Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Melchor Diaz

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of Melchor Diaz

One of the aspects of gay vintage porn that bothers me most is its lack of diversification. During the golden age of gay porn, people of color existed, but rarely were they on the cover of the video box. Yes, there are Black, Asian, and Hispanic actors sprinkled throughout the era... but, sadly, studios and magazines at the time only seemed interested in promoting and creating followings for Caucasians. 

In light of that, sadly, guess who I typically end up writing about? Yep, I get to pick between blondes and brunettes (why, even gingers are in short supply!). 

Sigh.

Well, today's entry marks an exception and what an interesting one it is... you go looking for a little background information and you never know what you are going to find. In this case? 

A bit of a scandal in the form of a controversial, censored film!

Let's dig in...

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He was called 'the Puerto Rican devil'; an insatiable bottom bringing a boost of energy and enthusiasm to any film he was in. At his peak, he'd appear in as many as eight films in a single year, while earning himself a devoted following. A true original, he was the incomparable... Melchor Diaz.

Aka: Melchor Diaz, Melchor Agular, Ray Durand

Height: 5' 7" (170 cm)

Weight: 149 lbs. (68 kg)

Birth: January 15, 1960

Birthplace: Puerto Rico

Death: January 1, 1995

Years Active: 1978 – 1991

26 Films

24 Compilations 

Melchor Diaz was born in Puerto Rico on January 15, 1960. By 1971, he'd found his way to Mexico City, where, at the age of eleven, he would be cast in an experimental film called Pubertinaje (Pubertal). Produced by Alejandro Jodorowsky, one of the founders of avant-garde films' Panic movement, the film contained three segments, each with it's own director: 

The first segment, directed by José Antonio Alcaraz, Juego de espejos (The Game of Mirrors) is about two young classmates who kiss while on a picnic. Discovered by the girl's brother, who accuses the couple of being immoral, "bizarre things develop".

The second segment, marking the directing debut of Pablo Leder, Una cena de navidad (A Christmas Dinner) involves a family gathered for the holidays and none of them want to be there. The fetishist father yearns to wear women's clothing, while one of his sons wishes for another "transvestite adventure". The daughter aspires to be a singer with a voice so powerful it destroys all the saints of the church, and the youngest son? He merely wants to stab everyone at the table to death. (Lighthearted holiday fare!). 

It is the third segment, directed by Luis Urias, in which young Diaz appears. Entitled, Tetraedro (Tetrahedron), it tells the tale of a very fat man who must deal with his girlfriend's longing for love and intimacy. 

The film debuted in 1971 and instantly caused quite a scandal. Citing the moral threats of transvestism and homosexuality, the film was immediately censored and pulled from the theatres. It laid in a vault until it was unearthed in 1978, at which time it received a limited release with very little fanfare. However... only the first two segments were allowed to be shown! Yes, the third segment, featuring Diaz, would never see the light of day. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anymore information of why this occurred, so if you stumble on anything, I would love to learn more.   

Well, given that auspicious beginning, small wonder Diaz found his way to the world of gay porn; a world where he would make quite an impression.

In 1978, Diaz began his career at the age of 18, appearing in a short loop called Raging Glory. After that, he would walk away from the industry, only to return when Raging Glory was included in 1980's full-length feature, Pieces of Eight. 

The segment proved so  popular that soon offers were pouring in from a number of studios. 

Still, Diaz remained selective, choosing to do only one or two films per year. Finally, in 1985, Diaz fully embraced the industry, appearing in an astounding 16 films during the next two years.

1978

Mustang (segment Raging Glory)

1980

Pieces Of Eight 

1981

Wrestling Meat 1 

Performance 

1982

Nighthawk In Leather 

1985

Windows 

Strange Places, Strange Things 

Stiff Sentence 

Room for Rent 

Life Guard 

International Skin 

Hunk 

1986

Social Studies 

Nightcrawler: A Leather Sex Fantasy 

Night Flight 

Mantalk 

Hollywood Gigolo 

Hard To Believe 

Hard 

Dynastud 

Down To His Knee 

1987

Daddies Plaything 

Best Stallions

1989

Sexy Billy Blue 

Oral Orgy

 

1991

Traffic School Was Never Like This! 

Night Boys

Among the studios he worked for were HIS, Falcon, LeSalon, and Catalina Video. His most popular films were1985's Room for Rent, and 1986's Dynastud and Night Flight (in which he bottoms three times!), all considered classics of the age.

If the quotes attributed to him in an Advocate Men photo spread can be trusted, he spent his off-time laying carpet (and I mean that literally) while running a bit of a ruse!

"I'd go to a house with staple guns and a leather belt full of tools. The customer would've stayed home from work to let me in. Or maybe it was a housewife. Anyway, they'd be sort of bored; the carpet was the big event of the week"

"Pretty soon I'd work up a sweat. If the customer offered me a beer, I'd say no, what I really wanted was a shower. I'd be in the shower and the customer would barge in and hand me a towel -  every time; it never failed. I'd take it from there."

Melchor says he "likes sex." What kind of men, we ask. "Sexy men - you know, daddies."

"Make sure you tell your readers that I'm unattached. I'm not a bad cook, but I'd much rather be wined and dined. By daddies."

After 1986, Diaz's output would slow down significantly. In fact, he would take an entire year off in both 1988 and 1990. By the time 1991's Night Boys was released, his life course was irrevocably changed - for he discovered that he'd tested positive for the HIV virus. 

Details about his life were difficult to find, but I did manage to find two snippets about him, offering a brief glimpse of this man's character.

From a personal testimonial by a friend of his on a message board I found out that Diaz was very close to his family and "...a great guy with a big heart, often taking in lost souls he met on the street." 

Another said that he was "...sexually voracious but also had a playfulness... always... welcome in adult movies, (and that he) got great reviews from co-stars.

Sadly, on New Year's Day, 1995, Melchor Diaz would die from complications due to the virus. Yes, another young life cut short by AIDS. He was 34 years-old.

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I remember seeing the occasional photo of him and I definitely remember shelving the video boxes for Social Studies (in fact, I think I own a VHS copy of it), Dynastud and Stiff Sentence. He struck me as being very cute... especially in that pair of little red hot pants with the tie fly! As a matter of fact, the more time I have spent putting this post together and looking at his pictures, the more attractive I find him. I think it's that penetrative, seductive way he looks into the camera, accompanied by his occasional self-satisfied smirk / sneer.

Actually... if I met him at my age now? I might even stand a chance with him! I'd love to be his daddy.

Damn spankable!

Well, that's all for this week.

Thanks for reading.

Too Hot - Lisa Stansfield / Kool & The Gang

Too Hot Ta Trot - The Commodores