~interview~

Interview with Jacoby Shaddix by Shoutweb

In a world where boy bands and bratty little Disney girls rule the charts, and rock bands have forgotten how to rock, the only victims are the rock fans. When all hope is gone, from out of the darkness (northern California) comes a hero. Armed with only a powerful voice, really heavy music, and courage, comes... Papa Roach. Now rock music has a new face, and we have a really good new CD. Shoutweb brings you.... an interview with Coby Dick, lead singer of Papa Roach.

Shoutweb: How did you guys choose the name Papa Roach?

Coby: Papa Roach comes from the cockroach, you know what I'm sayin'? The longevity it represents. When the A-bomb hits, what's gonna be left? Cockroaches, and I think it's like a coalition, we've been together for like seven years, and for being a young band, that's a long time. Plus the cockroach is like dirty, and the plan is to infest, know what I'm sayin'?

Shoutweb: How did the band get together?

Coby: We were all just bored, we were all in high school and we didn't have shit to do. We were like, "What the f**k we gonna do?" So we were like well shit we'll start a band, you know what I'm sayin'? So, we did that, and we started playin' like teen centers and parties and shit. Then we started getting crowds, so we started takin' it a little more seriously and we started like clubbin' it, and it just went from there.

Shoutweb: How old were you guys when you got together?

Coby: Well lets see, I'm 23 now and it was in 1993, so I was probably 16 or so.

Shoutweb: When was your first gig?

Coby: Actually in March of 1993, that was our first gig, and it was actually a talent show for school, and we totally lost. We sucked. But this is what we like to do, and this is our passion so we just kept doin' it and growing.

Shoutweb: You're getting ready to go on tour with Taproot, and there's such a really big buzz behind both of your bands.

Coby: Does Taproot tear it up live?!

Shoutweb: Have you not seen them?

Coby: Haven't seen 'em, haven't heard 'em.

Shoutweb: Oh hell yeah, they're incredible.

Coby: That's good, so they f**k it up! We wanna be out there with somebody that just goes off.

Shoutweb: Yeah P-Roach and Taproot are like the best live bands I've seen in some time. Do you anticipate this tour to be one of those tours that people talk about in five years? Like dude back in 2000 I saw P-Roach and Taproot in this tiny club together!

Coby: Well, we'll be around for a while, so some of the shows will go really well you know? Some of these shows are like the first of P-Roach to the world. Our album comes out April 25th, so these first shows on the tour are gonna be pre-release shows, and those ones are gonna go down in history. Those are gonna be the craziest, most insane shows we're ever gonna play I think.

Shoutweb: I'm so stoked to see you guys next week.

Coby: Yeah, our fans are like totally stoked that the album's coming out! We haven't been back to California for a couple months, and we're gonna blow it up! It's like when we get back to Cali, the shit's gonna hit the fan!

Shoutweb: What are your expectations for the Warped Tour coming up?

Coby: We're just gonna tear it up EVERYDAY! We're gonna be a force to be reckoned with on that tour, I mean we're not punk rock, but we definitely have punk rock edge. I think we'll fit in, I mean there are other bands on that tour, Dub Allstars are gonna be on, and also some hip-hop like Jurassic 5. I'll just try to get up there every day and f**k it up!

Shoutweb: Are there any bands in particular that you're looking foreword to playing with?

Coby: SNAPCASE! Yeah! Snapcase has been a f**kin big influence on us. Snapcase is the shit, so we're totally stoked to be goin' out and sharing a stage with that band everynight.

Shoutweb: Who's idea was the video for "Last Resort"?

Coby: The video was pretty much between us and our producer Marcos Siega. We wanted to go with a live feeling and capture that. I mean, this is our first video, so we want to come out and show people what we're about. I think it really captures the energy of the band. But as far as the kids in the room and that actual set up and the stage, that was all Marcos Siega. He's f**kin' dope, he did the P.O.D. video. He did the video for Suicide Machines. He did Blink 182 "All the Small Things".

Shoutweb: Where did all the kids in the video come from?

