Dennis DeYoung Discovers the Cars Disliked Styx

Dennis DeYoung recently discovered that the Cars held animosity towards Styx. This revelation came from a 2006 interview with the late Ric Ocasek, which was republished by Classic Rock last month and had previously slipped under DeYoung’s radar.

In the republished interview, Ocasek reflected on the early days of the Cars, stating, “We opened for about anybody in the beginning. 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.”

DeYoung responded to the resurfaced interview on his Facebook page, expressing amusement. “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 acknowledged that he was unaware of the Cars’ disdain towards Styx but said that it’s common for emerging bands to dislike the reigning chart-toppers. “It’s as old a story as you can get,” he added.

Addressing the notion that Styx was upset because Cars fans connected with them more, DeYoung called it “nonsense” and a “real knee slapper.” He explained that the Cars had opened for Styx during some West Coast dates on the Paradise Tour in 1981, including at the Forum in L.A. He found it ludicrous that Styx fans were anything but polite to the Cars, given Styx’s immense popularity at the time. “We were as big as it gets,” he said.

DeYoung mentioned that he had watched part of a Cars performance from the wings because he enjoyed their music. He concluded, however, that they were better to listen to than to watch. “The idea that we would be envious of them is silly. We didn’t give them a second thought, much less a first,” he remarked.

In his closing remarks, DeYoung graciously addressed the surviving members of the Cars, Eliot Easton and Greg Hawkes, saying, “You played some nice parts – be well.”

Source: Classic Rock