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Nightlife has been Mario Diaz’ safe space after leaving home at a very early age. OG drag queens, party kids, DJs, and go-go boys have been his family from his early days in NYC in the ‘90s, a time in club and LGBTQ history fueled by a sexual revolution and a new generation of queer voices. Flashes of Mario’s early club life can be seen in his current events, always packed to the rafters, in a colorful playground that is signature Diaz where past and present come to play, unabashedly sexy, unabashedly out. With successes with parties like The Cock, Hot Dog, Bonkerz!, Full Frontal Disco, Brutus, and B.F.D. (yes, that’s what it stands for), he clearly has earned the title Club King.

The allure of nightclub and Mario’s first gig would come from the quintessential kid experience of the 80s.

My first nightclub was the Skate West Roller Rink when I was 11 years old. We were what you called “Roller Rats” in the ’80s. I had a group of feral friends from my age to high school kids and we spent all our time at the rink. We had very little discipline and were wild children … they became my motley crew. The rink played disco, pop, rock, and old school, and I was a pretty kick-ass skater, I even competed. Showing off was a rush and I was good at it. I remember how dark it was, the disco ball and the fashion…that’s where it all began for me. Eventually, I started throwing queer parties in Seattle, Washington while I was still in high school. Mainly because I was full of silly ideas and wasn’t really inspired by the clubs I was sneaking into. For my very first party, I pretty much threw everything at the wall. Body painted go-go dancers, pop-up lip-synch performances, a drag queen fortune teller, Candy-Gram Girls, sexy guys dressed as “Fashion Police” (giving out actual tickets for sloppy looks) … all sorts of fun shenanigans. I called it “Mario’s Beer Bath.” It was a hit; it was packed, and we had a blast. It felt like no one put any effort into the parties that were happening, so I figured I had to do it myself. And the money was good … more than I’d ever made in such a short time. I was only 17 at the time and have been throwing parties ever since. It’s been over 30 years. I’ve made a career out of having fun with my friends. A sweet deal.

While Mario’s nightlife was picture-perfect, family life was anything but. He left home at 15. His confidence, his charm, and his talent belie a broken home. To what does he attribute his perseverance, strength, and skill set?

My father. My parents had a volatile divorce and after a brief stint in a foster home, my sister and I ended up in custody with our father. My dad looked like Al Pacino. He was a charmer and a total playboy. He was always trying to find that million-dollar idea. He went from an engineer, hair salon owner, and even hosted a Spanish talk show at one point (it was awful). He wasn’t ready to take on two kids and made many poor choices. But what I do remember about my childhood was the confidence he instilled in me. “You have to be a survivor Mario,” he used to say. He would proudly boast about our Colombian heritage. He always made me feel that being Hispanic made us “special” and would say “Diazes do things differently.” I believed him and am forever grateful for that boost of pride and confidence. He was everything to me which is why when he stopped looking me in the eyes when I was 13, it was so difficult. He was a classic old-school machismo Latino, and I was a sissy boy; this made it very difficult for him. He could never find comfort in who I was. He was embarrassed to have a son like me. I was the opposite of what he imagined in a son. He was hoping for a soccer-playing lady-killer…not a jazz dancing fashionista. That’s why I left home so young. It wasn’t because I was kicked out. It was because I was seeking out my chosen family where I could be myself, be celebrated, and try and escape the shame I felt around a man who couldn’t even look at me. I’ve spent my whole life trying to prove him wrong, that I was worthy and powerful. The need to prove my father wrong has been the driving force in my ambition. I suppose I can be thankful for that. “He did the best he could,” I always say to myself. There’s truth to that classic phrase. Everything I have accomplished and all that I have achieved I did on my own. I take pride in that. To this day my father has never said the word “gay” to me and he has never inquired about my personal life. There was never a “coming out” moment for us. I have moved on from that idea. It’s not something I need to be at peace with. I love who I am and have an abundance of love around me. But I am still my father’s son. I take pride in my heritage. I am also a charmer and a playboy. The difference is I ACTUALLY play with boys. 

The documentary Club King delved into the personal life of Mario Diaz, a side we don’t often see beyond the strobe lights and glitter. A particularly intimate theme in the documentary deals with Mario’s relationship with his mother. Despite a hurtful childhood, Mario has come to an acceptance of his mom’s past transgressions and the result is a class in forgiveness and moving on.

