Meat Loaf is commercial gold, just admit it. His commercial above for AT&T's Go Phone is - dare I say - classic. But you need another taste? Can you honestly say you've forgotten the magic of his Dr Pepper commercial?

(And for the record, that red-headed actress can drink my soda anytime. But if she told me to drop my '80s obsession and do a Stuck in the '90s podcast and listen to the Spin Doctors ... well, I won't do that. No, no.)

I had a great chat yesterday with Mr. Loaf, who was about the nicest guy in the world during our interview even after I hit him up with a question about his recent hospitalization right up front. Here are some quickie highlights:

HIS HEALTH: Meat Loaf spent three days in a London hospital last week after becoming ill before the Q Awards. Bottom line: His vertigo, for which he's been taking meds over the last 10 years, got the worst of him. But he'll be fine for the Oct. 17 show at Clearwater's Ruth Eckerd Hall.

HIS AT&T COMMERCIAL: No, that's not his son in the commercial. But Meat did have a lot of say in who was picked to play that part. His wife in the commercial -- the lovely '80s popster Tiffany. Meat agreed to do the commercial only after getting the song lyrics rewritten fairly extensively.

NO MORE BATS: Bat Out of Hell was always intended to be a trilogy, he says, and there's no chance of a fourth installment. However, he's a few songs shy of completing a new album (with uber-producer Rob Cavallo), which will be ready for 2010. No name yet, though he kiddingly calls it Bull in a China Shop.

Click here for the full audio interview.