Jump to content

Ric Ocasek

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Rieding (talk | contribs) at 03:53, 23 August 2013 (Ocasek is Czech). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Ric Ocasek
Background information
GenresRock, new wave
Years active1976 (1976)–present
Websitewww.ricocasek.com

Ric Ocasek (born Richard T. Otcasek; March 23, 1949) is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist (along with Benjamin Orr) and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars. When Ocasek was 16, his father, a Czech-born[1] computer analyst for NASA, was transferred to Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from Maple Heights High School in Maple Heights, Ohio, Ocasek then attended Bowling Green State University near Toledo, Ohio.[2][3] He is married to model Pavlína Pořízková.

Early career

In the early 1970s Ric Ocasek played in the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-influenced folk band Milkwood with friend Ben Orzechowski (Ben Orr). The band released one album in 1972, How's the Weather, under the Paramount record label (whose catalog is now owned by Geffen Records, for which Ocasek would record as a solo artist). 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 their new band, Richard and the Rabbits (a name suggested by Jonathan Richman).[4] In 1974 Ric and Ben played as a duo at a south shore Boston Ground Round Restaurant, until a company V.P. stopped in one night and said they were not family-friendly entertainment, and had to let them go.

The Cars

Ocasek's breakout success was as a founding member of the New Wave band Cap'n Swing, later renamed The Cars, which had numerous hit songs from 1978 to 1988; he played rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals for a majority of songs (bassist Benjamin Orr was lead vocalist on the remaining tracks). Ocasek was the principal songwriter of the band, and wrote nearly all of The Cars material, sharing credit on only a few songs with bandmate Greg Hawkes as co-writer. 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 was released 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 Wave rock sound. A more synthesizer-heavy follow up, This Side Of Paradise, was released in 1986. A No. 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. He resurfaced in 1990 with his own album, 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 it received positive reviews.

Producing

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 genres including 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.

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 multimedia incarnation of the same name, but those plans were dropped abruptly. For many years Ocasek had a 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.[5]

Ocasek had a cameo role in the John Waters feature film Hairspray,[6] and had a bit part in the 1987 movie Made in Heaven[7] in which he played a mechanic. He had a non-speaking role (beatnik painter) in Woody Allen's "Take the Money and Run" (1969).

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 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.

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 Pavlína Pořízková during filming of the music video for The Cars' song "Drive" (directed by Timothy Hutton) later that same year. At that time Pořízková was 19 years old and Ocasek was 35.

Five years after meeting (in 1989), Ocasek and Porizkova married. This was Ocasek's third marriage, and Porizkova's first.

Ocasek has 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).

Discography

Solo albums

Spoken word album

  • Getchertikitz, a collaboration with Alan Vega (1996 Sound Effects)

Singles

Year Song Australia Canada US Hot 100 US MSR 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" 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 Notes
1991 "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" Simply Mad About the Mouse
1991 "Fly by Night" Moment of Truth Writer of one track on album by Terri Nunn

See also

References

  1. ^ While Much of the New Wave Goes Dry, Studio Whiz Ric Ocasek Has His Band, the Cars, Running on Full
  2. ^ New, The. "Ric Ocasek". New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  3. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (October 17, 2004). "Just What They Needed?", New York Times
  4. ^ http://www.linkedin.com/in/greghawkes
  5. ^ Whiteman, Doug (March 29, 2009). "The Cars' Ocasek shakes up career with art debut". Associated Press.
  6. ^ "New York Times". New York Times. October 13, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  7. ^ "Made in Heaven (1987) Acting Credits". New York Times. October 13, 2010. Retrieved March 8, 2011.

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ric_Ocasek&oldid=569813380"