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On this particular Tuesday evening, I met with David B. (drums) and Coby Dick (vocals) of Papa Roach at their humble, temporary dwelling (a/k/a: The Budget Inn at Sunset & Highland) to talk about people they admire, who they want to become, and who theyd like to get down with. Both guys had a great sense of humor, they were enthusiastic, charming, and easy to kick back and chill with. Heres what the small town boys had to say about life in an up and coming band.

What aspect of being in a band could you do without?

Coby: Waking up the next morning after a show.

Is it that hard?

Coby: I could do without that.

David: And having to do something.

Coby: Yeah, like finally getting back at 4 in the morning and having to get up at 10 because youve got three interviews.

David: Weve just barely gotten started doing everything, and its crazy right now, but its cool. I like it.

Coby: Hmm. What else could I do without?

David: tracking vocals in the studio. That sucks.

Not fun, huh?

Coby: Yeah. Not fun.

I remember seeing you at the Coconut Teaszer, after you had just gotten done in the studio and you were going nuts because you said you had been locked up in the studio for so long.

Coby: I met you that night?

Yeah.

Coby: Okay. Right on. Yeah, I went to the Teaszer and I got all fuckin I had been locked up in the studio, and after Shortie played I was like, throwing chairs up on to the stage and shit. I need to get out more!

David: I was there, I remember.

Would you say you guys are more comfortable playing to an audience you’re familiar with or one you’ve never performed for before?

Coby: Either or.

David: Yeah. Either or.

Coby: It really doesnt matter. [Playing] is exciting in its own right, you know what Im saying? Its like having sex for the first time with someone new. For me, like, playing in front of a new crowd, its like that. Theyve never seen you before, so its a new experience for them. I just wanna rock that crowd. Even if theyre not flipping out, as long as theyre nodding their heads, you know?

David: As long as theyre listening..

Coby: Yeah. But also playing in front of a crowd that is totally down..

That knows every word.

David: Yeah. Its like P Roach karaoke. Like, at our last hometown show, Coby gave the mic to this kid, and he sang the entire first verse to "Revenge" and he didnt mess it up. It was on point. It was dope.

Coby: Yeah that was cool.

So, there's no difference in the comfort level, you just go out and do your thing?

Coby: Yeah. Fuck shit up.

What was the first song you ever learned to play?

Coby: Hot Cross Buns on the flute.

(laughs)

David: On the skin flute?

Coby: Yeah. Skin flute. It was called Making Muffins or Hot Cross Buns

David: Actually, yeah! The first song I ever learned was Hot Cross Buns on the violin!

Coby: That was everybodys first song, dude. We should write a song called Hot Cross Buns!

David: That would be tight. We should just cover it.

(laughs)

Coby: Everybody would know it, man!

What do remember wanting to be when you grew up?

Coby: I wanted to be a chef.

A chef?

Coby: Yeah. When I was a kid, I wanted to either be a chef or be in a rock band. That was like.. those were my two things. My Mom was into making me presents, because we were poor, you know? So my Mom made me this apron, you know what Im saying? And Id go in there and help out and do that shit. And then, like, after that, once I got into like, WWF and fuckin listening to Poison and Stryper and all that shit, I was like, "I wanna be in a rock band!" So, Id have my fuckin garbage cans all set up in the garage and my brother would have a baseball bat, and wed sit in there and bang on shit.

And youd put on your apron (everyone laughs) How about you?

David: Me? I wanted to design cars. I was a really artistic little kid and I always loved cars. Then, I dont know. Then something changed. Right around sixth grade, I was like, "I kinda wanna play the drums, I think." And then, I dont know what the Hell happened from there, dude!

Coby: He just turned into a rock n roller.

David: Yep.

Do you have any favorite local clubs that you play in?

David: Here in L.A.? I like the Troubadour a lot.

Coby: The Troubadour in L.A. Uh, we like to play San Jose. The club isnt necessarily the greatest, but..

David: The crowds rule.

Coby: Northern Cali, the sound systems suck dick. You get down here and in places like the Troubadour we totally appreciate the sound systems but the crowds can be fuckin whack. So, if we could have the luxury of a Northern Cali crowd and a Southern Cal sound system, it would be like boom! Sacramento and Vacaville is fun, too. That where it all started really.

