Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613734115
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
From one of rock's greatest writers, Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre is the definitive biography of the Doors Spanning the entire history of the band, from the birth of its members to the deaths of those who have departed, this book will long remain the definitive history of a band that changed the history of popular music. The band that started out as the "American Rolling Stones," noted for their wildly unpredictable performances, their jazzy vibe, and the crazed monologues of their front man, ended as badly as did the '60s: abruptly, bloodily, cripplingly. Along with evoking the cultural milieu of Los Angeles in the era, bestselling writer Mick Wall captures the true spirit of that tarnished age. From the release of their classic first album, The Doors, to their last with Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, this band biography is a brilliantly penetrating and contemporary investigation into the real story of the Doors.
Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613734115
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
From one of rock's greatest writers, Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre is the definitive biography of the Doors Spanning the entire history of the band, from the birth of its members to the deaths of those who have departed, this book will long remain the definitive history of a band that changed the history of popular music. The band that started out as the "American Rolling Stones," noted for their wildly unpredictable performances, their jazzy vibe, and the crazed monologues of their front man, ended as badly as did the '60s: abruptly, bloodily, cripplingly. Along with evoking the cultural milieu of Los Angeles in the era, bestselling writer Mick Wall captures the true spirit of that tarnished age. From the release of their classic first album, The Doors, to their last with Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, this band biography is a brilliantly penetrating and contemporary investigation into the real story of the Doors.
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
ISBN: 1613734115
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 460
Book Description
From one of rock's greatest writers, Love Becomes a Funeral Pyre is the definitive biography of the Doors Spanning the entire history of the band, from the birth of its members to the deaths of those who have departed, this book will long remain the definitive history of a band that changed the history of popular music. The band that started out as the "American Rolling Stones," noted for their wildly unpredictable performances, their jazzy vibe, and the crazed monologues of their front man, ended as badly as did the '60s: abruptly, bloodily, cripplingly. Along with evoking the cultural milieu of Los Angeles in the era, bestselling writer Mick Wall captures the true spirit of that tarnished age. From the release of their classic first album, The Doors, to their last with Jim Morrison, L.A. Woman, this band biography is a brilliantly penetrating and contemporary investigation into the real story of the Doors.
When Giants Walked the Earth
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429985615
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 549
Book Description
The first significant fresh reporting on the legendary band in twenty years, built on interviews with all surviving band members and revealing a never-before-seen side of the genius and debauchery that defined their heyday. Veteran rock journalist Mick Wall unflinchingly tells the story of the band that pushed the envelope on both creativity and excess, even by rock ‘n' roll standards. Led Zeppelin was the last great band of the 1960s and the first great band of the 1970s—and When Giants Walked the Earth is the full, enthralling story of Zep from the inside, written by a former confidante of both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Rich and revealing, it bores into not only the disaster, addiction and death that haunted the band but also into the real relationship between Page and Plant, including how it was influenced by Page's interest in the occult. Comprehensive and yet intimately detailed, When Giants Walked the Earth literally gets into the principals' heads to bring to life both an unforgettable band and an unrepeatable slice of rock history.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429985615
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 549
Book Description
The first significant fresh reporting on the legendary band in twenty years, built on interviews with all surviving band members and revealing a never-before-seen side of the genius and debauchery that defined their heyday. Veteran rock journalist Mick Wall unflinchingly tells the story of the band that pushed the envelope on both creativity and excess, even by rock ‘n' roll standards. Led Zeppelin was the last great band of the 1960s and the first great band of the 1970s—and When Giants Walked the Earth is the full, enthralling story of Zep from the inside, written by a former confidante of both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Rich and revealing, it bores into not only the disaster, addiction and death that haunted the band but also into the real relationship between Page and Plant, including how it was influenced by Page's interest in the occult. Comprehensive and yet intimately detailed, When Giants Walked the Earth literally gets into the principals' heads to bring to life both an unforgettable band and an unrepeatable slice of rock history.
