Damiana Garcia (aka Michael Lucid) is an intrepid reporter who has interviewed such faux-celebrities as Madonna and Barbara Streisand. She has interviewed season after season of RuPaul’s Drag Race queens for World of Wonder. Damiana has also made a cornucopia of hilarious videos on her Youtube channel. I chatted with Damiana about her fashions, her favorite interview and making videos with her gal pals.
Ryan: Did you always know you wanted to be a reporter?
Damiana: Well, ever since I was a young girl growing up in Rancho Palos Verdes, I’ve been unable to stop myself from gabbing and gossiping to anyone who’d lend me their ear. I gave my first investigative report in 3rd grade when I told my classmates where I’d seen our teacher Mrs. Robles hide her stash of oatmeal cookies! So it was a natural progression for me to go into the lady reporting biz.
Ryan: Where do you get all your amazing fashions?
Damiana: I’m quite fond of fashionable muumuu’s, pashminas and kimonos, and even my fave hybrid garment, the ki-muumuu. Basically I like any outfit that really breathes and gives me room to move my body, whether I’m chasing a hot news scoop, or just getting down to my Sheryl Crow CD’s alone in my apartment. “All I Wanna Do” is my party jam – it’s funky and mid-tempo, and so it’s perfect for my signature sexy dance moves. As for where I get ’em – Jackie’s Muumuu Hut in the San Fernando Valley is my go-to boutique when I wanna do some stellar shopping on a budget!
Ryan: How are things with you and Barbara Cathy? I don’t know what events to go to without you gals.
Damiana: Thank you for that, my dear! My lovely gal pal Barbara and I are inseparable, and this Summer we’ve been keeping cool by planting ourselves firmly under her AC unit as we sip on pink lemonade Crystal Light (with a few splashes of Smirnoff), and watch her old VHS tapes of “Passions” (Barbara says she’s gonna splurge soon and finally buy a DVD player). We’d like to get ourselves to another parade, which is our favorite kind of event to emcee together – but we currently both lack the willpower and motivation to get further than 15 feet from her AC — unless it’s to rush to the supermarket to pick up another tub of Dryer’s slow-churned mint chocolate chip to enjoy as we watch our stories!
Ryan: What’s it like interviewing all the fabulous queens of Drag Race each season? Do you have any favorite queens?
Damiana: It’s one of my greatest delights to interview the Drag Race queens on the red carpet. They’re all very dear to my heart, and I love how welcoming they are to me when we see each other – they really make me feel like I’m part of their gorgeous, glam drag family. I get especially tickled when they’re already familiar with me and my interviews before the first time we meet, and then they greet me warmly as if we know each other, even if we’re meeting for the first time – that gives me quite a thrill. As for who are my favorites, ooh that’s hard. A real Sophie’s Choice! While I love them all, I’m especially appreciative of Pandora Boxx, who featured me in her shelarious music video “Nice Car! (Shame About Your Penis).” And she gave me an especially fun role in her promo comedy video we made together, in which I get to play and riff with my fave LA duo Jessica & Hunter. We had an absolute ball!
Ryan: What is one of your all time favorite interviews and why?
Damiana: I’ve had a number of interviews that I treasure dearly, but one that really stands out to me is my exclusive sit-down sesh with “Madonna” herself (played to brilliant perfection by Nadya Ginsburg). This was right before she launched her global MDNA tour, and I got all the deets on what to expect, plus a number of juicy morsels about her personal dating and family life. And it all culminated in our duet music video “Ring Around The Rosie” – oh what a time we had, I felt like I was Rosanna Arquette in “Desperately Seeking Susan”!
Ryan: If you and Tanya Roberts were to star in a buddy cop film, what would the title be?
Damiana: My lady videos with my gal pal Tanya Roberts give me incredible joy — they’re some of my most favorite work of my whole career! I’d be overjoyed to embark on a feature-length action-packed caper with Tanya. If we star in a buddy cop film together, it would be titled: “Chardonnay Lunch: Ladies On Patrol.” I think this completely sums up what our partnership would be about — patrolling the streets to keep them safe, and lots of Chardonnay lunches! And her child neighbor Ashley would definitely be revealed to be the crime boss kingpin behind the whole mystery at the end, too.
Ryan: Do you have any advice for aspiring journalists?
Damiana: My advice to aspiring journalists is: follow your dreams, be true to yourself — and don’t come for me or my job at the Rancho Palos Verdes Local Action News studio. I smashed through that glass ceiling 17 years ago, and then I firmly put it back together behind me, so no other competition’s coming through. Sorry, all aspiring reporters! They’re gonna have to pry me by force from that local news anchor desk, and wrench that reporter microphone from my dead lady journalist body. Sending my love and besos to all!
You can find more on Damiana at her Facebook and Youtube pages. Photo credit: Jose A. Guzman Colon.
Fabulous Nothing 