Ric Ocasek
Encyclopedia
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist (along with Ben Orr) and rhythm guitarist for the rock
band, The Cars
.
Ocasek's father, a computer analyst for NASA, was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio when he was 16. After graduating from high school in Cleveland, Ocasek then attended Bowling Green State University
near Toledo, Ohio. He is married to model Paulina Porizkova
.
with friend Ben Orzechowski (Ben Orr). The band released one album in 1972 called How's the Weather under the Paramount record label. The album had no success and quickly disappeared shortly after release, and Milkwood split up. It was then that Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr formed up their new band Rick & the Rabbits.
band Cap'n Swing, later re-named The Cars
, which had numerous hit songs from 1976 to 1988. He played rhythm guitar
and sang lead vocals on many tracks, as well as playing keyboard instruments and bass. Ocasek was the principal songwriter of the band, and wrote nearly all of The Cars material, sharing credit on only a few songs with fellow bandmate Greg Hawkes
as co-writer.
During his time with The Cars, Ocasek developed a reputation as a successful producer, and took this role for many up-and-coming bands of differing genre
s including, but not limited to Weezer
, Bad Brains
, Bad Religion
, Nada Surf
, No Doubt
, Guided by Voices
, Bran Van 3000
, and Suicide
, as well as some of The Cars albums and singles.
In 2010, Ocasek reunited with the surviving original members of The Cars to record their first album in 24 years, titled Move Like This
, which came out on May 10, 2011.
rock sound. A more synthesizer-heavy follow up, This Side Of Paradise, was released in 1986. A #15 hit single, "Emotion in Motion
", accompanied the album.
The Cars disbanded in 1988, and he disappeared from the public eye for a couple of years, resurfacing in 1990 with Fireball Zone. One track, "Rockaway", enjoyed a brief stay on the charts, but his solo albums have seen disappointing sales, especially compared to his success with the Cars. He subsequently released other solo works throughout the decade, including 1993's Quick Change World, 1996's Getchertikitz (a collaboration with Suicide's Alan Vega
comprising only beatnik poetry set to music, sound effects, etc.), and 1997's Billy Corgan
-produced Troublizing (which Ocasek supported with a very brief tour, his first since leaving the Cars). In 2005, Ocasek released another album, Nexterday, to little fanfare, but positive reviews.
and since then, such as Bad Brains
' Rock for Light
and Guided by Voices
' Do the Collapse
. His other production credits include Weezer
's Blue Album
& Green Album
(both multi-platinum), Suicide
, Romeo Void
, Hole
, Bebe Buell
, No Doubt
, Nada Surf
, Irish folk
-punk band Black 47
, Bad Religion
, Johnny Bravo
, D Generation
, The Wannadies
, Possum Dixon
, Martin Rev
, Jonathan Richman
, and, most recently, the 2006 album by The Pink Spiders
titled Teenage Graffiti
. He also produced a portion of the third Motion City Soundtrack
album, Even If It Kills Me
.
incarnation of the same name, but these plans were dropped abruptly. For many years Ocasek had a side hobby of making drawings, photo collages, and mixed-media art works which, in 2009, were shown at a gallery in his home town of Columbus, Ohio.
Ocasek had a cameo role in the John Waters
feature film Hairspray, and had a bit part in the 1987 movie Made in Heaven
in which he played a mechanic
.
Ocasek stated in a 2005 interview in Rockline
that he hated touring and it was unlikely that he would do so again. He also stated he would not be reuniting with The Cars
again, but gave the okay to his former fellow bandmates to do so with Todd Rundgren
replacing him on vocals (the resulting band is called The New Cars
).
On April 17, 2006, Ocasek appeared on The Colbert Report and volunteered to put Todd Rundgren
"on notice". He appeared again on the July 26, 2006, episode to cheers from the audience as he volunteered to lead a commando mission to "rescue" Stephen Jr., the baby eagle at the San Francisco Zoo
named after Stephen Colbert
. He also appeared again on April 18, 2007, in order to support his wife during her appearance on the show, after remarks that she found Colbert "extremely attractive". He has been mentioned many times in other episodes as well.
