Michael Callen (1955-1993) is not as well remembered today as he deserves to be. But during the peak years of the AIDS crisis, Callen was known the world over not only for his AIDS activism, but for his music. Callen was a gifted singer-songwriter who made a name for himself both as a solo artist and as a member of the gay a cappella singing group The Flirtations. But it was his AIDS advocacy for which Callen made his greatest impact.
Callen loved being gay, and he loved sex, celebrating both unashamedly. In 1983, soon after his own AIDS diagnosis, Callen published
Joni Mitchell's "Blue," marking it's 50th anniversary, is the subject of a daylong virtual conference at the University of Connecticut April 9.