The Truth About Ric Ocasek And Benjamin Orr's Relationship

Did playing in bands together for their entire adult lives make Ric and Benjamin close friends or did so much familiarity breed contempt? It turns out it was a little bit of both. In a 2011 article in Rolling Stone, Ocasek and Orr were described as "inseparable" after their original meeting in Ohio, but according to Cars guitarist Elliot Easton, when Ocasek considered going solo just before the formation of the Cars, "Ben demanded his way back in."

"Ric wanted to try it on his own. Ben was not having it," Easton said.

By the time the last Cars tour rolled around, Orr was traveling on his own bus and "barely speaking to Ocasek." Perhaps he was angry because he'd suggested that he write some Cars songs with his girlfriend and was turned down flat. Ocasek mused, "We were the best of friends forever...But dear Ben –- I could never get into the lyrics. I almost didn't want them part of the thing. Maybe it was the controlling." 

Fortunately, the two reconciled before Orr's death in 2000 from pancreatic cancer; Ocasek told Rolling Stone in 2011, "I miss his singing, being thrilled by it." Ocasek wrote the song "Silver" in honor of Orr and dedicated the song to his "old friend Ben" at a 2005 concert, per Rolling Stone. Ocasek himself died of heart disease in 2019.

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