sean Daly dropped by! Yea! Dude, seriously. The podcast comments were awe inspiring.

I'll be home tonight. I spent the afternoon hee-hawin' and waltzing whilst donning false eyelashes and heels.

I'll up for a chat.

Back at 9:00

As Marissa noted above, I am in fact a tremendous Meat Loaf fan. In fact, at one point my husband referred to my Meat Loaf fascination as "psychologically damaging", but then I dragged him to a few live Meat Loaf shows and now he's happily in the same unbalanced boat as me, attending every possible show. (I'm edging up on a dozen live shows, he's near a half dozen, with another to be added to our list this coming Friday in Clearwater.)
In sports terms, the 80's were very much a "rebuilding decade" for Meat Loaf. He temporarily lost his voice at the very end of the 70's, and began the 80's under a pile of lawsuits and bankruptcies. He did release 4 studio albums in the 80's, but they did far better overseas than in the US. What he did do extensively in the 80's was tour- all over the world and in venues of every size. I saw him at Jannus Landing in St Pete in 88 or 89 and it was an amazing show- I was in the front row against the stage and I loved every minute of it. He also made several movies and TV appearances in the 80's. I think his biggest influence on 80's nation was that so many of us listened to the Bat out of Hell album religiously back then- it was released in 77/78, but so many of us were huge fans of it in the 80's. It was the second CD I ever bought. Sheesh, all this rambling and I didn't really come up with any questions....I'll come back for the chat at 9 and see what I can come up with.

How many stayed up through the whole 11 innings? I didn't even make it to the 9th, but read everything I could get my hands on this morning. What a game!

See, what did I tell you about Sherrie? The Sherrie knows.

Hey Lori, I stayed up for the whole game, wife lasted till the 9th, first thing she did before work this morning was turn on ESPN to see the score and highlights.

I'm here gang. For those who want to know, I'm planning on listening to VERY old podcast episodes during the chat tonight. Starting with the "mix tapes" episode. #28 for those keeping track.

Lori,

I made it to the bottom of the 11th.

And I've been payng the price today.

The mix tapes episode is one of my favorites! So many pathetic tales of lost love, always a highlight of any podcast.

Some trivia notes about the mix tapes podcast episode:
- I actually reveal that I'm married (well, I was then anyway), contrary to those who thought i was single.
- Sean says the Forever Fiancee's real name in there as well.

I remember that episode Steve... it was a good one!

i almost listened to that one the other day, steve.

Sorry Sherrie, saw Meatloaf 1 time and that was enough for me.

The Who and Stones 10 times, Rush, lost count after 10 times, Yes at least 15 times, Robert Plant 2 times, Nugent lost count on him too, and many other 60's, 70's and 80's bands.

Why would anyone in their right mind pay more than once to see Meatloaf?

Hey! I remember that podcast, Steve. I never got a mix tape from anyone. I wonder what my shrink would say about that (if I had a shrink.)

I watched the first two innings at Mugs N Jugs, innings 3-9 on my couch and the extra innings from bed with one eye open...but I was generally awake for the whole thing and sure did feel like it when the alarm went off this morning!

A lot of people have told me they loved the mix tape podcast. It might be the moment where Stuck in the 80s sorta took off.

So I'm listening again to see if I can find the magic again.

My favorite mix tape came from my all-four-year-of-high-school crush. It was heavy on Monty Python and the Bus Boys. Should that have told me something?

Re. Meatloaf -- Still haven't confirmed a date and time for the interview. It was supposed to be Monday.

I've never seen him live. And I won't this time either, since I have a football to ref that night -- ironically enough, it's in Tarpon Springs, where the whole "Spandau Ballet" story from the mix-tape podcast happens.

CJ, Even being a spectator at my daughter's soccer games always tires me out in this Florida heat. We got home last evening just before the first pitch; I knew I wasn't likely to last the whole game. Today's soccer game involved a trip to the emergency room for x-rays, (!!!) but I got a nap in later.

BTW, Sean, people obviously are not aware of what caliber of athletes soccer players are. Don't let 'em give you crap about that.

400 pitches, 7 home runs, 5 1/2 hours. Crazy.

not a huge loaf fan myself, i have the 2 disc complilation put out a few years ago. thats all i'll ever need. i do like the bat 1 & 2 tunes. plus he did amnesty is granted, written by the great sammy hagar.

those early shows with daly, you and gina were good. the van halen podcast is a great one as well. the ac/dc/guns n roses podcast is legendary

The production values are a lot better today, but I do miss Gina horribly.

I used to make mix tapes with snarky verbal intersitial stuff.

Early forerunners to my SIT80's work.

Bat Out of Hell is fantastic in the car with the windows down....a few times per year. My car has 5.1 surround sound. Awesome, especially when you get the specially recorded CDs.

So has anyone heard the "Halloween" podcast/audio commentary yet?

those early sausage hang shows, kinda foreshadow what has become of the show. not a bad thing, but a little different than when you had gina and cathy.

Haven't had two minutes, let alone 2 hours.

I've been search for my Bat Out of Hell cd all weekend. No luck. It's either a loss during the divorce or the move.

steve, like yourself, im not a horror fan. but, i went and rented the movie and played the podcast. it was brilliant. plus the fact, that ya'll were more natural(ie a bit drunk). not that you're not usually natural, but being drunk kinda lets the defenses down.

Steve,

I'm still waiting for 120 contiguous, task-free minutes to uncork the magnum.

But I'll get to it eventually.

Chad -- we'd love to add a permanent female co-host, but once Cathy left, it was hard to find anyone else.

There are several really cool ladies at the newspaper who I would love to add to the show, but everyone is so swamped with work these days, and Stuck in the 80s is purely elective material.

its always facinating watching a drunk person, but listening to sean kinda lose it was funny as heck. plus hearing you try to reign him in somewhat. and add the fact, that ya'll were telling each other to shut up, priceless.

I'm planning on dedicating 4 lunch breaks this week to it- that's the only way I'll come up with two hours of time to listen to the podcast. I have much more free time at work than at home, oddly enough.

One late night, I was outside my house and heard a party taking place a few blocks away, Paradise by the dashboard lights blaring, all the party goers singing the ending at the top of their lungs. I had to smile. Those are some of the best lyrics ever and volume is required, I believe.

For the record, Sean did make it home okay the night of the podcast. He did have a designated driver. Nobody did anything dangerous.

It took us about 6 hours total to set up and record that particular show. A real time suckage. But it was on our days off, so it didn't feel like work at all.

And we really did have meatless meatballs, salty weeners and pounds of hummus for some reason.

im not knocking the show, steve. i love it. like my email to you eons ago, during the spring break show, its part of my saturday thing. i get home as soon as i can, load it unto the ipod, and listen with glee. you and sean do an excellent show.

so what really happened once stripes started. you said he had to be forcibly removed from the lair.

Paradise by the Dashboard Lights was a definately on the soundtrack of my senior year ('87), I even got the DJ to play it at my otherwise horrendous prom.

OK, so after the show was done, we put "Stripes" on the DVD player, because Jessica had never seen it.

Dave, the maestro, packed up his stuff and got going. Keep in mind it's probably 1 a.m. by now. I help him out with his equipment and when i got back, Sean was roving around the Spears Lair, weaving back and forth.

So Stephanie -- bless her heart -- basically said, "Sean, we're going home -- now!" and got him home ASAP before he lost it.

Spears, I kept picturing tiny Stephanie driving Sean across town and trying to get SD out of the car and into his house...

sherrie, i can honestly say i never heard any meatloaf tunes during the 80s. i remember hearing the bat out of hell stuff during the late 70s. but he kinda disappeared during the 80s. of course, there was no internet for me then, so i wouldnt have known otherwise.

Steve finally made me a great mix tape for my birthday. I made him a pretty awesome one too, if I do say so myself.

Thankfully she didn't have to carry him indoors. I guess his motorpowers were still functioning at this point.

The spins would come later.

so did ya'll finish watching stripes. also, i know this may be personal. how old is jessica?

he was quite funny, more so than usual.

he even eluded to it on his blog.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on one second....

I recorded a "Halloween" podcast?

yeah you did, sean. and the word brilliant came up very often, as well as "i'm gonna pass out"

Hey, the Vegas Girlfriend is in the chatroom. I gotta behave.

not necessarily

Anyone working on a particularly cool Halloween costume?

nah, i work halloween. always do

Steph and I had a perfectly lovely ride home. Then I casually walked into the house, crawled into the toilet and went to sleep.

This is a total smear campaign! Free Sean Daly!

Jessica is 22. She's a web editor with me at the Times. So she's still seeing some 80s flicks for the first time.

Sean - so happy that you survived your trip up near my neck of the woods - how was Ralphie's house?

it was good though, very entertaining podcast.

Friends have made me mix-tapes. I've made mix-tapes for friends and family. However, mix-tapes with romantic intentions have never crossed my way.
Men have given me books, jewelry, rug burns, candy, cards ... but never a mix tape.

The worst part of Sean's trip to Cleveland: He was on his best behavior!

So no great stories coming about him passing out on a raft in the river or getting arrested for stealing the state flag off a police station.

So disappointing.

Sean, I thought you were absolutely delightful on the podcast.

Sean, did you get a taste of autumn up north? I so miss that wonderful feeling.

The Vegas Girlfriend made me several mix CDs. Mine doesn't compare to hers.

I won't mention the other things she's mailed me lately.

Lori, it was very warm in the Midwest all weekend. I wore a tshirt today and felt like I was baking outside.

Hey there - Jessica here. Yes, I'm sorry to admit that there are many '80s classics that I haven't seen yet.

well after the podcast, its probably better off that he was on good behavior.

Jessica-thanks for helping Steve out with his "wardrobe issues".

Although you definitely don't want to see some of the stuff he has in his closet.

I had to explain the plot of "Fletch" to Jessica earlier today. And you know, I realize Fletch is a total classic, but when you try to explain the plot, it sounds absolutely boring and cliche.

So I don't blame her if she never wants to watch it. I'll have to start a list of movies for her to rent or borrow.

well did ya'll finish stripes that nite?

yeah, fletch would be hard to explain.

I don't think we finished Stripes. It was still on pause when I woke up the next day.

Haha, no problem Vegas Girlfriend. He needed an update.

... And I had never heard of Fletch before today. Does that make me a bad person?

lol, i hate when that happens. i hate waking up and the dvd is still on. it drives me nuts.

Fletch is a major guy movie. And I say that as a woman who likes lots of guy movies - Caddyshack, Strange Brew, Stripes, and my biggest secret shame of all - Bachelor Party. Actually, now that's a movie that is BEGGING for commentary. "Look at the cans on that bimbo". I even like the 3 Stooges, but I still don't like Fletch.

Hey Vegas Girlfriend!

My fam is totally melting down right now, so in lieu of full Ralphie reminiscence, please accept this shameless plug (and a picture of me with Randy's snowsuit!!!)

http://blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic/

not a bad person, just missed out on some good movies. but i will say, there has been good movies in recent years. although, i havent bought a recent movie in a while.

bachelor party, totally brilliant. i used to love that movie. i have it on dvd, havent watched it in a while. its kinda funny seeing tom hanks in a silly movie. but it is and was a great movie.

I'm trying to think of the last "new" movie I bought. Maybe "Blue Harvest"?

I was at Target today and was nearly about to buy...
-- Adventures in Babysitting
-- Ghostbusters 1 and 2
-- Uncommon Valor
-- John Candy 3 pack (Great Outdoors, Uncle Buck and some other schlock.)

I love FLETCH. It's so classic!

I had the biggest crush on Tim Matheson after he played Otter in ANIMAL HOUSE. So, his presence in the movie makes it all that more enjoyable.

Why I don't already own "Bachelor Party" is indeed a mystery.

"Is that the foot-long?"

"And then some..."

I wouldn't say I missed out. There's plenty of time to catch up on the flicks I haven't seen. I'm sure Spearsy will school me, or at least let me borrow from his vast collection.

i think its going berserk with the john candy 3-fer. i do have the first ghostbusters on dvd.

I, for one, am aghast at all this talk about alcohol and revelry ... sheesh.

i didnt mean it in a bad way, jessica. just saying.

Yes, it was "Going Beserk". They could have thrown in Summer Rental and I would have bought it for sure.

I know you didn't mean it in a bad way, Chad.

