Todd Rundgren to replace Rik Ocasek in new CARS project

Yep, it's true. It'd be nice to have all original members (RIP Ben Orr) but I can't think of a more perfect person for this project.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001525267

That link didn't mention it, but Kasim Sulton and Prairie Prince are also involved, David Robinson isn't.

Yeah, I was wondering who was playing drums. Too bad Robinson isn't involved, he had a great minimalistic approach, very fitting for the songs. Prairie Prince is great too, he can play any style. He did excellent work with XTC.

ohhh, I've always liked Todd! His solo stuff and with Utopia. The last time I saw Utopia my heart almost stopped due to being a little bit too close to the stage and some HUGE speakers! really effected my hearts rhythm.Still was fun....miss those days....

OK, they've added TR, Kasim Sulton & Prairie Prince, shouldn't they change their name to the Cartubias?

How about calling it "Autopia?"

Shag could do the concert posters.

Ah come on!
I respect Todd Rundgren but...
The Cars minus Rik Ocasek equals no Cars.

...and for that matter, the Cars minus Ben Orr equals no Cars.

Let us not forget that it was Ben, not Ric, who sang "Just What I Needed","Moving in Stereo","Let's Go","Drive", and many of their other tunes.

And he had that sexy lollipop on the back of the Candy-O LP.
LOL.

A project with Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, and Todd Rundgren could be interesting, but calling it The Cars is a disaster.

Anyone else but me think that their largely forgotten "Panorama" LP is their best, by far?

Tiki content: Elliot easton did a side project called Elliot Easton's Tiki Gods.

I saw Todd Rundgren a few years back when he was going through his "rapper" phase and was very turned off by his attitude on stage. He had this air of, "bow to me" about him. He also didn't play any of his classics (not even "Hello It's Me"). Just rapped for about an hour in his Sinbad suit. He also required all beverages in the bar be served in plastic cups because we wanted to go barefoot on stage?!?!?! Our waitress went on and on about his demands and how rude he was to everyone that worked there. It was a shame because I was really looking forward to hearing him live. Now, combine that with "The Cars" less than interesting live shows and I don't think you have a winner as far as their tour goes. I could see the music being taken to the next level, but don't call it "The Cars". I love Geeky's idea of "Autopia".

I also agree with those who said that it's not the same without Ben. He had that "rock" voice and could also do the mellow stuff beautifully.

I agree, it can't be the Cars. Still, the Elliot Easton / Todd Rundgren Band might be worth seeing.

I thought that Fountains of Wayne were the new Cars.

On 2005-11-22 08:33, tikibars wrote:
...and for that matter, the Cars minus Ben Orr equals no Cars.

Let us not forget that it was Ben, not Ric, who sang "Just What I Needed","Moving in Stereo","Let's Go","Drive", and many of their other tunes.

Shit, I didn't know that. I'm surprised that slipped be me.
Than this project is even a bigger joke than I thought.

Well, at least they call the band 'the New Cars'

I just came back from the Blondie/ New Cars show, held at the Wolf Trap Pavilon in Virginia. I had never seen either band before, so thought this was my chance to hear some of the bigger radio hits from my college days. I'm always kind of wary of shows at these bigger outdoor pavilions, preferring the smaller clubs, but I felt I got my moneys worth tonight.

Believe it or not, the New Cars do tiki. For one song, Elliot Easton and Bass player Kasim Sultan brought out a pair of ukuleles, and all 5 band members gathered at the front of the stage - and they play a lively acoustic version of the song where the lyrics go "I Don't want to work, I Just want to Bang the Drum All Day" And while they are doing this, they showed some footage of a guy climbing a palm tree -- and then the imagery switches to a really cool animations of tiki figures banging on tiki drums. Halfway through the song, they switch back to full electric instruments, while the animated tiki figures keep drumming in the background. This excursion was nothing like the rest of the Cars music, but I couldn't help but love it.

Visually, it was a great show. There was a series of perhaps 5 or 7 large circular screens above/behind the band, on which various images (tires spinning, spinner hubcaps spinning, vintage 50's auto show clips, rapid flashing of faces from Gil Elvgren cheesecake drawings)and abstract lighting effects were projected.

The real highlight for me was the song 'Living in Stereo', my all time favorite Cars song, which was accompanied by giant closeups of an early 80's stereo system - the needle dropping onto a LP and tracking along the grooves, overhead shots of the discs spinning around, more closeups of a bass speaker throbbing in and out, more closeups of the central spindle nub. Hearing that music while giant LPs rotated above the band was memorizing. It was all very hypnotizing, and a great homage to an era of audio that was likely quite nostalgic for many in the crowd, who have likely got rid of their vinyl and replaced them with CDs. It was one of those moments that I will likely remember for a very long time.

