World AIDS Day 2020: Erasure's Andy Bell on living through the epidemic and coming out as HIV positive

World AIDS Day takes place annually on Dec. 1 and serves to unite people in the fight against HIV, and show support to those living with HIV.

Andy Bell of Erasure recently spoke to Yahoo Entertainment about living through the AIDS epidemic during the 80s and why he decided to come out as HIV positive.

"We played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and the whole audience just like stood up and gave a standing innovation," Bell recalled of the reaction to coming out as HIV positive.

He went on to add, "To me, that's like winning an Oscar or something."

Video Transcript

LYNDSEY PARKER: Queer culture in music was going in a very good direction in the 80s. And then AIDS happened. And everything kind of regressed and everything kind of went back in the closet. And I know as a survivor yourself, I'm curious what your thoughts are on that because I think you've been a real pioneer in openness.

ANDY BELL: So at the same time as coming out and then coming out all around the world and traveling around, I remember the-- maybe one of our first visits to San Francisco. And going to Haight and Ashbury and thinking like, oh-- oh my goodness, it's like a ghost town around here. And that was really-- that-- that-- like, going to-- going to the gay capital of the world and then-- and feeling ghosts and feeling that was the death of the clone.

It was kind of like starting from scratch. So it was just very important. It was just-- it was just really-- I always seem to think nature's in control and it's organic, everything. So this gay wave happened for a reason.

And it happened to kind of dissipate this AIDS hate that came afterwards. And they've never ever found a cure. There's not a vaccine.

We keep talking about COVID. AIDS is another thing altogether, HIV. Because it's sexually transmitted. So it's not, you know, doo doo. They're not going to go near there, you know? And especially the things that we face now with supposedly religious leaders. That are supposedly should embrace everybody-- which they don't do-- which I find a very sad state of affairs. So really, it was a lot to contend with.

LYNDSEY PARKER: When you came out with your positive status, what was the reaction to it at the time?

ANDY BELL: Yeah, I was really amazed of what it was like. I remember Erasure played at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and the whole audience just, like, stood up and just gave us a standing ovation coming on the stage. To me, that's like winning an Oscar or something. It's really is. Well, that's-- I imagine how what the feeling is like.

LYNDSEY PARKER: From what I recall, you were one of-- for me-- one of the first out gay people in music that I recall. I mean, there were people like-- Bronksi Beat was another one, Frankie Goes to Hollywood was another one. There were people where you kind of assumed it, like Boy George or whatever. So I'm curious about what it-- was it scary at that time? When you were kind of at the forefront of something that was not common.

ANDY BELL: I wouldn't say it was scary. To me, it was the necessary thing to do. I felt like it was the right time.

There was a gay wave in music, kind of. And-- and also, I don't like lying. I hate lying.

So I just-- I thought, right, well, anybody asked me a question, who's your girlfriend, what type of girl do you like? I say, well actually, I prefer boys. It's not-- it's no disrespect to the ladies, but that's just it.

And-- and that's how it was. It was just-- I mean, I was so amazed how we had teenage magazines in the UK like Smash Hits and stuff asking me. And it was like-- and they did daily features with me, like, dressed up in a leotard with ruby slippers lying on top of the piano.

I thought that was amazing to, like-- to show to teenagers.

LYNDSEY PARKER: Yeah.

ANDY BELL: Well, here's this person. And it's like-- I have to put my hand up and say if Jimmy wasn't there, if Jimmy hadn't have been there-- Jimmy Somerville and maybe Tom Robinson-- I don't know if I would have had the guts to do it. But Vince and I had so much fun.

We'd be going round, going to these clubs, doing our remixes, doing TV shows in Italy with, like, Jimmy Somerville, and people-- girls chasing after us in the taxi and saying, oh, I come with you. And I say no, oh, I'm gay. I don't care, I don't care, I'm coming with you. And it was just crazy.

And I just thought, like-- I mean, we-- we had this one TV initially and I was wearing a basque because I thought it was like Madonna, like "Open Your Heart." And they're all whistling, the audience. And I didn't realize that was their form of booing. I thought it was cheering so I was just going, yay, hooray!

So I think it's always-- if there was homophobia, it sort of, like, went above my head because I was just having such a good time. Yeah, it was kind of like you were sort of blunted to the whole thing. You couldn't internalize it, everything, it was just too much.

LYNDSEY PARKER: I have a book that's called 50 Queer Music Icons Who Changed the World.

ANDY BELL: Oh.

LYNDSEY PARKER: A drawing of you.

ANDY BELL: Wow!

LYNDSEY PARKER: Cool, right?

ANDY BELL: I would guess, like, about 38?

LYNDSEY PARKER: Do you feel you get proper credit? I mean, I mentioned you in this book. Did you feel you get proper credit?

ANDY BELL: It used to bother me, but I think-- I think-- I think that that's part of my lesson is for it not to bother me. I'm a granddad. I'm, like, a silver daddy.

I don't expect young gay people to know who I am. It's like, why should they know? Unless they're--

LYNDSEY PARKER: They should, they should.

ANDY BELL: Unless they're hip in stuff like that. But I think now, it's-- everything is so immediate. But, I mean, it's lovely when people do recognize you. It's really-- I'm really flattered.