Disco al FRESQ-o

It's a sad reality, but raising money for AIDS is a lot like selling blue jeans: image is everything and foundations work hard to establish a unique public persona. "Many foundations raise money specifically for front-line care," says Paolo Giovannetti of the Fonds de recherche pour l'étude sur le SIDA-Québec (FRESQ). "We focus on the medical research side of things."

In 1996, FRESQ handed out more than $180,000 for AIDS research. But FRESQ is careful not to get too caught up with the dominant pharmaceutical-industrial complex: their Web site (www.aidsida.org) highlights homeopathic treatments, including the powers of licorice as an antiviral agent and the ability of ginkgo tree extract to elevate blood oxygen levels.

Still, says Giovannetti, "We can be pretty sober as an organization." So to bring FRESQ "closer to a younger generation," they're bringing disco diva Gloria Gaynor to town Friday Aug. 29 at Metropolis. Tickets $35. Info: 521-1572. All proceeds go to, well, you get the message.

Philip Preville