Too cool Sean. I would love to go to Ralphie's house for Thanksgiving, but I will be in Florida trying to do my best to impress Momma Spears - wish me luck!

ok listenign to the halloween in the 80s podcast. i think its cathy who suggests ya'll all watch halloween and record it. is that where your idea to do it came from?

Chase is here! It's like the final scene in a holiday movie. Just missing Gina and Cathy now.

Though it appears Sean was a hit-and-run artist again.

vgf
if your wear a seat belt, you might be good to go.

"Momma says everytime a bell rings an angel gets his wings"

Indeed, just like a holiday movie, now, let's argue about something ... I say, Prince sucks. :-)

at least he came by this time. maybe he knew about it.

Chad -- Did Cathy say that in last year's podcast? Wow.

It was Sean's idea to do the podcast this year, but maybe she planted the seed in there last year.

We've been talking about doing an audio commentary podcast for a LONG time but couldn't figure out which movie to do.

... or are your holiday memories full of stuff like "family" and "fun" ... ?

Maybe I share too much

i like some prince, chase.

I definitely always wear my seatbelt. And I never smoke. And I drink slightly less than Steve.

yeah, then you admit, that you get violent when you are scared. and she says, maybe we wont do it afterall.

Mom really gets upset about seatbelts. Another that sets her off -- I gotta keep the car doors locked, which I never do.

She also takes great delight in taking any spare change she finds sitting on the floorboards of my car.

i think you're good

wouldnt find anything in my car. i dont carry cash.

Jeepers, Steve, your mom sounded cool on the podcast, but now it's all, "wear your seatbelt," "lock your car doors," "don't drive on the railroad tracks...."

.... too early for flapjacks?

I didn't hit anyone during this week's scary scenes. So I'm growing.

off topic, but i did score tickets to ac/dc. im sure chase will freak, but ive never seen the band. i had tickets on the back in black tour, but it got cancelled because brian lost his voice. it messed me up for years. i would call the venue the day of the show, and see if it was cancelled.

maybe it was the crown, steve.

Mom's cool. She reads the blog comments, so behave everyone or we'll all be grounded!

I'm freaking, Chad. I caught four local bands for $5 (two of them were actually good) and $4 PBR 24-ouncers last night at a club just a short walk from the house ... check out Good Housekeeping while you chat, www.myspace.com/waifgarden ...

.... But like I said, I can understand why AC/DC charges the c-note for a ticket if I compare it in my mind to a Broadway show .. it's kind of like that

Sean had the franchise on the Crown. I was sipping Diet Coke most of the show.

I'm pretty sure she's accustomed to my brand of comments by now. I wear my seat belt, but I run with scissors and play with matches.

Good Housekeeping reminds me a little of the Cocteau Twins, who were not twins, but were excellent

funnily, you, sean, and cathy talk about some of the same things you talk about in the commentary. there is mention of dead nudity, the music, how halloween influenced all the horror movies of the 80s, etc

Sean brings up "dead nudity" all the time. It's really creepy when he does in a full elevator of people.

ok he just spit of cathy, and totally loses it, turning purple as you call it.

that would be on cathy

OK, now I'm having a vision of Sean saying "I see naked dead people" in the elevator.

That would clear an elevator mighty quick...but not as quickly as the time that I entered an elevator when I worked for the state Medicaid department. I walked in, pushed the botton, and turned to see an elderly woman urinating in the corner of the elevator, pants around her ankles. I FLEW out of that elevator at the next floor! Though Sean discussing naked dead people would be a very close second.

I always try to forget that Steve's Mom is reading what I'm writing.

It makes me feel like we're hanging out in his basement, always on the verge of getting tossed out.

In high school, I actually lived in our garage. My parents enclosed it and turned it into a few different rooms, including one for me to live in. I actually had my own door that lead straight outside with its own doorbell.

You know what's more scary than an "elderly woman peeing in an elevator"?

The fact that someone, somewhere would probably buy porn with that very title.

well i dont think ive ever said anything partiularily obscene or bad.

Mom only gave me grief one time about the blog, and that's when I made some crack about Sarah Palin.

We won't get in trouble. I'm sneaky. I know how to fool her!

well she is crying to be made fun of.

