Styx bass player to speak about AIDS

[styxfanNH]

http://www.nvdaily.com/lifestyle/2009/1 ... t-aids.php

Styx bass player to speak about AIDS

By Alex Bridges -- abridges@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Chuck Panozzo lived a rock 'n' roll lifestyle of sorts as bass player for Styx -- the band famous for such hits as "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto."

His life on and off the stage turned more precarious when doctors diagnosed him with HIV in 1991, followed by years of fighting the illnesses brought on by the disease.

But Panozzo wants others to know the dangers of the disease, prevention, as well as what it's like living with HIV/AIDS and as a gay man who struggled with keeping his homosexuality a secret for years, even from his fellow band members. He'll get another chance to do so for the free World AIDS Day event at Shenandoah University today at 6 p.m., sponsored by the school's Office of Spiritual Life and the non-profit group AIDS Response Effort.

Speaking by phone from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Panozzo talked about his work on HIV/AIDS awareness and education, his ongoing career in visual art and playing with Styx. Panozzo formed the band with his fraternal, twin brother, John, in Chicago in 1970. His brother died in July 1997.

In addition to "Come Sail Away" and "Mr. Roboto," Styx also released other hits such as "Lady," "The Best of Times," "Too Much Time on My Hands" and "The Grand Illusion."

Since announcing in 2001 that he was gay and living with HIV/AIDS, Panozzo has campaigned as an advocate for awareness and education about the disease. He has twice spoken to crowds for events commemorating World AIDS Day.

Panozzo was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1991 and soon fell ill from the disease's effects. His health improved through treatment in 1999, he said. But Panozzo recalled when a friend was diagnosed as HIV positive in the 1990s and later died of AIDS. His friend feared the repercussions of coming out as a gay man and having HIV.

"I said, 'You're willing to risk your health because the government and the churches and your boss might think that you're less than a human being?'" Panozzo said. "I said, 'Something happens to you;' I said, 'They're not gonna be there for you.'"

"Sure enough, as I'm getting better later in the year, 1999, my best buddy dies of HIV-related lymphoma and it was so hard for me to accept the reality that he could fall into shame-and-blame game that happened so very early on," Panozzo added.

Treatment options have advanced since his diagnosis. Panozzo takes only a fraction of the "bag of pills" doctors prescribed to him in the early years. However, his schedule still makes it difficult to maintain the regimen.

"I don't want to give false hope -- young people say, 'Oh, it's just a pill I have to take,'" Panozzo said. "The implication is far more beyond that. ... It's challenging but it's doable."

Panozzo tries to pass his message on to younger audiences.

"I also think that a lot of young people today don't realize safe sex is so very important, and just because they weren't in the midst of the worst part of the epidemic doesn't mean it's a free ride after that because the drugs are extremely expensive. If you don't have insurance, I'm sorry, you have to go on disability and you can ruin your career and be on the dole for a long time."

Panozzo also has served as a spokesman on National Coming-Out Day though he noted that coming out is an act better reserved for an individual.

"If they're on the fence and they don't know what to do I'll be more than happy to tell them: It's a glorious experience for them to open up their hearts to understand who and what they are as human beings," Panozzo said. "The only way you can have a good life is to be honest with yourself and tell yourself the truth."

Panozzo hid his own homosexuality for years until finally he came out before his HIV diagnosis, he said. When he told his band members, "pretty much everyone was pretty cool about it," Panozzo recalled. Panozzo said he feared what may happen to his career and that of the entire band were he to publicly state he was gay.

"I didn't want to lose my fans," Panozzo said. "I just thought I have four other guys involved with their careers; if we lose one record sale, they're gonna say, 'It's your fault.'"

When he became sick toward the end of the 1990s, Panozzo said the rest of the band "really rallied around me to be sure I got better."

His colleagues learned even more about him with the publication of his autobiography "The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies, and My Life With Styx" in 2007, he said. Panozzo noted some fans want to read a book "about the more salacious parts of being in rock 'n' roll."

"For me to focus on that would be a waste of my time, I would never get the message that I wanted out," Panozzo said. "I want to talk about a coming-of-age story about a lot of people."

In the early days of Styx, Panozzo worked during the day as a high school art teacher. He used his love for the visual arts to help design the band's album covers, including that of their first platinum-seller, "The Grand Illusion."

Recently Panozzo painted a piece using the theme of the red ribbon, which later sold as part of a $93 million auction to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

The musician recalled coming to the realization that he should use his renown to draw attention to and spread the word about matters such as HIV/AIDS awareness.

"If I can use this notoriety for good and to bring into the spotlight some issues I feel are really important to the community at-large -- what's the point of being a celebrity if you can use it for good?" he said.

Event organizers such as AIDS Response Effort educator -- and Styx fan -- Tom Thayer hope Panozzo's renown can attract people to the World AIDS Day event.

"We wanted to take it to the next level," Thayer said. "There's a lot of need for education out there. ... It's an epidemic that's still going on strong. The infection rates are still rising everywhere, including the state of Virginia and our area but people just don't talk about it so we're trying to bring it to the forefront by using this venue and basically educating people and letting it come back to light ... and using this as a springboard to get the people back up to speed."

The Lord Fairfax Health District -- which includes Winchester and the counties of Clarke, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah and Warren -- reported 1,400 reported cases of the disease in 2008 compared to 1,300 in 2007, Thayer said.

"When I contacted him originally I never thought that we would ever get a 'yes' from him; I was just hoping maybe a letter or something," Thayer recalled. "But he just surprised us to pieces by saying he wanted to be a part of it and just really taken by our story, what we do and how we struggle to get the word out on the street."

Organizers rented three large AIDS quilts from Atlanta, two of which will be on display at the Shenandoah Arts Council on South Loudoun Street and the third shown at the university. The quilts feature famous people who have died of AIDS, including Robert Reed of the TV show "The Brady Bunch," Liberace and Pedro Zamora of MTV's "The Real World."

The event also will feature musical performances by university students and possibly a member of the administration, Thayer said. At the end of the program, a bell will be rung once for each known HIV/AIDS-related death in the area, Thayer said. That number likely is less than five for the year, he added. Panozzo also will meet and greet attendees after the event.

[pinkfloyd1973]

Great article, but John died in 1996 not 1997


Robin

[Babyblue]

Enjoyed the read thanks.