My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker's Interests
General
HIV/AIDS education, music, dork-tastic gaming, poker, pool, pageants, pro wrestling. Guru of My Pet Virus called my love of pro wrestling and pageants proof that I'm a modern day Renaissance Man.
Music
..
Synthetic Division now available on iTunes!
I met Depeche Mode as my dying wish. You can hear the influence in my own music, which I perform under the name Synthetic Division. Here's a music video I made for a Synthetic Division I co-wrote with Kyle Wiggins:
YOU'VE HEARD OF, PROBABLY MAYBE: Depeche Mode, The Cure, Nirvana, The Smiths, Nitzer Ebb, The Doors, Sebadoh, The Go-Go's, Recoil, Camouflage, New Order, The White Stripes, The Cars, No Doubt
Bella Morte are an incredible band, and great friends. If you read my book, you read about them! They rock my world. You can watch me die in their "Earth Angel" video, one of the greatest covers of all time.
Movies
I review movies as one-half of the Hemo2Homo Connection, along with the brilliant and also-living-with-AIDS Steve Schalchlin. Subscribe to my blog to follow the once-again active Ebert & Ropert of AIDS!
To see Shawn and Steve's review of The Hours, pick up a copy of My Pet Virus.
EXCITING NEWS: My Pet Virus is being turned into a screenplay! Who will play Shawn in the movie? Post a Comment and let him know.
Television
Check out the program on PBS, A Closer Walk. It features one of my pals, Ethan Zohn, founder of Grassroot Soccer.
Ethan also won Survivor: Africa... but only because I didn't compete.
Early in 2005 I launched BMTV: Bella Morte Television. The award-winning .. series, "BMTV News", features revealing clips on everyones' favorite band, Bella Morte. Check out BMTV!
Check out a BBC program that Gwenn and I appeared on in December 2005, called Living Positive.
Books
I wrote a book. Get it. Read it. Feel it.
Heroes
My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker's Details
My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker's Schools
Waynesboro High
Waynesboro, VA
Graduated: 1993
Student status: Alumni
Degree: High School Diploma
1990 to 1993
My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker is playing an HIV benefit show w/ Synthetic Division at Outback Lodge on Sat. July 11, 8 pm-midnight. view more
My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker's Latest Blog Entry
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ACTING UP in DC Yesterday : HIV Education: Speakers, Author, and Humorist
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My Pet Virus: The True MySpace of Shawn Decker's Blurbs
About me:
Hello, I'm Shawn Decker.
My interesting and loving family got more than they bargained for when I was born with a sharp tongue and hemophilia, a blood clotting disorder. Needless to say, the two were a dangerous mix. Then, at age 11 as puberty was dawning, I tested positive for HIV.
I wrote a book about my life from birth until age 29. It's called My Pet Virus, The True Story of a Rebel Without a Cure. Some have called it the funniest book about AIDS ever written. Others have called it the only funny book about AIDS ever written.
My life is not a pity party. I've gotten away with a lot, and the book is a humorous look at some of the situations I've encountered along the way. I'm happy to be alive, and even happier that I lived to tell my story in a way that others have found to be an enjoyable read.
Here's what some folks have said about My Pet Virus...
Augusten Burroughs says: "Shawn is the King of the Thinblood Hotties! If I had Shawn's resilience and talent maybe I wouldn't be such a mess."
John Berendt says: "Shawn takes on a deadly topic with asonishing grace. Enlightening, compassionate, hilarious."
USA Today says: "Decker has a gift for blue-collar humor: crude and rude but big-hearted and unbiased."
If you've read the book, post Comment and let me know what you think. I've also been speaking at college campuses with my wife partner, Gwenn, if you'd like us to come to your school, just drop me a line! And be sure to visit our web site www.shawnandgwenn.com.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
PS... Check out my music with Synthetic Division on MySpace. You'll hear why I chose to meet Depeche Mode through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 1990.
PPS.... If you haven't read my book, consider picking up a copy. And if you've read it, put it in your Books section, that really helps young upstart authors like me.
Who I'd like to meet: Not sure, I've kind of had my celebrity-meetings fix, some of which I detailed in My Pet Virus. (A Make-A-Wish Foundation meeting with Depeche Mode at age 14, and a childhood encounter with Ric Flair.)
Also, most of folks I really want to meet are gone... such as Pedro Zamora, John Lennon and Ryan White. Death will eventually unite us all, won't it?
Hey Shawn! Just a note... I interviewed you and Gwenn a gazillion years ago (ok more like 7 or 8) in Norman,OK. Glad to see you both are travelling and spreading the message. Great work!
AWESOME job with your article in POZ! :) Wouldn't expect anything less from ya Brother man...Keep bein YOU and spreadin hope, awareness and education! Hope you're havin a kick ass week!!!
