The holidays are a bitch.

It’s the same media disconnect we experienced with the election. The stories say one thing, the truth is another. We read about all the shiny, happy people sitting around the fire surrounded by their loved ones and we wonder what happened to us, alone, or tolerating those we are related to by blood.

My source says it’s suicide. And I’m believing that. Because the odds of dying at 53 on Christmas Day are infinitesimal. But does it make a difference? He was here and now he’s gone. He entertained us but it did not make him happy, it did not solve all his problems, yet the music lives on, hermetically sealed, evidence of a different day when Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou could do no wrong, when he dominated, when the music he made not only soothed our souls, but was grease for our bodies to…

That’s when Wham! first resonated for me. I woke up after the first night with my ex-wife and “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” was playing on the MTV. When that channel defined the culture, with a power not seen since. We Americans were still trying to figure out the transition from classic rock. We thought we killed disco, but we did not know what came next. Then the Brits came along and stole our lunch, not only Soft Cell and Human League, but Culture Club and George Michael. The sensibility was different. It was not about being coolly attached to what once was, but throwing out the baby with the bathwater and starting anew. Pop was no longer a dirty word. Synthesizers were as important as guitars. Limits were being tested and the acts seemed to be having so much fun, we found them irresistible.

And the winners, like Wham!, were bigger stars than ever before. Their clips played around the world, where they could tour and become even more famous and ever more rich and the rumor was that Andrew Ridgeley was just a pretty face and George Michael was the real talent and in 1987 George dropped his first solo album and therein started a juggernaut wherein he became the biggest star in the world. Michael Jackson had already peaked, with “Off The Wall,” with “Thriller.” It was now 1987. And…

Suddenly we all had faith.

Music, when done right, is undeniable. It doesn’t matter what the critics say, it doesn’t matter what you believed yesterday, it doesn’t matter what your friends have to say, you’re immediately infected, the sound just makes you feel good, puts a smile on your face, makes you glad to be alive.

The title track jitterbugged through your brain, a rhythm that got your limbs twitching, with a vocal that yanked you out of your seat and took you along for a ride wherein…

You were fully realized, you were your best self, the definitive exponent being “I Want Your Sex.” This was not Madonna begging for our love, we jumped right in, feet first, we couldn’t get enough of this.

The truth is no matter how much money you’ve got, that does not mean you can have a satisfying relationship, a good sex life, arguably it’s worse if you’re famous, because you can’t be sure of another’s motives, whether they love you for your status or…

That’s something George Michael had to battle for decades. You think you make it and all your problems will be solved. But the truth is they’re just beginning. You can never recover your anonymity, oftentimes you’re not built for your dreams, and when your sexual preference does not square with societal mores…

But he couldn’t be gay, could he? He was so self-confident, so sexy in those clips, with all those women… Some didn’t care, some didn’t believe, but deep inside George Michael knew who he was.

But the hits from “Faith” kept coming. “Monkey” is what Bruno Mars is doing now, only George Michael did it three decades ago, he created the blueprint.

And then there’s my personal favorite, “Father Figure”… With George as a cab driver… He could do gravitas too. He was three-dimensional. He could not be dismissed.

And then…

He sued Sony.

The judge said no, my sources said yes, that the allegations were true.

But it doesn’t matter. Michael was out of the scene for too long, his label was no longer behind him, and if you think you can make it with non-believers, if you think you can make it with nobody at all, you’ve never been inside the belly of the beast, you’ve never been in the fame game.

Very few succeed. It’s a team effort. Talent is not enough.

It was over.

He made more records. But after some initial disappointments the public moved on. And then there was the arrest in Beverly Hills and in time, all George Michael was left with was his fame and his money, and that’s just not enough.

No one is bigger than the machine. The record business had to teach George Michael a lesson. And this is the end result, he’s gone. The perp is making money off his music and George…

Will be six feet under.

The well-adjusted do not succeed. We are not looking for normal people. We’re looking for those willing to sacrifice everything to reflect our humanity back upon us, to satiate us, to make us whole.

Like George Michael.

He needed to create. In a world where there’s no path. This is not engineering, this is not medicine. While the rest of the world jumps through the hoops to get to a safe place, our artists walk into the wilderness without a safety net and out of thin air create diamonds that shine forever. How do they do this? Lord only knows. If the label could figure it out, they would, because they hate dealing with the mercurial, unpredictable artists who have to do it their way. But history is littered with stories where the artists knew best. But today, the fat cats want to buy insurance, they want you to co-write, use their go-to people, because the investment is too great and they don’t like the odds.

But when George Michael started he didn’t care about the odds. He didn’t care about being ripped-off, he just needed to do it. With a desire so strong that he broke through, his name was on everybody’s lips.

And then it fell off.

I don’t know what gets you through. Maybe you’re lucky, maybe you’ve got a significant other, a family, a friend, who understands you, who will be there for you. But the rest of us…

We’re on our own. Oftentimes putting one foot in front of the other is oh-so-difficult. And the only thing that gets us through, that keeps us keepin’ on is…

Music.

We put on a record, we feel the artist understands us, is speaking just to us, that there’s someone in the world who gets us, and if we keep soldiering on our lives will work out.

That’s what George Michael represented.

Alas, it didn’t work out so well for him. Who you gonna turn to when you’ve made it to the mountaintop and all you’re surrounded by is sycophants and naysayers? Your productions are set in amber, but you’ve got to keep on livin’ every day. You might think it’s easy, then again, you never cut an album that sold 20 million copies.

This is a story that occurs far too often. We lionize those we kill.

In this case was it the sexuality, the lawsuit, or something deep inside George, the same thing that allowed him to make this music, is that what kept him unhappy?

I don’t know.

But your job is to hold on. To know that despite being in the depths today, you can be surprised tomorrow. I’m not saying everything works out, but I am saying life is worth living. One laugh can make your whole day.

Did George Michael not get proper help? Was it a momentary thing, just one night of depression or debauchery? We’ll learn more, but we’ll never get the whole truth. Because life is a mystery. You’re doing well if you know yourself, you can’t possibly truly understand another human being.

But we try.

It’s too late to save George Michael from falling, but know he did it for you. To see your reaction, to see the effect of his music upon you, that’s why they all do it, the money is secondary.

Music is about freedom. In a world where we’re being told what to do constantly, where the haves are making war on the have-nots, where ignorance rules, we must look to artists for guidance, for a way out.

Let George Michael be our father figure.

Let him illustrate that the chains are in your mind, that you can pivot, that you can be the real you.

Don’t let the sun go down on you.

Because losing everything is what happened to George Michael.

And that just isn’t right.

It’s strangely comforting to be amongst your people.

Don’t ask me if I believe in God. But one thing’s for sure, I’m a Jew.

I grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, surrounded by members of the tribe, but once I went off to college in Vermont I realized I was the other. A member of a minority. Often derided and scorned with no knowledge of my identity.

They say there’s a war on Christmas. That assumes we Jews and non-believers have that much power. Then again, I got an e-mail today referencing the greedy Jews who run the record business. Everybody hates the Jews. Maybe not you, but when you look for a scapegoat, we’re it. And to a great degree, we hide. We don’t want to take what you’ve got, challenge your beliefs, we just want to live in peace.

Don’t confuse Judaism with Israel. Don’t ask me to endorse the settlements on the West Bank. Just know that the goal of those complaining is to have Israel decimated, they want it to cease to exist. And that’s just scary. Do Jews do wrong things? Of course. Is Israel perfect? Of course not. Have the Palestinians sometimes gotten the short end of the stick? You bet. But when they want your entire race decimated, when they killed six million of your brethren, you push back.

But not vocally, not that often.

I went to the menorah lighting on a lark. To see who else would be there. The truth is Hanukkah or Chanukah or Hanukah is a minor holiday, but to satiate the little boys and girls envious of their Christian brethren, it’s been built up. I don’t need to light the menorah, I don’t need to eat latkes, however delicious they might be, especially with applesauce, but in a country dominated by Christian culture I was intrigued what would go on, right in the heart of Vail, by the covered bridge.

There were nearly a hundred people there. Probably not every Jew in the valley, but more than I expected. Why did they come? I was not sure. But I looked around and I felt warmth, I felt friendship, I felt like I belonged.

We all want to belong. We all want to be a member of the group. But right now our country is divided, not only on political terms, but religious ones too. Yes, terrorism is an important issue, but once we start branding people based on their beliefs we’re on a wrong road to a country that America never was, at least not in my era.

There was the community leader, who said in previous years on certain nights he was the only one in attendance, to light the menorah.

There were the little kids, one of whom flipped the switch to turn on the electric light.

There was the woman with the guitar. Music is an important part of modern Judaism. And it’s not all dirges, it’s often upbeat. They sang a new Hanukkah song that was only distantly familiar, making me feel less included, but then I saw some people talking in the back and I knew I was in the right place. Jews like to talk, to interrupt, to converse. We want to know what you think and we want to tell you what we do. It bonds us together.

And I was familiar with the prayer.

