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When the Band Played On: The Life of Randy Shilts, America's Trailblazing Gay Journalist
Randy Shilts was the preeminent LGBTQ+ reporter of his generation.
He was the first openly gay reporter assigned to a gay beat at a mainstream paper and one of the nation’s most influential chroniclers of gay history, politics, and culture. Shilts wrote three seminal works on the community: The Mayor of Castro Street, on the life, assassination, and legacy of Harvey Milk; And the Band Played On, detailing the failure of politics as usual during the early AIDS epidemic; and Conduct Unbecoming, a history of the US military’s mistreatment of LGBTQ servicemembers.
Yet the intimate life story of Randy Shilts has been left unwritten. When the Band Played On tells that story, recognizing his legacy as a trailblazing figure in gay activism, journalism, and public policy.
Author Michael G. Lee conducted interviews with Shilts’s family, friends, college professors, colleagues, informants, lovers, and critics. The resulting narrative tells the tale of a singularly gifted voice, a talented yet insecure young man whose coming of age became intricately linked to the historic peaks and devastating perils of modern gay liberation.
When the Band Played On is the authoritative account of Randy Shilts’s trailblazing life, as well as his legacy of shaping the history-making events he covered.
He was the first openly gay reporter assigned to a gay beat at a mainstream paper and one of the nation’s most influential chroniclers of gay history, politics, and culture. Shilts wrote three seminal works on the community: The Mayor of Castro Street, on the life, assassination, and legacy of Harvey Milk; And the Band Played On, detailing the failure of politics as usual during the early AIDS epidemic; and Conduct Unbecoming, a history of the US military’s mistreatment of LGBTQ servicemembers.
Yet the intimate life story of Randy Shilts has been left unwritten. When the Band Played On tells that story, recognizing his legacy as a trailblazing figure in gay activism, journalism, and public policy.
Author Michael G. Lee conducted interviews with Shilts’s family, friends, college professors, colleagues, informants, lovers, and critics. The resulting narrative tells the tale of a singularly gifted voice, a talented yet insecure young man whose coming of age became intricately linked to the historic peaks and devastating perils of modern gay liberation.
When the Band Played On is the authoritative account of Randy Shilts’s trailblazing life, as well as his legacy of shaping the history-making events he covered.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
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January 19, 2025
In 2023, I read Conduct Unbecoming, which hit a spark in me wanting to learn more about queer history, and I wanted to know more about the author with the fascinating name of Randy Shilts. I learned he'd written a book on Harvey Milk that was considered to be thee definitive biography (more or less), and that he'd also written a book on the AIDS epidemic after having reported on it for years.
I prefer to listen to my nonfiction, so I had been delighted to find the 40-hour long audiobook version of Conduct, but finding the audios of The Mayor of Castro Street and And the Band Played On proved a lot more difficult when Audible tightened its restrictions. So to the print copy it was.
And then while cruising NetGalley I saw that this was an ARC. Admittedly, I did not read my egalley beforehand, but my library picked up the audiobook on hoopla and I read it while also reading And the Band Played On.
Anywho, all this to say that Randy Shilts was a complicated, real life human. He was egotistical, arrogant and incredibly flawed, but he had a passion for investigative journalism and a desire to root out the truth in discriminatory practices and polices centering injustice in the gay community.
While his second novel, And the Band Played On has many glaring errors (many scientific errors and an obsession with Gaeton Dugas, aka the misnomered "Patient Zero"), Shilts brought national attention to the AIDS epidemic, particularly in the US government's absolute failure to do anything about it. The emphasis on Dugas as this Great Villain was not Shilts' intention; the book itself doesn't villainize Dugas (it doesn't paint him in a great picture), but his publisher wanted an angle that would prompt readers to buy the book. This angle damaged Dugas' memory and put harm on the gay community.
After his AIDS diagnosis, Shilts turned away from AIDS reporting (although not from the community, despite what his many critics said), and toward working on a book centering gay and lesbian military service members—a minority who had fallen between the cracks of the anti-war gay rights movement and the ultra conservative military leadership. Conduct is the book he considered to be his masterpiece, and it is a master work of reporting. It's a book that clearly influenced Bill Clinton, who somehow read that book and thought "oh, Don't Ask Don't Tell is a good compromise" instead of a complete failure of policy and politics.
