Gay Man's Guide to Safer Sex

Mark Emerson's Guide To Safer Sex
Video by David Lewis (1992) Robert Falconer (1997)
Recorded 1992
Genre Experimental, Dark ambient
Producer Coil

Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex is the name of a safer sex instructional documentary produced by Mike Esser and Tony Carne of Pride Video in association with the Terrence Higgins Trust in 1992. The film was directed by David Lewis and featured a soundtrack by John Balance and Peter Christopherson of Coil. The medical information included in the film is presented by Mike Youle, a British doctor specializing in HIV treatment. In 1997 a sequel was released directed by Robert Falconer. "Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex '97" featured a radical recut of some of the original scenes asking the BBFC to look again at what was permissible and becoming one of the very first programmes to discuss the breakthrough of Triple Combination Therapy and the ramifications and personal experiences of living with HIV. The medical information and discussion was again led by Mike Youle. The 1997 film was released on retail video in the UK and USA and later on DVD. It is still in distribution on DVD.

The film won in the Best Special Interest Category in 1992's British Videogramme Association awards. "Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex '97" premiered to a sellout audience at the National Film Theatre on London's South Bank and was exhibited around the world on the international festival circuit.

Soundtrack

Coil provided the music. Some of the material is reworked, some is exclusive to the movie. The tracks timings given represent the demo version and are in order of their chronological appearance in the film.

  1. "Theme from Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex" – 8:13
  2. "Exploding Frogs" – 8:40
  3. "Nasa Arab 2" – 4:12
  4. "Theme From Gay Man's Guide To Safer Sex Reconstruction" – 7:49

References