New Cars
Old Music

I’ve gotta admit that I was never a big fan of the Cars, after the hits, the pickins seemed to get a little thin. And the hits, well they were a bit derivative – it was like…I’ve heard that riff before. Listening to Let’s Go, You’re Just What I Needed, You Might Think was like hearing My Best Friend’s Girl over and over again until I couldn’t tell which song was blasting from my radio…only I always knew it was the Cars. No other band rocked so hard and sounded so consistently downbeat. Their popish anthems took on a metallic, almost human ring without sinking into an over-the-top self-parody like say…Devo – whip it good. Still the riff is timeless, just ask the Ohio Express. There’s a little Yummy Yummy in all them hits…ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-BOMP. Hell Yeah, that’s right – Ric Ocasek is a stone genius who can breach and borrow from any number of genres whether its blues, rockabilly punk, abstract electronica, or bubblegum and come up with something that is just a little more compelling - like Jamaican’s trying to play rock and coming up with reggae. In fact Ocasek single handedly created a new type of ultra-cool rock n’ roll that’s neurotic post-modern and retro – all at once and it flourishes to this day in the music of Weezer and the Tiki Gods. And whenever I get a chance to listen to Ocasek’s idiosyncratic pocket symphonies I get this hot flash vision of Pauline Porizkova bitin’ her lip and kickin’ it with her nuclear boots – just for me…ooh, baby!

But to tell you the truth, I really came to see Todd Rundgren – a wizard/a true star if there ever was one – he certainly ranks right up there with Ocasek, though the Cars were a much more commercial enterprise. I’ve been a Rundgren devotee since his days with Nazz and his early Runt material with the sons of Soupy Sales (Hunt & Tony) – We Gotta Get You A Woman is a lusty anthem for every pimply faced adolescent male hoping beyond hope to get to third but not knowing where to find first base. In 1972 Rundgren released Something/Anything and became a star, sounding like a Tapestry era Carol King on his big top forty hit I Saw the Light. By 1973, he released A Wizard/A True Star and blew everyone away with his synthesized pop/soul experimentation. Back then he sang in a wobbly tenor. As explained in the lyric of Is It My Name:
My voice goes so high, you would think I was gay But I play my guitar in such a man-cock way

That was 35 years ago, now Todd has settled into a comfortable spot-on baritone, hitting the mark and never squeaking out sharp notes. Instead of Carol King he sounds more like…ah… Ric Ocasek. As it turns out Rundgren is the perfect voice for the Cars, absent Ocasek and their performance at DTE reminded me of just how fresh and vital they remain.
This is punched up pop/art punk music fronted by a psychedelic zen archer. They took the stage and proceeded to tear the house down with one hit after another… Let’s Go, Shake It Up, Best Friend’s Girlfriend, Candy O, You’re All I’ve Got Tonight, You May Think, Drive as well as glorious Rundgren originals Black Maria, I Saw the Light and Bang The Drum (an acoustic set up with Ukeleles that segues into the more familiar arrangement) and a fantastic encore performance of the Nazz masterpiece Open My Eyes. Moving In Stereo and Candy O had surprising power and pizzazz, sounding more accessible than their recorded versions. Elliot Easton proved to be a fluid guitarist with impressive chops - melodic pickin’ and lightening fast heavy metal riffs. Dig that Les Paul. The tandem guitar attack of Easton and Rundgren proved irresistible and with Hawkes keyboard/synthesizer flourishes gave the music a sonic quality that almost surpassed the originals. Rundgren sang with enough nuance to underscore the ambiguity of Ocasek’s message…is You’re All I Got Tonight a love song or a put down? I’m not sure but I appreciate the multiple truths folded into the irony. And the aloof-cool in the accapella break in You Might Think was in perfect juxtaposition to the busy arrangement and was sung masterfully by Rundgren - high octane powered experimental pop at its finest, very much in the vein of Rundgren’s best work. And as a chameleon of the finest order (check out his Deface the Music LP), Rundgren is a perfect substitute for Ocasek.

As I reflected on the show I began to understand the durable popularity of the Cars’ progressive art/pop excursions and wondered what it might be like to see Ric Ocasek live – his last solo outing at CBGBS in 2005 was a stripped down rockin’ triumph and proved that Cars music doesn’t necessarily need to be so busy and synthesized. As for Todd Rundgren, I was a bit disappointed that he joined the Cars instead of pursuing his own unique vision. But this has the feel of a temporary project and Rundgren doesn’t quite fit the mold of an eighties hair band diva.

Peace,
Bo