I learned a lot about a person who has occupied more than his far share of my brain space, particularly for a man who has been dead over thirty years. Randy was a dick. He was brilliant. He was charismatic. He was opinionated. He cared deeply. He craved attention and fame. He used his platform to speak out for AIDS victims and the gay community, even if he didn't represent the majority of the gay community. He was pulled between conservative values and liberal mindsets. He was a polarizing figure who has mostly been forgotten by the crush of time. He was deeply human.
But one thing Shilts did was open the doors for queer journalists of today. He shined a spotlight on AIDS and queer military service. He got people talking critically about previously taboo subjects and how government policy impacts unwanted minority communities, I and that, I think, is good journalism.
I received an ARC from the publisher
I prefer to listen to my nonfiction, so I had been delighted to find the 40-hour long audiobook version of Conduct, but finding the audios of The Mayor of Castro Street and And the Band Played On proved a lot more difficult when Audible tightened its restrictions. So to the print copy it was.
And then while cruising NetGalley I saw that this was an ARC. Admittedly, I did not read my egalley beforehand, but my library picked up the audiobook on hoopla and I read it while also reading And the Band Played On.
Anywho, all this to say that Randy Shilts was a complicated, real life human. He was egotistical, arrogant and incredibly flawed, but he had a passion for investigative journalism and a desire to root out the truth in discriminatory practices and polices centering injustice in the gay community.
While his second novel, And the Band Played On has many glaring errors (many scientific errors and an obsession with Gaeton Dugas, aka the misnomered "Patient Zero"), Shilts brought national attention to the AIDS epidemic, particularly in the US government's absolute failure to do anything about it. The emphasis on Dugas as this Great Villain was not Shilts' intention; the book itself doesn't villainize Dugas (it doesn't paint him in a great picture), but his publisher wanted an angle that would prompt readers to buy the book. This angle damaged Dugas' memory and put harm on the gay community.
After his AIDS diagnosis, Shilts turned away from AIDS reporting (although not from the community, despite what his many critics said), and toward working on a book centering gay and lesbian military service members—a minority who had fallen between the cracks of the anti-war gay rights movement and the ultra conservative military leadership. Conduct is the book he considered to be his masterpiece, and it is a master work of reporting. It's a book that clearly influenced Bill Clinton, who somehow read that book and thought "oh, Don't Ask Don't Tell is a good compromise" instead of a complete failure of policy and politics.
I learned a lot about a person who has occupied more than his far share of my brain space, particularly for a man who has been dead over thirty years. Randy was a dick. He was brilliant. He was charismatic. He was opinionated. He cared deeply. He craved attention and fame. He used his platform to speak out for AIDS victims and the gay community, even if he didn't represent the majority of the gay community. He was pulled between conservative values and liberal mindsets. He was a polarizing figure who has mostly been forgotten by the crush of time. He was deeply human.
But one thing Shilts did was open the doors for queer journalists of today. He shined a spotlight on AIDS and queer military service. He got people talking critically about previously taboo subjects and how government policy impacts unwanted minority communities, I and that, I think, is good journalism.
I received an ARC from the publisher
July 16, 2025
I love "And the Band Played On" and was so excited for the opportunity to learn about Randy Shilts. This book did not disappoint.
Michael G. Lee is careful not to paint a one-note portrait of Shilts. We get a complex look at the man as well as at his legacy and his relationship to the queer community during his life. I could have guessed he'd be controversial, but I was not prepared for how heated some of the criticism he received was. Some of it was justified, and some of it was just cruel.
I really liked learning about how he wrote "And the Band Played On" and digging into some of the inaccuracies, particularly regarding Patient Zero. I just generally enjoyed reading about his work processes.
This feels fairly comprehensive, and it reads really well. It definitely left me mourning all over again all of the lives that have been lost to HIV/AIDS. I really would have loved to have had more books from Randy Shilts, especially knowing he was planning an investigation into the Catholic Church.
