Drake's Place: ric ocasek

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Ric Ocasek of The Cars dies.

Daily Mail: Cars frontman Ric Ocasek is found dead at age 75 in his Manhattan apartment.

The former-lead singer of The Cars was believed to have died of natural causes. Estranged wife Paulina Porizkova found him 'unconscious and unresponsive'[.]
[.]
The band originated in Boston in 1976 and two years later released their self-titled album which shot them to fame with hits that included 'My Best Friend's Girl.'
[.]
They produced six records from the 1978 to 1987 of which there were 13 top-40 singles.

In 1984 they won MTV's Video of the Year award for the song 'You Might Think' from their fifth album.

The band are most known for their song 'Drive' being used as the soundtrack for a CBS video for Live Aid that showed the horrors of famine in Ethiopia.

Winona Daily News: Cars' singer Ric Ocasek dead at 75.

Ocasek's minimalist, half-spoken deadpan vocals set made the band's sound, and his long, lanky appearance formed their lasting image.

The first three songs on their 1978 self-titled first album were all hit singles and remain widely known classics and oldies radio airplay: "Good Times Roll," ''My Best Friend's Girl" and "Just What I Needed."
[.]
They were always an MTV favorite, and the whimsical, partly animated video for "You Might Think" along with the mournful video for "Drive" brought them near-constant airplay on the channel in the mid-1980s.

The band broke up in 1988, but their influence would be deeply felt in the 1990s and beyond. Kurt Cobain and Nirvana covered "My Best Friend's Girl" at their last live show in 1994, and Ocasek produced albums for younger bands including Weezer, No Doubt and Bad Religion.

"Candy-O" (audio only):

"You Might Think":

NPR: There is some confusion about Ocasek's age: The NYPD said that he was 75; public records list his age as 70 years old.

Top 8 1980s Songs by The Cars (reviews only).

Twitter: Condolences and reactions to Ric Ocasek.

You Tube: More music and videos.

Ocasek's death follows too closely to the recent passing of Eddie Money. Here's hoping this segment of the population is hands-off from the Reaper for a while now.