Q&A with Pounders’ Monday Night Raw Comedy host Diaz “The Golden Child” Mackie
Where did your “The Golden Child” nickname come from?
“The Golden Child” nickname actually came from my street days. A lot of people that I used to do things for, I always made them money. They said whatever I touched was gold so they called me The Golden Child. When I started doing comedy I figured I would throw that back in there and it would be kind of catchy.
You celebrated the one-year anniversary of your Monday Night Raw show last month. What’s the significance of the show being around that long?
The anniversary show was great. We had a great turnout, people that were there for the first show and hadn’t been there for awhile came out, so it was good to see them again. The significance of having the show one year is that a lot of shows out here haven’t made it that long, for one. And from what I’ve heard it’s the first black-run show that’s ever run a year, which I think is pretty cool.
How did the show get started?
I had a chance to perform there last year for New Year’s, and I had a chance to meet the owner. They were running a show there, but it wasn’t very successful. The owner talked to a friend of mine who’s a comedian named Big Reg who lives in Oakland. They talked about starting a show, but Big Reg figured that he wouldn’t be able to do it. He asked me to host the show and I’ve been hosting it ever since. I started last year’s January 14, Martin Luther King Day.
What are some high points or favorite memories you have of doing the show for a year?
Just seeing a lot of new comedians come up from there. Mike Herbert started there and it’s been fun to see him progress. Oliver Trigg, who will be taking over the show after I leave it, I’ve seen the progress he’s had. The room itself is very different from any other room I’ve performed at in Vegas because it’s a mixed room, which is very beneficial. A lot of the other rooms around are predominantly white, and this is really the first room where there’s a mix of all ethnicities. You have a black audience, you have Hispanics there, you have white people there; it’s just a great audience.
You are moving to LA in March. Would you like to see the show evolve after you leave?
I’d definitely like to see it evolve into more of a place where talent scouts could come and pick out comics. We’ve had talent scouts there in the past and it kind of worked out, but I would like it to be that you could pretty much bank on going to Pounders to pick up some talent for a venue.
What is your plan of attack for LA?
The plan is just to continue doing comedy and take it a step further. At this point in my career – which is short; I’ve only been doing comedy myself for a year and a half, and I had the opportunity to host Pounders after six months of comedy – I just want to continue. I think I’ve done everything out here that I can do. I’ve performed at Fitzgerald’s, Caesars Palace, most of the other local shows around. I guess the only thing that’s missing is [LA’s] The Comedy Store.
You also competed at the Def Comedy Jam finals. What do you remember about the experience?
That was a great experience. I was very, very young in comedy when I did it. I had the opportunity to perform at the Michael Colyar/Mike P. show at the Fitzgerald. I had only been doing comedy at that time for like two, three months. They had the Def Comedy Jam auditions there last year for HBO and I had the opportunity to audition because I was a regular comic there, and I actually made it to the finals, which was pretty cool. Then at the finals I bombed. But that was the show that I learned the most from. The two shows that I learned so much from were that Def Comedy Jam final and the annual comedian contest at the Beach. I tried to get on that and I did okay, but the mic cut out. I learned so much from both of those shows.
You were roasted at Pounders last weekend. How did it go?
The roast was awesome. I had no idea that it would be such a big event. The room was packed. Matt Markman was the Roastmaster, and he did an awesome job of hosting the event and managing everything. It was great. The owner of Pounders, Aaron Reiss, expressed his gratitude for a year of commitment and loyalty and things like that. It was nice to see all the comics, and even the people that aren’t comics got into the roast, like Aaron and the DJ, Mr. Twist.
Where there any particularly cutting remarks made that you remember?
Oh, gosh. There were so many, and I can’t remember because I did get drunk. Gooch and Matt and Doug Reed had some good stuff. But there’s nothing that I can quote verbatim…or that is printable.
Is there an ultimate goal you have as a comedian?
Eventually I’d like to be bigger than just a regular comic, more of an entertainer. I’d like to host a talk show, sort of a Jay Leno/Dave Chappelle-type deal. Be able to make enough to support my family, because this year and a half has been tough. I’ve been homeless and I can say it’s an experience sleeping on the streets.
Anything else?
I'm happy that I started doing comedy out here in Las Vegas, because of the group of guys I've been able to work around. Matt Markman was the first person I met. Boomers was the first place I started. That was April 29; I remember that day. Matt, Joe Lowers, Gooch, Smiley Joe Wiley, Buffet; being around that group has helped make me a lot sharper than I would have been. I've had the opportunity to go out to LA and have been so crisp, and people from out of town have come to Pounders and asked me how long I've been doing it after they see me. They think it's five or seven years. So being around them raises the game.
Keep track of Mackie's LA adventures at www.myspace.com/diazthegoldenchild.