“At the beginning all we wanted was a record contract. It was just what every new group was hoping to get. We just wanted that record contract so that we could put our music out — so that Ric could put his music out. It was real basic.” — The Cars by Peter Goddard and Philip Kamin, 1986
On singing Ric Ocasek’s lyrics: “It was a natural process. Ric’s lyrics were just there. They needed to be done in the way they were done; you just had to search for ways to put the lyrics across. I really don’t know about the esthetic value of Ric’s lyrics. I don’t need to know. That’s not what they’re there for, y’know.” — The Cars by Peter Goddard and Philip Kamin, 1986
On singing Ric Ocasek’s lyrics for “Drive”: “Sometimes, with the way he writes, you’re conscious about doing a lyric in a particular way. At times it just comes off so naturally you don’t have to even think about it. It just sort of comes out of your mouth. It just flows. ‘Drive’ was that kind of natural thing. We heard the song on tape and he said, ‘Do you want to try it?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ So I went out there and tried it and it just came off. We really didn’t have to think about it. It happened right there. That’s the really weird thing about it; it was one of the easiest ones.” — The Cars by Peter Goddard and Philip Kamin, 1986
Our 23rd episode, recorded on the 23rd of February… it’s time to get nerdy!
Dave and Donna take a look at some of the written material floating around related to The Cars. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the biggies are covered, with mentions of tour books, sheet music, liner notes, and appearances in compilations.
They also discuss the unique and rare offerings of Ric Ocasek, as well as the probability of Joe Milliken’s biography about Benjamin coming out in 2018 (click here to message Joe and get on his mailing list).
During the discussion Dave shares a recent email conversation he had with Luis Aira, director of the elusive film Chapter X (among his many other amazing accomplishments), and reveals some inside information Mr. Aira dropped about other never-released projects he worked on with Ric. (Read Standing Room Only‘s article about Luis Aira and his involvement with The Cars here.) Donna plots a chance ‘run in’ with Ric in order to get her hands on all of the hidden stuff that you just KNOW is in that vault of his.
The Midnight Scroll is saved from further colonoscopy PSAs by the emails of three of our favorite listeners: Harold, Kurt, and L. Glenn Douché (pronounced “doo-shay” — it’s French). Dave still manages to get his spam in there, but Harold saves the segment by sparking a quick discussion about Ric’s solo CDs, and Kurt gets the Cleveland vibes going with some great ideas for honoring the band during the RRHOF induction weekend. And uh, L. Glenn… keep us posted on how that Go Fund Me campaign works out for you.
Dave and Donna close out the episode by picking the winner of the ‘Benjamin Orr swag’ giveaway from episode 22… Congratulations to Beta Sanchez for sending in the right answer! The generous Kurt Gaber will be in touch with you to get your prize to you. Enjoy, Beta, and thanks for listening!
Click below to hear Episode 23, and be sure to subscribe, comment and share. Follow Dave (@night_spots) and Donna (@sweetpurplejune) on Twitter, too! Oh, and don’t forget to send your questions for the ‘Midnight Scroll’ to nightthoughtspodcast@gmail.com. Also, join The Cars NiGHT THOUGHTS Podcast group for all of the little extra uploads you’ll hear about in the show.
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