Richard Gonzo “blames” DJ Dan-O for his current predicament.

And by “blame”, Gonzo owes Dan a 27-year-old-and-still-running debt of gratitude.

Gonzo is a DJ for Diamond Dolls, a prosperous club in Pompano Beach, Florida. To hear Gonzo tell it, Dan proceeded Gonzo in the gentlemen’s club industry. “One fateful night in 1994, Dan visited a sports bar I was managing and DJing at,” recalls Gonzo. “The bar was very small time and he found me at a low point hiding in the DJ booth. He asked, ‘What the hell are you doing here? You should be working in a strip club making real money!’”

Dan advised Gonzo to start in a small club and work his way up. Gonzo took the advice immediately to heart and two days later was auditioning at the Porthole Pub in Pompano Beach. Six months later, after getting the gig, Gonzo was promoted to the top spot at Diamond Dolls, where he has spent the majority of his career.

Richard Gonzo has been a gentlemen’s club DJ for 27 years.

ED Magazine spoke with Gonzo, courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com to ask him about what he enjoys about DJing, his flavor of music and his thoughts on the upcoming Gentlemen’s Club EXPO in Miami—where he is the DJ for the Mainstage! And don’t miss his personalized Spotify playlist courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com!

ED: What role do you believe that a DJ has in the overall success of an adult nightclub? How do you think you help a club be the best it can be?
GONZO: Depending on the club’s format, the DJ/MC sets the tone, the mood—either with their voice, music selection, or both. They also maximize club efficiency and potential by managing the entertainer presentation (stage, rotation) and promoting internally (announcements) and externally (social media, events, PR). It has been proven that successful clubs have engaged and motivated DJs helping drive promotion.

ED: What do you enjoy most about what you do? What are the biggest challenges you typically face, especially in a very competitive market like South Florida?
GONZO: The money (kidding, sort of). I’m a music nut, so I really enjoy curating the music selection. The only challenge I find in South Florida is music. Our clientele and entertainers have a wide variety of tastes and fitting those tastes into my club’s format is daunting at times. Fortunately, I have managers and an owner with varied tastes themselves. So usually when they object to a song, it probably does suck.

“Our industry was thought to be bulletproof: Good economy, bad economy, natural disasters, legal challenges. We always bounced back! This pandemic shut us down. Hard.
Our comeback has tested our resolve. A resolve some of us never knew we had. Some have changed career paths out of survival and we wish them well. But those that remained and came back have a new appreciation for our little corner of the entertainment world.” — Richard Gonzo

ED: What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming Expo in Miami? You’re the DJ for the Mainstage!
GONZO: Entertainer of the Year! These are extraordinary times for mankind. Civilization has taken a beating. Masses of people have gotten ill and died. And it has been especially hard on all facets of the entertainment industry as a whole. Our industry was thought to be bulletproof: Good economy, bad economy, natural disasters, legal challenges. We always bounced back! This pandemic shut us down. Hard.
Our comeback has tested our resolve. A resolve some of us never knew we had. Some have changed career paths out of survival and we wish them well. But those that remained and came back have a new appreciation for our little corner of the entertainment world. That being said, we will be seeing an excellent field of world-class performers vying for Entertainer of the Year and it’s my honor to be presenting them this Year of our Comeback.

ED: What is your general approach to the music you play, and how hard is it to juggle what the entertainers want, what the club owner may want, and what the customers want?
GONZO: Like I said before, I’m lucky to have a club owner and managers with good musical taste. My entertainers consist of 75% Latinas so, “reggaeton, papi!’ is a common request. Customers vary between rap/hip-hop and EDM, so I tend to juggle those three genre balls nightly.

Richard Gonzo

ED: What are your favorite songs/artists to play in the club, and what do you listen to during your free time when you’re not in the club?
GONZO: Favorites? That’s a lot! EDM for sure. Drake is still huge. Pop Smoke, Bad Bunny, Megan the Stallion, etc. Big fan of Saint Jhn lately. My music is 180 degrees in the other direction: metal, outlaw country, classic rock, and jazz. I love all music forms!

ED: If you could see any concert with any artist (living or deceased), who would it be and why?
GONZO: Prince. Probably the only artist to ever successfully cross multiple genres. Consummate master musician. I regret missing my one chance to see him live to this very day. (Honorable mention: Queen)

Don’t miss Gonzo’s personalized Spotify playlist courtesy of Bob Chiappardi and StripJointsMusic.com!

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