Paulina Porizkova Opens Up About Divorce from Ric Ocasek
Paulina Porizkova left it all on the table on the latest episode of Red Table Talk where she discussed her marriage and divorce from Ric Ocasek. The entire 38-minute chat…
Paulina Porizkova left it all on the table on the latest episode of Red Table Talk where she discussed her marriage and divorce from Ric Ocasek.
The entire 38-minute chat can be viewed below, and it's well worth the watch. Porizkova touches on meeting Ocasek when she was just 19 years old during the filming of the video for "Drive" and falling madly in love with The Cars singer/guitarist. However, there was a big problem: Ocasek was married.
Porizkova says, "He told me that after a couple of weeks had gone by when we had, you know, already made out, and I was, like, passionately in love with this guy, and then he sort of came up with a, like, ‘Oh, yeah, and by the way, I'm married.’ I was like, ‘What?'"
She continued, "I just thought, ‘Okay, so they'll divorce, and, you know, I'll leave my boyfriend, and he'll leave his wife, and that's good.’ And then so I left my boyfriend, and then I was waiting for him to leave his wife, and then a few months in, ‘Oh, yeah, there's children involved.’ That one was a little harder to take...I was in too deep at that point. I was madly in love with him, and when he said that he needed time because there were two small children involved, I went, ‘He's such a good dad.' And it never really dawned on me that he had all the lies that had started as soon as we met."
Porizkova went public with her separation from Ocasek shortly after The Cars were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Ocasek was the only band member who didn't thank his wife during his acceptance speech. Even though they were separated, Porizkova and Ocasek still lived together in New York City.
Before his sudden death in 2019, Ocasek underwent surgery to treat stage 0 lung cancer. While he recovered, Porizkova took care of Ocasek and was the one who found him dead. She recalled coming home after a night out celebrating a friend's birthday. When she came home, Porizkova brought home some fresh cookies. She offered Ocasek one, but he declined saying he was feeling tired and was going to go to bed.
"The next morning, it was like, you know, 9:00, 10:00. He still wasn't up, but he tended to sleep late. Rock star hours," explains Porizkova.
"And so by 11:00, I was like, ‘Mm, he's sleeping in a little bit too long, so I'm gonna make him a cup of coffee, and I'm gonna bring it up to him. Like, maybe he's not feeling so great.’ And I brought him the cup of coffee, and he just looked like he was sleeping, so I set the coffee down next to him, and that's when I saw his face, when I saw his eyes. And they didn't look like eyes anymore."
She continued, "And it all kind of started going through my head. I was like, ‘Oh, I can't move. Oh, I think I'm gonna pass–oh, no, my legs are giving out. Okay, and I'm just gonna, hmm, fall onto the floor here. Well, this is interesting.’ And that coupled with this, like, panic of, like, ‘Oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God, oh, my God.’ And then I think my only thought was, ‘I have to get to my children. I have to get to my boys.’ And it was kind of lucky that they were both at home. And I couldn't walk. I crawled downstairs on my elbows, like, three flights of stairs on my elbows 'cause I couldn't use my legs. Just the damnedest things...And then my boys–I think witnessing my–witnessing the pain of my children was probably some of the worst things that has ever happened to me."
Follow his death, Porizkova learned Ocasek wrote her out of his will citing she "abandoned" him. Due to being cut out of his will, Porizkova didn't have any liquid assets and relied on friends to buy her groceries.
Porizkova succinctly said of that time, "There were so many things that sucked at that point."
Porizkova's appearance on Red Table Talk is part of her promotional tour of her new book No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful. In the book, she details her experiences with aging, as well as her personal ups and downs in life and in love.
15 Debut Albums of the ‘70s Everyone Should Own
The 1970s was truly a wild decade for rock and roll which saw some of the biggest rock artists ever emerge.
From arena-ready bands to punk icons to New Wave legends, here are 15 debut albums of the '70s everyone should own.
Bad Company - ‘Bad Company’
Swan SongOf course, this supergroup’s debut should be in your collection! Just the greatness of “Can’t Get Enough” makes this LP worthy of inclusion on this list. Oh, and this seems like an appropriate time to mention how Bad Company remains one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s biggest snubs.