Black Sabbath
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466869690
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 456
Book Description
Decades before reality television was invented, Ozzy Osbourne was subversive and dark. Ozzy was the singer in the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and they meant business. In an era when rock bands were measured by how 'heavy' they were, no one was weightier than Black Sabbath. All four founding members of the original Black Sabbath grew up within half-a-mile of each other in a tiny Birmingham suburb. Though all shared a deep love of music--The Beatles for Ozzy, the Mothers of Invention for Geezer, the Shadows and Chet Atkins for Iommi, and Gene Kruppa for Ward— they formed their group "as the quickest way out of the slums." This is the story of how they made that dream come true--and how it then turned into a nightmare for all of them. At the height of their fame, Sabbath discovered they'd been so badly ripped off by their managers they didn't even own their own songs. They looked for salvation from Don Arden—an even more notorious gangster figure, who resurrected their career but still left them indebted to him, financially and personally. It finally came to a head when in 1979 they sacked Ozzy: "For being too out of control--even for us," as Bill Ward put it. The next fifteen years were a war between the post-Ozzy Sabbath and Ozzy himself, whose solo career overshadowed Sabbath so much that a reunion was entirely on his terms. Or rather, those of his wife and manager—to add a further bitter twist for Sabbath, daughter of Don Arden —Sharon Osbourne.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1466869690
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 456
Book Description
Decades before reality television was invented, Ozzy Osbourne was subversive and dark. Ozzy was the singer in the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and they meant business. In an era when rock bands were measured by how 'heavy' they were, no one was weightier than Black Sabbath. All four founding members of the original Black Sabbath grew up within half-a-mile of each other in a tiny Birmingham suburb. Though all shared a deep love of music--The Beatles for Ozzy, the Mothers of Invention for Geezer, the Shadows and Chet Atkins for Iommi, and Gene Kruppa for Ward— they formed their group "as the quickest way out of the slums." This is the story of how they made that dream come true--and how it then turned into a nightmare for all of them. At the height of their fame, Sabbath discovered they'd been so badly ripped off by their managers they didn't even own their own songs. They looked for salvation from Don Arden—an even more notorious gangster figure, who resurrected their career but still left them indebted to him, financially and personally. It finally came to a head when in 1979 they sacked Ozzy: "For being too out of control--even for us," as Bill Ward put it. The next fifteen years were a war between the post-Ozzy Sabbath and Ozzy himself, whose solo career overshadowed Sabbath so much that a reunion was entirely on his terms. Or rather, those of his wife and manager—to add a further bitter twist for Sabbath, daughter of Don Arden —Sharon Osbourne.
Two Riders Were Approaching: The Life & Death of Jimi Hendrix
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409160327
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
Jimmy was a down-at-heel guitarist in New York, relying on his latest lovers to support him while he tried to emulate his hero Bob Dylan. A black guy playing white rock music, he wanted to be all things to all people. But when Jimmy arrived in England and became Jimi, the cream of swinging London fell under his spell. It wasn't that Jimi could play with his teeth, play with his guitar behind his back. It was that he could really play. Journeying through the purple haze of idealism and paranoia of the sixties, Jimi Hendrix was the man who made Eric Clapton consider quitting, to whom Bob Dylan deferred on his own song 'All Along the Watchtower', who forced Miles Davis to reconsider his buttoned-down ways - and whose 'Star Spangled Banner' defined Woodstock. And when his star, which had burned so brightly, was extinguished far too young, his legend lived on in the music - and the intrigue surrounding his death. Eschewing the traditional rock-biography format, Two Riders Were Approaching is a fittingly psychedelic and kaleidoscopic exploration of the life and death of Jimi Hendrix - and a journey into the dark heart of the sixties. While the groupies lined up, the drugs got increasingly heavy and the dream of the sixties burned in the fire and blood of the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King and the election of President Richard Nixon. Acclaimed writer Mick Wall, author of When Giants Walked the Earth, has drawn upon his own interviews and extensive research to produce an inimitable, novelistic telling of this tale - the definitive portrait of the Guitar God at whose altar other guitar gods worship. Jimi Hendrix's is a story that has been told many times before - but never quite like this.
