Classic Rock recently republished a 2006 interview with Ric Ocasek, where he mentioned hating Styx, online.
“We opened for about anybody in the beginning,” the late singer said of The Cars’ early years. “We opened for bands that we really hated, like Styx. Most of those bands would go watch us on the side of the stage to see what the fuck was going on. And it seemed that the people were relating to us and not relating to them. So, they got a little pissed.”
Former Styx keyboardist Dennis DeYoung reacted to Ocasek’s words on Facebook yesterday (August 16). “A pal in radio sent me this, and I had a good chuckle. First, I really like The Cars’ music and thought they had very tasteful musicians. Concise catchy pop tunes,” he wrote. “Really didn’t know they hated us but that’s not unusual for new bands who are trying to take the mantel from the reigning chart toppers. It’s as old a story as you can get.”
DeYoung then shared the part that bothered him, “However, the nonsense about us being pissed about our fans relating to them more than us was the real knee slapper! The Cars opened for us on some West Coast dates on the Paradise Tour and, if memory serves, at the Forum in L.A. That year, we sold out six shows between the Forum and the Los Angeles Sports Arena. We were as big as it gets and the idea that our fans were anything more than polite to them is ludicrous. Because I liked their music, I watched part of one of their shows from the wings and realized they were better to listen to than watch.”
He added, “The idea that we would be envious of them is silly. We didn’t give them a second thought much less a first. Hey, Elliot [Easton] and Greg [Hawkes]; you played some nice parts. Be well.”
Ric Ocasek died of cardiovascular disease a year after The Cars’ 2018 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band’s final album, ‘Move Like This,’ came out in 2011.