Michael G. Lee is careful not to paint a one-note portrait of Shilts. We get a complex look at the man as well as at his legacy and his relationship to the queer community during his life. I could have guessed he'd be controversial, but I was not prepared for how heated some of the criticism he received was. Some of it was justified, and some of it was just cruel.
I really liked learning about how he wrote "And the Band Played On" and digging into some of the inaccuracies, particularly regarding Patient Zero. I just generally enjoyed reading about his work processes.
This feels fairly comprehensive, and it reads really well. It definitely left me mourning all over again all of the lives that have been lost to HIV/AIDS. I really would have loved to have had more books from Randy Shilts, especially knowing he was planning an investigation into the Catholic Church.
October 7, 2024
The comprehensive biography of journalists Randy Shilts. The author did not pull any punches presenting Randy warts and all. Reading this book brought back memories of the AIDs crisis, homophobia that existed and the governments failure to deal.with the AIDS crisis. I did not realize how much hate Randy dealt with from the gay community for his reporting and the call to close the bathhouse. I all found the reporting of patient zero fascinating.
December 28, 2024
Michael Lee does an excellent job painting a portrait while providing key biographical information. This book provides various contexts for the start of the HIV epidemic, the failed governmental response, and Randy’s other work. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read!
August 7, 2025
3.5 stars!
"I want to be the kind of writer who still connects to people on a human level." - Randy Shilts
I really enjoyed learning about Randy Shilts. Too often, I think the journalism industry can forget the power a person has when they are allowed to cover their own community (faults and highlights.) Randy was able to write difficult stories because of who he was and his identity allowed him to connect to people in a way that shouldn't be ignored. That's huge. I greatly admire all of the risks he took to be a reporter, to not be afraid of pleasing everyone, and to call out the powers that be.
As for this book, I enjoyed it as well. I do think I got a little lost with all the constant revolving characters, or people from Randy's life, though. I kept forgetting who people were because the author kept bringing them up randomly. I also felt like the writing style itself was a bit dense for me to get through, but, nonfiction is also not my usual thing so that might be why. I did feel like there could be a bit of editing. For example, I don't think we needed to hear everyone's reception of Randy's books.
Anyway, I'm glad I picked this book up and read it and learned about Randy, his journalism and his life.
"I want to be the kind of writer who still connects to people on a human level." - Randy Shilts
I really enjoyed learning about Randy Shilts. Too often, I think the journalism industry can forget the power a person has when they are allowed to cover their own community (faults and highlights.) Randy was able to write difficult stories because of who he was and his identity allowed him to connect to people in a way that shouldn't be ignored. That's huge. I greatly admire all of the risks he took to be a reporter, to not be afraid of pleasing everyone, and to call out the powers that be.
As for this book, I enjoyed it as well. I do think I got a little lost with all the constant revolving characters, or people from Randy's life, though. I kept forgetting who people were because the author kept bringing them up randomly. I also felt like the writing style itself was a bit dense for me to get through, but, nonfiction is also not my usual thing so that might be why. I did feel like there could be a bit of editing. For example, I don't think we needed to hear everyone's reception of Randy's books.
Anyway, I'm glad I picked this book up and read it and learned about Randy, his journalism and his life.
October 8, 2024
"When the Band Played On" tells the story of the journalist behind one of the most influential non-fiction works of modern times.
Randy Shilts "And the Band Played On" became one of the first fact based source that exposed the masses to the AIDS crisis. He deftly personalized the science and the politics and the struggle.
But he remained a mystery, which is typical for most journalists, but now long after his death readers are getting a chance to meet the Shilts behind the book. What influenced his life, fed his passion and led him to become the voice he did for the gay community and beyond.
This book intricately weaves his personal diaries and interviews within the news of the time to help see the progression of his passions. We meet the human and the journalist.
It's a well deserved profile of a groundbreaking man and his legacy.
Randy Shilts "And the Band Played On" became one of the first fact based source that exposed the masses to the AIDS crisis. He deftly personalized the science and the politics and the struggle.
But he remained a mystery, which is typical for most journalists, but now long after his death readers are getting a chance to meet the Shilts behind the book. What influenced his life, fed his passion and led him to become the voice he did for the gay community and beyond.