But I was most familiar with the people in attendance. We shared the dreary days of religious education. Baking challah in first grade. Attempting to learn Hebrew. Going to Bar and Bat Mitzvah parties, that’s where we learned to dance, we had our first girl and boyfriends at summer camp, we grew up in different places but there was a shared experience, and it made me feel warm inside to realize this.

So as the rest of the world celebrates the birth of their savior…

I will raise a glass, I will smile, I will go along.

But I will not feel included.

Yet tonight by the creek I was. All comers were.

I don’t know why we hate each other so much. I don’t know why certain people believe they have the answers. I don’t know why society has become so coarse, with the haves battling the have-nots.

But I do know at the end of the day we’re just people, here for a very short time. And what makes us feel best is to be part of a community.

Choose yours. Just be sure to join. To belong. Because people will surprise you. When you’re down and out they’ll lend a hand. They’ll listen to you.

At least my tribe does.

But I know yours does too.

Happy Hanukkah.

And Merry Christmas.

I don’t know.

In case you missed the memo, hip-hop is exploding on streaming services, it’s even bigger than it is in the sales world, demonstrating true demand, because people are actually listening. Why?

I can only speculate.

The first thing that comes to mind is culture. The white world is bankrupt, with its lame TV competition shows, believing if you’re lily-white you’re desirable when the truth is when you flaunt convention, break rules, people cling to you, which begs the question why all these white hip-hop fans voted for Trump, which they did, then again, Trump is hip-hop, as in he doesn’t believe in political correctness and marches to the beat of his own drummer and believes the law is there to be manipulated and challenged.

But no hip-hop act will play the inauguration. Kid Rock and Ted Nugent are lining up, paragons of the past, do you see them anywhere on the Spotify Top 50, nowhere close, and you’ll probably get a couple of country acts too, brain dead singers of others’ songs who oftentimes are racist underneath it all, then again, some of the biggest country acts rap, isn’t that confounding, hell, Florida Georgia Line made massive hits integrating the urban sound, even Luke Bryan does it too, what’s up?

Well, there’s been decades worth of investment, akin to the Republicans taking over the government, right wingers planted seeds back in the Carter era, whereas rock believes it should survive because it’s entitled to, just like the Democrats. We went from “The Message” to Ice-T to Diddy to Jay Z to Drake, you could take a college course on the history of hip-hop, and they probably give one!

So there’s something to grab on to, as opposed to the derivative dreck featured on Active Rock. Hell, you can have ten hits in that format and still not be able to sell out arenas. As for Non-Comm/Triple-A, these are the same people who voted for Hillary, holier-than-thou elites who believe they’re entitled to rule but don’t.

Not that the hip-hoppers supported the Donald, forget Kanye, he’s insane, but the rest of the rappers… Hell, Killer Mike came out for Bernie, he spoke more truth on Bill Maher than I saw all season. But African-Americans have been screwed from time immemorial, hell, Hillary just thought they’d show up and vote for her, she barely invested in them, and no one likes to be ignored.

The hip-hoppers come from the I don’t give an F world, and the only reason I didn’t spell out the word is the white spam filters will make it so most of my audience won’t see this missive, but the rappers feel free to utilize the speech of the street, and that’s not only in the inner city, you hear that language everywhere, even D.C., but no one will admit it, proving there’s more honesty in hip-hop than elsewhere.

And hip-hoppers know you’re on your own. That you can’t rely on the government or the industry to get ahead. While the Trumpers are decrying them as takers, hip-hoppers take nothing for granted, they know you’ve got to fight for your piece of the pie, the big piece of chicken, you’ve got to self-promote and intimidate and these lessons have spread to social media, where do you think “polite society” learned it?

As for selling out to corporations… Knowing they can never run the corporation, they’re satisfied to rip it off. Knowing these fat cats want some of their audience, which the rappers make them pay dearly for.

And hip-hop is inclusive. Everybody can try to rap, and many do. Whereas in the white world we tell you you cannot play. And sure, the odds of success are long, but someone new is winning all the time, keeping new players in the game.

And hip-hop knows the world is corrupt, rather than bitch that their cheese was taken away, never mind moved, they constantly put out mixtapes, giving their wares away, knowing attention is everything and you can make bank elsewhere, furthermore, if you’re not top of mind constantly, you’re forgotten. Adele puts out an album and goes on a world tour, I dare you to sing two songs from “25,” she’s the queen of the white media, with hosannas everywhere, and Drake puts out new music all the time and although he gets some ink he’s not relying on it to advance his career, he’s in control of his own narrative on social media. Hip-hoppers don’t abhor the establishment media, they just know you can’t rely on it.

