Twists and Turns

There was a fascinating interview by Laurence Watts with Australia's Golden Boy, Matthew Mitcham, the first openly Gay person to win an Olympic Gold Medal, published over at The Huffington Post on Sunday that you just might want to read.  Matthew has a new book out, 'Twists and Turns', which as he says is a 'warts and all autobiography' from his birth in 1988 in Brisbane to his ripe old age of nearly 25 right now.  Matthew has experienced a lot in his short life, from the exhilaration of winning the Gold Medal in Platform Diving in Beijing to the depths of depression, injury and addiction.  Matthew has faced many of the all too prevalent problems faced by today's LGBT youth: familial rejection, underage clubbing, alcohol and drug abuse (Marijuana, LSD, Ecstasy) and addiction to Crystal Methamphetamine, all of which were tools he used to ameliorate the pain and anxiety of the depression a lot of our youth experience.  Yet he has overcome it all and is living proof that you can be openly Gay and still get what you want out of life.  He has his Olympic Gold Medal of course, he is openly and happily living with the love of his life, Lachlan and he is a hero to many of us in the LGBT community.  One of the biggest influences in his life and sport is 4 time Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Louganis whose autobiography 'Breaking The Surface' went with him to Beijing as a source of inspiration.  I have always admired Greg Louganis (and lusted just a little bit, lol) and I was, like many LGBT's, cheering him on in 2008 after he publicly acknowledge his sexuality two months prior to his trip to the Olympics.  The interview like I said is fascinating and I can't wait to get the book which is available at Booktopia in Australia and Amazon.com in the US and UK.  There is also some video of Matthew at a Booktopia appearance you can see over at Towleroad.  Take some time to read the interview and watch the video, you will come away more in love with the Golden Boy, he of the Golden Locks, Bodacious Body and Infectious Smile, than ever before.  I am ever so glad we play on the same team and is such a beacon of hope for the many thousands of LGBT youth who look to him for inspiration. 

Your play list for today has four works by Mikhail Glinka. The overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila with a performance by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yevgeny Mravinsky from a 1965 recording. The Viola Sonata in D Minor with a performance by Yuri Bashmet on Viola and Mikhail Muntian on Piano from a 1991 recording. The Trio Pathetique with a performance by Elliott Ross on Clarinet, Daniel Thomas on Cello and Dmitri Vorobiev at the Piano from a 2009 recording and concluding this play list is the Grand Sextet for Piano, String Quartet & Bass in E flat Major with a performance by Ai Motohashi on Piano, Mihaela Martin on Violin, Lars Bjornkjaer on Violin, Yuval Gotlibovicon on Viola, Marko Ylönen on Cello and Vassilis Papavassiliou on Double Bass recorded live at the International Classical Music Festival of Cyclades in August 2012.  Following the play list is an incredibly charming group of lithesome lads and handsome hunks lounging about in their Monday's Undies for your inspiration and admiration.  Thanks for choosing to spend part of your day here with me at Nichevo.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!