Dr. Yogi Bup is the alias Elliot Easton uses when he checks into a room on the road. Imagine that. It’s not enough that the 33-year-old native of the BrooklynQueens-Massaqequa, Long Island, triangle changed his name from Elliot Steinberg (“Not,” he hastens to add, “Shapiro”) to Easton. No. Rabid Cars fans are actually scouring hotel registers to track down the affable guitarist. The mind boggles.

After all, the Cars don't exactly ooze personality, though it is surprising how quickly the individual components come to mind: the praying-mantis-in-leather steering wheel, Ric Ocasek; the sleek, angel-faced, chrome-bodied crooner, Ben Orr; the bespectacled computer egghead cum sparkplug, Greg Hawkes; the Jewish pop culture junkie accelerator, Elliot Easton nee Steinberg; and the garagetrained ex-Modern Lover alternator, David Robinson. A fairly impressive vehicle, with five hit albums, going on six, in 10 years, an enviable record by any performance standard.