B.J. Lisko Repository staff writer
Redemption can be an intense motivator. So can revenge. In 1995, when then-aspiring comedian/actor Joey “Coco” Diaz moved to Los Angeles, he had both on his mind.
Diaz divorced in 1991, and in the process lost his relationship with his daughter.
“I got divorced,” Diaz recollects. “That was fine, but I lost a child. I always knew that her power was to take this kid from me.”
Through the ensuing years, a heartbroken Diaz channeled his energy to stand-up. When he made the move to L.A., it was all or nothing.
“My primary drive was to be successful so I could come back and make her proud,” Diaz said. “That was the motivation. But it didn’t work out that way.”
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Diaz had another motivation in mind —one on the complete opposite end of the spectrum.
“The motivation was also if I failed as a comedian, on the way back east, I was gonna stop in Colorado and just kill my ex-wife,” he said. “Every day that she wakes up and looks at the sky, she has to thank the Lord.”
Diaz said his ex-wife and her husband forged documents and took his daughter all the way to England. To this day, they have helped to keep his daughter completely out of his life.
But for Diaz, living well became the best revenge.
“Eventually, (that way of thinking) all changed,” Diaz said. “I said to myself, ‘Every day that I’m alive and doing better, she’s in Hell.’ ”
Diaz didn’t just simply succeed in show business, he has thrived. His wildly diverse background and brutal honesty has translated into a hilarious, relatable, storytelling style of stand-up. Diaz has released numerous successful comedy albums, had feature roles in movies like “The Longest Yard,” “Spider-Man 2,” “Taxi,” “BASEketball” and “Grudge Match,” and has appeared in dozens of television series including “The Mentalist,” “Maron,” “My Name is Earl,” “Cold Case,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “NYPD Blue” and “How I Met Your Mother,” among many others. He also recently released his first ever one-hour, video special, “Socially Unacceptable,” via SeeSo and Comedy Dynamics.
The 53-year-old Diaz will perform Thursday through Sunday at Hilarities in Cleveland.
Getting his start
As a kid growing up in New Jersey, Diaz often hung out at his mother’s bar where he immersed himself in the diverse, sometimes rough and tumble culture.
“I saw all these Cuban guys who would tell stories,” he said. “I was also a Catholic geek growing up, and I liked the stories. I really liked the stories of St. Francis of Assisi. I liked the stories about St. Michael.”
Eventually, this ingrained storytelling would manifest itself as a strength in his standup set. His past has allowed him to relate to people of all ethnicities, colors and creeds, but it took a stint in prison before Diaz realized comedy was his path.
At 15, Diaz found his mother dead on the floor at home. His father died when he was only 3 years old, which meant an adolescent Diaz bounced from house to house. He got into drugs and crime and later went to jail on kidnapping and robbery charges.
Prison turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
“Each Wednesday, we would watch movies on the projector, but sometimes it would break,” Diaz said. “So I would get up and do standup to fill the time.”
Diaz knew he had the skills to pursue a career in comedy, but it took a few years before he took those skills to the stage.
“People were always telling me I was funny and I should give it a shot,” he said. “But I didn’t know. I was a criminal, and I was confused. When I got out, I was trying all this stuff, and I was trying really hard. I had done every (expletive) job imaginable. I dealt drugs. I was a burglar. I cooked. I bar-tended. I did construction. I sold cars. One thing led to another, and (comedy) was the last resort. So I gave myself a shot. I said, ‘I’m gonna go all in. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll just go back to being a criminal and accept my fate.’ ”
Paying it back
Fortunately, fate dealt Diaz a different hand. In Los Angeles, his comedy grew stronger as he was exposed to the genre’s best standups. Television and movie offers started rolling in, and Diaz also got into podcasting. He co-hosted a weekly show with fellow comedian Felicia Michaels, and Diaz currently hosts the highly rated weekly podcast “The Church of What’s Happening Now.” He’s also a frequent guest on “The Joe Rogan Podcast” and many others.
Friendship, according to Diaz, is his cornerstone.
“My mom died at a young age,” he explained. “I was really mad at God for a long time. But he showed me something else, and it was the gift of friendship. It’s a gift that people could live a thousand years and don’t see.”
Diaz isn’t talking about the sort of friendship based solely on a loose acquaintance or a superficial relationship.
“With a lot of people, they have friends, and they like your new shirt, or whatever,” he said. “And it’s all a joke. But when it’s time to throw down, there’s nobody around.”
Diaz didn’t grow up that way.
“I grew up with friends —they were Italian and white and Irish —and I’m Cuban, man. These guys took care of me. To this day I talk to them every week. If you got three good friends, you can take over the (expletive) world!”
When Diaz got the part in “The Longest Yard,” he took many of his old pals to the premiere. He even took his seventh-grade teacher to the premiere of “Grudge Match.”
“My friends are the ones that helped me face adversity,” he said. “I didn’t want for them to think that their friendship was in vain.”
Speaking his mind
In “Socially Unacceptable,” Diaz is as unfiltered as they come. So, has a politically correct climate affected the way he’s approached his comedy?
“Not in a million (expletive) years,” he said. “It’s my playing field. This is what’s in my heart. This is what’s in my head. If you’re sensitive, suck it up. I really don’t give a (expletive).”
When Diaz first arrived in Los Angeles, show-biz executives told him what they wanted him to be.
“At the end of the day, they don’t know (expletive),” Diaz said. “You and those people in the audience are everything. You do what makes you comfortable, and if you believe in it that much, you’ll sell it.”
The recent election of Donald Trump also taught Diaz a valuable lesson.
“The country has time for people talking off-color (crap),” he said. “The country wanted it. When someone is talking from the heart, there are people that really still appreciate that. I’m not going out on stage putting anyone down, I’m just telling the truth.”
On the docket
Diaz has a steady stream of standup gigs booked for the bulk of 2017. He’s also shooting a presentation for Animal Planet based on another of his loves — his cats. He’s always keeping his ears perked for movie and television offers, but for the time being, standup, his podcast, his friends, and his current wife and new daughter, of course, have Diaz in a much better place than he was some 25 years ago at his comedic beginnings.
“The successful part of this is the piece of mind,” Diaz said of his long and colorful career. “It’s not the money. For some people it takes 10 years to acquire. For others, it takes 30. It took me 30 to get piece of mind. I am very thankful.”
Reach B.J. at 330-580-8314 or bj.lisko@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @BLiskoREP
WHO: Joey “Coco” Diaz
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 12-Sunday, Jan. 14
WHERE: Hilarities, 2035 E. 4th St., Cleveland
TICKETS: $28 to $30 at hilarities.com
MORE INFO: joeydiaz.net