My mother is a spitfire and I love her. Our relationship has been a complicated one. In fact, we didn’t speak for well over 10 years at one point. But since the pandemic, we have reconnected, and I couldn’t be happier. When you grow up with abandonment issues, that will follow you throughout your life. It affects your relationships and stability. It can trigger anxiety and stress. And part of working through that struggle is through forgiveness. Forgiving my mother for not being there for me was the moment I truly became an adult. We forgive so that we can be free from the toxic anger we sometimes hold onto. Life is too short. She has shown remorse for her misgivings and that has given me closure on some of that pain. And now I really know her now. She is an adventurous, wild, passionate, and fabulous person. We have a lot in common. It’s a blessing to have her in my life.

The younger generation experienced the New York ‘90s club scene through the film Party Monster, a biographical retelling of the addictingly horrific club scene as curated by Michael Alig and his crew. Mario would thankfully set himself apart as a scene leader, with a more positive spin.

When I moved to NYC, I first lived with my then-boyfriend Superstar DJ Keoki. This was shortly after he dated Michael Alig and he was still the resident DJ at Disco 2000 at Limelight. Michael, James St. James, and Freeze were the first people I met in the city. It was a dark time for the club kids, and I quickly learned this was not my scene. I was rescued by Krylon Superstar & Tina Sparkles, my queer & trans sisters, who took me under their wings and into their lower east side apartment. We were all artists, but the Club Kids were all about drugs and narcissism and we were more about sex and rock and roll. I soon after started throwing my own parties in the east village. That’s when I discovered the Drag Legends who are my now family. Jackie and Sherry…I saw them on stages and soon after became their leading man. That was like 25 years ago. And they’re still my “girls.”

He was on his own path, destined to become the Club King.

I opened my NYC Dive bar The Cock in the ’90s. It was our queer heyday. Probably the most fun I’ll ever have, thank God. This was before cell phones, which made a huge difference. I’m so grateful that I got to experience nightlife before these devices took over. It really was a very different world. People are more concerned with documenting their lives than living them these days. It’s tedious and disconnected. Back then we would dress up, show off, and it was just for each other. Listen, we still gave you looks but we wore them to be fabulous for ourselves and our friends…not for a photo op. I don’t remember even thinking about cameras back then. We were really in the moment. That also made us fearless. When I say we got wild I mean it. I could never throw the kind of parties I did in ‘90s NYC. We didn’t have to worry about photographic evidence popping up so we did stuff we couldn’t today. The nasty, messy fun that we had created, the art that we had performed was for the pure need to express ourselves. It was the wild west of club life. 

What can our younger generation learn the most about that period? 

I don’t know. We live in a different world now. They will one day look back at their lives and say, “back in our day.” Change is constant. But if there’s a lesson, it would be to put down your phone and put down your guard. You’d be surprised at what you might find standing right in front of you. Remember when your parents told you to not talk to strangers. Well screw that – talk to strangers. They could be your family someday.  

The allure of Hollywood would bring Mario and some of his cohorts West, to the world of acting.

Well, Jackie Beat, my wifey, moved here and I think I always knew I would end up in LA. I love the sun and I’m an actor. It’s kind of a no-brainer. The plan was to move to LA, get on TV and buy a house. And that’s what I did. Every city has its pros and cons. I love NYC. It’s the greatest city in the world but am so happy to live in LA now. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It’s hard to wake up in a bad mood when the sun is shining through the trees. I love LA. 

And act he did. He can be seen in a variety of projects including appearances in La La Land, American Horror Story, Feud, Fresh off the Boat, Raising Hope, Anger Management, and Two Broke Girls, appearing in commercials for Listerine Pocket Packs, Ameritrade, Target, Vons, Miller Lite, Levi’s, Ford, SBC Global, and more… don’t even get us started on the easy jokes that can be made about his foot-long Subway stint. He also appeared in music videos for Heart and Smashing Pumpkins. If a casting agent were to google “Mario Diaz” they may be shocked to discover a library of sex-fueled images.

I’ve often wondered how my career as a sex-positive queer event producer has affected my commercial acting career. But I’ll never really know. I’ve probably lost a few jobs because of my “King of Sleaze” brand as a nightlife impresario. But then again, it’s something many find interesting about me. At the end of the day, I’ve never been someone who edits his truth. I’ve been an out queer man since my teenage years, and it is a distinctive part of my identity and pride. I will never hide who I am for anyone. Life is too short to live in fear.