And even though to the casual user it all sounds the same, innovation is revered in hip-hop, a new sound, a new rapper, the scene is fluid and constantly reinventing itself, whereas in the white world the corporate masters are busy propping up the same old acts. Egomaniacs like Garth Brooks who believes in maximizing revenue while keeping his music from streaming services and playing to old farts who go to bed at nine o’clock, hell, he does shows in the afternoon, did anything exciting ever happen in the afternoon?

And there’s cross-pollination, the whites criticize the multiple writers, the guest rappers, but that’s just evidence of a community, a cohesiveness, a big tent that the naysayers are not inside of.

And then there’s the danger, the jail terms of too many of these acts, who are willing to pay the price for their lifestyle. While whites are coloring inside the lines, trying to get a gig with the man so they can save up for retirement, these hip-hop acts act like there’s literally no tomorrow and delayed gratification is for suckers, that resonates if you’re on the bottom, and it resonates if you’re on the top too, because you’re sick of being told what to do.

And then there’s the truth. The rappers are saying what’s on their mind, in a world where so few do, where all messages are filtered and homogenized. Do you get the appeal?

Not that I’m an expert, far from it, but I can see that hip-hop is the anti, and no other musical format has a chance unless it embraces some of the hip-hop ethos.

We didn’t know country was that big until SoundScan, when we saw the true sales.

We now know hip-hop has not only survived, but burgeoned, that it rules. Long after not only Diddy, but Russell Simmons. It’s self-regenerating, maybe because when you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.

African-Americans, put down from time immemorial, are unafraid of a system that has screwed them since day one, they’re willing to put up the middle finger, at least the rappers, and this resonates more than ever in a world where the middle class is disappearing and so many are challenged.

As for Bill Cosby, who told African-Americans to sit up straight and fly right…

He turned out to have more skeletons in his closet than those he accused.

So who are you going to believe?

There’s power in hip-hop. And Bruce Springsteen will not keep Donald Trump in check, but a bunch of people his audience abhors just might.

WABC’s All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965 – Spotify

1. “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
The Byrds

It began in the spring with “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Out of nowhere, folk rock was born. A melding of what once was before the Beatles to that which came thereafter, no wonder Dylan went electric, he had no choice, he not busy being born is busy dying.

But the lyrics for this number came from Ecclesiastes, that was the word that spread throughout school, before there was a Wikipedia, when everything was word of mouth. Back when religion was dying, when “Time” asked whether God was dead, before it all flipped back in the next decade and our whole country took a right turn, remember when it was the musicians who were atheists, imagine the Grammys without everybody thanking God, these players believed in themselves, and credit Jim/Roger McGuinn for creating his own unique guitar sound, you immediately knew it was the Byrds.

2. “A Taste Of Honey”
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass

From “Whipped Cream & Other Delights”! We had this album at home, did you?

It was my first exposure to Herb, when he had his first hit, “The Lonely Bull,” my transistor was mostly used for baseball games. Not that I bought no singles, but it wasn’t until the Beatles broke that I became glued, it was the AOL of its day, remember 1995, when the masses went out and bought computers just so they could play online, it was just like that!

But in those days before Spotify it was a while before I heard the first hit, but at this late date I prefer “The Lonely Bull” to “A Taste Of Honey,” which I know by heart because it was right there, on the chart, in between…

3. “We Can Work It Out”
The Beatles

One of Paul McCartney’s best Beatle vocals. There were other records on the radio, but you bonded with the lads from Liverpool immediately, it was something about the vocals, as if they were just across the street testifying and you couldn’t help but pay attention.

Furthermore, the b-side was “Day Tripper,” whew!

4. “The Sound of Silence”
Simon & Garfunkel

We laughed at his name, we didn’t think it was real, this was in the era of bands adopting monikers for effect.

Talk about a winter song… Dark and introspective… We loved it, but we had no idea Paul Simon was a genius who would only get bigger, did I ever tell you I saw the duo open for Soupy Sales at Fairfield U? This was after the hits, but before “The Graduate”…

5. “Let’s Hang On!”
The Four Seasons

It was over.

I was a huge Four Seasons fan. My favorite was “Dawn (Go Away),” but at this point the act was running on fumes, this was a hit, but it did not have the gravitas of what came before, true, they survived the British Invasion, but not for long, kinda sad, I remembered “Rag Doll” from the year before, this was a lighthearted trifle compared to that masterpiece.

6. “Over and Over”
The Dave Clark Five

By this point we knew they were not the new Beatles, yet this was a smash featuring Dave’s drums but the key to the act was the ultra-cool, very talented Mike Smith, who has been lost to the sands of time, not helped by Mr. Clark’s refusal to license his music, why?