This book intricately weaves his personal diaries and interviews within the news of the time to help see the progression of his passions. We meet the human and the journalist.
It's a well deserved profile of a groundbreaking man and his legacy.
October 19, 2024
I was a little confused by the fact this was first published in 1975. By my calculations Randy Shilts was only 24 years old.
In the 1980s Rolling Stone did a series of articles about HIV/AIDS and it was enlightening. When I finally got around to reading And The Band Played On in 2019 I was riveted and angry at how the government ignored the evidence and medical researchers acted irresponsibly, seemingly not caring for the patients but more from what they could gain personally.
When the Band Played On is a biography of Randy Shilts and while I learned more of what he did, how he became a prominent gay journalist I don't feel I really learned more about the man. I feel that with his death we lost a great writer and wonder what other things he would have explored and exposed.
Thank you to Netgalley and IPG - Chicago Review Press for providing me with a digital copy.
In the 1980s Rolling Stone did a series of articles about HIV/AIDS and it was enlightening. When I finally got around to reading And The Band Played On in 2019 I was riveted and angry at how the government ignored the evidence and medical researchers acted irresponsibly, seemingly not caring for the patients but more from what they could gain personally.
When the Band Played On is a biography of Randy Shilts and while I learned more of what he did, how he became a prominent gay journalist I don't feel I really learned more about the man. I feel that with his death we lost a great writer and wonder what other things he would have explored and exposed.
Thank you to Netgalley and IPG - Chicago Review Press for providing me with a digital copy.
October 4, 2024
This book is an interesting summary of the life and works of Shilts. It focuses on his activism, writing, and his life surrounding all of that. While it was interesting, there were definitely moments where I questioned the accuracy of what I was reading, considering everything seemed to be from a white, cis, male perspective (such as when the author claimed trans women sex workers were treated well in a certain jail). I think believe this book is an important read, and I accept the fact it was written a while ago, so I don’t expect it to be perfect. For when it was written, it does a good job of showing the struggles of the times for those involved in Shilts’ life. Thank you NetGalley for the arc.
January 14, 2025
A fantastic biography and a beautiful tribute to the life, times, and world of Randy Shilts. This biography does so many things well; Lee situates his subject in their own time and contextualizes the world as Shilts saw it. This book humanizes a deeply thoughtful person gone long before their time on Earth should have ended. The tragedy of his untimely death is made more raw and important by this book, and I implore all of you to pick this up and learn more about the journalist who helped humanize the victims of the AIDS epidemic to an unwitting American public that turned its back on the folks who fell victim to this most-terrible affliction.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and IPG | Chicago Review Press for this eARC in exchange for my review.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and IPG | Chicago Review Press for this eARC in exchange for my review.
July 19, 2025
Wow.
A few years ago Chris and I were in Guerneville taking a walk to clear our heads. We wandered into a large old cemetery. Neither of us were really reading the gravestones, but one of us noticed in passing the gravestone of Randy Shilts. Since that moment I really felt connected to Bay Area gay history. It probably wasn't long after that when Chris and I realized Cleve Jones was eating chicken fingers across the bar at the Rainbow Cattle Company and I had a mini silent freak out.
I wish I could have known Randy. He wasn't a perfect person, but I don't think we need angels, we need humans. He was a human. And he was an early voice for people who needed walls to be destroyed.
I owe it to you to take on And The Band Played On, I think by the end of the year.
A few years ago Chris and I were in Guerneville taking a walk to clear our heads. We wandered into a large old cemetery. Neither of us were really reading the gravestones, but one of us noticed in passing the gravestone of Randy Shilts. Since that moment I really felt connected to Bay Area gay history. It probably wasn't long after that when Chris and I realized Cleve Jones was eating chicken fingers across the bar at the Rainbow Cattle Company and I had a mini silent freak out.
I wish I could have known Randy. He wasn't a perfect person, but I don't think we need angels, we need humans. He was a human. And he was an early voice for people who needed walls to be destroyed.
I owe it to you to take on And The Band Played On, I think by the end of the year.
April 2, 2025
What a great book. I met the author several years ago when he was only planning to write it, and I'm so glad it's now in the world.