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409160327
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 319
Book Description
Jimmy was a down-at-heel guitarist in New York, relying on his latest lovers to support him while he tried to emulate his hero Bob Dylan. A black guy playing white rock music, he wanted to be all things to all people. But when Jimmy arrived in England and became Jimi, the cream of swinging London fell under his spell. It wasn't that Jimi could play with his teeth, play with his guitar behind his back. It was that he could really play. Journeying through the purple haze of idealism and paranoia of the sixties, Jimi Hendrix was the man who made Eric Clapton consider quitting, to whom Bob Dylan deferred on his own song 'All Along the Watchtower', who forced Miles Davis to reconsider his buttoned-down ways - and whose 'Star Spangled Banner' defined Woodstock. And when his star, which had burned so brightly, was extinguished far too young, his legend lived on in the music - and the intrigue surrounding his death. Eschewing the traditional rock-biography format, Two Riders Were Approaching is a fittingly psychedelic and kaleidoscopic exploration of the life and death of Jimi Hendrix - and a journey into the dark heart of the sixties. While the groupies lined up, the drugs got increasingly heavy and the dream of the sixties burned in the fire and blood of the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King and the election of President Richard Nixon. Acclaimed writer Mick Wall, author of When Giants Walked the Earth, has drawn upon his own interviews and extensive research to produce an inimitable, novelistic telling of this tale - the definitive portrait of the Guitar God at whose altar other guitar gods worship. Jimi Hendrix's is a story that has been told many times before - but never quite like this.
W. Axl Rose
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780283070549
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
Axl Rose is one of rock's most colourful figures and yet his story has never been properly told. This work presents a study of the troubled life and turbulent career of the group's singer and leader. It is a biography of rock's biggest living legend.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780283070549
Category : Rock musicians
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
Axl Rose is one of rock's most colourful figures and yet his story has never been properly told. This work presents a study of the troubled life and turbulent career of the group's singer and leader. It is a biography of rock's biggest living legend.
Enter Night
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429987030
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 483
Book Description
Their roots lie in the heavy rock of 70s groups like Deep Purple. The music they played—heavy metal mixed with punk attitude—became its own genre: thrash. Their bassist died and they survived to became the biggest-selling band in the world. As grunge threatened to overtake them, they reinvented themselves. Then their singer went into rehab and they almost fell apart. They are Metallica, the most influential heavy metal band of the last thirty years. As Led Zeppelin was for hard rock and the Sex Pistols were for punk, Metallica became the band that defined the look and sound of 1980s heavy metal. Inventors of thrash metal—Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth followed—it was always Metallica who led the way, who pushed to another level, who became the last of the superstar rockers. Metallica is the fifth-largest selling artist of all time, with 100 million records sold worldwide. Their music has extended its reach beyond rock and metal, and into the pop mainstream, as they went from speed metal to MTV with their hit single "Enter Sandman". Until now there hasn't been a critical, authoritative, in-depth portrait of the band. Mick Wall's thoroughly researched, insightful work is enriched by his interviews with band members, record company execs, roadies, and fellow musicians. He tells the story of how a tennis-playing, music-loving Danish immigrant named Lars Ulrich created a band with singer James Hetfield and made his dreams a reality. Enter Night follows the band through tragedy and triumph, from the bus crash that killed their bassist Cliff Burton in 1986 to the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster, and on to their current status as the leaders of the Big Four festival that played to a million fans in Britain and Europe and continues in the U.S. in 2011. Enter Night delves into the various incarnations of the band, and the personalities of all key members, past and present—especially Ulrich and Hetfield—to produce the definitive word on the biggest metal band on the planet.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1429987030
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 483
Book Description
