Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Richard T. Otcasek, known as Ric Ocasek, is an American songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the vocalist, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for the rock band the Cars. Ocasek has been married to model Paulina Porizkova since 1989...
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth23 March 1949
CityBaltimore, MD
bands crowd moved
I don't think I'm an entertainer. I never think, 'Wow, I can't wait to get the crowd moving.' Some of my favorite bands never moved an inch.
bands people
People sometimes say that bands sound like The Cars, but when I hear it I don't know if they do or not.
bands huge music understand
There are a lot of bands that have a huge appeal, but I don't understand why. Guns n' Roses. U2. But you know, that's just my thing. Music is pretty personal.
I'm not proud of the lyrics to 'Shake It Up.'
check everybody game produce sound work
When I produce other people, that's the thing I can do well because I've been in a band, and I can play the political game and make everybody feel happy, and I can check their performances, and I can work on the sound while they're being a band.
audience certainly gymnastics talk
I didn't feel like gymnastics were part of The Cars. I certainly philosophically didn't want to prod the audience to react to anything. To me, it was more like negative theater. We didn't really talk to the audience. I didn't see that being a part of this band.
few
I often write songs, and when I do, I usually write quite a few of them. I really have to be in the mood.
fairly people time
People tell me all the time that I look forbidding or aloof. That doesn't bother me much - I am fairly private, withdrawn, and... distant, I guess. But, um, I think that's okay.
love
The creative part for me is making songs, and that's what I really love the most, and that's what I've always done for every band I've ever had.
bob oddly people velvet
As a songwriter, oddly enough, my influences were people like Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, and Buddy Holly. Some psychedelic stuff, too.
life
I've never been on a water slide in my life.
time twilight thinking
If you want to talk about it, I got the time When you're looking so enchanted, you cover my mind If you think I'll wait forever, maybe you're right There's no such thing as now or never, there's only twilight
bass player politics sort
I've been in a band, so I understand the politics. Sometimes the bass player doesn't like what the guitar player is doing, and you have to sort of even that out.
beat fan followed grew lawrence love people poetry stuff threw
I've always been a fan of poetry. I grew up with Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the Beat poets. I really followed that stuff for a while. I just love the way people threw words around like they were painting.