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, 28 Rock N Roll Industries Magazine
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-
