In 1984, at the peak of the Cars’ power as a hit-making band, drummer David Robinson was the one who always made the greatest effort to meet and greet their fans. In several telling encounters, however, things went quickly south after it became clear many of those fans didn’t have the slightest idea who he was. “What makes you think I’m not in the band?” he would ask them, with increasing frustration. “If you’re in the Cars, then why aren’t you in the videos?” they’d say.
Even ardent followers of the Cars could be forgiven for not noticing that he actually was. In the clip for their 1984 smash single Magic, for instance, Robinson, as well as most of the other band members, appear for just 30 seconds, squeezed into a small corner of the screen. In the video for the Cars’ biggest hit, the worldwide smash Drive, Robinson and most of the others, only appear towards the end – as lifeless mannequins. Meanwhile, in the Magic clip the camera dotes on leader Ric Ocasek obsessively, while in Drive, Ocasek gets a whole backstory despite the fact that bassist/vocalist Ben Orr is the guy who actually sings the song.
