Taking on the legal might of Madonna may be an area few would fear to tread, but that's exactly what singer, songwriter Fran is about to do when he releases 'Violent Silence', a track that samples 'Why Is It So Hard' from the icon’s Erotica album.

"I have a lawyer who has been communicating with Warner Brother, but being Madonna, this is a lengthy process and they have yet to get back to me with the go-ahead, so I'm going to release it anyway,” says Fran.

“If she sued me, an HIV positive person in a council flat who is giving the money to charity to raise awareness of people living with HIV and AIDS, well, then I'd be very disappointed.

“I just hope Madonna's public image is coherent to her as a person. This isn't a money making exercise, any proceeds from the track are going straight to charity. I don't want to make money or sell loads of records. I've done it to raise people's awareness of the situation and it's too important a cause for me to stop, even if Warner do say no."

Diagnosed With HIV
In 1994, eight years after moving to London from southern Italy, Fran Piro was diagnosed as HIV+ and subsequently became addicted to heroin. He had been experimenting with bands and solo projects and was just about to start training as a counsellor, but all of this came to a dramatic halt when he heard the news of his condition.

"At that time it was a certified death sentence," he remembers.

"There was no medication, just AZT and that was making people even more ill. It turned my world upside down. I was diagnosed at the same time as my boyfriend at the time and he left me straight after.

“It was horrible, stuck in a council flat with no money and no family here. I turned to heroin as a reaction to absolute fear - the overwhelming terror of having to deal with HIV and live with the uncertainty of what such a life would bring.

“The heroin just made me forget. I'd dabbled with it before, but never to the extent of being addicted. But my worse nightmare had come true and I lacked the tools needed to deal with what was happening to me. I was overwhelmed with terror and my use became daily."

Marc Almond
Despite his life beginning to spiral out of control, music gave him something to focus on and he managed to keep attending rehearsals and gigs.

"I remember once I was supporting Marc Almond at the Café de Paris. I'd started to get into the new dance movement in the late 80s and it was through this new scene that I met Marc. I really admired what he was doing musically, he was so pioneering. He wanted me to perform his track, 'Mr Self-Destruct' at the gig. It was pretty appropriate at the time, I even injected before going on stage," remembers Fran.

"I suppose it was therapeutic for me to jump around, smash things up and scream in front of an audience."

Zelig Success
Through placing an advert in Melody Maker, Fran found a perfect writing partner in Gabi, a session singer and guitarist. This led to the formation of experimental metal duo, Frozen Ghost, which in turn led to Fran forming cult band Zelig.

As the lead-singer, Fran went on to win 'Kerrang!'s unsigned bands competition and the readers' 'Best Unsigned Band' poll. However, Zelig was brought to an abrupt end when the band ran into problems with the guitarist wanting sole credit for all of the tracks. A bitter and lengthy court case began and they split shortly after.

Throughout this period Fran continued to use heroin, until he met a partner who had been having similar problems with the drug, but had been clean for two years. The battle certainly wasn't an easy one, but after an eleven-year period plagued with relapses he is now totally clean.

"My partner helped to heal a lot of the pain that was inside me. The fact that this brilliant person knows all this about you and still takes the chance to get into bed with you, I never thought I'd find that. It's one of my proudest achievements."

The Violence Of Silence
'Violent Silence' is a song that Fran wrote some time ago when he was really quite ill. It was born out of a frustration, of being stuck at home with only TV and newspapers as a source of contact and information.

"I realised the whole HIV situation had been lost, it's disappeared from public attention and there was no way of mirroring such an experience in society. It's easy to feel invisible and isolated and people don't understand how that contributes to the illness."

He was drawn to the idea of using samples in music and realized that Madonna was someone who could certainly attract an audience. He felt that the somewhat downbeat tone of his verses could be contrasted with the positive message of the samples, which would inject some hope, not only for people living with HIV, but for anyone who currently finds themselves in a difficult situation.

He got back in touch with Gabi last year, and they began writing together using influences ranging from indie and rock, through to hip-hop, metal and pop.

"We've got lots of songs - more than enough for an album - we'll just have to see what happens with the single. It's just going to be available on the internet at first, but we are looking at distribution. The help of a record company would make things easier

Psychology
Aside from his current musical project, Fran has been training in Psychosynthesis for three years.

"I've been interested in psychology since I was at school and training as a counsellor had been the next logical progression," he smiles.

"At the moment I'm working with school kids in Peckham and as a 'buddy' for people diagnosed HIV+ at the Terrence Higgins Trust." 

Fran will continue as a counsellor but after gigs at the Vibe Bar on Brick Lane and Whitechapel's Rhythm Factory at the end of last year, he'd also like to focus on his music more.

"I might've been told not to bother with any long term commitments back in '94 but I'm still doing ok, and there's still so much I want to do. If anything, the last ten years has taught me that you always need hope. Hope is vital," he smiles.

Read our review of 'Violent Silence'.

'Violent Silence', by Fran, is released through B9 Records on 29 November 2004. Visit www.franb9records.com for more information.