Rocker Meat Loaf has become an unlikely fan of William Shakespeare, revealing he likes to act out scenes from the Bard's great plays in hotel rooms when he's on the road.

The "Bat Out of Hell" hitmaker admits Shakespeare didn't appeal to him when he was at school but now he never leaves home without his Complete Works.

He explains, "I read Hamlet twice in 2010 in Australia and I read The Two Gentlemen of Verona. I'd seen it before, but I never read it until that tour. I read Richard III.

"I never read Shakespeare when I was in school. I used to use (story summary study book) Cliffs Notes, but I've been reading him for years.

"I like to read plays online. I'll find a scene inside of a play and I'll start to break it down in my room and develop the character. I read a lot of plays."

Meat Loaf admits he's also a big fan of John Grisham, who sends him books, Dan Brown, Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller.