Former Suicidal Tendencies bassist Roberto “Ra” Díaz recently opened up about the whirlwind sequence of events that landed him a spot in Korn. Reflecting on his journey in a new interview with Bass Magazine, the musician detailed how an unexpected social media connection during the COVID-19 lockdowns led to him stepping in for founding bassist Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu, who announced an indefinite hiatus in June 2021 to address personal habits.
For Roberto “Ra” Díaz, the transition began not through formal auditions, but through remote video collaborations while the music industry was entirely shut down.
“Well, it all happened very quick and kind of out of nowhere. Long story short — this was mid-COVID era or whatever you wanna call it,” he explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “So I was pretty much just sitting at home making videos and stuff, like a lot of other musicians were.”
His online presence began gaining traction after he participated in a series of remote Rush covers alongside Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick. The videos caught the attention of prominent musicians, eventually leading to a follow from Korn drummer Ray Luzier.
The web of connections tightened when Roberto “Ra” Díaz recorded a bass track for Aric Improta. The innovative drummer held off on publishing the video because Korn guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer was also planning to add a guitar track. When the video finally premiered, James “Munky” Shaffer followed him as well, though no direct communication occurred between the musicians.
That silence broke abruptly. “And then, I don’t know, fast forward — I’m not even joking, one day I just got like a DM on Instagram from Ray, the drummer. And he was, like, ‘What’s your number? Somebody’s gonna call you tomorrow,'” he recalled. “And I was, like, ‘This is my number.’ I didn’t know what it was for. And just out of nowhere, next day I get a call and they said, ‘Hey, we have this situation, and we need someone to jump in.’ And they asked me, like, ‘Are you interested?’ And I’m, like, ‘How can you say no to that?'”
However, a humorous miscommunication nearly derailed the gravity of the moment. Because the representative who called assumed he already knew the details of the gig, she did not explicitly name the band.
He continued: “Also, she called me in the middle of — I was like driving, and I was paying attention, but I was like not following every single detail. And at some point, I go, like, ‘Do you need me to do something?’ And she’s, like, ‘Oh, you can film yourself playing a couple of songs.’ And I’m, like, ‘How can I find your music?’ And she goes, like, ‘Oh, we have a YouTube channel.’ I’m, like, ‘Okay, how do I find it?’ She’s, like, ‘Korn official.’ I’m, like, ‘Oh, okay.'”
The realization triggered immediate action. “It went from almost depression to the biggest happiness. And, obviously, I was, like, ‘Yes, I’m very interested. And I’ll give it a shot.’ Yeah, like I said, I was driving, and when they said that in that phone call, I legit called my friend, canceled the plans, turned around, went back home, learned a bunch of songs, and I think in a few hours I’d sent them some videos. And everything went from there.”
For a musician born in 1984, the invitation to join a band whose debut album changed his life at age 10 was profound. Prior to stepping into the rehearsal room, his only interactions with Korn consisted of watching them perform as a fan in Chile and the United States, alongside a brief passing greeting with Reginald “Fieldy” Arvizu at a NAMM convention over a decade ago.
Initially, the arrangement was only supposed to last for a single tour cycle. At the time, Roberto “Ra” Díaz was still an active member of Suicidal Tendencies and believed he could balance both commitments. However, as Korn‘s schedule extended, he was forced to make a permanent decision.
“And at some point I just kind of asked them, ‘Hey, am I gonna continue helping you guys out?’ And they said that they were gonna need me, so I kind of had to make a choice and talk to my band at the time, Suicidal. And they were happy for me. Part of me was just sad because this happened during COVID and I never got to do a last show, knowing that it was a last show with Suicidal,” he noted.
Looking back on the last five years, the bassist expressed deep gratitude for how the opportunity reshaped his entire life, both professionally and personally.
“But I’m very happy with everything that happened and I’m still, to this day, loving every second of it and hoping it keeps going. I’m enjoying it. And [Korn] brought also a lot of happiness into my personal life. I met my wife when I joined them, and now we have a kid and everything, so it’s, like, I owe a lot to this band, and I’m very proud to be in it, helping them,” Díaz concluded.
In addition to his ongoing role in Korn, his pandemic-era remote work was officially released, including his contributions to Charlie Benante‘s 2020 covers album, Silver Linings.