Coby: Those are our fans from Northern California. All over Northern California, we just put it out on our site that, "Yo, we're doin a video shoot and we need about 500 kids." Know what I'm sayin'? All those kids that are in their room, we just said hey, if you wanna be in the video, as far as like being in your room and shit, send pictures of yourself alone in your room. We got like loads of those and our producer picked out who it would be, but it worked out really well, you know what I'm sayin'?

Shoutweb: So in the video you really are in those kids bedrooms?

Coby: Yeah, that was actually their bedroom, no casting bullshit, none of that, you know what I'm sayin'? All real deal. When he videotaped the kids he was just like, "Do what you do when you listen to Papa Roach", know what I'm sayin'? One of em was flipping the camera off, one of 'em was curled up in the f**kin corner of his room, one of 'em's liftin' weight's you know what I'm sayin'? Cuz all different kids, ya know, and it wasn't like hired bullshit in our video. This shit's real.

Shoutweb: Sort of sticking to the theme in "Between Angels and Insects"?

Coby: Yeah yeah yeah, you know? Hollywood's all glitz an glamour and status and possessions and all that shit. With that song, I'm like saying take all that away and try to find a way to be happy, know what I'm sayin'? It's just about tryin' to find a real way to be happy with your friends and your family. I think it's sad that people work jobs everyday that they don't like. I feel totally fortunate that I'm able to have this rock n' roll job, cuz I love it, you know what I'm sayin'?

Shoutweb: Are there any songs that you're planning on releasing as the next single?

Coby: You know, we haven't decided, we're just gonna feel how the shows go and how the record sales go, you know what I'm sayin'? See what the reaction from the kids are, you know what I'm sayin'? But I'd like to release "Broken Home" next.

Shoutweb: What made you decide to choose "Last Resort"?

Coby: That song like hit us up side the head like super negative. That song's like really powerful and we believe that people will really connect with that song. It's part of their lives, it's sad but true ya know what I'm sayin'? But that's a really powerful song and that's what we're looking for, something really powerful and something raw and emotional to be dropped on the public first you know what I'm sayin'? Plus it's just kind of a different format you know what I'm sayin'? Like there's not very many songs that just start out just straight with vocals ya know what I'm sayin'? We thought that was cool and that it would catch some attention, but it's all about that we just all agreed that that's our first single. We were all stoked with it.

Shoutweb: What are your hobbies?

Coby: All we really do is like, listen to music, we really don't have too much time. During the day we like play video games, and write some new music. I just recently got into reading and stuff like that, but it's either we're in a van or in a club, ya know what I'm sayin'? So, what you can do in a van, in a club, or in a hotel is pretty much minimal, ya know what I'm sayin'? All I really do is write music, listen to music, and play music, that's what I like to do.

Shoutweb: What's your biggest vice?

Coby: Well, we got a song called "Binge" ya know what I'm sayin'? So, that's kinna something that I gotta try to keep under control. As far as like drugs and shit, the only drug I do is like ecstasy every once in a while, and acid like once a year. We're not a big drug band, we don't smoke drugs and shit, we watch too much VH1 specials for that, ya know what I'm sayin'? It's like, that shit went down in the 70's and the 80's and stuff, and you get sucked into that shit and you start thinking that your shit don't stink and then you start writing crap music. I mean some people have written great music under the influence of drugs, ya know what I mean? It's all about just makin rock 'n roll and that's kinda got lost ya know what I'm sayin'?

Shoutweb: How do you classify your own music?

Coby: Rock 'n roll.

Shoutweb: Just rock 'n roll?

Coby: Just rock 'n roll man.I think to call it "rap rock" is f**kin' gay, and I think to call it "pimp rock" is gay, ya know what I'm sayin'? So we're just like rock 'n roll. You look for our CD and that's what we're gonna be under. Rock. So, f**kin' just put it right there. We write songs that aren't rap rock or pimp rock. We break out of that mold, and that's something that we're happy about as a band that we can write songs that are just straight rock! Ya know what I'm sayin'? I think that's like the difference to us, rap rock might not stick around forever, and we have been a band that has always evolved and changed progressively as a band. It's not like we do a 180 turn every time, but it's like we're always evolving. We used to be like punk, and then we got into like real metal and then we brought in hardcore, and then we brought in emo, and then we brought in hip-hop, ya know what I'm sayin'?

