Chords for Ric Ocasek of The Cars

Well, we are still backstage [G] at the show Laxodo and now we [F] are with Rick Okasik.
[C#] It's so great to meet [G] you.
Thank you.
Such a [C#] big fan.
Thank you very much.
And it was really fun [N] meeting all of your bandmates and speaking to them individually
because each one had a little bit of a slightly different tale of how the chorus came together in 2010.
And everyone wants to take [E] credit for this.
And I wondered if you could tell me your side of the story.
_ Huh?
Well, they want to take credit for this.
[B] _ _ I think it's probably the same as theirs really.
I finished a lot of songs.
_ I was going to [Cm] probably make a solo record or [G#] some kind of an album.
_ [C#] _
And one night I was just thinking, you know, maybe [F] I should just call those guys [E] and just
give them a record.
See if we'll just [C#] do it.
Because, you know, I'm so used to the way they play.
_ [E] And as musicians, there couldn't be anybody [F] better.
_ [Em] And it's going to be more natural.
_ _ [C#] _ _ _
_ [Bm] And I'm going to do it.
Really?
You're doing it?
Yeah.
[D] So we did it.
[A#] So you've had solo records out before and [E] the impetus [C] to reunite the [Dm] band wasn't there.
Was there something different [G] about these [F#] songs or was there something different about you?
_ [Bm] Maybe it was about me.
[E] Maybe it's about _ _ _ [G#] _ _ _ _
[F] what's going on.
_ [D#] _ _ _ _ _
Junk going on.
[G#] _ _ I thought, you know, just going to see if they want to do a record. _ _ _ _
Yeah, it's hard [F#] to say.
You know, it's one of those thoughts [G] that just comes to [G#] you and you think, well, this is [G#] obvious.
Why don't I just do that?
See if they'll [E] get it right.
[B] _ [N] I thought everybody would.
And they sure did, right?
They all jumped at it.
And [A#] then when, to sort of introduce this new [C#] concept to the world, I heard you just [G#] posted
a picture of you guys on Facebook.
Is that accurate?
Yeah.
And was that sort of like a dipping a [E] toe in the water to see if there [G] were people out
there [D#] that were excited about the cars?
Or was it like teeth?
What was the impetus?
It [B] was kind of like teeth because [C#] originally I told the guys when I [C#] called them that I
wanted to do [B] a record.
I really wanted to do it, probably [F#] ourselves, _ [G#]
pay for it ourselves to achieve [G] and maybe
just do [F] it yourself.
Don't even get a [F#] record.
Maybe we'll just do it.
Because these [B] days you can't.
[A#] So that's how [B] it started.
_ [G#m] _
_ _ [G#] We didn't have a Facebook page.
I don't even know.
[C#] _ _ [F#] Somebody said, oh, you should get [B] a Facebook page.
So we get a [G] Facebook page.
[E] And we just [C#] stole from a video where Walter Welles was [A] and posted [C#m] it on just to see if
anybody would try to guess what it might be going on.
Right.
[C#] _
_ And then there was [F#] a lot of responses.
Suddenly you had hundreds of thousands of likes and everybody wanted to know.
So I thought, [Gm] well, is that the way Facebook [E] works?
That's pretty cool.
Yeah.
_ [B] So that was just, and [A] also I have [F#] to say it was my manager, [E] Jeff Gramus, who had an idea
to put up some little teaser things.
_ And _ [C#m] _
[B] so we did.
That was kind of fun.
[G#] Yeah.
Now you guys haven't, _ when you [B] were, how do we even refer to it?
Like the Mach [F] 1 of the cars?
And I don't mean to make a cars reference.
I really didn't.
But you know, the _ _ [E] early cars.
You didn't play live a lot.
Oh, no, no.
We did.
[A] Getting the cars from the old days?
Yeah.
Oh, God.
I'm not kidding.
It's one of the reasons [G#m] I quit the whole thing.
Oh, really?
It was the [F#] touring.
It was like [C#] always.
Yeah.
_ [G#] It must [D#] have seemed like that to you.
It [Em] didn't seem like that to me.
Well, [G] that's because, you know, three weeks is long to [E] me.
Right.
Right.
No, but actually, [C#] yeah, the first couple of tours [G#] were eight months.
We'd be like making a record per month.
We'd be in Europe for months.
Right.
Everything [D] was for like ever.
Yeah.
And [B] _ [G#] me being a songwriter, I kind of wanted to write songs all the time.
Right.
And the road just wasn't the place for that?
You know, I've been on the road since I was 18.
_ [Em]
It's like after a while.
[C#] You know, I [F#] felt more [E] like really a songwriter [G] and a person that does play around the studio.
