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The Cars' five members - Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and David Robinson - seemed to have that perfect chemistry that makes for a successful rock group although they came from different musical backgrounds.

Ric Ocasek

Ric Ocasek, the Cars' songwriter and lead singer, is easily characterized by the distinctive "hiccups" in his voice as well as his startling appearance being 6'3" tall with deep-set eyes (usually hidden behind sunglasses) and almost always dressed in black. He was born Richard Otcasek in Baltimore, Maryland on March 23, 1949. He grew up there, but seemed to have difficult childhood. At ages five to seven, Ric was an alter boy and had to sing at several funerals. He was then sent to Catholic school where he had to learn about guilt, sin, and retribution. But by seventh grade, Ric had finally gotten away from the school's influence by getting himself kicked out for "irritating the nuns." Ric once described, "I wasn't feeling too good about being pushed around or having to believe in spirits and things. There were a lot of fears, a lot of restrictions that people built into your mind." As an outlet, Ric hung out with the little gangs of kids characterized by fraternity names and matching jackets who walked the streets of Baltimore.

But soon after, became interested in music. He received encouragement from his grandmother, who, when he was ten years old, got him an appearance to sing on a local variety show, noticed he was a fan of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and bought him his first guitar. Ric's family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when he was 16, and it was then he decided that he wanted to go to college, and started to improve his grades. He was also interested in photography and electronics. But Ric dropped out of Anticoch College and Bowling Green University when he became more interested in becoming part of the local music community.

Ric is known for having a unique perspective when it comes to producing his music. During the run of the Cars, Ric didn't like to admit to being the leader of the group, yet he had be sure he wrote the songs and it was his guidance that made the Cars the success that they were. The others didn't always agree, but most of them seemed to be satisfied working under this form of "benevolent dictatorship," or the iron hand in the velvet glove. This is somewhat reflected in Ric's style of song writing which also wasn't always what it seemed as Elliot Easton once commented, "Ric's lyrics portray a callous, cynical, and sarcastic person. But he's a fairly gentle soul and a very sensitive guy."

Currently, Ric is a record producer, but still continues to create music of his own. He has been married to Paulina Porizkova since 1989, and they live in New York City with their two sons, Jonathan Raven (born in November 1993) and Oliver Orion (born on May 23, 1998). Paulina even did a commercial for Maybelline in which she described being a mother and being married to Ric as just a few of thie things in her life that could put lines on her face. This was when Jonathan was their only child. On her's and Ric's carrers, Paulina stated, "Ric and Jonathan go with me when I work, and Jonathan and I go with him when he works. That's our rule."

Benjamin Orr

Benjamin Orr (shortened from Orzechowski, born on August 9, 1955) is a native Ohioan, born in Lakewood to Russian and Czechoslovakian parents. He was raised in Cleveland where he dropped out of high school, but started an early career in music as a member of a band called the Grasshoppers featured on the local TV show, "Upbeat." A fan of Elvis Presley, Ben had always loved performing since early childhood and went from singing for his parents' friends to being a local teen idol. His parents had supported Ben's interest in music, both being singers themselves. He stated, I had total support from my parents, even when I was doing the pots-and-pans routine. I never got a Don't-do-that, especially when I got involved with music". He also said, "They gave me the most encouragement that anybody could possibly get. They got down on teachers who would grab my hair in the hallways because it was too long." As an beginning musician, Ben also learned to play several instruments including the keyboard, drums, bass, and of course, the guitar. Unfortunately, the Grasshoppers broke up due to the draft, but luckily, Ben found his way out of it and returned to music. In any sense, Ben was unmistakably meant to be noticed. With his stunning good looks and natural talent as a performer and guitarist, it was said that Ben could have very well played Vaudeville had he been born fifty years ago. But in the mid-70's, he was perfect to compliment Ric's songs once they met.

Elliot Easton

Elliot Easton (formerly Steinberg) was born on December 18, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York. He too was inspired by music at a young age being attracted to Beatlemania and the surfing era. As early as grade school, Elliot anchored a surf-rock band in Massapequa on Long Island where he grew up. "All I ever wanted to do since I was ten years old is to play lead guitar in a rock and roll band and do it well, do it intelligently" (with the emphasis on 'intelligently'). He later acquired more skills that allowed him to win battle-of-the-bands contests in high school. He seriously studied music by attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. At the time, he wasn't even thinking about starting a band and just wanted to get out of the house. Even though he is technically known as the Cars' left-handed lead guitarist, Elliot seemed to have other ideas about his position, "I'm not into guitarists. I'm more into songs and songwriters. If I consider myself anything, I consider myself the songwriter's guitarist." But Elliot had always been on top of the latest in guitar music. "I don't think there's a good player starting from the 20's to the 60's who has escaped my attention. And if I find merit in something, I'll go right ahead and steal it."

Greg Hawkes

Like Ric Ocasek, Greg Hawkes also grew up in Baltimore and would eventually end up in Boston. Greg grew up listening to the music of Frank Zappa which had influenced his own song writing. When it came to studying music, although Greg took piano lessons as a child, he lost interest due to reading comic books and watching Japanese films. But he claimed that reading comics, both as a child and as an adult, acted as an anchor to his music. As Greg stated, "Hopefully, I'd like to retain some sense of goofiness and not take it all too seriously. I think if you approach it with the idea, 'Okay, we've got to make some art now,' that it's going to end up being a little stuffy or pretentious or something." When Greg was 14, he played guitar for his first band, the Aardvarks. He was also in several other bands as a teenager, most of them being very weird. Right out of high school, Greg left home for Boston where he, like Elliot, attended Berklee for a few years. He chose that particular school because it was different from other places in which to study music. There he learned music theory and how to apply it in real situations. As time went on, Greg remained in Boston, as he said, "I've always had a strong sense of direction even though I wasn't necessarily successful at pursuing it."

David Robinson

David Robinson, the only member of The Cars who was originally from Boston, was the final addition to the band. He was born on April 2, 1953. He had previously been the drummer as well as one of the founding members of a well-known group, Jonathan Richman's The Modern Lovers. However, David was let go when the band decided to change to a more acoustic sound and no longer needed a percussionist. But David then found work first in LA with Pop! and later, with DMZ back in Boston before joining the Cars. What really stood out about David was his sense of style. He had always been in on the latest trends and was a perfectionist. As Maxanne Satori, who shared a house with David in 1971, once said "David could have twenty-five cents in his pocket and look the best guy at the party." He had an artistic sense that would really show later on, as he was responsible for creating and perfecting the Cars' visual as well as musical appearance.

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Heartbeat City - A Site About The Cars
Introduction: Main Page F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) Cars Backgrounds & History	Music & Video: Cars Discography & Lyrics Cars Albums Compilation Albums Solo Projects Music Videos (Cars & Solo) Video & DVD Releases	Other: Guestbook Ben Orr Tribute Miscellaneous Help?
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Heartbeat City - A Site About The Cars

Introduction:

Main Page

F.A.Q.

(Frequently Asked Questions)

Cars Backgrounds & History

Music & Video:

Cars Discography & Lyrics

Cars Albums

Compilation Albums

Solo Projects

Music Videos (Cars & Solo)

Other: