Bobby Schayer was long time drummer in prunk rock icons Bad Religion since 1992 when he replaced Pete Finestone.



Bobby has been playing the drums in a punk bands called Yonks but his time with Bad Religion has been his proudest and most recognized.



Even just through his many albums recorded during the time he was in Bad Religion, Bobby has gained himself the reputation as being one of Punk Rock's greatest and most influential drummers of the 20th Century.



After the shows during the infamous "New America" Tour (1999-2001), Bobby often complained about agonising shoulder pains and aches. So Bob went to see his doctor who told him that he had damaged rotator cuff (shoulder bone) injuries.

He was strongly advised to quit drumming permanently for health reasons.



So, as hard as it was, Bobby quit Bad Religion in 2001 and left the drumming world forever. His great impact on music wil not be forgotten and he is now playing guitar in a band.



Bobby Schayer's grandparents were Mexican but he's never lived there and can't speak Spanish. He's from Encino in San Fernando Valley. He was one of the early Bad Religion fans and heard the first EP when it came out:

"They were from the valley, and so was I; it was inspiring to know that if these guys could do it, anyone could do it".

When Pete left Bad Religion in 1991 Bobby was just hanging around LA playing in various bands, according to Greg:

"He was wasting away in this terribly abusive band called Two Free Stooges, it was a shame (...) he's such a great drummer."

Bobby grew up listening to glam rock (Bowie, Sweet, Slade and the Bay City Rollers). One weekend, he saw The Ramones on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. Soon after, for his twelfth birthday, his sister bought him The Ramones' eponymous debut album and Rocket To Russia, and his fate was sealed.



He began playing drums in 1980, but that was after he'd learned guitar and bass. His first band was The Questions, which he joined in 1988. Not long after he hooked up with The Two Free Stooges, which could've been considered a supergroup by membership alone. Most of the group had ties to Alex Cox (The director of such movies as Repo Man and Sid and Nancy), and the band sported former members of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Porno for Pyros, the Circle Jerks, the Dead Kennedys, Thelonius Monster, etc.



The only problem was their material. They did loungy and weird covers of The Cream, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, and others. Bobby says the frontmen (two guys) told a lot of racist and stupid jokes onstage and half the time people would get offended instead of laugh.



Bobby stayed with them for about a year total, quitting and going back several times, as the line-up constantly shifted. They never put a record out but did three tours ("we knew people in the right places" says Bobby). The Smithereens were recording in LA, and stayed at the hotel behind the Central (now the Viper Room, the pub River Phoenix died in, owned by Johnny Depp). They got in the pub for a drink, and The Stooges were playing.

The Smithereens loved them and that's how The Stooges ended up opening for them. The Peppers took them on tour too, in 1989. Then they toured with The Dead Milkmen.



Bobby says if he hadn't done that, he would have never ended up in BR. But that's probably a lot of bullshit. He already had a connection to Bad Religion, as when he had first started playing drums, it was Lucky Lehrer who taught him too (Lucky also taught Pete, he toured with Bad Religion and he was in Circle Jerks like Hetson). Hetson left a message in his answering machine asking whether he'd be interested in joining Bad Religion.



The day he tried out for the band, Nicky Beat, who'd played with the

Germs and a million other bands, was there; Colin Sears from Dag Nasty was there too, but Bobby got it because he knew every song. He had two days to learn songs, and he learned 25. He was third in the audition. He asked "what song do you want me to play?" and Jay said "what do you know?"; Bobby replied "all of them". They said "bullshit" so he went out and did it and Jay said "you're in".



Actually they told him to come back the following day so Brett could hear him. The following day, after three songs Brett said, "OK you're in the band".



Bobby used to play with his Zildjian Session Master drumsticks upside down (hitting the heads with the butt end). He also chops his drumsticks for extra grip (looking like scales). He lives in Seattle.



Bobby left Bad Religion in 2001, after the New America tour, due to a chronic progressive shoulder injury that will not heal. He was suffering from this shoulder injury and full-blown tendonitis and was in great pain after each show. He will never be able to play the drums again. These were Greg's words on Bad Times:

"During the last legs of that tour, we also witnessed the last legs of one of the great punk drummers, Bobby Schayer. As you might have read in the news wires, Bobby sustained a career-ending progressive injury to his shoulder that finally sidelined him for good a couple weeks ago. We all miss him, and we have received hundreds of emails and letters wishing him well and hoping that his life will still prosper despite the inability to play drums. Thanks to all of you who wished him well during this difficult time."

Bobby Schayer was replaced by Brooks Wackerman.