Mario will talk candidly about his take on sex in LGBTQ culture as a celebration of our community. Recent hot topic conversations in the LGBTQ circle and beyond have called for a “sexing down” of Pride and events to make them more family-friendly and accessible to mainstream society.

Is that a movement? I mean I see that it has happened, but it was only a matter of time. Queer visibility and representation are a wonderful thing, particularly for the young queer people in the world. To know they are not alone. But I have never been interested in being accessible to the mainstream. Growing up in a time when there was very little visibility, if any, was where I thrived. Being on the fringe, underground with my dirty little tribe was the best. I always felt so lucky and special. Being queer was the best thing that ever happened to me. Who wants to be basic? I mean how boring it seemed to be straight. We were fabulous creatures who were having way more fun than everyone else. We had better taste, style, clothes, music, and we were a tribe … a family. When I wasn’t being called a fag on the streets, I was having the time of my life. We had no interest in assimilating to the mainstream. No matter what society imposed on me. The voices that told us we were bad, wrong, or even evil. I always knew in my heart that I was good. And even special. I never questioned that in myself. I guess I was lucky in that way. Not all queer kids had that experience.

Mario shows no signs of making his events rated PG. He has already restarted his successful run of Hot Dog Sundays at El Cid and events like Hunk House and the return of Full Frontal Disco promise to follow suit. What makes his parties so successful?

I love the creative aspect of throwing a party and I’m a total control freak. I will stay up all night worrying about which G-string to put on a go-go boy…the pink or blue? No one cares about this but me. I guess it’s that attention to detail and the consistency that keeps me going. I take this work very seriously. On one hand, it’s just a party and none of this really matters. But in the same breath, I realize how important what we do is. We bring people together to connect and celebrate. Through art, music, community, and sex positivity. This is the formula for joy. There is nothing more important than what is in our hearts and the people in our lives. I am proud of what I do. I facilitate art and connection. 

I always try and give people something sexy, with some style and a sense of humor. To me, that’s the winning formula. And after 30 years doing this, I know one thing – at the core, people want the same thing as they ever did – to feel cute, to get dressed up, to show off, to laugh, and dance to some good music, and of course, get drunk and laid. The faces may change but the party is still the same. 

The culture of nightlife has changed, the LGBTQ community has changed, the music has changed, drag has changed; how has Mario changed?

It’s funny, at 17 years old I knew exactly who I was. I knew what I wanted and where I was going. If anything, time has shown me how little we do know and reminds me how little we can truly control. I wouldn’t say life gets easier, but I still have an existential wonder for the world. I’m still in awe of the vastness of the universe and the absurdity, brilliance, and even the horror of life. So full of art and love. I think that is what has been constant in me. I’m absolutely dumbfounded by life. When I look at my hands, the stars, and the trees I feel part of something unthinkable. Unimaginable. Maybe it was all the acid I did as a teenager. But being a part of this life experience is a gift. I feel beyond lucky to be part of this insane journey.

No one knows what club life will look like when we finally are free of COVID’s reach, but Mario has a vision.

History has taught us that after times like these there is a great need for community, celebration, the arts – especially entertainment and alcohol. My forte. Our own renaissance is here and I’m glad we survived long enough to be a part of it. The roaring 20’s came after a global flu pandemic, The “Dark Ages” spawned the great renaissance, so we have historical examples to learn from. It is our time again to thrive. Artists, producers, and entertainers will be needed more than ever.

Under the sweat, sex, and hard work, Mario Diaz has a big heart. He is unassuming, sweet, and surprisingly gentle. He is a renaissance man of the nightlife community. He has earned his place in LGBTQ culture history and continues to use his platform to challenge, inspire, and celebrate.

Being queer is a gift so appreciate it. Being kind is what really matters in life. No one is better than anyone else. You are enough so don’t wait for anyone else to validate your existence. The things that you don’t like about yourself are what makes you special and beautiful. Until we are all free, no one is free so speak your truth. And if you know Luke Evans, tell him I’m single and I’ll be at Hot Dog at El Cid every Sunday. 

And what is a stand-out memory from Mario’s deep vault?

I don’t have enough time for this question. I’m late for church.

You can find everything Mario at MarioDiazPresents.com – Instagram keeps removing his profile. Sigh.

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