David: Yeah, Vacaville, like 700 kids show up, like at the Community Center. Its like playing at somebodys house. Its so comfortable and so familiar.

Coby: So, fuck yeah. Vacaville, dude.

Whats the biggest audience youve played to?

David: 8,000 people at the 98 Rock Jamboree in Sacramento.

Coby: Yeah. Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Staind

David: Oleander, Simon Says

Coby: It rocked. They had a local stage and a big stage. It was dope. We headlined the local stage.

David: We went on right before Kid Rock.

Coby: We sold shirts out the yingyang plus, it totally helped our fan base up there.

What bands are the most flattering to you to be compared to?

David: Faith No More

Coby: Faith No More, yeah. Faith No More or like, Bad Religion. Sometimes people say they can hear a little bit of Bad Religion in some of the songs. Mainly, in the guitar and in the vocals. Not so much the beats and the bass, because they’re not really punk rock, but I like it when people say they can hear a little punk rock edge from Papa Roach.  Punk rock, to me, is like, exciting.

Have you been able to meet any of the bands you admire?

David: You know, I met everyone in Faith No More except for Michael Patton.  And they were all really cool.

Coby: Well meet Mike Patton one day, dude. Oh man, I wanna meet Mike Patton. Hes like, my idol.

Really?

Coby: Fuckin full on idol. He was my idol when I was starting out and he still is, which is pretty rare, I think. Like, when kids find someone they really look up to they kinda move on. But, hes just savage.

Yeah, he’s a tripper. Did you catch the SnoCore show?

Coby: Yeah. I went and saw them. I got kicked out of the show!

What???

(Coby loses it and starts laughing really loud.)

Why? What happened?

Coby: Cause Im a fucking spaz. I cant tell you why.

Dave: He tried to set the building on fire.

Coby: Yeah, I was trying to set the building on fire.

Dave: Well, not really, but that’s what they said.

Coby: I was just fucking with security. I was in Sacramento, and all these kids know who P Roach is and here I am all "AAAAAAH!" in handcuffs! Sometimes, I just gotta like, get crazy, you know? Watch out!!

Whats your plan for the next year?

Dave: World domination. Thats it.

Coby: Yeah. We just want to take every chance that we get and work it to where it will be to our advantage. If someone asks us to tour with Blink 182 and someone else says its gay, then thats their opinion, but fuck it. Im here to play music for people. If were playing for 14 year old girls, that might not be our target market, because we rock savage-style but

David: Well rock anyone.

Coby: I wanna tour with Slipknot, some crazy ass rock bands because thats our whole thing, and just conquer live because thats where were our best.

Did you guys meet in school before forming the band?

David: Yeah. We started off with Jacoby and I and we were just messing around in the garage,

Coby: Yeah, we just rustled up some kids.

And there were a couple of line up changes, right?

David: Yeah but after that, its been like 7 years with the same line up.

Coby: Yeah, 7 years. March 93.

Awwwwww youre like a common law married band. Pretty cute.

(laughs)

Coby: Yep. Hey, but thats good. Good to have a past.

Longevity is a good thing, yes.

Coby: Its crazy, because our first record is gonna come out and weve been around for like, 7 years! So, I think it shows that were just troopers. We stick together.

David: Its either that, or it just took us hella long to get it.

(laughs)

Are there any songs that you’re just absolutely sick of playing by now?

Coby: Theres a song that you can write about that well never play again called "PeeWagon" that makes me sick, makes me wanna puke. Kids ask for that one all the time. We get a lot of requests for that, but were not gonna play that anymore. Other than that, our new stuff, were all really happy about the new songs weve written.

What’s your favorite scary movie?

David: Me? Ill say "The Shining".

Yeah?

David: Yeah. I love it.

Coby: Ill have to agree with you on that one, dude. Its really, truly disturbing. I was shaken up about that shit.

David: To this day.

Did you see the Slipknot video?

David: Yeah! That was bad!

Coby: That was fuckin cool!

David: It funny because back before that I was like, "Dude if we ever do a video we gotta do something with "The Shining" and those fuckers beat us to it. Its cool. Its freaky.

That one scene with Corey walking through the snow with that axe..

David: Yeah, or the drummer playing the little kid on the Big Wheel!?

Yeah. And Joey is actually little enough to fit on the Big Wheel!

Coby: I just gotta say that Slipknot, as far as any band right now, like, in this movement of music, they got the shit on fuckin hit.