The Cars - ‘The Cars’
ElektraThe late Ric Ocasek showed from the jump what a great songwriter he was. When you look at the tracklisting for ‘The Cars,’ it practically reads like a greatest hits album from “Good Times Roll” to “Just What I Needed” to “Moving in Stereo.”
Foreigner - ‘Foreigner’
AtlanticOut the gate, Foreigner just wasn’t messing around. With classics like “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” it helped set the stage for a stellar four-album run that included 1978’s ‘Double Vision’,1979’s ‘Head Games’ and 1981’s ‘4.’ Frankly, the greatness of those albums and the hits they contained truly don’t get talked about enough.
The Police - ‘Outlandos D’Amour’
A&MWhen The Police arrived with their debut LP ‘Outlandos D’Amour,’ no one else sounded quite like them, and no one really has since. Their blend of New Wave, reggae and punk is truly one of kind, especially on standout tracks “Roxanne” and “Can’t Stand Losing You.”
Sex Pistols - ‘Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’
Warner BrosSure, ‘Never Mind the Bollocks…’ doubles as the debut and lone album from the Sex Pistols, but it remains one of the most influential albums of all time. It’s hard to imagine the musical landscape without this LP.
Ramones - ‘Ramones’
SireThe Ramones were basically if the Beach Boys grew up in New York’s Bowery neighborhood. They were fiercely punk, but they had some killer pop sensibilities running through them as evident in their self-titled debut, which features 14 tracks and clocks in just over 29 minutes.
Meat Loaf - ‘Bat Out Of Hell’
EpicThe words “epic” and “grand” were created to help describe works like Meat Loaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell.’ It’s all the proof you need to realize how perfect a match rock and theater truly are. While both Meat Loaf and ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ composer Jim Steinman are no longer with us, their wonderful recorded partnership with live forever.
Boston - ‘Boston’
EpicIf you somehow don’t own ‘Boston,’ how is that even possible? This monster debut is one of the biggest selling albums of all time moving 17 million copies in the United States alone. With a stacked tracklisting that includes “More Than A Feeling,” “Peace of Mind” and “Foreplay/Long Time,” it’s no wonder it’s such a massive hit.
Van Halen - ‘Van Halen’
Warner BrosSimilar to other LPs on this list, ‘Van Halen’ truly does read like a greatest hits album. There’s not a weak track to be found. Plus, when your album goes on to influence generations of bands – not to mention just guitar players – you’ve definitely earned a spot in nearly every record collection.
Black Sabbath - ‘Black Sabbath’
Warner BrosWithout Black Sabbath and their self-titled debut album, who knows where heavy metal would be today. It’s frightening to even think of a world without Sabbath.
Patti Smith - ‘Horses’
AristaEqual parts punk and poetry, ‘Horses’ introduced the world to Patti Smith, an artist truly ahead of her time. From her iconic take on “Gloria” to beat-influenced, avant-garde tracks like “Birdland,” Smith was a one-in-a-generation voice and remains an American treasure.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - ‘Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’
ShelterTom Petty is one of rock’s most unique songwriters with the ability to be both profound, yet often minimalist and accessible in his lyrics. That was on full display on the self-titled debut with The Heartbreakers. The only thing heartbreaking when looking back on this debut is the fact that Petty is no longer with us, taken away all too soon at the age of 66.
The Clash - ‘The Clash’
CBSThe Clash was a completely different animal from the U.K.’s punk scene. Leaning into early rock and reggae influences, The Clash exhibited a rage and anger that was both righteous and justified considering the economic and political landscape of their native England at the time of the LP’s release. They would famously go on to call themselves “The Only Band That Matters,” and when looking at their output and what they stood for, you can’t really fault the band for feeling that way.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - ‘Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd’
MCALynyrd Skynyrd came out the gate with a debut LP featuring “Free Bird,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Simple Man” and “Tuesday’s Gone.” If you really need any further explanation why ‘Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd’ made this list…like, seriously? Those four tracks are stone-cold classics! What more explanation do you *really* need?
New York Dolls - ‘New York Dolls’
MercuryNew York Dolls may not have made the millions that the countless bands they influenced made, but make no mistake the musical landscape – from punk to hair metal to glam – would look very different without this debut thanks to killer tracks like “Personality Crisis,” “Looking for a Kiss” and “Trash.”
