Sad to see this programme. Brought back memories of MT USA on a Sunday afternoon. I did not know he was from Clonmel. Does anyone know where he is buried?
Fab Vinny 'kissy kissy'
(that was his catchphrase on 2fm or RTE Radio 2 as it was known back in the day)
It has been well documented that he was from Clonmel.
Where did you think he was from?
It was sad alright he died prematurely just as his career was taking off ...wonder did he tell his family the true extent of his illness, just hope he didn't have a lonely end.
Very sad programme all things considered. MT USA was a huge programme back in the day. I'm sure people in their teens/twenties would find it hard to believe how gay people were treated back in the day, when you see the strides we have made in the last couple of decades. Heartbreaking to hear about the parents home being stoned at the time of his death. I thought it was a well put together programme, showed you how he lived his life warts and all. Luckily for him he had great friends who stood by him until the very end. that journey from the airport must have been horrendous. Thankfully AIDS is treatable now. Not sure why the programme was made now and not some years ago, but was really well put together.
His brother died in 2020 so all family gone as was mentioned last night, maybe that had to do with the timing of it, dunno!
I watched 'The Way we Were' programme few nights ago that covered 70/80s and I read Nell McCafferty's book on the Kerry Babies case recently, between those and last night's programme it really brings you back to what sort of life we lived back then. I was born in 1960 so all that stuff is relevant, it's hard to believe now, I had forgetten that you had to be married to get a prescription for condoms etc! Thankfully there was a few mail order options!
Shocking stuff looking back at it now.
^^^^^^^^^^^^
what???? did that really happen?? was that mentioned in the documentary??
I thought he was from Dublin. He didn't have a country accent.
Not all people from country areas, have country accents.
texas
Well put together documentary, much more fleshed out than the Fab Vinnie one from a couple of years ago which at half an hour was too short.
The first thing i think of when i hear MTV USA is Cyndi Lauper.
Pat Benatar or Dennis De Young / Desert Moon for me. It was also the first time I saw acts such as The Cars and Bryan Adams. MTUSA was required viewing for a few years growing up, as we were starved of such entertainments those days; it knocked the spots off TOTP. The first 2 hours were mainstream videos, including triple plays, while the last hour was more indie stuff or lesser known artists.
Would love to see a few old episodes of it again complete with nascent 8-bit computer intro graphics.
Pat Benatar forgot about her!. she featured a lot.
Vincent Hanley is buried in St Patrick's cemetery in Clonmel.
Still going to sex clubs in New York despite being HIV positive was pretty indefensible.
Is that what he was at ?
I think so, from what I could make out from the timeline.
I heard the MT USA tapes do not exist of the full programmes, a few clips are on You Tube though
He would go to a club where you took all your clothes off and slide down a chute into a stranger orgy .
.Not sure if he continued when he was HIV positive.
Read And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts.Gays continued going to bath houses in the AIDS crisis.
Hughes used to kneel and VH would sit on his back to shoot as VH was too weak to stand.
They must never have heard of folding chairs
Was good but bit too much of Hughes talking to camera, loves his own voice.
The whole idea of the show was that Hughes was telling his story
Dire Straits Walk of Life is the song that comes immediately to mind when I recall MT USA. Raging I missed this show, will have to brave the player to watch it. I remember when he died, my mam told me it was pneumonia. It was only years later when I was googling the show that I found out he had died of aids.
Was it a sex addiction or something
I think it's very easy to judge history harshly by today's standards and knowledge.
In the early 80s not much was known about how AIDS was spread.
HIV itself was only labelled in 1986. So while he may have been HIV positive and looking back his friends may have pieced it together there's no way he was officially diagnosed as HIV positive before 86.
It was only when people were really sick that they got the AIDS diagnosis.
@soulwriter - i sense a certain degree of homophobia from your comments
Its not homophobia if it was the truth. Things were portrayed that times were fairly crazy in the film Dallas Buyers Club. "I am gay and I can do what I like when I like with who I like" attitude. I was fairly young at the time and was not aware of the goings on. Its all just fun and games until someone gets sick and then everyone wonders if they are the next person going to get sick.
Look it was a crazy time back then, gay liberation, cocaine, "vicars daughter syndrome". 24 hour TV was starting.
Even if i was homophobic what about it? No one is obligated to like any behaviour.
No one is allowed a view these days if it differs from the media spin
The part about the chute is in the doc. The bath houses are mentioned in Randy Shilts book
Edit: I have looked closer at definition of homophobia . I would clarify i don't advocate hatred, discrimination, violence etc
What i meant above is people are allowed to have opinion on behaviour of gays such as continuing to have sex while HIV positive. I don't say Vincent did. I don't think there was any HIV positive in 1983 as I don't think HIV had been discovered. I could be wrong.
I noticed that gay pride now seems to be pride and.have seen ads inviting the whole community to join celebration s
That's.just PR .
In general and not re Vincent ontinuing to go to bath houses when they knew there was some illness was stupid. Would be stupid for straight people too to do something like share needle.
The person who broke the window was just scum
I loved the show growing up. Strong memories of watching it Friday nights with my Mum in 1984/1985. Was also shown on Sundays of course. First time I saw a video from Springsteen and then saw him in Slane shortly after. Fond memories of vids from Dire Straits Money For Nothing, Denis De Young Desert Moon, Nick Kershaw Wouldn't it be good. Does anyone remember that video from Rick Springfield Bop Till You Drop. Was a strange one. I enjoyed it far more than Top of the Pops as I really enjoyed some of the videos bands were making back then. I remember Vincent joking about phone sex lines which was all the rage in the US and then at the end of the show hinting he was going to look for a phone booth.