Ep. 61 - Guest Shawn Decker: Musician, Author, and Internet Pioneer, on Living a Life Driven by Creativity and Shaped by Medical Adversity

Shawn Decker is a musician, author and internet pioneer and has commandeered a life driven by creativity and shaped by medical adversity. Diagnosed with HIV at age 11, before the advent of the effective treatments, Shawn's parents were told that he had six months-to-two-years to live. That was in 1987.

At age 14, he skipped his exams to meet Depeche Mode through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He was crowned Homecoming King at Waynesboro High School in Virginia in 1992, and credits his poor attendance record for the win.

At age 20, Shawn opened up about living with HIV by posting one of the first online blogs in 1996. After moving from Waynesboro to Charlottesville, Virginia, Shawn fell in love with the local music scene and, most importantly, a fellow HIV educator, Gwenn.

Educating together as a sero-diverse couple- where one partner is HIV positive and the other is HIV negative- Shawn and Gwenn have shared their love story with millions of people. And in some very unique ways. From educational programming on the BBC, MTV, VH1 and even Hong Kong TV, to a Bed In in a Grand Central Station storefront on World AIDS Day. Their candor, humor and openness inspired the inclusion of a sero-diverse couple's storyline on the scripted MTV series, Shuga which has educated teenagers and young adults around the world.

Shawn has been a contributing writer for Poz Magazine since 1997 and his humorous memoir, My Pet Virus: The True Story of a Rebel Without a Cure, was published by the Penguin Group in 2006. From 1992 until 2022, he wrote and performed music as Synthetic Division, cutting his teeth in the basement of Tokyo Rose restaurant, an iconic Charlottesville music scene. His new band, Nouveau Vintage, makes their debut on March 9 at the Please Don't Tell Album Release party, sharing the stage with Charming Disaster and DJ Cadybug. This Spirit Ball takes place at the Southern Cafe & Music Hall in downtown Charlottesville, VA.

In this episode, Shawn talks about his life; the importance of breaking down the stigma and discrimination around HIV; his thoughts on death and living; how music has influenced and supported him through many ups and downs; the song that his mother used to contact him from beyond the grave; words of wisdom; and what lies ahead.

You can connect with Shawn, his writings, and music at shawnandgwenn.com; raredisease.net ; poz.com and through Instagram @shawndecker & @nouveauvintagemusic

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