The Cars, with Ocasek, appeared on The Colbert Report on August 9, 2011, to promote their new album, Move Like This.
during filming of the music video for The Cars' song "Drive
" (directed by Timothy Hutton
) later that same year. At that time, Porizkova was 19 years old and Ocasek was 35. He also stated he was bisexual
in a 1986 interview stating "I like beautiful women. Tall, thin, beautiful women. Fat little ugly women. I like all kinds of women. I'm always attracted to the opposite sex. I'm attracted to both sexes, actually. But not only beautiful men -- I think I like weird men."
Five years after meeting, in 1989, Ocasek and Porizkova married. This was Ocasek's third marriage, and Porizkova's first. In 2009, the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and their 25th anniversary since they first met.
Ocasek has a total of six sons, two from each of his three marriages.
He and co-founder of The Cars, Benjamin Orr
, were known to be close friends. Their friendship was commemorated in a song Ocasek wrote as a dedication to Orr upon his death in 2000 ("Silver", from Nexterday
).
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
.
Ocasek's father, a computer analyst for NASA, was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio when he was 16. After graduating from high school in Cleveland, Ocasek then attended Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
near Toledo, Ohio. He is married to model Paulina Porizkova
Paulina Porizkova
Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...
.
Early career
In the early 1970's, Ric Ocasek played in the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young influenced folk band MilkwoodMilkwood
Milkwood may refer to:Plant species or genera* Alstonia, a widespread genus of evergreen trees and shrubs from the dogbane family Apocynaceae* Sideroxylon inerme, or White Milkwood of southern Africa, a member of the Sapotaceae...
with friend Ben Orzechowski (Ben Orr). The band released one album in 1972 called How's the Weather under the Paramount record label. The album had no success and quickly disappeared shortly after release, and Milkwood split up. It was then that Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr formed up their new band Rick & the Rabbits.
The Cars
Ric Ocasek's breakout success was as a founding member of the new waveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band Cap'n Swing, later re-named The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, which had numerous hit songs from 1976 to 1988. He played rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
and sang lead vocals on many tracks, as well as playing keyboard instruments and bass. Ocasek was the principal songwriter of the band, and wrote nearly all of The Cars material, sharing credit on only a few songs with fellow bandmate Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes
Greg Hawkes is a musician best known as the keyboardist for the Rock band The Cars.Hawkes, a native of Fulton, Maryland, attended Atholton High School where he played in a band called Teeth. He then attended Berklee College of Music for two years, majoring in composition and flute...
as co-writer.
During his time with The Cars, Ocasek developed a reputation as a successful producer, and took this role for many up-and-coming bands of differing genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s including, but not limited to Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
, Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
, Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
, Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000 is an electronica collective from Manhattan, New York City, New York and Montreal, Quebec. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P...
, and Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
, as well as some of The Cars albums and singles.
In 2010, Ocasek reunited with the surviving original members of The Cars to record their first album in 24 years, titled Move Like This
Move Like This
-Best Buy edition:This enhanced CD also has videos for "Sad Song" and "Blue Tip.""Rocket USA" is a cover of a 1977 song by the American band Suicide, from their self-titled debut.-Personnel:The Cars*Ric Ocasek – lead and background vocals, guitars, keyboards...
, which came out on May 10, 2011.
Solo career
The singer released his first solo album in 1982. Beatitude is a somewhat more experimental variation of The Cars' New WaveNew Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
rock sound. A more synthesizer-heavy follow up, This Side Of Paradise, was released in 1986. A #15 hit single, "Emotion in Motion
Emotion in Motion (song)
"Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the songwriter and lead vocalist of The Cars. It was included in his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart...
", accompanied the album.
The Cars disbanded in 1988, and he disappeared from the public eye for a couple of years, resurfacing in 1990 with Fireball Zone. One track, "Rockaway", enjoyed a brief stay on the charts, but his solo albums have seen disappointing sales, especially compared to his success with the Cars. He subsequently released other solo works throughout the decade, including 1993's Quick Change World, 1996's Getchertikitz (a collaboration with Suicide's Alan Vega
Alan Vega
Alan Vega For several years other sources stated that he was born in 1948 – see 'Myth' section is an American vocalist, primarily known for his work with electronic protopunk duo, Suicide...
comprising only beatnik poetry set to music, sound effects, etc.), and 1997's Billy Corgan
Billy Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
-produced Troublizing (which Ocasek supported with a very brief tour, his first since leaving the Cars). In 2005, Ocasek released another album, Nexterday, to little fanfare, but positive reviews.