I've read all of Shilts' work but Conduct Unbecoming, but I knew nothing about Shilts. This biography is short and sweet - short because Randy's life was short - and gives fair consideration to the many controversies he waded through. I also knew nothing about his struggles with alcohol, so it was good to learn about that and to see how it fit with his larger career and personal issues.
I got a clear picture of what Shilts was like and I think you would too. I highly recommend it.
I've read all of Shilts' work but Conduct Unbecoming, but I knew nothing about Shilts. This biography is short and sweet - short because Randy's life was short - and gives fair consideration to the many controversies he waded through. I also knew nothing about his struggles with alcohol, so it was good to learn about that and to see how it fit with his larger career and personal issues.
I got a clear picture of what Shilts was like and I think you would too. I highly recommend it.
March 17, 2025
There's a sentence near the end of this so-so bio regarding a historical reevaluation of Shilts' legacy: "Randy's experiences with addiction, recovery, and trauma merit much closer attention than they received." I agree. But Lee did not do that.
For some reason, he did not seem to dig too deeply into Shilts' life and work at all. The entire book read like a DVD 'extras' section of that life and work...OK, but not particularly fulfilling either.
Shilts' three published books speak for themselves. Stick with them.
For some reason, he did not seem to dig too deeply into Shilts' life and work at all. The entire book read like a DVD 'extras' section of that life and work...OK, but not particularly fulfilling either.
Shilts' three published books speak for themselves. Stick with them.
December 2, 2024
Michael Lee does a very good job of chronicling the life of Randy Shilts. Randy was a historical figure in the gay rights movement and AIDS advocacy. It is great that his story is told in the detail that Lee provides. Although it is a sad story it is important to document people like Randy who make a difference and who give their whole lives for a cause.
January 1, 2025
A well-written biography of an important gay journalist and author. I have read all three books written by Randy Shilts so, knowing little more about him than his books and that he died of AIDS, I was interested in learning more about his life. Lee has done an admirable job tracing Shilts' life from his unhappy childhood in Michigan until his death. I highly recommend it.
October 6, 2024
Very well researched book about the author of The Band Played On which was a defining book about AIDS in the 1980s . Randy Shilts led a difficult and complicated life but through his journalism was able to cast a light into the gay community and educate others .
November 22, 2024
La biografia di Randy Shilts e allo stesso tempo un quadro dell'America di quei tempi.
L'uomo, il giornalista, le sue battaglie per i diritti ed i libri su argomenti sensibili per la comunità LGBT di San Francisco.
L'uomo, il giornalista, le sue battaglie per i diritti ed i libri su argomenti sensibili per la comunità LGBT di San Francisco.
March 19, 2025
Excellent Read. Honest and accurate. Michael bought to life all the voices of Randy's friends and acquaintances. So many memories of Randy and my fiendship with him. Very well researched and written.
November 7, 2024
This is an excellent book. It brings you into the gay movement in San Francisco. How everyday people became leaders and trailblazers. Then AIDS hits
December 29, 2024
So interesting to read this story of Randy Shilts' life - of course, I read all of his books, and I actually met him a few times. Really odd to put myself back into that time in San Francisco.
February 2, 2025
I’ve read the book And the band played on so many times, it was nice to read an autobiography of Shilts. Tragic, of course, due to his demise from aids.
March 11, 2025
Michael Lee has done the best he could to this book.
June 26, 2025
I found this to be an excellent biography on a man that I really didn't know much about other than that I very much liked two of his books.
November 14, 2024
Michael G. Lee brings Randy Shilts—legendary gay journalist and author—fully to life in this book. Readers really feel like we get to meet Randy and sense his thoughts and characters. Lee brings thorough research to this biography, weaving material from interviews, Randy’s journals and archives, and other source material together. But the detailed research never distracts from the story, which Lee tells in a way that makes you appreciate Randy—for his commitment to speaking truth to power, for refusing to toe any party line, and for his faults and foibles. By the end of the book, I was crying with everyone at Randy’s funeral, which is a testament to Lee’s powerful writing ability. Randy told so many important stories about people whose stories needed to be told to the public, and I’m so glad his story has now been told so incredibly well!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews