His girlfriend was a wannabe singer who never had the music career she aspired to. She never wrote songs before in her life,and when this opportunity for Ben came along she took advantage of it for herself. She states in the book how she was trying to get “a songwriting chemistry” going. She was hoping that Ben and her could be a songwriting team ,and she could stay and have the career she wanted vicariously through Ben. They did get a contract to write more songs ,but she goes on to say that when Ric broke up the group , Ben went into”a downward spiral “ and they didn’t finish the contract. She was never heard from again. So much for her talent.
I wish Ben had gone a bit more rock and dark wave , more like Peter Murphy. He got sucked into the mushy soft rock of the mid-eighties. I like the direction of his stuff with his friend in Boston. I like a couple songs from the Lace, like In Circles.
Ben had material for a 2nd solo album that never got an official release. He played some of these songs live when he toured with the Orr band in the '90s. Here are the songs intended for that album. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nm-gZ2iwUTI.html
Ben was the Cars and sometimes I wonder if Ric took advantage of Ben's kind ways. Most of the Cars songs towards the last album were p u. Wouldn't buy the cd. He could have compromised either Ben and helped teach him to write songs for the Cars. Build up Ben's confidence. How dare that scholar Diane put Ben down. That he only had a 8th grade education. Not true. She was the downfall of the Cars and Ben for awhile. Rics ego to. She was Ben's Sherry Swafford. Ric got like Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears. Controlling and just mean.