NEW YORK (AP) — When Smokey Robinson started dating his-now wife more than 20 years ago, she didn’t want people to know about it.

Robinson and Frances Glandney, who married in 2002, were part of a group of longtime pals and she knew they’d start gossipping about her and the legendary singer-songwriter.

“When we first started started seeing each other, she wanted to keep it on the down-low. She didn’t want anybody to know because we were friends. And then all our friends were going to be talking about us,” Robinson said.

Naturally, that became fodder for a song — “I Keep Calling.” Robinson has been holding onto it for years — complete with the lyrics “Simple things like touching in public/Private touches goin’ unseen” — until this month when it appears on his “Gasms” album, his first collection in almost a decade.

“Gasms” finds the 83-year-old in a frisky mood, with the Motown icon writing a collection for the bedroom, with yearning across its nine tracks. Just a few titles alone hint at that: “Beside You,” “I Wanna Know Your Body” and “How You Make Me Feel.”

“My thoughts on it is that you can put it on and be with the person that you want to be with and just kick back and enjoy each other,” he says. “It’s more of the idea of love.”

The album has a bit of old and new, with songs like “I Keep Calling You” and “Roll Around” written years ago melded with newer tunes. “They were all songs that fit that particular mood that I wanted to set,” he says.

He admits it’s his most blatantly sexy collection, and that jumps out with the title track, in which he tells his lover “You give me gasms” — eyegasms and eargasm. Another song, “I Fit in There,” has the lyrics, “If you’ve got an inner vacancy/Baby then make it a place for me.”

“I consider all the songs to be food for thought. You can take them wherever you want to take them,” he says. “Whatever your thought pattern is for any of those titles that’s really what I want them to be. I want them to be food for thought.”

Producer, engineer and mixer J.J. Blair, who has worked with June Carter Cash, Rod Stewart and P. Diddy, mixed half of Robinson’s new album and says a perfectionist streak came through.

“I’d make a mix for him and he’d drive around listening to it for two weeks, and he’d call me up and want to come to change two words,” says Blair. “It’s just so encouraging to see somebody of that stature and in that pantheon of greats really care still.”

Blair says the new material isn’t that far from what Robinson is known for, maybe just a little more R-rated. “I think we’re just not used to octogenarians throwing that at us, but Nicki Minaj can come out and say whatever she’s going to say — we don’t think twice about it? I don’t know.”

Robinson, whose catalogue of hits includes “My Girl,” “The Tracks of My Tears” and “I Second That Emotion,” says he doesn’t write hoping for chart success.

“There’s no formula. There’s no process, man. It’s just you write what you feel. You have given it your best,” he says. “You do it until you feel as though you’ve given it your best shot.”

The former vice president of Motown Records released his last collaborative album nine years ago, “Smokey & Friends,” which featured musicians like Elton John, John Legend, Steven Tyler and Mary J. Blige.

Robinson is seemingly always writing. He has a bunch of song fragments waiting to record and laughs that he might be the only person in the world who keeps a cassette recorder by his bed in case he dreams a song lyric or melody.

“If I’m out and about and an idea comes to me, a melody or some words or something, I call my voicemail. That’s a good idea,” he says. “Call your voicemail. Put them down. You don’t want to lose them.”

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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Since 1965, Medicare has provided health care coverage to millions of Americans. More than 65 million people in the United States were enrolled in Medicare as of February 2023, with more people becoming eligible and enrolling each year. Anyone on Medicare is at risk of Medicare-related fraud, and the Medicare program continues to warn people to watch out for scammers who steal Medicare Numbers and other personal information to exploit beneficiaries’ benefits.

Broadly speaking, Medicare fraud occurs when someone makes false claims for health care services, procedures and equipment to obtain Medicare payments. Medicare fraud costs taxpayers billions of dollars and puts the health and welfare of beneficiaries at risk. The impact of these losses and risks is expanding as Medicare continues to serve a growing number of beneficiaries.

“Anyone on Medicare can be a target of Medicare fraud,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “But there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones by using CMS’ fraud tips to recognize and report potential scammers. Let’s all work together to make sure you’re not a victim of Medicare fraud.”

How to Spot Medicare Scams

There are many types of Medicare scams, taking the form of unsolicited emails, phone calls, text messages, social media posts and phony websites. Scammers often claim to be from the Medicare office, an insurance company or a government office. They’ll ask for your personal and financial information, such as your Medicare or Social Security Number, so that they can submit false claims for payment.

Remember that Medicare will never call, text, email or contact you through social media asking for your Medicare Number.

Some common Medicare scams to watch out for include:

• Offers of “free” genetic testing
• Calls or emails about free medical equipment, such as a knee brace, walker or cane
• Solicitations for other services, such as offers of “paid” clinical research trials

While this is not a comprehensive list, these examples give you an idea of how to spot potential Medicare fraud. Scammers will do their best to present these services and products as genuine in exchange for your Medicare Number.

How to Protect Yourself

Now that you know how to spot Medicare fraud, you’ll need to know how to protect yourself from potential fraudsters. Remember to:

• Guard your Medicare Number just like your Social Security card and credit card
• Share your Medicare Number only with trusted health care providers
• Review your Medicare statements, watch for services billed that look suspicious and ask questions if something looks wrong

How to Report Scammers

Reporting Medicare fraud protects you and millions of other people with Medicare and those with disabilities. If you or someone you know have experienced Medicare fraud or suspect an offer you’ve received is a scam, report it as soon as possible. You will never be in trouble for reporting fraud.

To learn more about Medicare fraud, visit Medicare.gov/fraud. To report potential Medicare fraud, you can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or report the scam to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Information provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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Harlem Bespoke also has a Twitter account with over 6,730 followers for those who want daily updates about stuff that is happening in the neighborhood. If you Twitter, check out our Harlem tweets and join here: LINK

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Harlem Bespoke: The Children’s Art Carnival started in 1969 by the Museum of Modern Art as part of an outreach program for youth in the community and now is also showcasing emerging local artists with exhibits at the Hamilton Heights townhouse. 

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