Shoutweb: Do you guys do much interacting with your fans?

Coby: Yeah, definitely, we are totally in touch with our fans. Like, next to writing music and writing songs, our fans are just as important, because like without fans, where you gonna be? I heard some shit like, Fred Durst called Slipknot's fans a bunch of fat ugly kids, and that's like whack, cuz half the kids that are into Slipknot like Limp Bizkit, ya know what I'm sayin'? To say somthin' about fans the of that type of music, that's pretty cheap. It doesn't matter what you look like, it doesn't matter what you're into, or how good looking you are, or what you got, it's about connecting with music you know? We'd die for our fans, those kids are like totally loyal, you know what I'm sayin'? That means a lot to us.

Shoutweb: Do you guys get involved with your Website?

Coby: Yeah, we have total control of our website. Check it out if you have a chance man, it's brand new. (www.paparoach.com)

Shoutweb: Yeah, I was on it earlier today checkin' out the video for "Last Resort".

Coby: What did you think about it?

Shoutweb: I liked it a lot!

Coby: Yeah, we're gonna keep working on it, and keep working to kinda keep it changing and evolving.

Shoutweb: My favorite part on the whole website was where it said "viva la cucaracha"!

Coby: F**K YEAH DUDE! That's somthin that we've been screamin' f**kin' for like the last few years! Long live the cockroach, like bringin' that shit out of the cosmos, ya know what I'm sayin'? We hope that's what happens for us, that we live a long time. I mean, P-Roach stands for longevity, ya know? We don't just cover it hit it and quit it, we cover it and keep kickin.

Shoutweb: Do you have any expectations on how well the albums gonna do on release?

Coby: Ya know? I just kinda hope for the best, but I think if I expect a big huge amount, it's like, for me as a personal thing I don't like to expect huge things. I think it would be like, a pleasant "ka pow". I'd like to sell a lot of records, but for me it's just about being out on tour. We got down, recorded the record, and we got a record company and they're pushin' it, ya know. So, basically our job right now is to just be a live band. But I hope that shit does good!

Shoutweb: How do you feel about Napster and bootlegged music over the internet?

Coby: Like MP3's and shit?

Shoutweb: Yeah.

Coby: Well I hope people go out and buy the record, and it's cool that we get music out, but if everyone's getting it on MP3. Wait, do you have to pay to get that shit, or do you get it for free?

Shoutweb: No, you don't have to pay, it just gets passed around for free, and you can burn it onto a CD.

Coby: Well, for that I'd just rather have the CD and the cover and the cover art. So basically dude, f**k Napster. I don't mean to be talking shit or nothing, but this is my livelihood, this puts food on my table. So, for somebody to go buy the record, people are gonna do what they're gonna do. I can't control that, ya know? Napster? Didn't that dude get busted or somthin' like that?

Shoutweb: They're being sued by Metallica.

Coby: Oh, right...Doesn't Metallica make enough money or some shit? I think for younger bands, that are trying to get out there it might affect 'em, but if you're like Metallica, that's just... whatever.

Shoutweb: Well, the smaller bands can't afford to take on a company like Napster.

Coby: True that! I mean, this shit is our livelihood here, like I'm sayin', it puts food on my table and it pays my bills.

Shoutweb: Do you think that like the media keeps pointing to, there's a connection between violent actions and violent angry music?

Coby: Well, violent angry people listen to violent angry music, ya know what I'm sayin'? I've never done something stupid personally because I've heard a band. I'd like to give a shoutout to kids who do stuff like that. You're all weak-minded bitches! I mean don't go out and f**kin' kill kill kill because I say it in a song, you know what I'm sayin'? I'm just putin' that shit out on the table. I think it's pretty sad that people would go out and hurt someone just because they hear someone say it in a song. Like I say though, violent angry people listen to violent angry music.