VIA PRESS RELEASE | “Just What I Needed.” “My Best Friend’s Girl.” “Drive.” “Let’s Go.” “Good Times Roll.” “Shake It Up.” “Moving in Stereo.” “You Might Think.” Decades after they first hit the airwaves, whenever one of these incredible songs by The Cars comes on the radio, there’s still only one thing to do—crank that volume knob all the way up and keep it right there for the duration of the ride.
Moving in Stereo: Ric Ocasek, the Driving Force of The Cars is the first-ever biography of Ocasek, the primary frontman and songwriter of the new wave hitmakers. The book finds noted author and musician Peter Aaron lifting the hood for a long-awaited look at the life of this influential, era-defining, and famously guarded artist and producer via in-depth research and interviews with his fellow Cars members and others.
Ocasek remains one of the most well-known—and most mysterious—figures in the history of rock ’n’ roll. A complex, intensely guarded artist, he revealed little during his life about the existence he’d led before The Cars, keeping his personal backstory well hidden, not only from his fans but his bandmates as well. And much of that story has remained deeply buried—until now.
Through personal interviews and intensive research, Moving in Stereo finds acclaimed author Peter Aaron following the elusive Ocasek over the arc of his colorful career while connecting him with the context of his time to show how he was influenced by—and in some cases helped to shape—the music he loved.
Those interviewed for the book include Cars keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson; Ocasek’s sister Maureen Otcasek-Rohrs; Gerald Casale (Devo); Martin Rev (Suicide); Daryl Jenifer (Bad Brains); Doug Gillard (Guided By Voices); and a host of Ocasek’s collaborators and friends. A forward by early Ocasek bandmate and revered musician Fuzzbee Morse and a panoply of rare photos round out the book.
Peter Aaron is the author of If You Like the Ramones and The Band FAQ; the coauthor of Richie Ramone’s autobiography, I Know Better Now; the arts editor for Chronogram magazine; the front man of influential New York band the Chrome Cranks; and a member of the Stabbing Jabs and other musical projects. In the 1980s, he promoted early concerts by Nirvana, the Flaming Lips, and others. His writing has appeared in The Village Voice, The Boston Herald, The Kingston Daily Freeman, and online at AllMusic and All About Jazz. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.
