We had the good fortune of connecting with Victor P. Corona and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victor, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
My family moved here from Mexico in 1983 and I grew up in a suburb of New York City. When you come from an immigrant family in a low-income community, the biggest challenge can be learning the rules of the game—figuring out how things work in the real world and what success requires. My parents never finished college, so I felt very lost when I started school at Yale. I had no one to really guide me and I mostly had to face and overcome my very deep insecurities on my own. Sociology gave me a way to make sense of the world and my place in it. My favorite professors were a huge inspiration and I really owe them a lot.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite spots are the Sunset Tower, the Sunset Marquis, poolside at the Line, Andaz, or the Mondrian, Jumbo’s Clown Room (everyone there is a star but Naomi, Caroline, Chelsea, and Reagan are my faves), the old Cheetahs (when Malice was there), Harvard & Stone, and NeueHouse. My favorite ink shop is Marginalized on Melrose, home to the brilliant tattoo artist Josh Schneider!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m grateful to friends who continue to inspire me with their work and ideas. I’ll name just a few now.

Dr. Wednesday Martin is a trailblazing researcher and brilliant scholar of gender, culture, and collective behavior. She is by far one of the smartest people that I have ever been fortunate enough to meet. We met back in 2015 when Primates of Park Avenue, her bestselling book, was published. Her newest work, Untrue, is a masterful deep dive into research on the complexities of human sexuality. In a time of so many charlatans and hucksters, Dr. Martin is a wonderful example of the positive impacts that social scientific expertise and meaningful research can have on our wellness.

One of the best things to come out of my first book was meeting the unforgettable, absolutely beautiful DeeDee Luxe. Some of my most memorable nights in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York have been with DeeDee, a bicoastal performer who puts on magical works of performance art, produces amazing parties at hot venues like New York’s McKittrick Hotel, and is a true star with a heart of pure gold. Whether at Jumbo’s Clown Room or the Chelsea Hotel or The Box, I always have the best adventures with DeeDee.

Last, but by no means least, is Steve Lewis, who absolutely deserves the “Godfather of Nightlife” moniker. As director of hotspots like Limelight and Tunnel, he is one of the most generous people and most accomplished nightlife operators ever. We drove up to visit Michael Alig in prison eight times together and I treasure memories of those road trips and hearing all of Steve’s stories of yesteryear nightlife. He’s in the process of recovering from some serious surgeries and Page Six did a great story about the fundraising efforts organized by his scores of loyal and grateful friends.

Website: https://www.victorpcorona.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victorpcorona/

Image Credits
Kenneth Medilo

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.