Original Cars guitarist Elliot Easton was there, and received added attention from the crowd. He had fractured his clavicle the day before in a bus accident, falling out of his bunk when the bus swerved to miss another vehicle. Apparantly Easton told the doctor "I've been waiting for this tour for 17 years, I'm not missing any shows." He was wearing some form of harness/strap under his jacket, but it did not appear to affect his playing. On one of the Cars bigger hits, I can't remember which, he did an extended guitar solo that I am sure stretched on much longer than usual, while the others respectfully played along at one side of the stage.

The opening act was Blondie - Deborah Harry reminded me a bit of Nancy Sinatra who I saw a couple of years ago - two beautiful, blonde singers who are still singing and moving around on stage, even both are over 60. All of the Blondie hits were performed, and for their encore they did a version of 'Painted Black' to honor the 666 day (June 6, 2006)

So, all in all, it was a memorable evening.

Vern

I heard throught the grapevine that Todd Rundgren and his wife, are very much into tiki.

Then he needs to get his skinny, Philly ass to Hukilau.
He won't be thronged (or thonged) by fans.

Unless he can play a uke, he ain't nuthin'. :wink:

On 2006-06-06 22:29, ikitnrev wrote:
Well, at least they call the band 'the New Cars'

My wife wants them to call themselves "The New Car Smell," but no one'll return her calls.

On 2006-06-09 07:27, RevBambooBen wrote:
I heard throught the grapevine that Todd Rundgren and his wife, are very much into tiki.

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-16 14:12 ]

The show in Tampa was cancelled tonight due to Elliot Easton having surgery on his clavicle.

Apparently the was a "New Cars Crash" a couple of nights ago when their tour bus swerved to miss someone pulling into their lane unexpectedly.

Not unusual in Florida. Either prescriptions or cheap beer... or Flounder driving around looking for shrooms.

I was planning on going to that show, too.
I'm a Todd fan and have been since our youth. (His and mine)

At the Lagoon Lounge, "With a Twist" is in the CD rotation.
It's a disc of many of his favorites done with a Latin flair. Very nice.

Makes a nice segue from King Kukulele to Kalamas Quartet.

The bus incident happened on June 5th, and not in Florida, but on I-270 in Maryland - so Flounder is off the hook.

Unfortunately, the band members / bus driver did not know that the Moai Lounge is located off this stretch of highway, and foolishly took Elliot Easton to a nearby hospital instead, thus preventing Easton from gaining the full recuperative effects of Scottiki's mai-tais.

The good news is that it was Easton's left clavicle which was broken - and he wears his guitar strap over the right shoulder. If his right clavicle was broken, then he would require a longer recovery period ... so hopefully the shows will be rescheduled sooner than you think.

Another alternative would be for Elliot to forgo the guitar strap completely, and play all of the songs on a ukulele.

Vern

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2006-06-15 10:20 ]

I didn't get to see them, but the Ukuleles they were playing were my Tiki Flukes. I was hoping to catch the end of the tour, but, ah well..
There is a pic of them playing the Tiki Flukes here:
6th pic down....
http://www.kasiminfo.co.uk/2006/06/Blossom/BlossomPhotos.html

here is another, 3rd one down
http://www.kasiminfo.co.uk/2006/06/Blossom/PP.html

so wait a minute...is this still "beyond tiki"?

http://www.tikiking.com Neat Tiki and Ukulele Stuff
http://www.download.com/tikiking Hear the King sing!

[ Edited by: Tiki King 2006-06-27 14:58 ]

I saw what I guess would now be called 'The Old Cars' at Forrest Hill Tennis Stadium summer of '84 on their 'Heartbeat City' tour. Wang Chung opened up for them. Great show. I like Todd Rundgren, and no disrespect to any 'New Cars' fans here but having 'Runt' in the band doing his best Ben Orr/Ric Ocasek imitation is a wierd fit. I've heard clips of him doing 'Just What I Needed' and some other stuff and it just sounds like a bad Cars tribute band. Why are they doing this? I think I'd rather see a tribute band with a bunch of unknowns acting and trying to look like the Cars, than actually see Runt and the 'New Cars'. Just my 2 cents, people....

Hey Tiki King,

Alright man! That'll make a great sales photo for your site.
I rigged mine for "electrostereophonic" sound as well and it bangs out a tune quite nicely.

The Crazed Mugs new CD will feature it quite a bit on the more raucous numbers.

Note that the last two pictures in the below link also show some of the scenes from the tiki animation sequence, from the song 'Bang the Drum All Day' Tikis playing ukuleles, tikis banging on drums - it was quite fun ... and all happening accompanied with a tiki-designed ukulele by Tiki-King.

http://www.kasiminfo.co.uk/2006/06/Blossom/PP.html

Vern

Not Todd Rundgren but surviving members of Cars reunited

Press Telegram: Music News

And playing the Coachella Music Festival in April?

Nothing like reviving a reaaalllllll old thread.