It’s been a year and my obsession with The Cars hasn’t abated one bit.

So after watching The Cars perform Just What I Needed on The Midnight Special for about the millionth time I am inspired to write about it in depth. Because as you already know I am obsessed.

The Midnight Special was a 90 minute musical variety show produced by Burt Sugarman that ran on NBC from 1972 to 1981.  It was kind of a precursor to MTV.  It first aired as a TV  special in August 1972, and then became a weekly show on Saturday mornings at 1 am after The Tonight Show. American disc jockey Wolfman Jack frequently served as host.  The Midnight Special was unique at the time for its live musical performances rather than the use of taped tracks. Many of the most popular music acts at the time were on the show. The Cars’ first performance on The Midnight Special aired early in the morning on September 15, 1978, ironically the same date as their first ever show at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium that night.  Their second was almost exactly a year later in September, 1979.  Because they had gained such popularity at the time, they did hosting duties themselves and brought on Lene Lovich and Suicide as their guests. 

The 1978 performance.

Oh. My. God Benjamin was delectable in this video gem, but what I love about this particular vignette really is the whole package the band presented.  This was The Cars at the height of their early success, fresh off the release of their stellar first album. They’ve got that late 70s New Wave vibe going on, their sound so fresh and so distinctive.  I love, love, love seeing photos and video clips of the band from their pre Cars Cap’n Swing days through the Shake It Up years.  I may be mistaken but I think they exuded a different energy than they did later on in the MTV Heartbeat City and then Door to Door eras. They hadn’t become disaffected with each other yet.  The irony is that the MTV years propelled them to greater fame and acclaim, but it also was one of the factors that I think broke them apart.  

So let’s break this video down.  First, the song was a sparkling example of pop music shiny sharpness at its best. Their signature song at the time, Just What I Needed, was perfect in every way. Eight measure intro of rhythm guitar creating anticipation that led you into Ben’s yummy low vocals. It then lifted you up with that memorable chorus, had a smoking guitar solo, and ended on an oh-so-edgy  C# chord.  The song structure was pretty typical of most of The Cars songs;  compelling intro, the verse, pre-chorus, juicy synth hook, verse, chorus, solo, verse, pre-chorus, chorus and an outro that just shimmered. It was the complete package in three minutes and forty four seconds.  None of The Cars’ songs were overly complicated, yet they contained bits of brilliance that made them so unique and unforgettable  For example Elliot’s solos weren’t long or improvised, but they were technically superb. David Robison’s drumming wasn’t flashy, but his tight, concise and ahead of its time use of electronic elements was the perfect style to match Ric’s lyrics and style.  And when that driving force was combined with Ben’s bass, it was impossibly infectious.  

The Midnight Special reel opened with a close-up of Ric’s SG with the mirror, then the camera moved over to Benjamin where he gave a little kick.  Not sure what that was about, maybe adjusting a pedal? Whatever he was doing it was damn sexy. He was playing his silver Music Man Stingray bass here.  His blonde shag was F O X Y, and that British stop sign earring dangled seductively from his left ear. Ab so lutely scrumptious. I think I can also see the silver bracelet, a gift from “Emperor” Joe Mayer,  his mentor and first manager, that he wore on his left wrist. For this performance he was rocking the leather pants, a tight red top and black jacket with white trim on the collar and rolled back cuffs. The whole band was color coordinated in their signature black, white and red. The way David Robinson guided the band’s signature look was so genius. The visual the band presented was as interesting as the music.

An entire book could be written about the way Ben moved on stage.  The way he dipped his sexy self down and back on the chorus, his glances to Ric on his  left.  I love the way he stepped back, out of the spotlight, pursing his lips as Elliot emerged forward to play his solo. And then he did a little head bob and weave before stepping back up to the mic for the verse, blue eyes and those long lashes that completely entranced you. Elliot  also looked spectacular in this video.  Shaggy hair, aviator sunglasses, that gorgeous red Les Paul.  The faces he made when he was playing were absolutely adorable too.  And you could see Greg bopping at the keyboards off to the left behind Ric. 

It’s almost a year to the day that this reel popped up while I was scrolling Instagram at 2 am on a cold February night when I couldn’t sleep. It started me down a rabbit hole that I am thoroughly enjoying.  I never knew anything about the band, the guys, their background and history.  My memories of The Cars, even though I did own their first album, were really from MTV videos.  And in those, Ric was clearly the focal point. I never realized that Ben was a co-founder along with Ric.  I never knew that they struggled for many years before they finally were “discovered”.  I didn’t realize that Ben and Ric grew up in Cleveland.  And I never knew what happened to them after The Cars disbanded. And for all that I’ve learned, as I’ve written many times previously, I still have so many questions.  I loved Joe Milliken’s book Let’s Go and I’m so eager to read Bill Janovitz’s forthcoming book Let The Stories be Told that will be coming out in October.  Of course I already pre-ordered it! I hope that it fills in some of the blanks because there are so many unanswered questions. The more you know, the more you want to know.

But that reel tho.  How great that a Gen Xer who never really grew up could find a relic of pure awesomeness from a time long ago when the world didn’t seem so awful,  when music was fun, when you couldn’t wait to play your new album on your record player, when you could easily listen to new music on the radio, and when a twelve or thirteen year old could watch her favorite bands live from her bedroom late on a Friday Night.  

Here’s the reel if you haven’t watched it or need to watch it again!