Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: Sylvester

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip

Sylvester

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such diva, who bravely cast aside all doubt when it came to his sexuality?

Sylvester.

With a voice combining an unerring falsetto colored by gospel passions, he took control of the dance floor  and commanded the word's attention.

Growing up in South-Central Los Angeles and reared in the Pentecostal church, as a child, he toured and performed on the gospel circuit. 

Thanks to his grandmother, blues singer Julia Morgan, he became aware of and immersed himself in the music of  divas like Billie Holiday, Lena Horne and Josephine Baker - all of whom became his early musical role models.

Moving to San Francisco in the late 1960's, he became part of the counter-culture, joining the  Cockettes; a wildly irreverent cross-dressing cabaret troupe. But this diva knew his true worth. In no time he was fronting his own band taking on glitter-rock, glam before finding his true church... the discotheque 

His dramatic falsetto voice, glamorous stage wear and a sharp sense of humor served him well, placing him far above common drag. 

Staying true to himself, he hit the Top 40, ruled the dancefloor, and even appeared on American Bandstand!

But even as he was moving on creatively, incorporating elements of new wave into his music, a dark cloud appeared on his horizon. 

He became victim of his time and place, contracting HIV. 

But even then, this diva did not go silent, did not shun the world, but used his position to represent those similarity afflicted. He had no interest in going gently into that good night. 

And he was not alone. He felt the love and support of those who had come to admire his gifts. Patti LaBelle, The Pointer Sisters, Phyllis Hyman and many other let him know he need not walk alone.

Sadly, he lost the battle. But even as he felt his life force ebb, emaciated, he presented himself, as is, marching in San Francisco's Gay Pride parade one last time. 

He needed his community and the world at large to see just how devastating this disease was.

His legacy? Unquestioned. 

He was a pioneer. A champion. A true crusader. 

The gospel according to him?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from his lips. 

The Topic: Dying Honestly.

"When I was little, I used to dress up, and my mother said, 'You can't dress up,. You gotta wear these pants and these shoes. And have to, like, drink beer, play football.' And I said, 'No, I don't!' And she said, 'You're very strange.' And I said, 'That's okay!"

"I’ve never been a crusader, but I’ve always been honest. I may not volunteer details to the media, but I’ve never believed in lying or denying what I am to anyone."

"I’d been having throat problems and I thought it was bronchitis. I wasn’t worried. Having AIDS hadn’t even crossed my mind."

"I can’t walk very well anymore. I have problems with my feet and sometimes the pain is unbearable. But I don’t like to take pain killers because of the side effects."

"Down the line, I hope I won’t be in a lot more pain. But I don’t dwell on that. I’ll be fine, because my spirit is fine."

"It bothers me that AIDS is still thought of as a gay, white male disease."

"The black community is at the bottom of the line when it comes to getting information, even when we’ve been so hard hit by this disease. I’d like to think that by going public myself with this, I can give other people courage to face it.”

“It means a lot when compassion is shown. I know that whenever I hear that someone has AIDS my heart goes out to them. And when anyone I know dies from it, it worries me. I get nervous because I think, ‘That’ll be me someday.’ But I don’t spend a lot of time feeling sorry for myself because of that."

"I was ready to go. I made peace with that and I never thought, ‘Why me?’ I just accepted it."

"I wanna be buried in a pearl-colored casket. Don't bury me in a white casket, 'cause I don't wanna look like I'm lyin' in a white refrigerator!"

Dance (Disco Heat) - Sylvester

You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) - Sylvester

Someone Like You - Sylvester

And one last parting shot...

"I’ve been in situations I shouldn’t have been in. We all have. But I still think that I’m a good person and I don’t regret anything I’ve done in my life."