The world that birthed Man Parrish, the NYC underground (of the late 70’s - early 1980s) has long been a source of great fascination for me. The high octane, bodyrocking sound of 80s electro is truly a source of power and inspiration. Man Parrish is amongst the greats, a godfather of contemporary dance music culture. This alone makes him a fitting guest for backklash, but it was something more specific that brought him to The Unsilencing, our mini-series devoted to highlighting the secret histories of 1980s gay men’s health crisis.
In Tim Lawrence’s epic tome, Love and Death on the New York Dance Floor, Man Parrish gave an account of an insidious vaccination campaign that targeted gay men in the late 1970s, with seemingly tragic outcomes. This anecdote has been rattling around in the back of Pool’s mind since he read it, and became the impetus for him reaching out to Mr. Parrish for this interview in late December 2023.
Joined by The Unsilencing collaborator / researcher Nick Petosky, Man Parrish brings to life the electric underworld of late 1970s/early 1980s NYC, shining light on the dark side of disco that is not always told in the nostalgic histories of the period. Man shares his experiences as well as his reactions to Nick’s groundbreaking research, as this trio explores the shadowy roots that form the source of the plague mindset that society finds itself in today.
This episode is a raw look into the past, but one that is crucial for making sense of our present reality. The tragic loss of so many men has precluded this history from being more widely known…until now. Bursting from out of the shadows, in defiance of death’s shadowy grip, comes this time-traveling juggernaut of an episode.
This is the Unsilencing.
Man Parrish - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVlt0cT_nnNHAAaovVocsgg
Man Parrish - Home Page
https://www.manparrish.com/main/
Man Parrish for Red Bull Academy
https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2013/10/man-parrish-interview
Follow Nick Petosky on X
https://twitter.com/pizzapicklespur
Follow DJ POOLHOUSE on X
https://twitter.com/DJPOOLHOUSE
Tim Lawrence - Life and Death on the NY Dance Floor
https://www.timlawrence.info/life-and-death
Life And Death - NY Times
Nick’s Deck - Secret History of HIV Timeline
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V5piPGU-Xzk0Y5uC_iGmF58-WTtvlr_o/view
Klaus Nomi
Man Parrish’s tribute to Klaus Nomi: https://www.manparrish.com/klausnomi/
From the Merck/NIH Heptavax campaign that targeted gay men in SF / NYC / LA in the 1970s:
Please check out our previous episodes in THE UNSILENCING
THE UNSILENCING mini-series - Eyewitnesses stories, alternative histories, and more:
https://backklash.substack.com/p/backklash-the-unsilencing
BACKKLASH: THE UNSILENCING
BACKKLASH: THE UNSILENCING is my series devoted to uncovering stories and voices from eyewitnesses and whistleblowers that support an alternative narrative about the AIDS crisis. The Unsilencing on Spotify:
https://backklash.substack.com/p/the-unsilencing-1
BACKKLASH: THE UNSILENCING | Eyewitness #2: Tony's Story
BACKKLASH: THE UNSILENCING is a series devoted to uncovering stories and voices from eyewitnesses and whistleblowers that support an alternative narrative surrounding the AIDS crisis. In this episode, Nick Petosky and Poolhouse sit down with Tony, a NYC native and survivor of the HIV/AIDS crisis. Tony’s story is one of survival, strength, and triumph. Ea…
https://backklash.substack.com/p/the-unsilencing-3
The episode of HERE COMES THE BACKKLASH that started it all - the full HIV alternative timeline presentation from Nick Petosky:
Ep. 36: PRICKS feat. Nick Petosky @Pizzapicklespur
HERE COMES THE BACKKLASH could not be more proud to share this super-sized, resource-rich special episode featuring independent investigator and medical anthropologist Nick (@pizzapicklespur). I have followed Nick (aka St. Nick, aka Nick Petosky)’s work for almost two years now, and he has been fundamental in shaping my understanding of the role of biod…
https://backklash.substack.com/p/episode-36
EPISODE MIXTAPE:
Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx (Dub)
ESG - Moody
Man Parrish - Man Made (DJ POOLHOUSE Man Made Edit)
Peech Boys NYC - Stay With Me (Tom Moulton Club Mix)
Sylvester - Band of Gold (Remix)
Program Theme: KLF
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