Producing
Ocasek has produced many records, both while working with The CarsThe Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
and since then, such as Bad Brains
Bad Brains
Bad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members objected to this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of...
' Rock for Light
Rock For Light
Rock for Light is the second official full-length album by hardcore punk pioneers Bad Brains. It was produced by Ric Ocasek of The Cars. The 1991 re-issue was remixed by Ocasek and bass player Darryl Jenifer...
and Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices
Guided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
' Do the Collapse
Do the Collapse
Do the Collapse is the 11th album by Dayton, Ohio indie rock group Guided by Voices. In contrast with their lo-fi reputation, the album features glossy production work from Ric Ocasek, and found a mixed reception from critics and fans....
. His other production credits include Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
's Blue Album
Weezer (The Blue Album)
Weezer, also known as The Blue Album, is the debut album by the American alternative rock band Weezer, released in May 1994 through DGC Records. The album was produced by former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek and recorded in Electric Lady Studios in New York City...
& Green Album
Weezer (The Green Album)
Weezer, also known as "The Green Album" due to the lime-green cover, is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Weezer, released on May 15, 2001. Produced by Ric Ocasek, it was the band's third studio album released on Geffen Records. This is the first, and only Weezer album to...
(both multi-platinum), Suicide
Suicide (band)
Suicide is an American electronic protopunk musical duo, intermittently active since 1970 and composed of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on synthesizers and drum machines. They are an early synthesizer/vocal musical duo....
, Romeo Void
Romeo Void
Romeo Void was an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. The band primarily consisted of saxophonist Benjamin Bossi, vocalist Debora Iyall, guitarist Peter Woods, and bassist Frank Zincavage. The band went through four drummers, starting with Jay Derrah and ending with...
, Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
, Bebe Buell
Bebe Buell
Beverle Lorence "Bebe" Buell is an American fashion model and singer, and Playboy magazine's November 1974 Playmate of the Month. She is also known for dating rock musicians. She is actress Liv Tyler's mother from a brief relationship with Aerosmith vocalist Steven Tyler...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Nada Surf
Nada Surf
Nada Surf is an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1992, the New York band consists of Matthew Caws , Ira Elliot and Daniel Lorca .-Early years:...
, Irish folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
-punk band Black 47
Black 47
Black 47 are a New York City based celtic rock band with Irish Republican sympathies, whose music also shows influence from reggae, hip hop, folk and jazz...
, Bad Religion
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
, Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo
Johnny Bravo is an American animated television series created by Van Partible for Cartoon Network. The series stars a muscular beefcake young man named Johnny Bravo who dons a pompadour hairstyle and an Elvis Presley-like voice and has a forward, woman-chasing personality...
, D Generation
D Generation
D Generation are an American glam punk band formed in 1991 in New York City. The band broke up in 1999, but will reunite in 2011 for shows. During its history the band released three albums, to much critical acclaim...
, The Wannadies
The Wannadies
The Wannadies were an alternative rock band formed in 1988 in Skellefteå, northern Sweden. The band's initial line-up featured Pär Wiksten , Christina Bergmark , Stefan Schönfeldt and his younger brother Fredrik Schönfeldt with Gunnar Karlsson and Björn Malmquist .Early influences...
, Possum Dixon
Possum Dixon
Possum Dixon was an American alternative rock band. Fronted by singer/songwriter/bassist Rob Zabrecky, the group's neo-new wave pop and post punk style first appeared among a string of early independently released 7 inch singles and on their self-titled debut on Interscope Records in 1993...
, Martin Rev
Martin Rev
Martin Rev is an American musician and the instrumentalist in the electronic proto-punk band, Suicide. He also has a solo career and has released several solo albums for a number of labels, including ROIR and Puu...
, Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Richman
Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...
, and, most recently, the 2006 album by The Pink Spiders
The Pink Spiders
The Pink Spiders are an American rock band, formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2003. The band currently consists of Matt Friction , Bob Ferrari , and Brandon Jazz ....
titled Teenage Graffiti
Teenage Graffiti
Teenage Graffiti is the third release by the band The Pink Spiders and the band's major label debut. The album was released on August 1, 2006. Soft Smoke, Modern Swinger, Hollywood Fix, Little Razorblade, and Teenage Graffiti, were carried over from Hot Pink...
