Chi Cheng interviewed by Exotic Magazine, July 2001

– www.deftonesworld.com –

**********

The Deftones sneak up on you. A lot of bands lure you into the 8-bars-of-quiet followed by
8-bars-of-Cookie-Monster-metal trap, but this Sacramento-based quintet doesn’t care if you
have a short attention span for their free-form dynamics. Within songs like “Pink Maggit”
and “Passenger” from their latest album White Pony, there are long passages of hypnotic,
sultry space. Meaning: The requisite rage they interject is that much more jarring and potent;
hell, it’s almost like they care.

Originally inspired by Bay Area kitchen-sink metal from Mike Patton’s Mr. Bungle and Faith No
More, there isn’t much that could be called “trendy” about the Deftones, save for a few of their
collaborations. “Passenger” features vocals by Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, who also
co-wrote the song with Deftones vocalist Chino Moreno.

“It’s about being the passenger in a car with a girl who’s taking you around the world,
literally, sexually, in a whirlwind of time,” Chino explains. “I can barely tell where I end
and Maynard begins.”

The ascent for Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, turntablist Frank Delgado, bassist Chi
Cheng, and drummer Abe Cunningham has been a subtle, but steady, climb as well. Their 1995
debut, Adrenaline, sold a half-million copies with virtually no help from a radio world still
trying to hype the damn grunge thing. Tireless touring worked up a healthy buzz for their 1997
follow-up, Around the Fur. Alternative radio played “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away),” and MTV got
on board with the video for “My Own Summer (Shove It).”

With stints on the Warped and Ozzfest tours solidifying their stature, the Deftones hit the
next level with the critically-acclaimed Pony. This not only established them (somewhat
begrudgingly) among the metal moguls as new messiahs, but Spin, Rolling Stone, Alternative
Press and the rest of the big boys stood up and barked as well. But the biggest bone was their
song “Elite” receiving the “Best Metal Performance” Grammy Award this year.

But wait, there’s more: The band is kicking off an eight-week US tour, which includes a stint
headlining Rockfest at Columbia Meadows on July 14th, with Godsmack, System Of A Down, and
Saliva. Exotic spoke with 30-year old bassist Chi Cheng from his Sacramento home before his
band hit the road for the next leg of their tour.

Exotic: How do you think the band has evolved musically from Adrenaline to White Pony? Has
it been a natural progression?

Cheng: It was all a natural progression; it’s never been contrived…we never really talked
about it. The only thing we talk about is that we don’t want to do the same thing twice.
So when we write things we go, “Oh shit, that sounds like this band or that band,” or “That
sounds like the last album; don’t do that.” I mean, it’s always going to be our voice
musically, but I think we’re all pretty much just trying to impress ourselves and do something
different for us.

Exotic: You guys have been media darlings the past year…

Cheng: Which is weird. We’ve always pushed it and pushed it, and now that we’re getting all
this critical acclaim we’re like, “Uh, okay. It’s not really what we were shooting for, but
right on.” I mean, everyone’s always like, “Shit, man, if you guys have been around for 12
years, how come you’ve only got three albums out?”
When you’re from Sacramento, or the Bay Area, you’re in it for the sake of playing music.
It’s not like your brother’s cousin is an A&R guy and you’re going, “Let’s get signed.”
We were more like, “Let’s try and write good songs and hopefully we can get a small following
and cop some free beer out of our promoters.”

Exotic: How did the song “Passenger” come together with Maynard James Keenan?

Cheng: We’re friends. When we were on the Ozzfest, Maynard was like, “Look, once you’re done
with Ozzfest, come on down here and we’ll fool around together.” And I was hoping he was
talking sexually, but I guess he just wanted to make music (laughs).

Exotic: Do I print that?

Cheng: Yeah, yeah, print it. But you know, we figured, “Well, shit, it’s amazing that he wants
to work with us.” So we were already blown away. Right on, let’s do it, what an honor. We’ve
always respected the way Tool has done things. Nobody goes, “That’s new metal,” it’s more
like, “Oh, that’s Tool.” It’s indigenous to their own nature. He never intended to sing on
anything. He just wanted to see how we wrote and give us ideas about how Tool does things,
just because he’s interested in bands. So we went down to work with him, and we already had
the music for “Passenger” done. We were playing (while) Chino was out getting a beer or
something; he wasn’t in the room. Maynard was listening and he said, “Why put things in
4/4 when you can go 3/4 or 7/8 or something like that?” And then he just grabbed the mike
and started singing, and it was like [sigh]–you know what I mean? And Chino had come back at
that point, so they started trading off and doing their thing.
We didn’t ever really intend to use Maynard on the new album, because every band is like,
“Okay, here’s our token celebrity guest appearance, our celebrity crutch for the album.”
We didn’t really want to go that route. But when we actually recorded it, we couldn’t get
Maynard out of our heads. And I said, “Look, dude, just call Maynard and ask him to come in
and do the song.” So Maynard came in for two days: wrote, recorded, done.

Exotic: Has the Grammy Award spoiled you guys?

Cheng: No. It’s nice, you know what I mean? I put it up in my house and go, “That’s nice.”
It was a huge honor; I’m not going to lie. It’s pretty amazing, but I’m not going to let it
affect me in any way…other than, I expect to get free groceries now. I go in and say,
“Look, I’ve got a fucking Grammy. If I’ve gotta pay for this broccoli…” So, no, it hasn’t
changed me at all.

Exotic: When do you think you might go into the next studio album?

Cheng: Hopefully after the summer tour we’ll get in there and start writing and getting things
done.

Exotic: Do you guys write anything on the road, or do you go into the studio cold?

Cheng: We never write anything on the road; we’re too busy getting drunk. We’re not one of
those organizational bands that’s like, “Okay, cool, I’ll meet you at 3:00 and we’ll do the
ProTools thing.” Nothing like that. It’s like, “Oh, hey, you’re drinking already. Cool!”

Exotic: Is there anybody in the band that parties harder than everybody else, or is it a tough
call?

Cheng: Yeah, yeah. [pause] It’s pretty tough. Stephen’s a pot smoker. I’m a pretty big drinker.
The other guys are, whatever.

Exotic: Favorite poison?

Cheng: Oh, I don’t like to discriminate. I don’t think that’s cool in life. I’m
equal-opportunity.

Exotic: This story is going to predate your July 14th gig in Portland. Certainly, being from
Sacto you’ve been through Portland a bunch of times.

Cheng: Hell, yeah. We played La Luna maybe 12 times. We love Portland. Any place where they
serve beer in a theater is okay with me.

Exotic: Any wild stories from previous gigs that you can remember?

Cheng: We did a radio show one time where the stage got pretty wrecked. I don’t remember…
I think it was…I was pretty drunk! This was a while ago, and Creed was playing after us.
We’re on stage, doing whatever, and I had split my eye–my eyebrow–open on the second song.
And I wasn’t going [sobbing], “Oh no, I split my eye open. I can’t fuckin’ play anymore.”
(But then) I was like, whatever, fuck it. So I was feeling kind of punk, right?
So we’re playing, I’m bleeding and drinking more, thinking it’s a fuckin’ punk show for me now.
So I said, “Throw everything up on stage!” And people were like, “Excuse me?” And the band was
like, “Hey man, shut the fuck up!” And I said, “Throw everything up on stage, you fuckin’
pussies!” Oregon started pelting us, right? And then I felt bad, because our drummer got hit
by a rock, and now he’s bleeding, too. And I’m like, “That’s not good enough! Fuckin’ set it
on fire or piss in it before you throw it on stage!” I mean, shit was comin’ up in pee bottles
and we’re getting pelted…but we’re finishing the song. I wasn’t trying to start a riot or
anything like that. I was like, fuck it, let’s have fun. And the crowd was having fun, too;
they were going for it. And we finished our set and walked off the stage, saying “Thanks a lot!”

Exotic: So the stage is trashed. I’ll bet Creed was thrilled.

Cheng: Oh man, they were standing on the side of the stage, watching. And I walked off the stage
and saw their faces, and looked at the stage–it’s fucking ruined–and I’m like, “Sorry,
fellas!” And I went back to the dressing room. Hooked up with a medic who was like, “Hey man,
you need stitches.”

Exotic: Great reaction. Cut yourself open and then tell people to throw shit at you.

Cheng: Yeah, so now I’m kind of hoping that Portland doesn’t associate our band with throwing
shit at us, because that was a one-time deal.

“The Deftones Say….Shut Up, You Don’t Know Me”
Stephen Carpenter interviewed by Jason Pepe (Zeromag dot net 2000)

www.deftonesworld.com

———————

A lot has happened to the Deftones over the last decade. For years, the band played Northern
California’s club circuit along side Sinister Sam, Seed, Salmon and Disorderly Conduct.
Their sound was considered unique, refreshing and different by all of their peers.
Then, in 1995, mega-label Maverick caught wind, signed the band and released their first album
Adrenaline. It sold a half-million copies, garnered critical acclaim and got the band a loyal
fan base. Two years later, the band released their second Maverick album, Around The Fur, which
hit gold in no time. The band then hit the road, headlining clubs the Ozzfest and the Warped
tour. Now, in the year 2000, the Deftones offer their third Maverick album White Pony.
During the course of the albums recording, the Deftones never forgot about their fans.
They designed a one of a kind internet CD release party and released a special limited edition
of White Pony — 50,000 in red and black jewel cases respectively. These discs will feature a
bonus track and a different J-card. “It’s like a little gift to our hard-core fans,” admits
Stephen, guitar played for the band. “It’s our gift to the hard-core that are going to show up
the first day.”
“The core of our fan base — every fan is important to us — but the ones that have been there
since day one, for those people it our little way of saying ‘You’re cool’,” says Stephen. “It’s
a little extra something different, away from the norm. It’s nothing more than us saying thanks.
It’s not like saying ‘Ha ha the rest of you people aren’t cool. You didn’t get them.’ It’s not
like that. It’s just a little taste for those that have been here. They’ll know about it and go
get it.”
Another extra that is featured on White Pony is a track called “Passenger.” The song is a duet
with Chino (vocals) and Maynard (vocals for Tool & A Perfect Circle) doing a trippy call and
answer thing. “We’re friends with Maynard,” explains Stephen in regards to how the rack came
to be. “He respects our music and we respect his. We wanted to jam and see what would happen.
We actually went to just hook up with him just to bounce ideas off of each other and see how
things would come out if we worked and did something.”
“What he (Maynard) actually did with us — we already had the music worked out and it just
grabbed him,” says Stephen. “He just got involved. We were already doing all kinds of other
things, but that song was like the song out of all of the things we were doing that he just
latched on — it just triggered him — and he just went for it. He just felt it and said this
was the one.”
“We did all kinds of stuff with him (Maynard),” reveals Stephen. “We’ve got a whole bunch of
dat tapes that we did where we’re just jamming, you know. And it’s some tight, tight shit on
that mother fucking shit. And that’s just what we did off of the cuff. That song (“Passenger”)
is the one where, as far as his singing as the vocalist Maynard, that was the one that made him
just jump out and it made him just lay it in right from the start.” Definitely a song to spark
one up and drive to.
Speaking of sparking one up, in recent months the use of marijuana for medical purposes has
been gaining ground. Santa Cruz has pretty much made it legal, while other ventures have raised
the eyebrows of many state and country leaders. Maybe the time has come to realize that it’s a
plant — just a bloody plant. “It (pot) doesn’t have to be praised by the world or nothing like
that, it’s just got to be accepted,” explains Stephen. “If we live in such a civilized society
where we can say alcohol is legal to purchase after a certain age when everyone knows those two
are the killers, and pot can’t? How can you say the same thing about marijuana when no one who
gets high goes out and fights.”
“All the down sides to it (pot) are completely outweighed by the up side,” explains Stephen.
“People would be a lot more peaceful, a lot more creative, because their going to be thinking of
worlds of stuff to create anything new and a bunch of innovators will be born and all local
restaurants will come up. What’s going to happen? We’re going to eat. Eat and think.”

“The bottom line is, you can’t control something that everybody can grow,” continues Stephen.
“It will still be worth money even if you (government) said it was all right. Even if you were
granted permission and had a legal right to grow it, somebody would still want to buy it.
So how can you control that? You can’t tax it if you can’t control it.”
Many people try to find themselves by going back to their roots, back to their ancestry.
“I’m Stephen. I’m here now. Whatever my roots are it’s cool, but my roots don’t make me who I
am now. I make me who I am now.” And what makes up the “me”, which intern creates the “I”?
“If I don’t do what I want to do, I’m not ever going to be happy.”
“I’ve never been one of those people that seeks out to really know my ancestry because I really
don’t believe that it has any relevance to where I am and what I am,” reveals Stephen. “I don’t
ever want to rely on that (roots). It’s nice to know what you are (blood lines), but a lot of
people always want to know what they are so they can put themselves into a category and I hate
that.”
Some find their paths through life’s experiences. Some find their paths through spirituality.
Spirituality does not equate to religion. Religion is organized, while spirituality is more
within ones self. Despite not believing in Christ, Stephen is a very spiritual person. “I still
to some extent, from being raised Catholic, believe in the Catholic views,” explains Stephen.
“But I don’t really believe them because I know it’s such a brain washing control thing. And I
don’t know other religions and all of the details of them, but any religion that you pay money
to, there is no spiritual love there. Whether it be by donation or someone trying to raise the
money — it’s the same — it’s not spiritual.”
“The pyramids — the story is told — they hold the secret to our true origin, but that’s a
story as far as I’m concerned,” says Stephen. “I believe in science more than I believe in a
story and even then I got too many questions to say I believe it for sure. I grew up a religious
person and I’m not religious now. A lot of mother fuckers say that I’m crazy, but you know what,
I’m the furthest thing from a crazy person. I definitely trip out and over think some things too
much, but you know what, science can’t exactly prove where we’re from. And why is it that on our
dollar bill we have a pyramid with an eye? What’s that? And it says ‘In God We Trust’. Who’s
God?”
“Some years ago a friend was telling me about the pyramids and there is no human on this planet
that built the pyramids,” explains Stephen. “Who ever thought that the Egyptians built the
pyramids, they’ve been smoking crack and their family before them have been smoking crack too.”
Rumor has it, some time ago, during one of the big pyramids expeditions a metal door was found.
Next thing you know, the pyramid is shut down to the public. “That’s for real,” continues
Stephen. “They found a metal door in the middle of the pyramid that was unknown origin.
It was years ago I heard that. I had already lost my faith, but when I heard that shit I was
gone for good. I was like, man whatever.” Just remember, it’s never too late to turn back,
embrace Christ and the sacrifice he made for each and every one of us.

The whole alien / pyramid thing may sound a bit over the edge for some folks. That’s just fine,
because the Deftones music has always gone over the edge. “We’ve always done it (gone over the
edge) with subtly,” explains Stephen. “It just seems more apparent now because more people are
able to notice us now. I think people are looking at us more now than they’ve ever done that’s
why it seems more apparent. You know, I listen to our new record and I hear the same band that
I hear on every other record. I just hear it with a better production. That’s all I hear.”
Every band has their own unique formula for writing songs. Some have a sole songwriter. Some
bite from other bands songs. Some simply find structure through jamming together. For the
Deftones — it’s a combination of all three. “We try to make stuff all together,” says Stephen.
“Sometimes I might have a whole idea. I may bring it and it might get demolished right off
the bat. Whoever has an idea — bring it. Chances are, someone is going to like it and someone
isn’t going to like it. We just keep trying to go through things until we all find something we
all like.”
By writing in their own unique style, the band has created their own unique sound — a sound
that has influenced many bands and even influenced some of the bands influences. “That’s dope
man,” says Stephen. “It’s a good thing you know. When it first started happening it was kind of
weird and we were just a young band ourselves as far as the world was concerned. Then I was
like, that’s pretty fucking cool that people actually like our shit to that extent to want to
actually want to play like our music, or even that our music would even make them want to make
music.”
“Even Max from Soulfly,” explains Stephen. “We had a talk a long time ago. We’ve only known each
other for a few of years. So we were rocking to our record Around The Fur because it was just
coming out. It hadn’t come out yet but we already had our album and stuff.”
“We were kicking it and he’s like ‘Wow, that’s the riff where I got this song from.’ You know,
like telling me where he got his song from,” continues Stephen. “Then we were like ‘No way,
because that riff that you’ve got to put on your record, we got it from your other record.’
It goes in circles — you know what I mean.”
As Stephen brought up, people like Max have been playing these New Metal / Groove-core riffs
for nearly two decades. “The gods of it as far as I’m concerned are Faith No More,” admits
Stephen. “Faith No More was like one band out of so many that were doing it. I mean, look at
Primus. Primus were rap-rock, but none of them were rappers. Primus is rap if you break it down.
Like you said earlier — Fungo Mungo man. That was one of my favorite bands. I don’t know what
the hell happened to them.” The last this writer heard of Fungo Mungo, they had signed a deal
with Island Records, but that was years ago.
“And as far as influences go — not as far as the band, but me — I wrote a lot of the songs in
the beginning and back then they were real Primus influenced,” explains Stephen. “But it was
more metal based. I totally liked the band (Primus), it’s just that I never wanted to be like
them. And the guys in the band all wanted to be original, so we made our own sound with each
other. And to this day, we still don’t have one particular sound or style. We are always going
to be original in what we do as a band.”
Critics and writers have dubbed the Deftones “innovators of New Metal.” The band has been
credited by these same people for helping start a whole new kind of metal. “Everybody’s like
‘The new breed of metal’ and I’m like you don’t even know what New Metal is,” says Stephen.
“People talking about New Metal now a days makes me laugh, because they don’t even know what
original metal was about to begin with, otherwise they would understand that what’s out now is
not New Metal.” I guess metal is just that — METAL!

Sometimes success changes people. Sometimes the national spotlight morphs people into something
they never were but may have wanted to be. Other times, it robs them of their very soul. For the
Deftones, it’s only exposed them for what they are — a bunch of young men pursuing their
dreams. “We’ve definitely grown to where we’re at,” says Stephen. “We’re all the same people
we’ve always been. We do a lot of the same things we’ve always done and just doing it (playing
together) for so long you always look for different ways to express yourself.”
As seen on recent video footage and live performances, Chino (vocals) seems to have stepped up
and raised the intensity level to an all time high. “He’s still doing everything that he’s
always done,” comments Stephen. “He’s more into it than he’s ever been. He’s got more emotional
and mental freedom to deal with. He can just see things a little clearer and it makes him a
little more psyched up to do things. He’s always been psyched, but it’s just gotten better.”
When listening to any of the band’s three albums, there’s no denying that they’re all in your
face. Their music always pushes the envelope of what’s the norm, of what’s expected. And so far
as lyrics go, Chino always seems to take the strangest approach to the subject matters he
tackles. So where does it (lyrics) come from? What inspires them?
“It’s from his experiences and generalizations of how he feels and sees things from his
perspective,” says Stephen. “He doesn’t sing things in a way where it’s like ‘Hey this is what
you should do.’ It’s not like telling people to follow him — it’s not preachy. It’s more of a
release for him. He creates lyrics that make him sound good to himself and make him feel good
to sing them. Just being himself. When he does his lyrics he wants to make what makes him feel
good sound the best he can.”
“In his lyrics, I think he’s saying to give respect because he gives it to you,” says Stephen.
“It’s like — who are you to decide who I am or what I’m worth and not worth. That’s where he
gets a lot of his inspiration.” Now that’s turning a negative situation (being judged by others)
into a positive situation (writing a song about your own trials).
It’s no secret that the Deftones are huge video game fanatics. Hell, their promo picture is of
four of the five members gazing at a video game while Chi (bass) is sprawled out in mid air
like an Asian Superman. Seems they use video games to unwind and relax. Thus, it comes as no
surprise that the band will be featured on a video game. Their song “Street Carp,” the White
Pony logo and extensive video images of band (taken from their EPK) will be featured in THQ’s
new action game entitled “MTV Sports: Skateboarding Featuring Andy MacDonald”. Slated for a
fall release, the video game is being dubbed as “one of the most advanced skateboarding games
ever.”
The concept for “MTV Sports: Skateboarding Featuring Andy MacDonald” is for the player to
choose one of thirty professional and fictional skaters, including 1999 X-Games Gold medal
winner Andy MacDonald, Colin McKay, Danny Way, Rick Howard, Steve Williams, Jen O’Brien and
many more. During the course of forty levels, the player has the option of combining any number
of the sixty featured tricks in an attempt to skate into the top spot. This video game is
slated to set new standards for its genre.
Now-a-days, many top bands release an EPK (electronic press kit) with their albums. For the
most part, a EPK is a video sampler of the album. With the Deftones, the EPK is more of a short
film than a video sampler. The film — written and directed by Shawn Foster of Naked
Productions and shot at Lacy Studios in downtown Los Angeles — is based in the abstract,
offering the viewer a chance to witness an eight minute journey through a morbid, yet erotic
world.
The worlds humans have to breath with the help of a tank labeled White Pony. If one chooses to
take off their (oxygen / White Pony) mask, enforcers dressed in black appear out of nowhere and
take the violator away, as was the case for the futuristic woman who, at the moment of orgasm,
takes off her mask.
After watching this short film (EPK) and taking notice to the albums release date under a video
screen and the White Pony labels on all of the oxygen tanks, I had to know. “What is White
Pony?”, says Stephen. “You know, it’s kind of what ever you want it to be. How ever you can put
yourself into the equation. You know what I mean? We’re pretty neutral. It’s more like a freedom
thing.”
The film paints a vivid picture of a tainted world, yet if we look at our present day world,
it’s nothing to brag about. I mean, we still have sickos lynching others for their skin color
or sexual preference. I guess this fictional reality is not too far from the reality we all
share. There’s always going to be someone trying to oppress someone else. It seems that it is
in our nature to try and control and to judge others. Just because it’s in our nature doesn’t
make it right.

“That’s the truth,” agrees Stephen. “I tell people all of the time — ‘You’re welcome to be
what you want in your life.’ If you want to be something within your own culture, that’s a
beautiful thing too. But it’s a beautiful thing for other people to be with who ever they want
to be with. What ever your shit is, do your thing. Do your thing, but do it with respect.
You don’t have to do everything all out, just because you hate people or to spite people because
you think your opinion is the best. Every culture has something good about it and people just
take it all out of control.”
at themselves. That’s where all of the problems stem from.”
“You know, I’ve always grown up in Sacramento and hearing people say that it’s a dump,” says
Stephen. “They say that they have to get out and I say go ahead, it’s going to be a dump where
ever you go. And the only reason I can say that is because I’ve been to San Francisco, I’ve
been to LA, New York, Chicago and Paris and London and I can honestly say that I’m the same
person everywhere I go. If I’m bored, it ain’t because of my surroundings. If there’s no party
it’s because I’m not partying.”
“People are always waiting for something to happen instead of making something happen,”
explains Stephen. “You know what happens when you make something happen? You get all of the
people that were wishing something was happening coming to you. It’s not that you’re doing
something else that no one else is doing. It’s that you’re doing something. Most people don’t
ever do anything. They always just sit around and wait for something to fall out of the sky and
hit them in the head. That’s not what life’s about. Just sitting around waiting, it’s (life)
just going to pass you right by — every last bit of it.”
“And it’s weird, because when I was younger I used to think like that,” reveals Stephen. “I
didn’t know any better. I look back on my childhood and I’m not mad. I wish I would have known
more or even better had the opportunity to know things better or even accepted what I heard.”
It sounds like Stephen has his head out of the fog and can see life clearly.
“I just started doing that really,” offers Stephen. “I’ve been working on it for maybe only
four years now. It was more like, I know I’m a good person and I don’t have to prove it to
anyone. I don’t even have to be liked by anybody. I like myself and I’m going to do what I want
to do. And by doing the things that you want to do and not worrying what anyone else thinks
around you — whether people say good things or bad things, just not worrying about it — it
frees your mind completely of all the shit that everyone deals with and you’re actually able to
see and achieve things. You’re able to experience things.”
“Experiences only come in life because you try to make them happen,” explains Stephen. “If you
don’t try to make them happen, it’s not going to happen. You might see someone else experience
some shit or some shit might happen to you, but it won’t be what you want unless you go out and
do it. And I know that just by trying it — I mean, I didn’t always succeed in everything I
tried to achieve — but the fact that I know that if I keep trying and if I look at things with
a positive attitude it will be positive.”
“There’s always going to be a negative,” admits Stephen. “You can’t have one without the other.
But when I do have experience with the negative side of things, it’s so much easier to handle it
because I have a positive attitude that I can step outside what is the negativity and look at it
from another angle and go ‘that’s not so bad’ and handle it. Once again, I’m back in the positive,
because I can role with it.”
“And just remember, I’m not really psycho,” admits Stephen. “Don’t take all of my alien shit and
place it against me, because I’m not psycho. I speak solely for myself (aliens, pyramids, taxes,
pot, culture). My opinions are purely mine and I don’t expect anyone to hear, adhere or be
taught by my thing.”
“The only thing to tell anyone — and would love to tell everyone — is to just be cool to one
another, respect each other because we’re all just people. The bad people are good people and
the good people are good people. Everyone has both good and bad in them. Before you look at
someone and pass judgment because of what you see, before you even know them, look at yourself.
The problems you see in them is what you see in yourself,” finishes Stephen.

Stef Carpenter interviewd by Guitar.com

May, 2001

www.deftonesworld.com

———————-
———————-

Guitar.com caught up with guitarist Stephen Carpenter backstage at the Riviera Theatre in
Chicago to talk about his band’s sudden success, the state of the pop charts, and of course,
guitar playing. Carpenter also shared some playing tips with us in the two accompanying video
lessons.

Guitar.com: Your new album debuted pretty high on the charts.

Stephen Carpenter: Yeah it did…I expected higher ’cause I know our shit’s worth it.
I don’t really pay attention to the charts, so I don’t know who was occupying it or not.
I don’t know if there was competition or not, but obviously there was.
Had the two people in front of us not put out records recently, we would have been number one.
Number three is number one to us. If you put us in perspective to number two and number one,
we’re pretty much number one in what we’re doing. So it’s pretty cool.
It’s Britney and Eminem. “Hey man, you guys need to step down.”

Guitar.com: How do you feel about the current state of music?

Carpenter: It’s weird. What’s really going on, we don’t relate to at all, other than the
fact that there’s some loud guitars. There’s not even that much screaming going on anymore.
If everyone was talking about us, let’s just say that it was the talk, and was on everybody’s
mind –- it doesn’t effect what we’re doing. If there were suddenly 10 million people there,
it would be the same thing for us, just more people. It’s not, “Oh, now we’re rock stars and
let’s try to be cool.” It’s like, “OK, what songs do you want to play?”

Guitar.com: You helped pioneer much of the heavy tone and guitar stylings that are currently
very popular. How do you feel about that?

Carpenter: I don’t really think about it. I don’t think that we pioneered anything that hasn’t
been done. Before us it was Rage, before Rage was Faith No More.
It’s not like we really pioneered it. I mean we’ve been around longer than Rage.
We ain’t been around on the worldwide circuit as long as Rage –- we’ve been together 12 years.
That’s awhile. But it’s not our goal to be famous, just to be successful doing what we like to
do

White Pony is full of the aggro guitar tones that Deftones guitarist Stephen Carpenter has
been cranking out for years. But the experience of a few years on the road and three studio
albums, has led to a few refinements in his gear, and a few minor changes in his playing style…
read more

Guitar.com: Were Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More influences for you?

Carpenter: Well, Faith No More for sure was an influence, not so much Rage because by
the time Rage came around, we were already doing that same shit.
We’ve never been a one style of music kind of band. If you listen to our records,
each song is different from the last song and each record is different from the last.
But the attitude and emotion that goes into writing our songs is the same all the way through.
Our sound -– our core sound –- is always there.

Guitar.com: How do you write your music?

Carpenter: For me it’s not like trying to be a player more than I’m trying to hear sounds and
songs, not some bugged out piece no one can figure out. We try to tweak music to where it isn’t
so perfectly regular. We all know each other so well that before anyone tries to play,
I know what they’re gonna play. So I change what I’m doing, to throw them off because
I want them to change. I mean, I love bands like AC/DC but every song is the same.
I don’t know how they remember what song is what.

Guitar.com: Have you changed your guitar style much since Deftones started recording?

Carpenter: No. The different thing now to even five years ago is tunings.
Other than it’s my same physical approach to my instrument.
If I find something good, will the rest of my band like it? If I come to the table with a
thousand ideas, I could walk away with maybe three that everyone likes. As a player, by myself,
I think everything I’m doing is great. I’m no virtuoso. I don’t know theory,
can’t play a solo to save my life. I don’t worry about it. To me music comes out
from a sincere point in your person. Even if it’s the most simplistic part.
If there’s sincerity you’ll know.

Guitar.com: But critics and even the general public are always asking for something different.

Carpenter: That’s what’s so dope about our fans. Our audience is a reflection of our taste.
As a whole, our audience is one audience, but it’s comprised up of so many different kinds of
kids that like different kinds of music. Someone will come up and tell you,
“Oh I love this song, it’s your best song ever,” and somebody else will be like, “What?”
That’s what’s so cool.

Stef Carpenter interviewed by LINE6.COM

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT ABOUT LINE 6? Dino from Fear Factory. He was getting great sounds out of
his Line 6 rig, and he told me about Line 6.

HOW ARE YOU USING LINE 6 PRODUCTS? I use Line 6 gear in my home studio and in my live rack.
At home, my studio is built around six main units: a Roland VS 1680, the Akai MPC 2000, my
Line 6 POD, a power amp, and my speakers. For instruments, there are a few guitars, a bass,
and a few synths.

I want to get a Bass POD and then my home setup will be complete. A Bass POD and a subwoofer
for my speakers!

My live rig is always changing. It’s always expanding and contracting. Right now I have the
Line 6 POD Pro in my rack, along with some other preamps. But I use its sounds a lot,
particularly the Rectified setting with distortion boost.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? I listen to a lot of things, but lately I’ve mainly been
listening to a lot of Claw Finger, At the Drive-In, Meshuggah and Drunk With Power.

FAVORITE SONGS? That’s a tough one because that’s an endless list for me! I just love music
so much, and I have too many albums to draw from. So, I don’t want to name a couple of my
favorite songs and then have people think that’s all I’m about.

YOUR FIVE FAVORITE CDS OR “DESERT ISLAND DISCS?” Meshuggah, anything by Fear Factory,
Radiohead’s OK Computer, Depeche Mode’s Ultra and the latest by At the Drive-In.

TOP 5 FAVORITE PRODUCERS? Terry Date! He’s the man that hooked our stuff up. He had a dope
track record long before we ever met him. Next, I have to say Ted Templeman because I love
all the old Van Halen stuff that he did. Every one of them! Then, Ric Ocasek. He’s done a
plethora of lovely stuff! For Hip Hop, I like my friend Dave Aaron, and then of course,
there’s Nigel Godrich, the OK Computer guy.

TOP 5 FAVORITE GUITARISTS? Frederick Thorndahl, Ken Andrews, Frank Black, Jim Martin from
Faith No More, and Dino Cazares. Dino’s dope!

Thorndahl is from Meshuggah and Andrews is from Failure. The first Failure album came out
in 1990, their last album came out in late ’97 or early ’98. They’re in the process of
recording another one, and I can’t even imagine what it’s going to sound like. All of their
albums are amazing. With Failure, you can’t go wrong!

FAVORITE MUSICIANS? (OTHER THAN GUITAR PLAYERS.) Another never ending list! There are so many
dope players out there. But start my list with all the members of Rage Against the Machine.
That’s a band for me! I don’t listen to that stuff all the time, but when I do listen to it,
I feel it.

I’m so happy that they’re out there speaking as loudly as they do about so many things because
I feel the same way they do at least half the time.

WHAT’S YOUR “DREAM BAND” THAT YOU WOULD PLAY WITH AND/OR LISTEN TO? (LIVING OR DECEASED?)
I have a dream band already called Kush. Me, Dee, and Christian and Raymond from Fear Factory
– the Fear Factory rhythm section. That’s the core but we intend to incorporate many of our
friends, none of which can be named right now because we have yet to seriously approach any
of them!

INFLUENCES? My musical history goes like this: I always listened to music when I was a kid,
but I had no knowledge of music, other than the “hooks.” It was catchy to me, but I didn’t
know any artists’ names, I didn’t know song names, I didn’t know anything about it except
that it was “catchy.”

When I was 8, my mom bought me three records: Kiss Alive II, Queen’s News of the World and
Saturday Night Fever. They became my new platform for life. That diversity is the start of
my main musical influence.

Next I have to mention all the old Motown stuff and the other oldies. That’s what my Mom
listened to. It was burned into me, from my childhood through my teenage youth.

FAVORITE RIFF? There’s so many, there’s an endless supply! You can never stop on that one.
I have to say the heaviest riff I’ve ever heard is “New Millennium” by Cyanide Christ.

WHAT’S YOUR TEST LICK? If it’s an effects unit, I test for two main things: how much stuff
you can actually change on it, and what is the “range of change.” Next, how easy is it to
store and recall the effects in a live situation?

I don’t really use amp heads because in my ideal world there are many amps that give me
many sounds, which is why I use preamps. I’ve used preamps for 10 of the 15 years I’ve
been playing. And it just makes no sense to have a bunch of amps when you can have one
preamp that you can just program to do everything you want. So when I test a preamp,
I look for programming ease, how “in depth” it is, and for equalization on the channels
themselves because eq is where I form my tone.

FAVORITE CONCERT? We’ve done a gang of “classic” bands’ reunion tours. These are bands
I never thought I would ever get to see, let alone be on tour with! Most particularly
memorable are our tours with Kiss and Black Sabbath.

MOST MEMORABLE MUSICAL MOMENT? My most memorable musical moment was the first time we ever
played a show in Europe, and that was the Rockskilde Festival. We came in late the night
before and the sun never really went away. I went and hung out, and was just like crazy.
All of a sudden you’re in another part of the world, playing music!

WHAT’S THE SILLIEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE? I don’t know!

OFFER INSIGHT INTO YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS. It’s just me. I’m just another piece of the chaos
factor.

MUSICAL HIGHER PURPOSE. I never used to think about things like that, but that’s the way I
do see things now. I love playing music, and the music is just wonderful.

But I’m glad that it gives me a unique perspective from which to see the world.
More importantly, music gives me a small platform from which I can speak and some people
may actually hear me.

It makes me feel compassion for all of my friends who are at home working jobs every day.
All they can do is shout out loud to the whole fu#@&*g planet while everybody else looks
at them like they’re just psycho. Nobody cares who they are. And that’s too bad.
That’s what I would speak out on. I know I’m in a band, I know some people like me, but
I’m not a god. Everybody should be here, where I am. We’re all in the same situation
together, so get your act together, respect yourself and those around you, and we’ll all
be all right.

Stef Interviewed by LINEA6

—————————

www.deftonesworld.com

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO NOW? (back in 2000)
I listen to a lot of things, but lately I’ve
mainly been listening to a lot of Claw Finger, At the Drive-In, Meshuggah and Drunk With Power.

FAVORITE SONGS?
That’s a tough one because that’s an endless list for me! I just love music so much, and I have
too many albums to draw from. So, I don’t want to name a couple of my favorite songs and then
have people think that’s all I’m about.

YOUR FIVE FAVORITE CDS OR “DESERT ISLAND DISCS?”
Meshuggah, anything by Fear Factory, Radiohead’s OK Computer, Depeche Mode’s Ultra and the
latest by At the Drive-In.

TOP 5 FAVORITE PRODUCERS?
Terry Date! He’s the man that hooked our stuff up. He had a dope track record long before we
ever met him. Next, I have to say Ted Templeman because I love all the old Van Halen stuff that
he did. Every one of them! Then, Ric Ocasek. He’s done a plethora of lovely stuff! For Hip Hop,
I like my friend Dave Aaron, and then of course, there’s Nigel Godrich, the OK Computer guy.

TOP 5 FAVORITE GUITARISTS?
Frederick Thorndahl, Ken Andrews, Frank Black, Jim Martin from Faith No More, and Dino Cazares.
Dino’s dope!
Thorndahl is from Meshuggah and Andrews is from Failure. The first Failure album came out in
1990, their last album came out in late ’97 or early ’98. They’re in the process of recording
another one, and I can’t even imagine what it’s going to sound like. All of their albums are
amazing. With Failure, you can’t go wrong!

FAVORITE MUSICIANS? (OTHER THAN GUITAR PLAYERS.)
Another never ending list! There are so many dope players out there. But start my list with all
the members of Rage Against the Machine. That’s a band for me! I don’t listen to that stuff all
the time, but when I do listen to it, I feel it.
I’m so happy that they’re out there speaking as loudly as they do about so many things because
I feel the same way they do at least half the time.

WHAT’S YOUR “DREAM BAND” THAT YOU WOULD PLAY WITH AND/OR LISTEN TO? (LIVING OR DECEASED?)
I have a dream band already called Kush. Me, Dee, and Christian and Raymond from Fear Factory –
the Fear Factory rhythm section. That’s the core but we intend to incorporate many of our
friends, none of which can be named right now because we have yet to seriously approach any of
them!

INFLUENCES?
My musical history goes like this: I always listened to music when I was a kid, but I had no
knowledge of music, other than the “hooks.” It was catchy to me, but I didn’t know any artists’
names, I didn’t know song names, I didn’t know anything about it except that it was “catchy.”
When I was 8, my mom bought me three records: Kiss Alive II, Queen’s News of the World and
Saturday Night Fever. They became my new platform for life. That diversity is the start of
my main musical influence.
Next I have to mention all the old Motown stuff and the other oldies. That’s what my Mom
listened to. It was burned into me, from my childhood through my teenage youth.

FAVORITE RIFF? There’s so many, there’s an endless supply! You can never stop on that one.
I have to say the heaviest riff I’ve ever heard is “New Millennium” by Cyanide Christ.

