The double standard is making me crazy--leave Britney alone!

If I had a dollar for every time a male rock or pop star got drunk and passed out, I wouldn't be here typing this: I'd be enjoying my brownstone in the Village or my flat in Paris. Popular musician gets drunk or otherwise loaded and passes out--business as usual.

But not Britney Spears. Oh, no. When Britney hits the bottle, we have to hear about it over and over and over again on every "news" channel on television. Interviews with experts. Speculation. Career analyses. Nightly reports by Keith Olbermann.

The GoGos had to endure something similar. Members of the group liked to indulge in a variety of pleasures, and--since they were not men--their behavior was often talked about more than their music. Only recently, I saw a short profile of the GoGos on the Web, and the last line was, "They were known for their hard-partying lifestyle as much as their music," or something like that.

If Britney Spears has a problem with alcohol--and it appears she does--that is not good, especially considering the fact that she has a child. But a large number of the great rock drunks of my day had children, too, and no one seemed to care. Many have children now, and still, no one seems to care.

The rule for women rockers and pop stars is: Be our collective slut, honey, but don't do anything unladylike like get drunk and pass out on New Year's Eve.