Mucho Mucho Amor

And Mucho, Mucho Makeup: the Story of Walter Mercado

I had no idea of who Walter Mercado was until I arrived in the US in the early 90s and discovered his campy astrological readings on Spanish language TV. At the time, I thought he was a total fake. Too much hairspray, too much plastic surgery, too much everything. More than predictions, his prognostications were like a cheering squad. I wanted my zodiac readings to micromanage my future, and he never said anything concrete. I didn’t get him.

Well, as I watched the documentary about him on Netflix, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Walter Mercado that emerges in this movie was a fabulously lovable man. He was an outlier who defended himself from the cruelty of being born exuberantly gay in the Puerto Rican countryside by owning his difference, and then some.

Latino culture is infamously homophobic, yet paradoxically, our machismo has embraced a few beloved gay icons. One is Juan Gabriel, the great Mexican divo, another one is Chavela Vargas, the great Costa Rican-Mexican diva, and the other one is Walter Mercado. They transcended prejudice, ignorance, and hatred and were adored by millions of people across the Spanish-speaking world because of their enormous talent and in spite of their evident queerness. Juan Gabriel and Chavela are among the foremost composers and interpreters of Mexican song…