Today, I want to share the music of a very important person named Steve. Steve is a openly gay man who became the first blogger in the 90s to write about his battle with HIV. Music shaped who he became through his battle and helped him survive. He is a singer and songwriter off Broadway that composes plays and his own beautiful ballads with a humorous touch in New York, USA. His HIV blog became famous and attracted a person from Harvard to ask him to come speak to the medical department about HIV, which gave them some recognition of how to treat it.
I had the extreme honor of meeting and somewhat mingling with Steve at a private dinner and a PFLAG benefit concert/play, and am proud to currently call him a Facebook friend. After the concert, I am seriously considering hiring him to play at my future wedding. His voice is a good kind of haunting and left me in tears by the end of the night.
With a sentimental, funny twist similar to Jimmy Buffett and the like, these are two of my favorite ballads he sang.
Regarding Steve’s potential memorial service, a song of remembrance.
Save Me A Seat written and composed by Steve Schalchlin:
Perhaps someday for several hours, you’ll fill some church with lots of flowers.
And displace a saintly shot of me somewhere in the hall.. stick a tray of nachos up against the wall!
I bet my mom will tell a story, endowing me with lots of glory.
And punish you by making you listen to my song.
Torture you by forcing you to have to sing along.
Somebody save me a seat, somewhere in the back.
‘Cause I’ll get bored and go across the street, eat a snack… grab a beer at the bar.
Find a piano, get out the tip jar.
Somebody save me a seat at that piano across the street.
‘Cause I’ll look back and laugh at you and you’ll be bored as hell.
Will you wonder if you really knew me? Will you wonder if you knew me too well?
And I’ll sing all the secrets I’m too ashamed to share; I’ll sing about courage that came from God knows where.
A revue of all the hearts I’ve broken, all the songs I’ve sung.
Foolish words I might have spoken when I was very young.
Yeah, somebody save me a seat on a roller coaster somewhere. We’ll fly around and have some fun, and we’ll think about the miracles… we could have done.
And the people.. we could have become.
While the beers made me silly and I feel kind of guilty ‘cause I left you alone over there.
So I’ll sneak back inside and stand by you chair, and just for a moment…
I’ll goof with your hair!
Then I’ll find my way back to a seat in the back, and I’ll be a good boy ‘til it’s over.
Then I’ll get to do something that you cannot do, I’ll follow you home! Every one of you.
Then on a day that you feel lost of hurt, go to the kitchen… get some dessert.
Then sit at the table and eat, just remember… please remember…
To save me seat. Please remember, to save me.. a seat.
Copyright 1996 See No Evil Music/Lil Shack O Tunes/ASCAP.
The true story and the first song regarding Steve’s first hospital visit.
Connected written and composed by Steve Schalchlin:
I saw a neon sign that said: “Emergency”.
I barely even know what happened next!
Collapsing in a doorway, and then down the hall.
Connected to a meter… we should all be connected to a meter.
A very nice young man with three rings in each ear,
Said: “We don’t lose that many patients… in a year.”
He rolled me to a lonely room with a light beneath the bed.
Connected to a bottle… we should all be connected to a bottle.
Every night at 1AM the angel of the nighttime would wake me up and give me something good… and then give me something bad.
All day long I’d channel surf, that’s all I could do.
I couldn’t read a book or walk around.
You know you’ve hit the bottom when you’re glad to be…
Connected to a TV… we should all be connected to a TV.
I dreamed I was on Happy Days, that I was playing Richie.
With Potsie begging Richie not to die… ‘cause they’d never let Richie die.
Friends would come around and bring me little things.
And say how much they needed me to live.
They told me I would make it, ‘cause they said we were…
Connected to each other… we should all be connected to each other.
Someday if I lose this fight to carry on, please send me some place gently out to sea.
And listen as I whisper softly in your ear,
“Connected to each other…. we will always be connected to each other.”
Mmmmm…. ohh!Copyright 1996 See No Evil Music/Lil Shack O Tunes/ASCAP.
So, you can see why this man inspired me and others the night of the concert(s), and was the perfect speaker on behalf of PFLAG. With many upbeat, fun songs and other ballads that filled our hearts with peace and gratefulness, Steve is a true fighter who knows how to have a laugh in the worst of “rock-bottom”. A big thank you to him for giving his nights to us and raising money for our nonprofit!
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