The creative part for me is making songs, and that’s what I really love the most, and that’s what I’ve always done for every band I’ve ever had. – Ric Ocasek
The most important thing to a lot of people, is to belong to something that’s hip or whatever. To be a part of something that’s not society, just a clique. – Ric Ocasek
People tell me all the time that I look forbidding or aloof. That doesn’t bother me much – I am fairly private, withdrawn, and… distant, I guess. But, um, I think that’s okay. – Ric Ocasek
I could never be a country person, sitting around trees trying to write a song. I would rather be in the middle of society, whether it’s growing or crumbling. – Ric Ocasek
I think bands, when they’re on the road, they keep their sanity by developing an internal sense of humor. – Ric Ocasek
When I produce other people, that’s the thing I can do well because I’ve been in a band, and I can play the political game and make everybody feel happy, and I can check their performances, and I can work on the sound while they’re being a band. – Ric Ocasek
I often write songs, and when I do, I usually write quite a few of them. I really have to be in the mood. – Ric Ocasek
They’re caught where there’s no way out or where you can’t see out. What are you going to do about it? I don’t have the answer. If I did there would be no insane asylums. – Ric Ocasek
People sometimes say that bands sound like The Cars, but when I hear it I don’t know if they do or not. – Ric Ocasek
I’ve always been a fan of poetry. I grew up with Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the Beat poets. I really followed that stuff for a while. I just love the way people threw words around like they were painting. – Ric Ocasek
I don’t think I’m an entertainer. I never think, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to get the crowd moving.’ Some of my favorite bands never moved an inch. – Ric Ocasek
There are a lot of bands that have a huge appeal, but I don’t understand why. Guns n’ Roses. U2. But you know, that’s just my thing. Music is pretty personal. – Ric Ocasek
Once they’re on paper, they’re gone. I like to do as much with the words, as far as image goes. – Ric Ocasek
As a songwriter, oddly enough, my influences were people like Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground, and Buddy Holly. Some psychedelic stuff, too. – Ric Ocasek
Sometimes you want to run away, sometimes you think you do, but you never had a dream like this before and you don’t want to ask for more, sometimes you leave a mark before you know the score. – Ric Ocasek
I didn’t feel like gymnastics were part of The Cars. I certainly philosophically didn’t want to prod the audience to react to anything. To me, it was more like negative theater. We didn’t really talk to the audience. I didn’t see that being a part of this band. – Ric Ocasek
Your high points and your low points. High points don’t last that long, it’s a high and it happens. It’s great at the moment but you really can’t live on it. – Ric Ocasek
I’ve been in a band, so I understand the politics. Sometimes the bass player doesn’t like what the guitar player is doing, and you have to sort of even that out. – Ric Ocasek
I love walking down the street and seeing faces and drama and happiness and sadness and dirt and cleanliness. – Ric Ocasek
