European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 14, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Aids comes to the Rock world by Steve Hochman the los Angeles times first magic Johnson stunned me sports world by announcing that he had the virus that causes aids then Freddie Mercury s death by the disease Shook the Rock music Community. But even before Queen s Lead Singer died nov. 24, music Fig ii of were reassessing their lifestyles in a held that Long took Pride in the slogan Quot sex drugs and Rock n  Quot for Freddie Mercury to get aids Well it can happen to  said Veteran Rock Star Ozzy Osbourne Quot i Don t mess around at All but in the past i have we All have it haunts to Quot it s too Early to Tell whether this soul searching will have an i m Pael on Rock music that has tended to glorify fast Lane Quot excesses much of which is aimed at the sexually Awakening teen audience that aids activists Are desperately trying to reach with information about the causes and consequences of the disease but it is Clear that Many performers Are taking a close look at therr own behaviour and. In some cases their responsibility in spreading aids awareness messages to their ians a Osbourne said that despite the publicity Given to aids there Are Sarll a lot of willing groupies on the Road eager to engage m All types of sexual activity with musicians Kasey Smith keyboardist Tor the new York based group danger danger currently on a . Concern tour confirms  Quot from what i see. The groupies Don t care about aids one Way or another Quot said Smith 30 Quot they re still Star slur maybe there Are less of them now. But the ones that am Incio Are in full Force and they re ready to play. They Don i Rule on the bus but they come on the bus in droves m a they re always around the holds i try to stay Clear of to ii Cliff Burn Stem who manages hard Rock bands Metallica Tesla and Queen Ryche said that his clients have All Laken the Subu. Ery seriously in discussions Over the past few years but Hinl recent news has galvanized their fears Quot magic plus Freddie a it s very Stark to get that at one  in and Quot everybody is wary people Are afraid still they might nut want to talk about it. For the last 25 years drugs Aru i alcohol. Have been the most High profile hard Rock Way to  a aware of aids bul would rather not think about  Many Are thinking about it though. Quot we re Only  said Howie Epstein bassist in Tom readers action line Ozzy Osbourne says he has changed his lifestyle. _ a Petty and the heartbreaker. Quot sometimes you get weak. Sometimes on the Road in a lonely and Don t feel like going Back to the hotel by myself and you go a Well of a but it s too scary. I d be so paranoid the thought in the Back of my head of silting up at night and going he Mem i wonder. Quot where the aids tight gained an Active spokesman in magic Johnson it did not in Mercury who went Public Only hours before his death. His role in the Battle May be More Akin to that of actor Brad Davis who wrote a letter that was circulated after his death speaking of the fear of risking his career and reputation should his condition have been made Public but will his death Spur someone else in the pop music world to step Forward to be a music magic or will fear keep rockers silent even someone As widely loved As Johnson has been the subject of backlash after his disclosure that he had slept with More than 200 women. And some initial reactions to Mercury s death already show what is at stake Quot i have the greatest admiration and a lot of affection for Mercury Quot London s Sun newspaper quoted Singer Phil Collins As saying. However he added Quot but if you go around leading a pretty much promiscuous life As he did then you always run the risk of aids Quot before Mercury the Best known pop musician to die from aids was b-52 s guitarist Ricky Wilson who died in 1985, though aids was not acknowledged publicly As the is Anito Gotch Freddie Mercury died of aids complications. Cause until a year later Quot i think there s tear among Rock artists who have so much invested in their image of being identified with aids or As Gay Quot said Kate Pierson of the b-52 s. It s like the mask of red death a lot of people would like to run up a Hill and lock themselves in and when they see someone sick they want to run away but what we need is compassion and that needs to come from everybody and if people Haven to really gotten the picture now i done to think it should take celebrities dying to bring it  danger danger which still sings about the Pursuit of sex has begun to include a Safe sex message in its concerts. Quot when we do Little raps Between songs and talk about sex Quot Smith said Quot we always throw in put a helmet on your Little Soldier none of us go on without our stage clothes so you should t  if it Only reaches a few people a right then that s a few More who Are thinking about  and Osbourne is Pfenning to put boxes for donations to aids research in the lobbies of his concerts. He is investigating the possibility of including condoms in his concert programs Quot once upon a time everyone in Rock was getting syphilis but they can cure that. Get this and you re dead Quot Osbourne said. Quot i sound like a prude but it scares the life out of me. We re All going to die but if i had the Choice of deaths that  be at the top of my list. A Italy mail woes fault of . Postal service j of a i la red in the desert during desert shield storm even with the amazing influx of mail our location still received Nur mail in a timely manner seven to nine Days for stateside mail now i m stationed at Camp Ederle in Vicerra. Italy and i can t believe it the Post does t have priority mail and it takes a Cor anywhere from two to three weeks to gel to the states the mail is so slow the Post office issues a letter which we am supposed to give our creditors to help us with the i Niesl on credit payments. What s the Story not More than 100 Miles Easl Aviano a has priority mail i know there is a difference Between i an Force and army but this is pathetic at Best. Pfc. Jarena Lynn Vicenza Italy col. Elizabeth l. Gibson commander . Army postal group Europe usage replies you re right there has been a problem with  postal service uses mail Between conus Continental United states and Italy and Usa eur saudi Arabia Kuwait and Turkey Althom High we at usage have no direct influence on uses mail service we have done several things to try to Correct the problem. First and Foremost on oct. 21. On behalf of Gen Crosbie e Saint and maj. Gen. James a. Musselman and it Gen. William g. Pagonis maj. Gen. Patrick Kelly maj. Gen. James Jamerson and Brig. Gen. David l. Benton ii and All affected soldiers and family members i personally expressed to Allen Kane assistant postmaster for delivery distribution and transportation the Complete unacceptability of uses mail service to Italy and Usa eur Turkey and Southwest Asia. My Point was that we pay the same postage As conus postal patrons and should therefore get the same Quality service. I also told or. Kane that during the previous two week period i had travelled to Turkey saudi Arabia and Kuwait and literally 100 percent of the soldiers whom i spoke with slated that usage processed mail was great while uses mail service was deplorable. The Issue of unacceptable substandard uses mail service was raised again to or Kane on oct. 21 in separate meetings with it. Gen. Paul g Cerjan Deputy commander of Usa eur and Brig. Gen Thomas f. Sikora commander 1st personnel come additional action that we have taken has been to request military postal service Agency which serves As the Dod interface with the uses involvement to get our soldiers and family members improved uses mail service throughout Usa eur. Southwest Asia and Turkey. In the interim. I have dispatched one of my key inspectors to Italy to see if there Are any improvements we can make to your mail service after it arrives in Italy and then becomes a usage responsibility As or. Kane a itinerary included Safe Headquarters i can assure you that both senior Safe leadership and my Safe counterpart it. Col. Robert Demmet also express to or. Kane the air forces dissatisfaction with uses handling of Safe mail byway of clarification the Apo at Vicenza does offer priority mail service if you will Contact it. Schliesman Community postal officer at 634-7872. He will personally assist you. Finally i can assure both you and the stars and stripes readership that we at usage sincerely care about providing the Best service that we can to our patrons. If we can be of further assistance please Contact us at 379. 7837/7643 or write to commander . Army postal group Europe attn Teupe Page Ops unit 29301, Apo a 09186 to write us readers action line is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when oth amp it avenues for answers Are not readily available. If you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the answer wite to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo a 09211. Alt letters must be signed and preference will be Given to those Seekin information of general interest to our readers. Page 16 a the stars and stripes saturday december 14, 1991