A sultry tune might provoke an impromptu turn

Thank heavens for the genius that is Mr JD Doyle, creator and curator of one of the greatest websites in gaydom Queer Music Heritage, and presenter of a radio show in the USA of the same name. His latest show is a comprehensive tribute to a great hero of mine - the AIDS campaigner, singer and actor Mr Michael Callen [Read my previous blog in tribute to this great man].

And merely by examining the playlist I stumbled across this work of wonder, which I have never previously heard. Here is Mr Callen duetting with none other than our very own Tom "Glad to Be Gay" Robinson - and a very apt song for my sister's wedding tomorrow! Madam Arcati and I fully expect to be doing this...

Michael Callen and Tom Robinson - Two Men Dance The Tango

Two Men Dance The Tango
by Tom Judson

You'd hardly think it queer if you saw two men drinking beer
It's rather common and most expected
It's not a sight that shocks, two men trading bonds and stocks
It happens daily; I know, I checked it
If you saw two men cowpokes you would sing `Home on the Range'
And two men fighting fires is anything but strange
Then why should it matter if
What's the commotion if
Who cares if...

Two men dance the tango together in the moonlight
A sultry tune might provoke an impromptu turn
If their duet shows a hint of style
Should they be put on trial?
When does a backward dip give cause for concern?

They know excitement lies in store when they trip the light fantastic
There's nothing drastic in feeling the beat within
You'll find adventure in one, two, three
So just remember, when next you see
Two men dance the tango together
You should join right in!

Two fellows on a date who find that things aren't going great
begin to panic; they've made a blunder
The evening shows no hope, in fact they're running out of rope
Like the Titanic, they're going under
But then the band starts pounding a fiery old tattoo
When Latin beats are sounding what are two boys to do?
They leap up from out their seats
Toward that hypnotic beat
And then those

Two men dance the tango together with abandon
There's nothing planned in the rhythmic relief it brings
What sound in heaven could be more pleasing
Than an accordion's wheezing?
Just hear that violin caressing its strings!

When flavours of the Argentine start to issue from the bandstand
Oh it's a grandstand where romance begins to grow
There is no reason for asking why
Don't lose composure if you should spy
Two men dance the tango together
Maybe you should too!

Oh, ev'ry chance they can go
Men go to a dance and tango
So should you!

Here's the full version

Utter fabulosity!

A pioneer

"The HIV paradigm has produced nothing of value for my life and I actually believe that treatments based on the arrogant belief that HIV has proven to be the sole and sufficient cause of AIDS has hastened the deaths of many of my friends."

An unusual one for me today - for this would have been the birthday of the late Michael Callen, one of the true heroes of AIDS activism.

Michael was one of the earliest diagnosed (in an era of real ignorance) with what was then known as "Gay-related immune deficiency syndrome", and famously outlived many of his contemporaries. In a decade of moral outrage, panic and misguided demands by the more radical members of the gay community (such as "Act-Up") to rush through the release of untested antiviral drugs onto the market, Michael's was a calm voice. He wrote books on living with "AIDS-related" symptoms, and introduced the concept of "safe sex" into the public domain.

Most radically - and from my own personal and intense study of the matter, he proved to be right - he always disputed the theory that a single virus was the cause of the illnesses people were succumbing to, and was particularly critical of the use of AZT, a dangerous and previously banned anti-cancer treatment which has subsequently been linked to more deaths of people than the "disease" ever killed.

In addition to being a wise and remarkably astute political campaigner - he was a spokesperson on behalf of the People With Aids (PWA) self-empowerment movement on several US government AIDS committees - Michael was also a talented singer and actor. My favourite of his roles was his appearance as "Miss HIV", the drag-wearing singing virus, in the fabulous "AIDS musical" Zero Patience! [I'm not making this up you know!]

RIP, a great hero of mine...

Here's Michael singing live:

Michael Callen - Where The Boys Are

And here he can be seen briefly (through the microscope) in this brilliant film:

Michael Callen - Miss HIV (from Zero Patience)

Michael Callen