Right.
You know, technically.
[E] _ [G#] And performing was something I did [G] before the cars, during [C#] the cars.
And to me, it was [A] the entertainment [B] aspect of it was never [E] my favorite.
Right.
Right now.
You know, you can be strong.
Right.
You can be active.
Right.
It's like _ [G] the entertainment part of it.
Yeah.
I think there's some great [C#] entertainers, but.
_ _ _ [G]
And yet tonight, [G#] you're going to play to a big, [A#] rabid, sold [G#] out show.
Do you have, you seem very chill [A#] right now.
Do you have jitters?
Are you [G#] more annoyed about having to play live?
No, [C#] I'm not annoyed nor jittered.
[F] You feel totally comfortable.
[E] You're ready.
Yeah, I'm [G] totally ready. Good. _ _
Good.
And this tour will be short so that you don't [D] have to spend a long period of time [E] away from.
True.
[G] But from family and all that stuff.
[D#]
Because I went through a couple of [F#] families going through that.
Seriously.
Yeah, I know.
And like, that's like another whole world.
It's like you can just drop families along the way.
You can not [Em] see your kids grow up.
Right.
I mean, this is another side of the story.
You know, [C] young bands who are playing out live for the first [F#] time.
And even myself, _ to see the world and to travel everywhere, [C] _ every country [C#] and every city [G#] is phenomenal.
Right.
[D] It's phenomenal [E] for about three years.
[G] Right.
You know.
And then it's like you're a sales guy.
[A] Right.
You're on a plane every [Em] day.
You go into some thing that you have [Em] to go to.
You're going to repeat the same [C#] story.
_ [G] And you're going to be able to see those cities.
Just the inside of [E] a radio station or a concert venue.
And the [C#] hotel after ten.
[G] Yeah.
Which really, if you're hungry, _ [A] you know.
So it's like, [Cm] it's not as glamorous as it [G] seems.
It's glamorous when you're climbing up.
Yeah.
When you're climbing, it's really [C] glamorous.
It's really fun.
I guess [G#m] if you happen to get there, which probably the cars might have.
_ _ Then it's kind of like _ redundant.
Right.
And to me.
[F#] Right.
Some people, like for instance, Greg and [G] Elliot, I'm sure they could like live on [Em] the road.
_ _ [C#] _ And a lot of bands and a lot of people, I know that [E] their likelihood is really performing.
And that's what they [C#] spend their time doing.
Right. _
[G#m] They're going to love it.
_ For me, I'd rather [B] really be in the studio [G] making albums for other people.
Making albums for myself.
[E] And specifically writing songs.
Right.
Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us today.
My pleasure.
Really nice to meet you.
Get the [G#m] correct pronunciation on your name.
I'm really glad we have that clarified for [A] everyone.
And congratulations on the great new record.
Thank you.
And mazel tov on [G#m] the tour.
Well, thank you.
You're [G] welcome.
Nice to talk to you too.
Thank you.
Can I [E] ask you a heavy question?
Yes.
It's my question, but she gets to ask it.
[B] At the end of the 11 [C#m] shows, _ [E] in your mind, what will make you feel the most content, happy, _ [B] satisfied about this whole process?
Do [E] you have a goal?
I think we made a really brilliant record.
I'm sorry.
Sean, you ask that [D] question.
I'm sorry.
Okay.
Because I want to use this.
Okay.
[C] All right.
So, one last [D] question.
[B] At the end of these 11 shows, how are you going to gauge your _ success, happiness?
_ What's the measure?
_ The measure was [G] when we made the album.
_ _ [F] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ So, _ [G#] as long as we made a good record and it [E] came out, [F#] that's probably_
_ _ _ _ So, the [F] rest of the tour is like the icing on the cake?
Well, the tour is fun because, you know, it's_
[F#] _
_ Right.
What [F#] did I just read in the New York Times?
Something [E] about _ being a little anti-fun or fun was a challenging [A#] word for you.
[G] Fun is a weird word for me.
Fun and enjoy.
Yeah.
Fun has always been a weird word because I think _ it's almost described something you
have to kind of pay for or that you have [Gm] to_
It's like something you have to seek out.
[C] And other people, like, [G#] try to design things that are fun for people.
[E] And, like, if you go do what they [F#] think might be a [Em] fun thing for you.
_ [C]
In other words, if you have to go out and, like, [G#] find fun, _ [F] then that's sad.
You know?
[Em] I mean, if you're going to have fun, I guess it should be natural and a part of your life
and [E] just whatever you think is fun as well.
_ [C#] A little trouble with, like, paychecks.
[F] Yeah.