Art Carne

King-sized singer Meat Loaf (born Marvin Lee Aday) got his nickname like so many of us: His father looked at him, overflowing his hospital bassinet, and said the baby looked like "nine-and-a-half pounds of ground chuck.”

So for most of his Texas childhood, he was known by that single monicker, until the time he was playing high school football and stepped on his poor coach's foot. The coach hollered, “Get off my foot, you hunk of meat loaf!”

And a show business legend was born.

The years have gone by in a blur, and we've all enjoyed his songs, including "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad," "It's All Coming Back To Me Now," and "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That").

This sounds more like a publicity stunt than fact, but Meat says he's going vegan, joining a host of favorite musicians who eschew meat and chew plants instead.
Paul McCartney and Ariana Grande are always mentioned among those who sing songs and skip the steaks, although they both sometimes look like they could use a hearty meal, you know?

At least for this month, Meat will eat no meat, having signed up to join the  Veganuary campaign, where people are encouraged to forgo meat and animal products for the first month of the year.

The article I was reading said that Simon Cowell, Benedict Cumberbatch and Natalie Portman are now numbered among the former carnivores.

Your choice: would you rather go around named "Meat Loaf" or "Benedict Cumberbatch"?

And when a restaurant chain called Frankie & Benny’s asked him to rebrand himself as Veg Loaf for the month, he insisted he would do anything for veganism, but he won’t do that.

Mr. Loaf said, “When Frankie & Benny’s first approached me to rebrand to Veg Loaf I said no way in hell – I won’t do that.

“But, I’d do anything for our planet and dropping meat for veg, even for just one day a week, can make a huge difference.”

Elise Ash is the director of strategy and brand at Frankie & Benny’s. She said,  “We wanted to encourage diners to swap meat for veg this January, so who better to sign up than one of the most recognized artists on the planet."

“While we couldn’t convince him to rebrand to Veg Loaf, we’re just delighted he’s the headline act for our new vegan menu and helping spread the word on the benefits of tucking into our meat-free dishes.”

Enjoy your dinner! Pass the chow!