If any band defines the long odds of the garage-to-stadiums journey, it’s The Cars.Grinding through years in Boston, they cycled through wildly different sounds before finally striking gold—fusing punk edge with pop precision to help define a new musical decade.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. How bandleader Ric Ocasek and his partner Ben Orr struggled for years to unlock their breakthrough sound
2. The surprising number of genres the band attemped before succeeding
3. The reveal of the secret formula of musical styles they combined and perfected
4. The strange, behind-the-scenes reasons the band unraveled at their peak
5. How Ocasek’s vision went on to shape countless future artists

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Episode Guest
Peter Aaron is the author of Moving in Stereo: Ric Ocasek, The Driving Force Behind the Cars. Peter is a veteran of the music industry having written on acts like the Ramones and the Band, and as the arts editor of Chronogram Magazine. Peter is also the front man of influential New York band The Chrome Cranks. His writing has appeared in The Village Voice, the Boston Herald, and several other publications.

A top 5% of podcasts in the world, Garage to Stadiums is a podcast for true music fans — the ones who want more than just headlines and hype. This show is for listeners who care about the full story behind the artists: their childhoods, musical influences, early gigs, personal battles, journey to stadium-level fame and the drama in between.

Why are we different? In each episode host Dave Anthony features guests who know their stuff and bring real insights from their time with the performers — from respected rock journalists to documentary filmmakers.

If you want smarter music commentary and behind-the-scenes stories you won’t hear anywhere else, subscribe now and get your backstage pass to music history.

Picture a 1970s American teen, dressed as Frank N. Furter from Rocky Horror, interviewed on local TV outside a suburban cinema. That fearless teen grows up to be Michael Stipe, lead singer of R.E.M., the first alternative band to achieve global commercial success, from its origins in tiny Athens, Georgia. On this episode you'll learn:

• How Athens, Georgia became the unlikely spawning ground for several successful bands.
• How R.E.M. created a memorable sound by combining punk, pop music, southern rock and R'n'B
• Why Pearl Jam and Nirvana cited R.E.M. as a major trailblazer, and influence on their sound
• How an onstage near-tragedy changed the band forever...
• The college radio strategy the company employed to build its credibility and momentum
• Why R.E.M. turned down the offer to write a theme song for the popular TV show Friends

The first alternative band to experience mass commercial success, R.E.M. occupies an influential position in music history, inspiring many bands with their fiercely independent spirit and sound. Astonishingly, the band first heard on 1980s college radio went on to sell 90 million albums.

Guest Bio - Peter Ames Carlin, author & journalist
Peter appeared on our Bruce Springsteen episode. In addition to writing a best-seller about Springsteen, he's chronicled Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys and Paul McCartney of The Beatles. His new book, The Name of This Band is R.E.M., has just been released.

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• Transcript for this episode