Dave Clark Five, Over and Over – YouTube

7. “I Hear A Symphony”
The Supremes

At this point they were a chart staple, this features an intimate vocal, it was a righteous smash but I still prefer “Come See About Me,” but at this point they could do no wrong, we expected them to have hits forever, but then Diana Ross went solo, how many lead singers leave to greater success, we believe in the act, we have an investment, it was THE SUPREMES!

8. “I Got You (I Feel Good)”
James Brown & his Famous Flames

This was long before Eddie Murphy made fun of him, before James got arrested and went to jail, this was when he was the king of black radio and most white people were ignorant as to his talent. This was the apotheosis, undeniable in every way, only in hindsight can we see how talented the man was, sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone…

9. “Don’t Think Twice (It’s Alright)”
The Wonder Who?

Did I know this was the Four Seasons?

I don’t think so!

Never underestimate the power of a great song, even if this arrangement stripped the composition of most of its meaning.

10. “England Swings”
Roger Miller

We were UK crazy, it’s hard to imagine today’s America being infatuated with another nation this much, to the point where a country star testified about it, but Roger Miller did way back when in ’65. Still, my favorite number from this genre is “Next Plane To London” by the Rose Garden, with the airport announcement and everything.

11. “I Can Never Go Home Anymore”
The Shangri-Las

At first I didn’t remember this, but then…

The Shangri-Las got stuck in their own device, the teen angst backwater, this was one of their last gasps, they were close to done.

12. “Ebb Tide”
The Righteous Brothers

This was the kind of drivel that drove me nuts as I waited for the British Invasion hits on the radio, I’ve come to like the Righteous Brothers, which I did not back then, but this was a cheap shot, a cover of an old number, an old fogey trip to way back when that I did not need.

13. “Fever”
The McCoys

Rick Derringer was only eighteen, this was a new generation of musicians, who cared that this was a classic song, we were indoctrinated by “Hang On Sloopy” and we were glad to have more.

14. “As Tears Go By”
The Rolling Stones

This was a surprise, we expected the Stones to be dark and grungy, but this was sweet and meaningful demonstrating range we were not prepared for, this was a complete surprise after “Satisfaction” and “Get Off My Cloud,” it made the boys presentable to those turned off previously.

Furthermore, by this point we all had our guitars and this was one of the few songs that could be easily picked out and played, and we did.

15. “She’s Just My Style”
Gary Lewis & the Playboys

One of the great non-Beach Boys Beach Boys songs, the apotheosis of Gary Lewis’s career, the song was cowritten by Leon Russell, along with Al Capps, Snuff Garrett and Mr. Lewis himself, I loved this so much I bought the album, and tried to buy a shirt like the band wore on the cover.

16. “A Must To Avoid”
Herman’s Hermits

They were supposed to be done by this point, right?

No.

The magic is in the way Herman spits out the words. This P.F. Soan/Steve Barri song is a tear, only eclipsed by its follow-up, “Listen People.”

17. “It’s My Life
The Animals

Vastly underrated, Eric Burdon needs his victory lap, a small man with a deep voice who sang the lyrics like they were the most important thing in the world, he made the songs his own, and never underestimate the bass work by Chas Chandler.

18. “Hang On Sloopy”
The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Back when jazz cats were still cool and rather than sample a record you just remade it in your own style.

19. “Make The World Go Away”
Eddy Arnold

We’d wince and push the button, not believing they were playing this dreck on our station, did fans of this stuff actually tune in to Top Forty, and one of the great things about Top Forty was they played mostly the Top Ten or Fifteen, so you rarely had to hear this, thank god.

20. “The Men In My Little Girl’s Life”
Mike Douglas

Ditto.

21. “1-2-3”
Len Barry

I loved it then and I love it now, it’s like Barry is a carnival barker who we cannot resist, when selling a song meant more than belting.

24. “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore”
The Young Rascals

The beginning of the American renaissance. The British Invasion was fading and the Americans were coming on strong and this was the great east coast hope, the Young Rascals, their initial single which was undeniable, the fact that this band is hiding in plain sight and not getting its deserved accolades is criminal.

47. “Flowers On The Wall”
The Statler Brothers

Lord only knows why this track is included in the online chart, which skips from #21 to #24 and then goes to this. In theory I should despise this song, this was back before country was rock and roll, when it was music made for the south before Nixon established his strategy and brought attention to what was going on down there, before that we just ignored it, but not this track, which is genius in that you hear it and you get it and every time it came on you could not turn it off, if for no other reason than you wanted to sing “Captain KANGAROO”!

Don’t tell me I’ve got nothin’ to do.

WABC All American Survey for Week of 21 December 1965