HOLLY WOULD: Frankie Goes to Hollywood was...

HOLLY WOULD: Frankie Goes to Hollywood was generally more known in the mid-’80s for provocativeness than music, and the latest release from the group’s former singer, Holly Johnson, keeps that tradition going.

“Legendary Children (All of Them Queer),” Johnson’s first new release since revealing early last year that he is HIV-positive, consists largely of a list of people whom Johnson believes were or are homosexual.

The names range from Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci to more recent pop heroes including the late Andy Warhol and Boy George, as well as Johnson himself. There’s been some confusion over one name: Michael Mouse, which is not a reference to Disney’s Mickey but to a gay character from author Armistead Maupin’s “Tales of the City” stories.

“The people I mention made a large contribution to the culture of the planet--not only heterosexual culture, but queer culture,” Johnson says. “Basically it’s my thank you to the gay community because there aren’t enough life-affirming experiences for gay people.”

Nonetheless, Johnson reportedly had difficulty finding a distributor for the record due to fears of legal repercussions. He finally struck a deal in Britain with PolyGram.