Intro
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Part
One
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Part
Two
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Part
Three
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 Aaron
Kirkman: If I were to look out my front door in Utah, I'd see
open acres and acres of field and cows, farmland. If I look out
my front door here, and I see a dance club, and bars down the street,
and busy roads full of people. It's different. I've never been this
his far from home, ever. All my family is back 3,000 miles away.
It was -- it was a scary thing to do, you know.
Alex
Chadwick: This is pretty different from a little town in Utah,
isn't it?
Aaron Kirkman: Extremely different. Yeah. It's a big culture
shock down here.
 Daniel
Gendreau: I'd say about Key West, at a time where I had given
up, basically, on thinking that life and true love really existed.
I found it down here whether I wanted it or not. It happened, you
know. And --
Alex
Chadwick: You're pretty young to --
Daniel Gendreau::
Life brings you so many beautiful surprises -- what?
Alex
Chadwick: You're pretty young to be giving up on true love and
life.
Ms: I had just basically given up on people, people who try
to judge other people.
 Michael
Fiala, Jr: So, I like your hat, anyway.
Alex
Chadwick: Yeah. How -- what brings you here?
Michael Fiala, Jr: Well,
I'll tell you what. I came down from Pennsylvania, and I got laid
off from -- I was working in a -- (inaudible) -- factory. Well,
not a painting factory but a painting contractor. And I got laid
off like in February. So, here I'm collecting like 205 bucks a week
unemployment, and I'm freezing my ass off. I'm freezing my, you
know, it's cold, all right. Ah, to hell with this. I'm coming back
to Key West. And I transferred my unemployment down here. And I've
been here ever since.
Alex
Chadwick: And how long ago was this?
Michael Fiala, Jr:
'82. I've been on vacation ever since.
Alex
Chadwick: Hold
the applause please, one more interview to go.
 Stuart
Useem: I have AIDS. I was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. And in
the last four years, I have made the decision to perform what I
call my lifesectomy, and I made a radical life change. I lived in
North Lake Tahoe, where I own two art galleries. I had a large staff,
represented over 80 artists, and all of a sudden two of my closest
friends died, and then 33 more died, and then I was diagnosed. And
my doctor and I both decided that I would need to make some kind
of a radical life change. I made the choice to trade an Andy Warhol
out of our inventory of a can of soup for a Volkswagen camper van,
and I hit the road.
I began my journey in Maui. I spent six months in Hawaii. Came back,
fixed up the van, and then began driving all over the United States,
seeking out any kind of healing clue that I could get other than
the traditional, classic toxic AZT and drugs like that. I come from
a medical family and I didn't have a lot of faith in that.
Alex
Chadwick: So what do you believe in that keeps you alive?
 Stuart
Useem:
A lot of things. One
of my biggest issues was touch and love. I was terrified of letting
people touch me. Because of the history of suicides and disappointments
in my youth, I didn't trust anybody's love. And as I began learning
about healing, I learned that you have to believe in love to heal.
I'm very grateful. I think that's -- also the number one thing,
appreciation. Every day I wake up I practically kiss the ground
I walk on because I'm still alive.
The
traveling thing has been a real adventure, something I always wanted
to do. And it's brought me to Key West this week. And it's amazing
the people I run into, the new information I've got.
Alex
Chadwick: Are you just, you travel around?
 Stuart
Useem:
Yeah, I traded the Andy Warhol for a can of vegetable soup, for
a Volkswagen camper van, and I've been on the road for four years
now. It gets crushingly lonely sometimes, but at just about at that
time, then I'll connect with a spiritual gathering, or people like
the remote farm -- and, I don't know. God just seems to always put
something in front of me that's good. It has it's lonely moments.
It can get very, very lonely.
Alex
Chadwick: Thank you very much.
Stuart
Useem:
Oh, you're very welcome.
End of Key West
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