Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - December 4, 2003
James Sullivan
But on first glance, the title of "AIDS: A Pop Culture History," the one-hour VH1 documentary that premiered Monday (on World AIDS Day), seemed uncomfortably flip. Whatever else it might suggest, "pop" carries an inescapable whiff of insignificance. We might be endlessly consumed by it, but in the end pop is not supposed to matter. And what could matter more than the struggle between life and death?
Would polio or the plague have been considered "pop" in their day?
Yet there are times, however rare, when our pop culture obsessions utterly redeem themselves. The AIDS crisis, as the VH1 program made abundantly clear, is a prime example.
Were it not for the determination of so many activists in the entertainment world, it's appalling to think of the toll AIDS might have taken by now. As it stands, the disease has become one of the leading killers in the world. In America, the numbers could be much grimmer.
Here, the epidemic was slowed in recent years thanks in large part to awareness heightened by the news of celebrity afflictions, from Rock Hudson, the artist Keith Haring and rapper Eazy-E to survivors such as Magic Johnson.
Fans of MTV's "The Real World" met HIV-positive Pedro Zamora, who joined the reality show to alert his generation. Tom Hanks' portrayal of an AIDS victim in "Philadelphia" countered misconceptions by way of the multiplex. And the real-life drama of Ryan White, the teenager who was infected through a blood transfusion, taught mainstream America that the disease wasn't confined to the gay community and led to Congress' first major program funding.
Paradoxically, as the disease retreated from the news, a new generation has not bothered to heed the lessons learned by its predecessors. For the first time in years, as the VH1 special noted, AIDS cases are on the rise in the United States. Meanwhile, a global emergency is imminent, especially in Africa and the Far East, in places where medication is unavailable and the disease is still stigmatized.
"AIDS: A Pop Culture History" is an upsetting hour of television, from haunting images of the dying to footage of grief-stricken loved ones visiting the enormous AIDS quilt, spread out across the Mall in Washington, D.C.
The Olympic diver Greg Louganis discusses the horrifying dilemma he faced when, not having revealed his HIV status, he banged his head on the diving board in competition, cutting himself. Cindy Wilson of the B52's, sister of guitarist Ricky Wilson, explains how she never got to say goodbye to her brother, so ashamed was he to admit his illness.
The shame has subsided, but it hasn't been eradicated. Tony Kushner wrote "Angels in America" in the mid-'80s, when the HIV-positive community desperately needed a voice. It has resurfaced as a two-part HBO miniseries beginning Sunday, featuring such heavyweight talent as Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson and Al Pacino and directed by Mike Nichols.
However well the play makes the transition to TV, the timing is just right. The bubble of complacency has to pop.
E-mail James Sullivan at jamessullivan@sfchronicle.com.
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