. He also produced a portion of the third Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack
Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. The band consists of founding members Justin Pierre and Joshua Cain , along with keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, and drummer, percussionist and...
album, Even If It Kills Me
Even If It Kills Me
Even if It Kills Me is the third studio album by American pop punk band Motion City Soundtrack, released on September 18, 2007. The album was a follow up to their 2005 album, Commit This to Memory and was co-produced by Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and Eli Janney of Girls Against Boys,...
.
In other media
Ocasek wrote a book of poetry, 1993's Negative Theatre. It was at one time expected to be incorporated into an album and multimediaMultimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
incarnation of the same name, but these plans were dropped abruptly. For many years Ocasek had a side hobby of making drawings, photo collages, and mixed-media art works which, in 2009, were shown at a gallery in his home town of Columbus, Ohio.
Ocasek had a cameo role in the John Waters
John Waters (filmmaker)
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, stand-up comedian, writer, journalist, visual artist, and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
feature film Hairspray, and had a bit part in the 1987 movie Made in Heaven
Made in Heaven (film)
Made in Heaven is a 1987 feature film directed by Alan Rudolph, script from Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, and produced by Lorimar Productions. The film stars Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis and has cameos by Tom Petty, Ric Ocasek, Ellen Barkin and Neil Young...
in which he played a mechanic
Mechanic
A mechanic is a craftsman or technician who uses tools to build or repair machinery.Many mechanics are specialized in a particular field such as auto mechanics, bicycle mechanics, motorcycle mechanics, boiler mechanics, general mechanics, industrial maintenance mechanics , air conditioning and...
.
Ocasek stated in a 2005 interview in Rockline
Rockline
Rockline is a nationally syndicated radio interview program hosted by Bob Coburn that broadcasts live via satellite every Monday and Wednesday night from 8:30pm-10pm PT to radio stations in the United States. Founded in 1981, it is considered to be the longest running, uninterrupted program in rock...
that he hated touring and it was unlikely that he would do so again. He also stated he would not be reuniting with The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
again, but gave the okay to his former fellow bandmates to do so with Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
replacing him on vocals (the resulting band is called The New Cars
The New Cars
The New Cars was a band formed in 2005 with two of the original members of the 1970s/1980s new wave band The Cars. The band was composed of Todd Rundgren, drummer Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton, and original Cars members Greg Hawkes and Elliot Easton...
).
On April 17, 2006, Ocasek appeared on The Colbert Report and volunteered to put Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
"on notice". He appeared again on the July 26, 2006, episode to cheers from the audience as he volunteered to lead a commando mission to "rescue" Stephen Jr., the baby eagle at the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...
named after Stephen Colbert
Stephen Colbert
Stephen Tyrone Colbert is an American political satirist, writer, comedian, television host, and actor. He is the host of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, a satirical news show in which Colbert portrays a caricatured version of conservative political pundits.Colbert originally studied to be an...
. He also appeared again on April 18, 2007, in order to support his wife during her appearance on the show, after remarks that she found Colbert "extremely attractive". He has been mentioned many times in other episodes as well.
The Cars, with Ocasek, appeared on The Colbert Report on August 9, 2011, to promote their new album, Move Like This.
Personal life
Ocasek has been married three times; he married early in life, but divorced and was married to his second wife, Suzanne Ocasek in 1984. Ocasek was still married to Suzanne when he met model Paulina PorizkovaPaulina Porizkova
Pavlína Pořízková-Ocasek is a Czech model and actress. At the age of eighteen years, she became the first woman from Central Europe to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swim-suit issue. She was the second woman to be featured on the swim-suit issue's front cover consecutive times...
during filming of the music video for The Cars' song "Drive
Drive (The Cars song)
"Drive" is a 1984 song by The Cars, the third single from the band's Heartbeat City album and their biggest international hit. It was written by Ric Ocasek and produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange with the band. Lead vocals were by Cars bassist Benjamin Orr....
" (directed by Timothy Hutton
Timothy Hutton
Timothy Tarquin Hutton is an American actor. He is the youngest actor to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at the age of 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in Ordinary People . He currently stars as Nathan "Nate" Ford on the TNT series Leverage.-Early life:Timothy...
