Frankie Goes to Hollywood, fronted by the irrevocable Holly Johnson, was perhaps the first New Wave-style band with a decidedly homosexual attitude to make it to the big time. In the early to mid-80s, you couldn’t escape their sexually charged hit Relax. It was even memorably used in Brian DePalma’s kinky, Vertigo-like Body Double.

While their second album, Liverpool, couldn’t compete, commercially, with Welcome to the Pleasuredome, their debut, it still produced a number of singles and beloved songs. The first track off of that LP, Warriors of the Wasteland, was even used in the latter-day giallo Too Beautiful to Die in a fashion shoot sequence worthy of The Eyes of Laura Mars.

While that initial two-fer marked the extent of that pertinent band’s output, Johnson has continued to record on his own. More importantly, having lived with HIV for decades, he is a true symbol of the power and beauty of the queer community. 

A legendary fighter and a LGBTQIA icon, you can keep up with his upcoming activities at http://www.hollyjohnson.com.