“(I Live for) Cars and Girls” (1975) – The Dictators * Written by Andy Shernoff * LP: Go Girl Crazy! * Produced by Murray Krugman and Sandy Pearlman * Label: Epic
You approach Handsome Dick Manitoba, “Adny” Shernoff, and their gang of NYC White Castle goons in the spirit of satire. You hear them mangle the words for “I Got You Babe,” have a crack at the Rivieras’ “California Sun,” and extol their particular ilk as a “Master Race.” Then you get to the last song, “(I Live for) Cars and Girls,” and you sense that their whole disjointed/displaced Beach Boy shtick is no joke. The sounds they’re making actually do come from some deep inner source of yearning and self-identity.