Moving in Stereo

The sound of new wave pop music and the early days of MTV were defined by the work of a handful of iconic musicians, and few stood taller in that era than Ric Ocasek, frontman and primary songwriter for the Cars. The band charted thirteen Top 40 singles in the U.S. from 1978 to 1987, the music video for their song “You Might Think” won MTV’s first-ever Video of the Year award, and their biggest hit, “Drive,” became a Top 10 hit across the globe. They would ultimately be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Following the band’s breakup in 1988, Ocasek continued to have a lively professional as well as personal life—dating supermodels, publishing poetry, and appearing in movies. He enjoyed enormous success as a producer, working with such bands as Weezer, No Doubt, Guided by Voices, and the Bad Brains.

Moving in Stereo: The Life of Ric Ocasek, the Driving Force of the Cars serves as an in-depth guide to Ocasek's life and catalog as a musician. Drawing on interviews, personal reminiscences, and the the journalistic coverage he so reliably inspired, it gives a memorable portrait of one of the most essential voices in pop music during the MTV era and beyond.

The sound of New Wave pop music and the early days of MTV were defined by the work of a handful of iconic musicians, and few stood taller in that era than Ric Ocasek, frontman and primary songwriter for The Cars. The band charted 13 Top 40 singles in the U.S. from 1978 to 1987 and the music video for their 1984 song "You Might Think" won the first-ever MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year for its groundbreaking use of computer graphics. The band's biggest hit, "Drive," was a Top 10 hit across the globe and closely associated with the legendary Live Aid event. Ocasek wrote or co-wrote all the band's music, and later lent his extraordinary talent as a producer to bands like Weezer, No Doubt, Guided by Voices, and Bad Brains. In 2018, The Cars were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which marked the final live performance of the group before Ocasek's death the following year. Moving in Stereo: The Life of Ric Ocasek, the Driving Force of The Cars serves as an in-depth guide to Ocasek's life and catalog as a musician and uphold him as one of the most essential voices in pop music during the MTV era.