SPOTLIGHT
continued in my adult years, so to that fact, I am still amazed that I not only met her, but also became a friend of hers. Her generosity and the time she took to be present with me really meant the world to me and so I try to be that kind of person as well.
COO-COO FOR:
A FEW THINGS COCO IS
FAVORITE LINES FROM HER MOVIES: From Trick, “It burns!”
From Girls Will Be Girls, “Still raped over here.” FAVORITE FOOD:
Tortilla Español y Ensalada Mixta (potato omelette and mixed salad) Simple, yet divine. Like me!
FAVORITE COCKTAIL:
Just a glass of iced tea with free refills and I’m in heaven.
FAVORITE PLACE TO SHOP: iTunes
FAVORITE L.A. HANGOUT: Poolside at my house!
FAVORITE MOVIE: The Secret in their Eyes
Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film. FAVORITE DRAG PERFORMER:
Charles Busch. Oh, and Julie Halston She’s a drag queen trapped in a woman’s body.
FAVORITE BOOK: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Rage: For so many families struggling with their “homosexual” sons and daughters, how has your experience with your partner’s father Don Efren changed or affected you as a person? Coco: Well, when my partner first came out to his family in Spain, his father didn’t want to meet me or re- ally know anything about me. However, with time he had a change of heart and welcomed me into his home year after year. I think this proves that it is never too late to change and that it is impor- tant to come out so that our loved ones have the incredible opportunity to have that change of heart. However, if some- one chooses not to accept us, at least we had the courage to be ourselves and give them that gift to perhaps become a more loving person.
Rage: How did your family react when they discovered their son’s talents as a beautiful, funny and engaging entertainer who just happened to wear a dress? Coco: My parents were somewhat used to my “creativ-
ity” since childhood. They just sort of thought it was an- other one of my creative phases. They were more nervous about the fact that I was going to talk openly about being gay onstage; they thought people would throw things at me! I am proud to say that both my parents were at my first show. They stood and watched me in my first Gay Pride parade as Coco. And to this day, my mom (my dad passed away in ’94) comes to see me perform.
Rage: Being married to Rafael in Spain where gay marriage is legal, what are your thoughts on the current state of marriage in California and the rest of the United States? Coco: I think it’s embarrassing that the U.S., a country
that was a leader in progressive thought, has fallen so far behind on this and many other issues. One day it will seem impossible that this was even a problem. And to think of all the money wasted having to fight this issue! A double shame!
Rage: How did you get your start in drag? Coco: Being a recovering Catholic and growing up an
effeminate boy in the Bronx, you might say I had some “issues.” Later, when I trained to be an actor in university, one of the notes I kept getting from my professors was
that if I was ever was going to be a working actor, I needed to “butch up” and “lose the Bronx accent.” I knew these two things were never going to be possible for me but I also had a sense that part of what made me funny as a person was my Bronx accent and my “gayness.” One day I had a calling to do drag and my life changed in that moment. I experienced a liberation that allowed me to know that there was no turning back and three months after that decision to do drag, I performed my first show in a popular N.Y.C. cabaret club and immediately became a sort of cult figure in the N.Y.C. drag/cabaret world. Part of my mission back then was that I wanted people
to watch my show and forget that they were watching a man in a dress, and instead relate to the story. If they could do that, then perhaps we could all remember that what matters in life and in our relationships with others isn’t really what’s on the outside, but what’s on the inside. Of course, that was all when I was very young. Nowadays, my mission is to make cold, hard cash!
Rage: Tell me a about your craziest, most embarrassing moment while performing. Coco: Well, there have been so many! One time, I wore
a very short skirt onstage and my stockings slid down below the hemline of the skirt, and although I was aware that it was happening, I thought to myself, “I’m sure no one even notices.” After the show, my straight, N.Y.C. po- lice officer brother pointed and whispered, “low crotch.” I was mortified!
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RAGE monthly | SEPTEMBER 2010
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