Rock Steady
Scene from and AIDS rock opera, circa 1991.
Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, 45, goes public about his AIDS status only days
before he dies. Cut to 2001 revival: Chuck Panozzo, 53, bass player for
the legendary anthem-rock band Styx, delivers a double whammy
— he is gay and HIV positive
— and then lives to tell the tale.
"I didn't want to die like a coward like others in the entertainment
business," Panozzo says. "I thought, if I can stare death in the
face, I can make it as an openly gay man." In fact, he did something
very un-rock-star-like and signed up to play spokesperson for the Human Rights
Campaign's National Coming Out Project, headlined by it's
closets-are-for-clothes celebration on October 11. As former poster girl
and current project manager Candace Gingrich puts it, "Chuck came to
us. It was a no-brainer."
In it's heyday during the late 70's and early '80s, Styx was a hit
machine. With power ballads like "Come Sail Away" and
"Babe," the band sold 30 million albums worldwide. Panozzo —
who was not out to band members
— says that amid the flung panties and bodypart
autographs, he never felt pressure to date female groupies. "Some of
the guys were married, so their wives kept an eye on them. And if there
was anyone fooling around, we all agreed to keep it out of the dressing
room. No one shoved the sex in our faces."
The nonconfrontation comfort zone closed when Panozzo tested positive in
1991. He disclosed to his bandmates and close friends, but settled in to
what he now refers to as a "lazy and ignorant" attitude toward his
health while he and the group continued their breakneck touring schedule.
The wake-up call came in 1998, when Panozzo's health headed south. Anemic,
losing weight and needing a KS lesion removed from his back, he decided to get
off the road and into treatment.
"The guys in the band told everyone I was on sabbatical," he
says. "They covered my ass. I was too sick even to talk on the
phone and answer people's questions." A year later, after
recuperating, Panozzo witnessed a longtime friend die of AIDS
— an event that spurned him to start making some
noise about his own struggle.
Having just mapped a successful 40-city tour with Styx, Panozzo plans on
spending more time in his Chicago home and stretching his limbs as a gay and
AIDS advocate. "I want everyone to know how positive my coming out
has been," he says. "We have a legion of fans who now have to
question their values because of me. I'm happier than I've been in my
entire life."
— Dylan Rice
Source: POZ
Magazine