Born in Utah to a Mormon father and a Brazilian mother, David Wilson spent his boyhood in several South American cities, where his dad taught English to foreign diplomats for the U.S. Foreign Service. “It was a phenomenal upbringing,” he says. Having survived civil strife in La Paz and a earthquake in Caracas, Wilson went to high school in Junction City and Bible college in Portland before he found Eugene and came out as gay in 1976. “I was born on the same day as Eugene, Oct. 17,” he says. “I love the people here. I’ve kept the party alive.” Wilson has styled hair since his 1981 graduation from the Creative Institute of Design. “I’ve had some clients since beauty school,” he says. A flutist since age 7, he played with Americanistan in the 1990s. “We played the gypsy stage at the Country Fair,” he notes. “It was like Carnegie Hall for me.” His current guise is Orbital Disco Dave in the free-form trio LaunchPad. He was hospitalized for six days by an infection in August, and is recovering gradually. A benefit concert to help with medical costs is set for 9 pm Friday, Oct. 12, at Sam Bond’s Garage.
