PAUL:  WE DRESSED THEM!  WE LEFT THEM FAR BEHIND IN BROOKLYN.

CHUCK:  As they used to say in old Marvel Comics, ENTER Joe Poliseno, and Louis Bova!  What’s the story there?

PAUL:  LOUIS WAS OUR GOOD FRIEND, AND ROADIE.  MIKI AND I KNEW WE WANTED HIM AS A BASS PLAYER LONG BEFORE ROBERT HOFFMAN. WHEN TOMMY LEFT, ROBERT WAS THE CHOICE, BECAUSE HE WAS PETER’S BROTHER, AND WE THOUGHT 2 BROTHERS AND THREE BROTHERS WOULD BE COOL.  ARMAND AND ROBERT LEFT AT THE SAME TIME, AND PETER STAYED FOR A WHILE.  PETER LEFT ON HIS OWN AND WE WERE MORE THAN GLAD TO MOVE ON OURSELVES.

CHUCK:  ENTER Ric Ocasek!  Tell this story, and I hear ol’ Ric was sportin’ the exotic hash!  I’m most curious about this recording session, but don’t leave out the  details on the reefer smokin’!  This is the stuff legends are made of!

PAUL:  IT WAS 1979 BY NOW, AND WE WERE WORKING AS A 4 PIECE.  WE HAD A SHORT STINT AS THE MIKI ZONE ZOO.  WE HAD RECORDED A 45 (CONEY ISLAND CHAOS/THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR WALKIN’), AND RELEASED IT ON RECCA RECORDS, A LABEL WE STARTED WITH A FRIEND IN BROOKLYN.  THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH BEING CALLED MIKI ZONE ZOO WAS THAT WE WERE DOING SHOWS ALL OVER THE U.S., AND WE STILL HAD TO USE THE NAME “THE FAST’ TO GET THOSE GIGS.  WE WENT TO BOSTON TO PLAY AT THE RAT FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A 4 PIECE.  WE HAD A GOOD FOLLOWING IN BOSTON, AND ALWAYS DID WELL.  WE WERE A LITTLE NERVOUS, AND RIGHT BEFORE WE WENT ON, SOMEONE SAID THAT RIC WAS IN THE HOUSE.  WE SAID, “OH GREAT, WHY NOW?  WHY NOT 6 MONTHS AGO?”  WE WERE STILL GETTING OUR NEW THING TOGETHER.  ANYWAY, WE WENT ON, DID GREAT, AND GOT A VERY GOOD RESPONSE.  BACK IN THE DRESSING ROOM, MIKI SAID “THE NEXT DOOR KNOCK WILL BE RIC COMING TO ASK US IF HE CAN PRODUCE US.”  !@##$%^&*!!!  ODDLY ENOUGH, RIC WALKS IN.  “YOU GUYS WERE GREAT, I’LL BE IN NY NEXT WEEK TO BOOK SOME TIME AT ELECTRIC LADYLAND STUDIO, AND WE CAN DO SOME TRACKS. OH YEAH, THE CARS HAVE A SHOW IN MAINE.  CAN YOU GUYS DRIVE UP AND BE OUR OPENING ACT?”  WE WENT TO MAINE, AND PLAYED AT A FOOTBALL STADIUM. WE DID OUR SET AND GOT A GREAT RESPONSE, AND ALL THE CARS CAME EARLY AND WATCHED.

PAUL:  BACK IN NY, WE WENT INTO THE STUDIO AND DID 5 TRACKS (KIDS JUST WANNA DANCE, LOVE ME LIKE A LOCOMOTIVE, SIZZLER, T-SHIRT AND TIGHT JEANS, AND WET AND WILD).  WE JUST BASHED RIGHT THROUGH THEM IN A FEW DAYS.  RIC HAD BAGS OF EXOTIC POT FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.  I REMEMBER I SMOKED A LOT OF IT RIGHT BEFORE DOING THE VOCALS ON THE TRACKS.  THE OTHER MEMBERS WEREN’T POT SMOKERS.  WE FINISHED THE RECORDING, AND TRIED TO SELL ‘EM, BUT BY NOW WE DIDN’T HAVE A MANAGER, AND IT WAS NOT EASY.

CHUCK:  How did touring pick up?

PAUL:  WE CONTINUED PLAYING ALL OVER THE US.  “KIDS” CAME OUT ON A SAMPLER CALLED "SHARP CUTS."  IT WASN’T A BIG BREAK LIKE WE HOPED.  WE WERE STILL TOURING, AND WE RECORDED ANOTHER 45 (B-MOVIES/CARS CRASH), RELEASED ON RECCA ALSO.  WE NEEDED TO HAVE RECORDS TO SELL AT SHOWS, AND FOR FANS TO PICK UP AT LOCAL STORES.  BY 79-80, WE TOOK ALL OUR RECORDINGS, AND MADE AN LP (FAST FOR SALE), WITH A MOCK UP “THE WHO SELL OUT” COVER.

CHUCK:  How did the lineup change?

PAUL:  AFTER A WHILE, LOUIS AND JOE WERE GETTING DISCOURAGED.  THEY DID NOT HAVE THE INTEREST MIKI AND I DID IN THE GROUP, SO WE STARTED TO GET NEW GUYS FOR TOURING.

CHUCK:  I understand the music got darker.  How so?

PAUL:  WE STARTED GETTING RAWER IN OUR SOUND. A LOT, I THINK, CAME FROM THE NEW MEMBERS NOT KNOWING THE SONGS, SO EVERYTHING WAS KIND OF STRIPPED DOWN TO A ROUGH VERSION.  BEING ON THE ROAD ALL THE TIME WAS TOUGH.  WE WERE DRIVING ALL DAY, PLAYING ALL NIGHT, GETTING UP EARLY, AND DRIVING ALL DAY AGAIN.