The Disorientation of Survival - Part 1

*This episode contains descriptions of sexual situations, listener discretion is advised. As a closeted gay teenager, lying was familiar to Mark Olmsted. Concealing parts of his identity was just part of the deal–and he was good at it. But when the AIDS crisis threatened his life and left him with little to lose, the lying would turn so grandiose that no one who knew him could quite believe it. In part one of our three-part series, Mark vividly recounts his childhood upbringing and the complicated relationship with his brother that would ultimately transform in one of the most unexpected ways. And after thriving in the mecca of 70s and 80s New York City gay life he found himself facing a hard question: How would he cope following an unthinkable family tragedy and react to a future life he assumed had vanished? --- Produced by Mike Martinez, Tyler Wray, and Grace Heerman. Music by Mike Etten. Sound design by George Drake, Jr. Photos by Clarke Tolton. For more about Mark, you can purchase his book Ink From The Pen: A Prison Memoir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Om Podcasten

Created and produced by Mike Martinez and Tyler Wray, Everything is Stories is an ongoing survey of personal histories. Each episode is a first person narrative from someone who has lived through consequential changes to their notion of self and the world. Harry Crews said it best: “Nothing is allowed to die in a society of story telling people. It is all–the good and the bad–carted up and brought along from one generation to the next. And everything that is brought along is colored and shaped by those who bring it. These voices have told their greatest moments where peace is far and death is close. Sometimes these stories explore the philosophy of outsiders. But most importantly, these stories examine what it is to be human. We don’t record to defend or demonstrate an idea. Rather, we create a document of what was seen and felt during their transformative experiences. Take a listen. Start anywhere. You may find a new definition of reality’s highs and lows. Know of a story or storyteller? Send us your tales of genuine characters and unfamiliar places for consideration to: HQ@everythingisstories.com. No story too troubled, no atmosphere too strange, no realm too foreign.