David: Yep.

Coby: I still havent seen them live, but Ive seen videos and I just.. I just wanna kill one of the members and join the band cause.. (laughs) No. They just fuck shit up. Props to that. I can vibe with those cats. Theyre from a small town like we are and I can totally get into that.

I met pretty much all of them.

Coby: Are they cool cats?

Theyre all awesome.

Coby: You gotta wonder what theyre gonna do for their next record. I cant wait.

So where is everyone living now? Where is your home base?

Coby: Me and Dave both live in Sac. Jerry lives in Lambtown. Jerrys a sheep killer. He kills lambs and sheep.

David: Its a town called Dixon. Its even smaller than Vacaville.

Just dont blink?

David: Right. Exactly.

Coby: Tobin pretty much lives with me most of the time.

Are you planning to relocate at all? Possibly to L.A.?

Coby: Were trying to relocate every day...touring! But no, we dont have any plans to move elsewhere.

Are you guys into any sports?

Coby: Masturbation.

David: Playing shows.

Coby: I was running a couple of miles a day when we were home doing the record, but........

You seem like one of those "skateboarding/snowboarding kinds of bands" which is why I asked.

Coby: Oh, I know Id be addicted to snowboarding. But, we just dont have the kind of time to even do that.

David: You know what? I cant because I am one of the clumsiest motherfuckers. They need to send me out in pads and a helmet just to walk down the street. I could walk through a field of marshmallows and Id twist my ankle.

Coby: Naw, were really not a "sport band" to tell you the truth. We cant play sports.

So, you wouldn’t team up against any other bands?

Coby: Well, maybe we could kick some ass just for the Hell of it.

David: We could kick some ass at football though.

Oh yeah?

Coby: Well, yeah were bigger than a lot of bands! If you notice, a lot of bands are a bunch of little scrawny fucks.

Who would you like to play against?

David: Slipknot!

Coby: Well play football against Slipknot!

David: Well take all 9 of em, dude!

Coby: Yeah! Well kill em! Theyd kick our asses, Holmes!

That could be a challenge. You never know. Better watch what you wish for..

David: Theyre from Iowa though, dude. You know theyd kick ass. Cornhuskin football and shit..

What would you like to be remembered for the most before you die?

(long silence)

David: Damn. Thats heavy.

(after a long pause)

Coby: Im not gonna die. I aint dying, dude. Fuck dying!

David: Me, I just wanna fuck, dude. (looks at Coby) You know what? You stumped me. I dont know, man.

Its something to think about. I mean, youre about to make a mark.

Coby: To me, life is like, my band right now. But, I look at life as a whole, and Im not gonna be playing in a band when Im like 60.

David: Unless we end up like the Rolling Stones.

Yeah, everyone wants to be the Stones.

Coby: In my life, everything revolves around this band. I don’t really think about what mark I want to make, personally. It’s more like what mark will my band make?
So as far as the band, maybe just to have people look back and say they were a great band, they made great songs and put on a great show, and they were good people.

David: To me, its’ funny because sometimes you don’t know if a band made a difference to people until like 20 years later. Then people look back on that band and they are still talking about them 20 years later and only then do you know that they made a mark. That’s such a long road.

Coby: Yeah. Like the way people talk about Bauhaus or Joy Division and shit like that, like the Cure or whatever.

When is the point when a band should pack it up?

Coby: You know how Faith No More went out? They came in, they blew up and they kept writing great albums, the last album ‘Album of the Year’ was kick ass, then they went out with class and not some bloody mess. To me, that would be a cool way to go out, with some momentum left.

David: Faith No More never wrote a shitty record. How many bands can you say that about?

Okay. Last question. And this may take some thought. Who’s your dream girl? Because now is your chance to say hi.

David: Oh my god!

(long pause)

Coby: You know what? Physically? When I’m talking dream girl, I’m just talking.. just hit it.. just hit it… just hit it.. Hmmm… There’s just so many. I could just put down a list right now.

(Coby thinks for a really long time…)

Coby: Britney Spears.

David: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

(The room explodes!!!!!!!)

Coby: It’s the ponytails, man!

Oh man.. do you know the shit you’re gonna catch for this? I am SO writing this! Ohhhh man… ohhh man. (I have a lot of trouble trying to stop laughing.)