…In 2000, the band generated controversy through their public support of Alive & Well, an organization that denies the link between HIV and AIDS, questions the validity of HIV tests, and advises against taking medication to counter the disease.[32] Foo Fighter bassist Nate Mendel learned of Alive & Well through What If Everything You Thought You Knew about AIDS Was Wrong?, a self-published book written by Christine Maggiore, the organization's founder. Mendel passed the book around to the rest of the band, who supported his advocacy.[32] In January 2000, the band played a benefit concert for the organization, which Mendel helped to organize.[32] The band also contributed songs to The Other Side of AIDS, a controversial documentary film by Maggiore's husband Robin Scovill, which questions whether HIV is the cause of AIDS.[33] The band's position caused alarm in the medical community, as Alive & Well's advice ran contrary to scientific knowledge about HIV and AIDS.[32][33] In a 2000 interview, Mendel spoke of using Foo Fighters' popularity to help spread the group's message and of holding more benefits for the organization.[32] The organization is no longer listed as one of the supported causes on Foo Fighters' website.[34]
