To Hell and Back

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"Poor fat Marvin can't wear Levi's!" a radio ad boomed, leaving seventh grader Marvin Lee Aday, a 240-pound misfit, humiliated. Bullied by classmates and nicknamed "Meat Loaf" by his alcoholic father, Marvin faced a tough childhood filled with challenges, including seventeen concussions and a passion for musical theater. Despite the odds, he recorded one of the best-selling albums of all time. His life story is a remarkable rags-to-riches journey, featuring encounters with lowlifes, a brush with Charles Manson, and a role in the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Collaborating with Jim Steinman, he created Bat Out of Hell, which went from being rejected by music executives to selling over 28 million copies, catapulting him to superstardom. However, his success was followed by a devastating fall into bankruptcy, a fractured relationship with Steinman, and personal turmoil, including his wife's breakdown. Yet, Meat Loaf refused to stay down. He returned to his roots, rebuilding his career club by club, leading to a reunion with Steinman and the Grammy-winning Bat Out of Hell II. Illustrated with unpublished photographs, his story is as larger-than-life as he is.