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Meet Mario Diaz

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Mario Diaz.

Mario, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve always loved performing. I started dancing and acting at a very young age. I can still remember that first musical I did as a kid and making all the moms in the auditorium cry with my song. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an actor and have never stopped pursuing those gigs. I’ve also been throwing queer parties for over 30 years, since my high school days. My first party came about because I was kind of bored with what was happening at the time. I had some kooky ideas so I thought I’d take a stab at it. I wanted to throw a party for me and all my Queerdo friends to show off at. It quickly proved to be such a fun and creative way to make decent money in a short amount of time. This would also give me the time to pursue my work as a performer. Which was always my favorite thing to do. Producing parties was always sort of my “day job” if you will…but at night. And it turned out being the best job I could have imagined.

What I’ve come to notice about nightlife is that it only takes one person to create something inspired and fresh. To set an example for all the other promoters and motivate them to raise their game and create a more interesting environment. But at the end of the day, it’s the people that make a night. Of course music, aesthetics and lighting are part of the impact but the crowd will always take center stage. I feel the LA scene has proven to be quite a force. When I started here 18 years ago, there were very few of us promoters. Now there are many. And I see many of my peers putting unlimited energy and creativity into their events… it’s really exciting. It has been an honor to be in the company of so many interesting characters. The parties I’ve been throwing here in LA are not huge leap from the type of events I brought to NYC in the 90’s. I always try and infuse fresh ideas but they are basically my tried and true formula. A Retro Porn inspired night. Dark, loud and always sex-positive but with a sense of humor and a lot of styles. It’s been my mission since my early days to make sexuality joyful and fun and free of shame. I always try and keep things a bit tongue and cheek. People often come to BIG FAT DICK and when they hear I’m the promoter, they say “Oh my god…this place is SO New York…it really reminds me of The Cock!” My instinct is to inform them that I created and opened The Cock but I usually just say thank you.

Inclusivity has always been at the core of what I produce. As my events have always been predominantly queer everyone is always welcome. No VIP’s, no dress codes, no bottle service. I find these constructs tacky and uninviting. Ultimately non-inclusive. Obviously, it’s a matter of who responds to your aesthetic, the name of the party and where the party is at. These are all factors that will define your crowd on some level. At Big Fat Dick I keep the visuals dirty, silly and fun. My go-go boys are a staple at BFD. I’ve always styled my dancers from head to toe and they are top-notch. And we do a nasty photo contest where the patrons are the models. I make sure there’s always female representation in the contest. My girlfriends love coming to BFD and always have a blast with the boys. Brutus lended itself to a more mature Butch aesthetic. And it was at the Faultline which is an old school Leather Bar in Silverlake thus bringing in the hot daddies of all shapes and sizes. And Full Frontal Disco is a truly mixed dance crowd. I’ll use fierce avant-garde imagery of men and women both to attract all kinds to this. There is nothing better than a mixed crowd.

I have, or should say had a job where I’ve been surrounded by talent and beauty. It’s a dream job really. Sometimes I can’t believe I get paid to help facilitate such brilliance and creativity. I’ve literally made a career out of having fun. Not many can say that. But seeing all of the amazing art and performance come to life is quite a sight. Whether it be one of the monthly inspired choreographed dance pieces at Full Frontal Disco. I’ve booked some of the best dancers and choreographers in the world to create shows there. And getting to work on gorgeous costumes with my designers is always a blast. But the thing that gives me the most joy is looking out on a big crowd of people with giant smiles on their faces really LIVING their lives. Nightlife can get a bad wrap but what I do is a noble and wonderful gift. I bring people together, to connect, to dance, to love and have a laugh with their friends. Perhaps the most important thing if you ask me.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We’d all like to think our queer community as a big happy family of diversity but there’s still a slew of cliques and that can feel very exclusive to many. And you know how bitchy queens can be. But the challenges in the queer community are the same as in any creative field. I just like being around people who are fearless, loving and make me laugh. That’s why I’m such a Drag Hag. Being queer makes us a bit tougher and generally have thicker skin. It has gotten easier in many ways. Being oppressed and bullied was a much darker reality back in the day. Imagine being so afraid of your lisp and spending your whole life in the closet. The younger Queers today need to acknowledge and respect where they came from. But being queer was the best thing that ever happened to me. I always knew that me and my friends were having more fun and listening to better music than everyone else. And we were way cuter.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m an actor, singer, dancer and event producer. It’s all show-biz and in many ways all fall into the same pool. Putting on a show. I still work the audition circuit and book occasional tv commercials, co-star and film spots, I do quite a bit of camp theater with my hilarious, brilliant drag queen friends. I’ve been writing, performing and creating parody videos as my alter ego Vinnie Zuko, The Covid Crooner, in my spare time and I throw wild queer sex-positive parties. Well, I did until COVID 19 hit. I’ve had such great luck in my 30 years as a creative producer. As an event producer, I’ve always just imagined the kind of event I want to be at. And much like putting on my plays there are similar steps involved. First you find a venue, then you cast the characters, create the environment with lights and sound. And then you fill the room and play! People have responded well to what I’ve created thus far and I’ve had very few flops…knock on wood. It goes to show you that if you fearlessly follow your instincts and passions there tends to be like-minded people out there who identify. I’m grateful that I’m an idea person as there will always be people nipping at your heels. I try and come from a place of joy and wish well for everyone. There’s enough money, love and success to go around and I wish that for all people. And it’s important to remember that I’m doing what I love to do. In no way is this easy work, being an artist, which is why we have to always remind ourselves. This is what I love. That is why we do it and it’s a blessing.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
There wasn’t a lot of stability in my childhood. Like so many coming from a broken home, we had our share of troubles. But there are often gifts in the hard times. One of my favorite memories was my time in Colombia when I was eight years old. To keep me distanced from my parent’s divorce my sister and I were sent to South America when we were kids for almost a year. I spent most of my time in Cartagena where my cousin and I had our adventures. We would collect Tarantulas, cleaned the beaches from Jellyfish and collected Iguanas for pets. We went fishing every day and explored the gorgeous 18th-century wartime ruins in the Walled City of Cartagena. I’ll never forget how beautiful it was. I imagined what incredible history surrounded me. Even as a child, I remember being in awe of these sights.

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Image Credit:
Photo credits: Reed Davis & Eric Schwabell

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