10 Fascinating Stories Behind Rock Music Star Stage Names
3. Maybe He’s Born With It - Meat Loaf
People can be cruel sometimes, but not cruel enough to actually call their own child Meat Loaf.
Mr. and Mrs. Loaf named their bouncing baby boy Michael Lee Aday when he was born in 1947. Michael was a large baby and, due to various medical complications, was bright red for the first few days of his life. His father remarked that he looked like "nine pounds of ground chuck" and the hospital staff even wrote the word "meat" on his crib.
Maybe people can be that cruel after all.
By the time Aday was a pre-teen, he weighed 240 lbs and stood at just 5' 2" tall. Considering his initials were already ML, his classmates took the next logical step and started calling him Meat Loaf.
Even the teachers got in on the act, 'cos this poor kid was getting bullied from all sides.
Although he'd received enough hazing to scar him for life, Aday took it all in his stride and his unconventional appearance would eventually form a core part of his act.
Oh, how those bullies must have reacted when Bat Out of Hell came out.