Their roots lie in the heavy rock of 70s groups like Deep Purple. The music they played—heavy metal mixed with punk attitude—became its own genre: thrash. Their bassist died and they survived to became the biggest-selling band in the world. As grunge threatened to overtake them, they reinvented themselves. Then their singer went into rehab and they almost fell apart. They are Metallica, the most influential heavy metal band of the last thirty years. As Led Zeppelin was for hard rock and the Sex Pistols were for punk, Metallica became the band that defined the look and sound of 1980s heavy metal. Inventors of thrash metal—Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth followed—it was always Metallica who led the way, who pushed to another level, who became the last of the superstar rockers. Metallica is the fifth-largest selling artist of all time, with 100 million records sold worldwide. Their music has extended its reach beyond rock and metal, and into the pop mainstream, as they went from speed metal to MTV with their hit single "Enter Sandman". Until now there hasn't been a critical, authoritative, in-depth portrait of the band. Mick Wall's thoroughly researched, insightful work is enriched by his interviews with band members, record company execs, roadies, and fellow musicians. He tells the story of how a tennis-playing, music-loving Danish immigrant named Lars Ulrich created a band with singer James Hetfield and made his dreams a reality. Enter Night follows the band through tragedy and triumph, from the bus crash that killed their bassist Cliff Burton in 1986 to the 2004 documentary Some Kind of Monster, and on to their current status as the leaders of the Big Four festival that played to a million fans in Britain and Europe and continues in the U.S. in 2011. Enter Night delves into the various incarnations of the band, and the personalities of all key members, past and present—especially Ulrich and Hetfield—to produce the definitive word on the biggest metal band on the planet.
Layla in the Sky with Diamonds
Author: Manbeena Bhullar Sandhu
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480841900
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
It has been twenty-four hours since Layla last had cocaine. The blonde American now on a flight to New Delhi with her one white child and one brown child is struggling to keep it together. As she departs the airplane, all she can focus on is how quickly she can hook up with her friend and drug baron Leonardo so he can provide her with her next fix. Layla, a flower child of the 1960s, has travelled around the world in search of a utopian land. Her life story begins with her wild rock and roll years in New York and continues on to tell of her hippie days in San Francisco and Goa where hippies of the world converged to partake in a bohemian lifestyle. Here, her heady ways were combined with a few unfortunate incidents and wrong choices, ultimately leading her to her spiritual awakening, but not before paying a dear price. This compelling story line weaves 1960s and 70s style hedonism, Indian culture, drugs, family, devastation, passion, spirituality, and endearing characters into an engaging tale. The author takes you on a journey of vivid impressions, bringing to life the spirit of a lost era.
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480841900
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 182
Book Description
It has been twenty-four hours since Layla last had cocaine. The blonde American now on a flight to New Delhi with her one white child and one brown child is struggling to keep it together. As she departs the airplane, all she can focus on is how quickly she can hook up with her friend and drug baron Leonardo so he can provide her with her next fix. Layla, a flower child of the 1960s, has travelled around the world in search of a utopian land. Her life story begins with her wild rock and roll years in New York and continues on to tell of her hippie days in San Francisco and Goa where hippies of the world converged to partake in a bohemian lifestyle. Here, her heady ways were combined with a few unfortunate incidents and wrong choices, ultimately leading her to her spiritual awakening, but not before paying a dear price. This compelling story line weaves 1960s and 70s style hedonism, Indian culture, drugs, family, devastation, passion, spirituality, and endearing characters into an engaging tale. The author takes you on a journey of vivid impressions, bringing to life the spirit of a lost era.
Foo Fighters
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250122341
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 345
Book Description
There’s a reason why Dave Grohl is known, however naively, as “the nicest man in rock.” A reason why millions have bought his Foo Fighters albums and DVDs, his concert and festival tickets. A reason why generations have bought into his story, his dream, his self-fulfilling prophecies. Dave may not have the savant glamour of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, but whereas Kurt dwelled in darkness, Dave was a lover, not a loner, a bringer of light. Foo Fighters: Learning to Fly is his story, and therefore the true story of the Foo Fighters—like it’s never been told before. From Grohl’s days as the new kid in Nirvana, to becoming the Grunge Ringo of the Foo Fighters, to where he is now: one of the biggest, most popular male rock stars in the world. Internationally acclaimed rock writer Mick Wall tells us how and why none of this happened by accident in a style that pulses with rock’s own rhythms. With testimony from true insiders, including former band mates, like Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, producers, record company executives, and those closest to Grohl and the Foos, this is the first full, explosive, no-holds-barred biography of the band and their otherwise critically bulletproof leader.