So is Meatloaf on the menu for next week's 'cast, or will it sit in the fridge until a later date?

Do I know how to extend a metaphor or what?

whatever happened to the franke sullivan podcast?

Meatloaf won't be a podcast. Though I will record the podcast and put it online for tampabay.com. I'll probably link to it from the blog.

This week's podcast will probably be the "top movie music songs" show, featuring the interview with Frankie Sullivan from Survivor.

It's another epically busy week at work so I hope we find time to do the show.

ok, thats cool. what where the qualifications for these movie songs? are they songs written for movies, or songs that appear in movies?

They can be either, Chad.

ok, got it. are they only 80s tunes? for example, hot blooded is in visionquest, but its a 70s tune.

I'm still trying to comprehend the dichotomy of a teenager with his own apt, yet Mom still has veto power on going to a concert with a certain girl. The apt sounds like trouble simply begging to happen.

To be a truly great movie song, it has to invoke the memory of the movie every time you hear it played.

When I hear "Hot Blooded," I don't make any connection to Vision Quest. But I do with "Crazy For You," "Only the Young" and "Lunatic Fringe"

i hope he has understanding neighbors, because with all the parties at the lair, im willing to bet they cn get pretty loud. especially, with sean moving back and forth.

Nah, I never got into trouble with that room. I preferred trouble away from home.

Steve,

I should have my "movie music" commentary to you no later than Wednesday. It sounds like there's little chance you'll be recording the 'cast before then.

well i used to have that soundtrack. the reason i know this is, i looked it up to see if the songs were from other records or made especially for the film. i think i came out with 7 of the 10 tunes on visionquest were on the bands records first.

So, is the Meat Loaf interview going to be print only, or are you saying that it will be recorded and available on the website? Either way, he's usually a good interview. He did just get out of the hospital a few days ago, but should be back on track by the time you speak to him. When he's well, he's like an out of control train in interviews, in a good way.

sherrie, i guess you've seen meatloafs behind the music? its a pretty good episode.

I'm going to record the Meatloaf interview, run part of it in print and put the whole audio version online with music added. It just won't be a Stuck in the 80s podcast. I guess i could use it for that though.

Chad, that is a great episode of Behind the Music. Lots of drama, great comeback, etc.

Night all. Have to go care for the teen invalid.

i think i've seen most of the behind the music episodes. even on subjects, that i dont particular care for, are all pretty interesting. maybe its because i like documentaries. some of the best ones for me were the motley crue, rick springfield, aerosmith, reo speedwagon, styx, journey, and various others.

If you are looking for slightly- non 80's topics to ask Meat Loaf about-

He spent much of the 80's taking care of his two daughters (both on the road and at home), both of whom are aspiring entertainers now. His daughter Amanda Aday starred in the Showtime series"Carnivale" and several movies. His older daughter Pearl Aday has an album out and it engaged to Scott Ian of Anthrax. She recently opened several UK shows for him, though I don't know if she'll open the Clearwater show

He's working on several movies between now and January 2009

He is working on a new album, due to come out in 2010


ok, had fun tonite, bout to head for bed.

Hey gang. Thanks for coming out tonight. I'm going to call it a night too.

We'll try to do these more often again!

I actually get a day off tomorrow. Ya gotta love Columbus, oh I'm sorry, "Discovers", Day.

This was totally groovilicious. Sweet dreams, y'all.

Chad-

Thanks for giving me props for the Halloween commentary idea. Sean always stole my ideas and made them his own...

Sorry I missed the chat, but I was at work. :(

Oh, and what's the CD Listening Party all about?

Sorry I missed all the fun last night, but I was too sick to participate. Hopefully the sinus surgery I am having on Friday will clear up all this garbage that has been making me so sick for the past year or so.

I totally back the idea of "Bachelor Party" for another audio/video commentary show.

In the late '80's, I went to a concert at the Sun Dome and saw The Pretenders. Chrissie Hynde said she knew it was tacky but she used the chrome plate on her guitar as a mirror to put on some make-up. Does anyone else remember this show? It was amazing. Trying to remember the exact DATE. ?? Please help if you can! Thanks, Karen in O-town

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Relive the music, movies and culture of the greatest decade ever with Times online editor Steve Spears. A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

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