Suicidal Tendencies Interview

Suicidal Tendencies is a band that needs almost no introduction. Almost 40 years after, and this train keeps rollin’ whether it’s an MMA show or creating chaos in Downtown LA. Today, we have the pleasure of having Ra Diaz chat with us about music, life and the Cyxo lifestyle!

Thank you, Ra, for taking the time to chat with us. I know you are just about to hit the stage for the Louder Than Life Festival in a couple of hours. I’m sure you are excited to hit the stage and see the other bands perform, so let’s dig right in.

Suicidal is considered crossover thrash, what do you think of that or what would you call it? I personally hate “labels,” but I understand why they are important to differentiate styles. Ra- Usually I just say “Punk/Metal.” I don’t like the idea of labels either. Sometimes we do three very punk songs in a row, and then we switch to a very heavy one or it could be a ballad. We just like to keep it entertaining.

Ra, you’ve been with ST for a good three years now, right? What’s the story of Ra before joining the band? Who is Roberto Diaz and where does he come from? Ra- I grew up in Chile. I went to jazz school and played shows in my town, all over Chile and South America. In 2010, I ended up moving to Mexico City. I was there for 3 years. I played all kinds of gigs, too. Church gigs, bars, doing covers, jazz, whatever I could. Then I started coming to the US for events and meeting people, and I realized that it was my next step. I would eventually move here at some point, which took place in 2013. But before that I met ST as a fan back home in Chile in 2008 when they played for the first time. We stayed in touch and once I moved to LA we started hanging out and they noticed I started playing with people they knew like Rick Thorne, Chad Smith from Chilli peppers, D.H. Peligro from Dead Kennedys, Sendog, etc. I guess they kinda realized that aside from being a fan, I could actually play. So when the time came that they needed a bass player, I was on the list and then got the call. How could I say no to that,

my favorite band ever!

Some people might call it luck, and some others say you were at the right place at the right time, but I think YOU were making it possible to be at the right places ALL the time. Ra- Yeah, I believe I was trying to place myself in the right places.

It is said that Venice influenced Mike’s musical style? What influenced yours? Ra- When I was a kid, my very first influences must’ve been Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Infectious Grooves, Suicidal, Primus, you know, all those bands that have heavy bass presence. Then I started listening to more heavier music like Pantera, Metallica, etc. But I did Jazz school for 6 years. Not sure if any of the jazz artists I like were “proper” Jazz musicians, but I consider I am open and welcoming to any influence to becoming a better bass player even if it comes from a Disney or pop song.

“Institutionalized” was one of the 1st Hardcore Punk videos to receive a lot of airplay on MTV. Did you get to watch it on tv? Ra- The very first time was in the movie Repo Man, but not the year when it came out instead, like early 90’s. I was a little kid, I just loved the soundtrack and started looking up the bands and such. Back then it was a struggle, not like today, everything is so easy to find out, it actually took me a long time to get a copy of a cassette. I actually miss those days, you had to work for it. Also, I never even saw a picture of them, I didn’t know what they looked like. To me it was such a moment because you could be metal and funky and groovy and 20-something years later, here we are. Just the fact that I get to say that (I get to play for ST) is amazing.

Since this article will be printed for Megacruise, let’s ask a couple of Mega questions. Were you a fan of Megadeth growing up? Ra- Definitely. When I was in High School I used to play a couple of Megadeth covers and, also, my very first tour with Suicidal, we were opening for them. They have a place near my heart. Even-

tually I played with Kiko at Musician’s Institute. I’m just lucky to actually call them friends. I usually get early to festivals and like to see all the other bands perform, It’s the fan that enjoys to see the sets by the bands I grew up listening to. I had posters of a lot of these people hanging on my walls in my room back in Chile. Actually, they still are hanging there.

I’m sure this gets asked often but… “How cool is it that you get to play with the Godfather of double bass drums”? Do you guys ever have conversations in Spanish? Ra- Of course. He’s very fluent, and every now and then we crack jokes in Spanish, which is very weird because one moment he goes from perfect proper English to full on Cuban accent. He’s an unbelievable person, just a good dude to have around. I’ve learned so much just by standing next to him.

What are some of your best memories so far created with ST? Maybe name your top 3? Ra- Being able to play with Suicidal back in Chile in front of all my family and friends. That was the “full circle moment” for me. My mom on stage wearing an ST bandana, my nephews being there. A lot of my friends working the show, you know, stage hands, photographers I knew. I don’t know if a lot of people get to experience that, but for me, that was it.

The second one would be when we played two shows in Cuba. There’s not too many bands that get to play there for many reasons. It felt like making history, and I was part of it.

For sure, the other one would be playing Ozzfest. Just knowing I was going to be part of it I even thought “ah, I shouldn’t even be here!!!” And, to add to that, the first time I saw my name on a record with ST. It wasn’t like I just played a couple of gigs. Now it was engraved forever in an album and that was such a great feeling. I was part of the history.

What would you be doing if you were not a musician? Ra- Something music-related. If I were not playing, probably producing, managing, touring, etc., and even go back to photography. I used to do that back in Chile for other publications and radio stations. That’s actually how I met ST, because I was taking pictures of them back in Chile.

How do you balance band life and personal life? Do you have “personal time?” Ra- The way I see it is… being in the band is “personal time.” It’s my day to day. We do a lot of things together even if we are not on tour. I may be filling out merch orders, planning, etc. I am just happy to be here and like to contribute in any way I can, I find myself doing a lot of band-related stuff and I’m very honest when I say that I enjoy doing this. And working for the band, I have a good time.

Tell us about your gear set up and brands of choice. Why did you choose them? Ra- I play, Schecter basses, my Jazz bass is customized by them. D’Addario strings, Gallien-Krueger amps, EMG pickups, and Dark Glass electronics. I have a very simple set up. My very first bass was a 4-string Washburn P bass. White with a white pickguard, it actually still exists, it’s at a friend’s house. I gave it to him many years ago and he still reminds me that if I want it back I can have it. Of course, I won’t take it back as it was a gift, but it would definitely be cool to just borrow it to play it again to see how it feels. Schecter is a great company with great people, sometimes I have some crazy ideas and I spend a couple of hours with Christina, one of their designers, just adding stickers and coming up with stupid ideas. They just take good care of me.

-Enrique Nunez & Dea Meeks