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250122341
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 345
Book Description
There’s a reason why Dave Grohl is known, however naively, as “the nicest man in rock.” A reason why millions have bought his Foo Fighters albums and DVDs, his concert and festival tickets. A reason why generations have bought into his story, his dream, his self-fulfilling prophecies. Dave may not have the savant glamour of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, but whereas Kurt dwelled in darkness, Dave was a lover, not a loner, a bringer of light. Foo Fighters: Learning to Fly is his story, and therefore the true story of the Foo Fighters—like it’s never been told before. From Grohl’s days as the new kid in Nirvana, to becoming the Grunge Ringo of the Foo Fighters, to where he is now: one of the biggest, most popular male rock stars in the world. Internationally acclaimed rock writer Mick Wall tells us how and why none of this happened by accident in a style that pulses with rock’s own rhythms. With testimony from true insiders, including former band mates, like Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, producers, record company executives, and those closest to Grohl and the Foos, this is the first full, explosive, no-holds-barred biography of the band and their otherwise critically bulletproof leader.
Lemmy
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 1409160289
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 270
Book Description
'Unflinching, forthright and full of wry humour as the man himself, and there's little praise greater than that' CLASSIC ROCK 'Wall's vision of Lemmy as a Rock'n'Roll stalwart who made no concessions is vivid to the last' GUARDIAN In 'The Ace of Spades', Motörhead's most famous song, Lemmy, the born-to-lose, live-to-win frontman of the band sang, 'I don't want to live forever'. Yet as he told his friend of 35 years, former PR and biographer Mick Wall, 'Actually, I want to go the day before forever. To avoid the rush...'. This is his strange but true story. Brutally frank, painfully funny, wincingly sad, and always beautifully told, LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY is the story of the only rock'n'roller never to sell his soul for silver and gold, while keeping the devil, as he put it, 'very close to my side'. From school days growing up in North Wales, to first finding fame in the mid-60s with the Rockin' Vicars; from being Jimi Hendrix's personal roadie ('I would score acid for him'), to leading Hawkwind to the top of the charts in 1972 with 'Silver Machine' ('I was fired for taking the wrong drugs'); from forming Motörhead ('I wanted to call the band Bastard but my manager wouldn't let me'), whose iconoclastic album NO SLEEP 'TIL HAMMERSMITH entered the UK charts at No. 1. Based on Mick's original interviews with Lemmy conducted over numerous years, along with the insights of those who knew him best - former band mates, friends, managers, fellow artists and record business insiders - this is an unputdownable story of one of Britain's greatest characters. As Lemmy once said of Wall, 'Mick Wall is one of the few rock writers in the world who can actually write and seems to know anything about rock music. I can and do talk to him for hours - poor bastard.' With the hard part of his journey now over, Lemmy is set to become a legend. LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY explains exactly how that came to be.