) later that same year. At that time, Porizkova was 19 years old and Ocasek was 35. He also stated he was bisexual
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
in a 1986 interview stating "I like beautiful women. Tall, thin, beautiful women. Fat little ugly women. I like all kinds of women. I'm always attracted to the opposite sex. I'm attracted to both sexes, actually. But not only beautiful men -- I think I like weird men."
Five years after meeting, in 1989, Ocasek and Porizkova married. This was Ocasek's third marriage, and Porizkova's first. In 2009, the couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary and their 25th anniversary since they first met.
Ocasek has a total of six sons, two from each of his three marriages.
He and co-founder of The Cars, Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr
Benjamin Orr was an American rock musician best known as the bassist and vocalist for the Boston based rock band, The Cars....
, were known to be close friends. Their friendship was commemorated in a song Ocasek wrote as a dedication to Orr upon his death in 2000 ("Silver", from Nexterday
Nexterday
Nexterday is an album released by former lead singer and songwriter of The Cars, Ric Ocasek.The album boasts a more DIY sound than previous albums, having been partially recorded in Ocasek's home studio with Ocasek playing many of the instruments himself...
).
Solo albums
- BeatitudeBeatitude (Ric Ocasek album)Beatitude is the debut album released by Ric Ocasek, lead singer and principal songwriter of The Cars. It was released by Geffen Records in 1982, and featured an appearance by Greg Hawkes on keyboards.-Track listing:...
(1982 Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
) - This Side of Paradise (1986 Geffen Records)
- Fireball ZoneFireball ZoneFireball Zone was the third solo album from Ric Ocasek, the lead singer-songwriter of The Cars.- Tracks :All songs written by Ric Ocasek except where noted.#"Rockaway"#"Touch Down Easy" #"Come Back"...
(1991 Reprise RecordsReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
) - Quick Change WorldQuick Change World (Ric Ocasek album)Quick Change World is the fourth solo album released by Ric Ocasek, who was the lead singer and songwriter for The Cars. This was his second and final release for Reprise Records....
(1993 Reprise Records) - Negative TheaterNegative TheaterNegative Theater, a European-only import CD, is the fifth solo album released by Ric Ocasek.Negative Theater was originally intended to be Ocasek's fourth solo effort consisting of a double CD and a book of poetry. However, in North America, Reprise Records declined to release the CD in Ocasek's...
(1993 Warner EU; European release only) - TroublizingTroublizing (Ric Ocasek album)Troublizing was released by Ric Ocasek in 1997 on Sony Records. On several tracks, it features co-production, guitars, keyboards and backing vocals by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins...
(1997 Sony Entertainment) - NexterdayNexterdayNexterday is an album released by former lead singer and songwriter of The Cars, Ric Ocasek.The album boasts a more DIY sound than previous albums, having been partially recorded in Ocasek's home studio with Ocasek playing many of the instruments himself...
(2005 Sanctuary / Inverse)
Spoken word album
- Getchertikitz, a collaboration with Alan Vega (1996 Sound Effects)
Singles
| Year | Song | Australia | Canada | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US MSR Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
US A.C. | US Dance | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "Something to Grab For" | - | - | 47 | 5 | - | - | Beatitude |
| "Jimmy Jimmy" | - | - | - | 25 | - | 60 | ||
| "Connect Up to Me" | - | - | - | - | - | 37 | ||
| 1986 | "Emotion in Motion Emotion in Motion (song) "Emotion in Motion" is a song by Ric Ocasek, the songwriter and lead vocalist of The Cars. It was included in his second solo album, This Side of Paradise, and released as a single in late 1986. The single reached number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Album Rock Tracks chart... " |
8 | 18 | 15 | 1 | 8 | - | This Side of Paradise |
| "True to You" | 100 | - | 75 | 9 | - | - | ||
| 1991 | "Rockaway" | - | 46 | - | 11 | - | - | Fireball Zone |
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" is a song from the Disney 1946 live action and animated movie Song of the South, sung by James Baskett. With music by Allie Wrubel and lyrics by Ray Gilbert, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song... " |
Simply Mad About the Mouse |
External links
- Ric Ocasek VH1 artist page
- Ric Ocasek AOL artist page
- Ric Ocasek Billboard artist page
- [ Ric Ocasek Allmusic artist page]