WHAT’S YOUR TEST LICK?
If it’s an effects unit, I test for two main things: how much stuff you can actually change on
it, and what is the “range of change.” Next, how easy is it to store and recall the effects in
a live situation?
I don’t really use amp heads because in my ideal world there are many amps that give me many
sounds, which is why I use preamps. I’ve used preamps for 10 of the 15 years I’ve been playing.
And it just makes no sense to have a bunch of amps when you can have one preamp that you can
just program to do everything you want. So when I test a preamp, I look for programming ease,
how “in depth” it is, and for equalization on the channels themselves because eq is where I form
my tone.

FAVORITE CONCERT?
We’ve done a gang of “classic” bands’ reunion tours. These are bands I never thought I would
ever get to see, let alone be on tour with! Most particularly memorable are our tours with Kiss
and Black Sabbath.

MOST MEMORABLE MUSICAL MOMENT?
My most memorable musical moment was the first time we ever
played a show in Europe, and that was the Rockskilde Festival. We came in late the night before
and the sun never really went away. I went and hung out, and was just like crazy. All of a
sudden you’re in another part of the world, playing music!

WHAT’S THE SILLIEST THING YOU’VE EVER DONE?
I don’t know!

OFFER INSIGHT INTO YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS.
It’s just me. I’m just another piece of the chaos factor.

MUSICAL HIGHER PURPOSE.
I never used to think about things like that, but that’s the way I do see things now.
I love playing music, and the music is just wonderful.
But I’m glad that it gives me a unique perspective from which to see the world.
More importantly, music gives me a small platform from which I can speak and some people may
actually hear me.
It makes me feel compassion for all of my friends who are at home working jobs every day.
All they can do is shout out loud to the whole fucking planet while everybody else looks at
them like they’re just psycho. Nobody cares who they are. And that’s too bad. That’s what I
would speak out on. I know I’m in a band, I know some people like me, but I’m not a god.
Everybody should be here, where I am. We’re all in the same situation together, so get your
act together, respect yourself and those around you, and we’ll all be all right.

Chi Cheng of the Deftones
By: John Farmer from www.shortbusmag.com

The omens weren’t good ones. My tape recorder was on the fritz, my bank account was
over drawn $200 and I was late about a half hour. I would have to take down all the
quotes by hand, throwing a wrench in the hope of capturing every bit of spontaneous
babble.

The interview was set up through mutual friends and after a month or so of schedule
rearranging, the day was upon us.

The background was Del Paso blvd., during a weekday, as early as possible. I had been
wanting to interview someone in the bowels of the dive bars that pop up along the boulevard.
For those that aren’t familiar, Del Paso Heights is part of the prestigious area known
as North Sacramento. The once gathering grounds for the Hells Angels motorcycle club,
now the Heights or DPH as it has become known as. It is home of check cashing stores,
thrift shops, and fancy ass art galleries that poke out like hernias. For the last few
years there has been a tedious task to try and gussy up the boulevard. Make it the
center of Sacramento’s art community and every second Saturday, the homeless seem to
disappear, the hustlers pushing gold spray painted jewelry or power tools are gone and
the upitty ups go from gallery to gallery. Enough about the history of DPH and on to Chi.

Drank and drank as I went, my notes looked like they were thrown up against the wall and
shattered. They now lie in a dustpan with no order. So I categorized them under Music,
Writing and Drinking and I put the appropriate notes under appropriate headings. Sorry
about all the explanation but here at Short Bus, we wouldn’t want you to get confused
or anything. You with me?

First our Short Bus South bureau chief, Jenn, e-mailed me some questions and while I
scribbled away amongst the carpal tunnel, Chi answered them..

SB: What was it like playing at Rock in Rio? To play for that many people.

Chi: It’s always intimidating, but I quit lookin’ at the folks 10 years ago. We did do the
rock star thing by taking a helicopter over the crowd then back to the hotel.

SB: This goes back to the European Tour with Linkin Park. On the last night of the tour
did they really replace all your water bottles with Vodka?

Chi: Yup. That bit’s pretty old. It’s not that funny to switch an alcoholics water with
Vodka. I was like “OK”

SB: From the video “Music in High Places,” how was Hawaii?

Chi: It was an island, I think.

SB: What type of alcohol do you prefer? Is it different from what you take on the
road?

Chi: All alcohol. Nope Coors and occasionally beaner beer.

SB: How long have you been playing music?

Chi: 18 years.

SB: What were the some of the names of your first bands?

Chi: That’s confidential. It drives the other guys nuts.

SB: What were some of the bands that made you want to play music?

Chi: Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and not so much for the other guys but for me,
Rancid (Operation Ivy)

SB: Besides you guys and Steel Breeze, what is the best band to come out of the big Sac?

Chi: Night Ranger. I heard that some of the guys were from here. Sister Christian,
that was my favorite part of Boogie Nights.

SB: Have you ever played with any of your influences?

Chi: Bad Brains and Mike Patton of Faith No More. Lars from Rancid was the only time I
ever asked for an autograph, for my wife she was heavy into Op Ivy.

SB: What do you think of the phrase “Rage Against the Korn-Tones” when used in describing
the genre of music you guys end up in?

Chi: I sure as hell like that a lot better than “New Metal”.

SB: (Somewhere the conversation turned to local musician Mark Curry. After hitting the bars
the question is buried under gallons of yellow beer)

Chi: Mark Curry is the best singer-songwriter on the planet.

SB: (Without the benefit of recorded word I can’t tell you the question that spawned this
answer. I think it had to do with something about MTV and the Deftones’s video play)

Chi: To this day, I think we’re the biggest underground band on the planet. That’s the truth.

SB: (Back to one of Jenn’s questions) To pass the melodic life of the road, do you often
play drinking games with some of the bands you’re playing with?

Chi: I had this one with Larry, from Primus, where we could see who could get fucked up the
most on stage. But Les came over to me and said (imitating Les Claypool’s nasal voice)
“Yea this is fun and all but could you knock it off, Larry’s gettin’ too fucked up”.

SB: Any final thoughts on the music world?

Chi: Most bands find a commercial success and instead of using that as a springboard to
artistically jump off of the deep end, they stay with the commercial style. That’s why all
music, art, movies, writing everything is so complacent nowadays.

SB: Whose your influence in the writing world?

Chi: Bukowski, Henry Miller, Hunter Thompson, Kerouac. It’s too hard to pick one.

SB: There’s not one that influences you more than another?

Chi: You heard the CD. (His poetry and spoken word) What do you think?