Publisher: Orion
ISBN: 1409160289
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 270
Book Description
'Unflinching, forthright and full of wry humour as the man himself, and there's little praise greater than that' CLASSIC ROCK 'Wall's vision of Lemmy as a Rock'n'Roll stalwart who made no concessions is vivid to the last' GUARDIAN In 'The Ace of Spades', Motörhead's most famous song, Lemmy, the born-to-lose, live-to-win frontman of the band sang, 'I don't want to live forever'. Yet as he told his friend of 35 years, former PR and biographer Mick Wall, 'Actually, I want to go the day before forever. To avoid the rush...'. This is his strange but true story. Brutally frank, painfully funny, wincingly sad, and always beautifully told, LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY is the story of the only rock'n'roller never to sell his soul for silver and gold, while keeping the devil, as he put it, 'very close to my side'. From school days growing up in North Wales, to first finding fame in the mid-60s with the Rockin' Vicars; from being Jimi Hendrix's personal roadie ('I would score acid for him'), to leading Hawkwind to the top of the charts in 1972 with 'Silver Machine' ('I was fired for taking the wrong drugs'); from forming Motörhead ('I wanted to call the band Bastard but my manager wouldn't let me'), whose iconoclastic album NO SLEEP 'TIL HAMMERSMITH entered the UK charts at No. 1. Based on Mick's original interviews with Lemmy conducted over numerous years, along with the insights of those who knew him best - former band mates, friends, managers, fellow artists and record business insiders - this is an unputdownable story of one of Britain's greatest characters. As Lemmy once said of Wall, 'Mick Wall is one of the few rock writers in the world who can actually write and seems to know anything about rock music. I can and do talk to him for hours - poor bastard.' With the hard part of his journey now over, Lemmy is set to become a legend. LEMMY: THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY explains exactly how that came to be.
Like a Bat Out of Hell
Author: Mick Wall
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409173542
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
'A passionate, pacey tome you should do anything for a copy of' - Kerrang! "I never wanted to be a big star. I just wanted to be the biggest at what I do! Powerful, unstoppable, heavy - when that word still meant something good!" - Meat Loaf, as told to Mick Wall Everything in the story of Meat Loaf is big. From the place he was born (Texas); to the family he was born into (his father weighed 22 stone, his uncle weighed over 40 stone, while Meat Loaf himself weighed 17 stone before he was even in his teens); to the sound he made (a colossal collision between Richard Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen); and of course the records he sold - nearly 50 million in Britain and America alone. From a tumultuous childhood with an alcoholic father to the relentless abusive bullying he endured, nobody could have predicted Meat Loaf's meteoric rise to fame. But when the messianic rock opera Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977, it became one of the biggest albums of all time, selling over 45 million copies worldwide to date. Its release marked the start of a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and seemingly career-ending lows. By the 80s, Meat Loaf was battling with drug and alcohol addiction and escalating money problems. But just when it seemed like it was all over, the astonishing success of Bat Out of Hell II and the mega-hit 'I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' marked an extraordinary new wave of success. Now, Mick Wall will bring this extraordinary story up to date, drawing on the hours he spent with Meat Loaf, both in interviews and on tour, as well as offering up a unique insight from those who have known him best.
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1409173542
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 347
Book Description
'A passionate, pacey tome you should do anything for a copy of' - Kerrang! "I never wanted to be a big star. I just wanted to be the biggest at what I do! Powerful, unstoppable, heavy - when that word still meant something good!" - Meat Loaf, as told to Mick Wall Everything in the story of Meat Loaf is big. From the place he was born (Texas); to the family he was born into (his father weighed 22 stone, his uncle weighed over 40 stone, while Meat Loaf himself weighed 17 stone before he was even in his teens); to the sound he made (a colossal collision between Richard Wagner, Phil Spector and Bruce Springsteen); and of course the records he sold - nearly 50 million in Britain and America alone. From a tumultuous childhood with an alcoholic father to the relentless abusive bullying he endured, nobody could have predicted Meat Loaf's meteoric rise to fame. But when the messianic rock opera Bat Out of Hell was released in 1977, it became one of the biggest albums of all time, selling over 45 million copies worldwide to date. Its release marked the start of a rollercoaster ride of incredible highs and seemingly career-ending lows. By the 80s, Meat Loaf was battling with drug and alcohol addiction and escalating money problems. But just when it seemed like it was all over, the astonishing success of Bat Out of Hell II and the mega-hit 'I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)' marked an extraordinary new wave of success. Now, Mick Wall will bring this extraordinary story up to date, drawing on the hours he spent with Meat Loaf, both in interviews and on tour, as well as offering up a unique insight from those who have known him best.