I was what some may call a latchkey kid. I came home to an empty house each day after school. My sister and I would go to our rooms. Do some homework, well, maybe she did. I listened to music, watched movies and TV. They were my escapes. My mom loved music. She had a great album collection. From THE BEATLES to FRANK SINTRA to SIMON and GARFUNKEL to MOTOWN greats, the JACKSON 5 and on and on. But it was DREW GOLDBERG in Bunk 13 at CAMP WINAUKEE that really led me down the path of music being an integral part of me. He introduced me to AC/DC and KISS. I added on some of REO SPEEDWAGON's 'HI INFIDELITY," and even RICK SPRINGFIELD's 3-chord pop in "WORKING CLASS DOG." But when MTV burst into my life, my first real music passion was "new wave." And while BRITAIN seemed to rule that genre, BOSTON band THE CARS were kings. Guitars and synth. With influences but unique. I loved them. On the radio. On MTV. In concert. And featured in films like FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH ("MOVING IN STEREO.") As I sat down to write yesterday, I got the alert that RIC OCASEK, one of the leaders of The Cars, had passed away. Like a kick in the gut. Literally. We're losing lots of epic talent lately. BOWIE. PRINCE. FREY. And last week my beloved MTV-era pop-rock working man, EDDIE MONEY. Now Ric. He was HOWARD STERN tall. A totally unique voice that was as recognizable as STING. Or any great. He didn't look like your typical rock star. But the role fit to him, his way. He was an iconic talent and the epitome of silent cool. He didn't move much. When I heard the news, the first person I contacted was MusicREDEF's MATTY KARAS. A Boston native. A devotee of THE CARS. He loved them. That was a hard text. "They were the first new world Boston band. J. GEILS, AEROSMITH, BOSTON were all old world. The Cars were the future." And then a group text my MTV "lunch table." TOM FRESTON, JUDY MCGRATH, VAN TOFFLER, JOHN SYKES, BILL FLANAGAN, and DOUG HERZOG. All fans. All watched their brand and fortunes rise as The Cars did. As Sykes put it, "He helped put us on the map. Such a nice guy." And McGrath, "They made great videos and he was always good to us. Glad they got the Hall of Fame." Freston too, "I got to know him a bit. Loved The Cars. They were out front on the new wave thing. I saw them in 1979 at the WOLLMAN RINK in CENTRAL PARK and a guy next to me fell out of a tree and killed himself. Right next to me. That was hard to forget. He was a big Cars fan. RIP." THE KILLERS frontman BRANDON FLOWERS inducted his heroes into the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME. So glad this happened while Ric was alive. The band's speech here. Ocasek was also a prolific producer. ROMEO VOID's "NEVER SAY NEVER," THE BAD BRAINS, and others. The Cars and Ocasek gave me so much to enjoy growing up. I still listen all the time. But to do justice, I'm going to hand you off to the best curator and biggest music fan I know, my partner in crime, Matty Karas and his thoughts. And oh, if you don't subscribe to the MusicREDEF newsletter, you're missing out. It's way better than mine. Matty on Ric and The Cars on YOUTUBE... Happy Birthday to NICK MEHRA, ANDY SERWER, ERIC SCUDERI, and JONATHAN MEDVED. Belated to TREVOR GROTH, OREN AVIV, CHRIS ROOKE, TORY JOHNSON, JANET FRIESEN, WILL KEENAN, BRADFORD CROSS, ELLE PREZANT CELINSKI, JIM LUCCHESE, TIM ARANGO, PHILLIP ALVELDA, JONAS HELLER, OLIVIA MA CORWIN, and SCOTT SCHWANBECK.