SB: I think that Miller and Bukowski are definitely there. What do you think of Kesey?

Chi: I saw that he died, that’s too bad.

SB: Are you on the side of the hard core Beat fans that claim Kesey killed Neal Cassady?

Chi: Naw, Cassady was going to do whatever he wanted. You can try to stop those types but
in the end they just have to do what they want. I just buried a friend who was like that.

SB: Any final words on writing?

Chi: I don’t like to read other writers. I don’t like to talk about other writers. I don’t
like to hang out with other writers

SB: What is you favorite $5 12 pack?

Chi: Lucky Lager. With the puzzles on the caps.

SB: Your job takes you guys around the world. Are there countries that cater to drinking
more than others?

Chi: Yea, there’s Russia, where it’s legal to buy on the street and drink on the street
but you can’t be drunk on the street. I was walking sideways across the Red Square one night.
We had some fans with us, and these KGB type guys were getting ready to take me in but the fans
talked them out of it. I didn’t even notice them. Australia’s good for drinking. Holland is pro
Babylon. Pro everything. I don’t smoke pot but it’s my obligatory duty to smoke weed for all
those Americans who can’t go into a coffee shop and get a menu of weed. England is good for
drinking. In Ireland I made the mistake of asking this guy what was up with the IRA. Turned
out he was an IRA storyteller and he broke it down for me. I was sorry I asked. I was lucky
he didn’t car bomb my ass.

SB: (Somewhere we started on Harleys and the Hells Angels) Do you have a hog?

Chi: My old lady won’t let me get a bike. I’m Asian and an alcoholic.

SB: You’re a Buddhist. Where does drinking come into play with the Buddhist religion?

Chi: Buddhists have no duality. Allow yourself to have desires. If you want to be a drunkard
then be a drunkard.

SB: Has drinking ever got you into trouble?

Chi: Well c’mon. I mean. There have been some rumors started.

SB: What’s the best rumor you’ve heard about yourself?

Chi: I heard I was dead. Best rumor I’ve heard so far.

SB: What do you drink?

Chi: Everything.

SB: There’s not one thing you have more of a hankerin’ for than another?

Chi: I guess it would be wine (he proceeds to name off some wines. An Australian somethin’
a rather and others. I must’ve been drinking at the time).

SB: A standard question we ask everyone is “If you were in Star Wars (any movie) who would
you be?”

Chi: The Death Star. I’ve been turning into a salty old bastard lately.

SB: Thanks for the interview.

Chi: No problem. This is an anomaly, I don’t go outside any more. We went to every bar that
jumped out at us between highway 16 and El Camino blvd. (A detailed bar review with Chi’s one
word summaries is on the facing page) Hitting the entire span of the bar spectrum. The low
down, dark Nite Hawk to the upscale wine Café Entoria where it was an almost Blues Brother’s
type incident. Me in my tattered Pabst shirt and holes in my Dickies, Chi in his flannel and
jeans amongst the business smoozers closing their deals. Chi ordered a wine, once again he
might as well have been speaking Swahili when he ordered it. The waiter knew though, as he
should, and returned with glasses of red wine. After I bought the first round at the first
bar, I was pretty much tapped out so in true Short Bus fashion, I take someone out to
interview them and they end up buying everything. Thanks again Chi.

The Bars on the Boulevard
Bar review by John Farmer and Chi Cheng

Since I was already there, I decided to go ahead and knock out another story I’ve been
sitting on for a while. The review of the bars on Del Paso Boulevard. Dives, beer and
wine joints, high class art bars we hit them all in wonder of how Del Paso holds drinking
establishments for every walk of life in the matter of a few blocks. I had Chi assist me
on this one, giving his one word summary of each bar we poked our head in.

First up was the Stoney Inn. I used to work here. I cooked in the kitchen in the back, right
where they stored all of the beer. Needless to say not much work got done. That was under
older management. I saw that the place was closed down for a while but when we drove by,
it was open so we started our journey there. This place has so much potential, the layout
is pretty sick. An indoor patio where shows are held, the main bar and a separate pool room
are the basics, more like a drinking compound. The new kitchen seems to be really trying to
get away from burgers and fries and into a more “distinguished” menu. They were watching 90210
on this Friday afternoon, they quickly switched to that epic episode of the A-Team with guest
stars Rick James and Isaac Hayes. The prices were a little much, but while we were there they
changed from $3.50 for a Bud to $2.50.

Chi’s word: Meatloaf

Next, the Nite Hawk. Now this was more what I pictured when I wanted to go drinkin’ on the
Boulevard. Dark, no windows, 5 hard core old timers at the bar. The TV was playing an old
western and until we walked in everyone was engrossed. The prices were right down the Short
Bus alley. $1 Olympia’s in the can, nothing on tap. A shuffle board table and a pool table in
the back, a book shelf full of army, western and romance paperbacks. Any bar with a community
bookshelf is where it’s at. That’s where you go to DRINK. After a few rounds the bartender
bought us one and probably just enjoyed not staring at the same 5 faces.

Chi’s word: Home

On to the Cozy Club. It looked like they just opened. Not very divey. Very bright, the front
wall is just about all windows. We were the only ones in the place and the “Flo” like bartender
in her ruffled denim mini dress, dyed blonde hair and all of her mascara, seemed upset that we
requested beer from her. The décor looked like all the stuff you despise at Michael’s as you make
your way to the paints. “I don’t do unicorns” Chi summed it up. We drank our one beer and left,
disappointed.

Chi’s word: Unicorn

It was “Simply Sue Time”. That’s the name of the bar. Definitely the busiest bar we visited. Not
busiest in the number of people but in decoration. Everything from an old racist sugar ad to the
entire collection of “Lil’ Homies” figurines. He had a couple of pinball games and a juke box. Chi
put in a few songs including Air Supply’s “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.” They had Pabst on
tap, but it was one of those taps that’s ran from a keg and out of an ice chest. The lines tasted
really dirty, almost as dirty as the Pine Cove’s used to taste.

Chi’s word: Trough

Café Entoria. It still blows me away that this place is even on Del Paso Boulevard. A very high
class place, wine is the thing. There’s even bottles of wine painted outside. We got a few looks
when we walked in but not many. The cars out front were Lexus, Mercedes and a 300 ZX. There was
live Jazz, which was nice. In fact everything was nice. Though we drank wine I noticed that a
Budweiser was $4. There was a lot of hob nobbing going on.

Chi’s word: Bowtie

www.deftonesworld.com