Superhero Saturday - Rock N Roll

Meet Rock N Roll

Stats,Specializations or Special Skills:

Martial Arts instructor, CERT team member, Neighborhood Watch Block Captain, graduate of Citizen's Police Academy, Co-founder of the California branch of the Initiative, Founder of Superheroines Initiative, Co-host and creator of HEROES 101 Radio

Deirdra: City you protect or advocate group:

Rock N Roll: San Francisco Bay Area, We are a branch of the Initiative (that group you saw in the Superheroes documentary).

Deirdra: Who or what inspired you to become a superhero? Those that interview us always ask if there was a single event that I could point to that started me down this path. (Interviewers are always looking for that one movie moment.) Unfortunately, the impetus or my origin wasn’t the result of one specific event, but rather, the culmination of several. I’ve been through some personal horror - abuse, molestation as a child, homelessness, the murder of two friends … some pretty horrific shit. Thankfully, those tragedies, those negative experiences strengthened my resolve to not let the same things happen to anyone I knew, or to myself, ever again.

Deirdra: How did you come up with your superhero name?Rock N Roll: I’ve been a musician all my life. I ride a motorcycle. I believe in solid foundations and I believe in letting things flow on their own. I’m also a martial artist/instructor and a certified massage therapist (CMT). How could I come up with anything more fitting than “Rock N Roll”? And to be frank, there were enough RLSH out there with names blatantly borrowed from other comic-book characters.

Deirdra: Who made your costume?
Rock N Roll: I put together my costumes.

Deirdra: If you could have any super power what would it be? Rock N Roll: My super power would be “instant empathy.” I could point to you and you would suddenly understand more about whatever it is you need to understand at the moment. I’d also like to have healing powers; they’d come in handy everywhere I went.

Deirdra: What do you hope to accomplish?Rock N Roll: We hope to have a branch of the Initiative in every state and on every continent. We've already got nine branches across the U.S. and in the U.K.

Deirdra: What do you for your day job?

Rock N Roll: I'm an author and a CMT (Certified Massage Therapist)

Deirdra: Are the police supportive or do they see you as a lawless vigilante?

Rock N Roll: As graduates of Citizen's Police Academy we've had a great, working relationship with our local PD for four years now. We are on their volunteer list and often help with local events.

Deirdra: Are you in danger by doing what you do?

Rock N Roll: Yes, everything we do has an element of danger, but then again, so does walking down the street.

Deirdra: Are you stopping crimes and helping people?Rock N Roll: Yes. Whenever we patrol, we help to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Whenever we help someone get home, we reduce the chances of them being attacked. Whenever we teach a free self-defense seminar, we empower people to defend themselves and to keep from becoming a victim in the first place. Whenever we give someone a free meal (especially during our weekly outreach events), we keep them from having to steal in order to survive.

We've helped to keep robbery suspects from evading the police, we've stopped vandals from destroying a school, we've stopped people from destroying vehicles, we've helped police catch drunk drivers. There are too many examples to list.

Deirdra: What does your significant other think of you being a superhero? What does your family think?

Rock N Roll: My husband was an RLSH before I was, so I'd say he's okay with it. ;) Our family is supportive and often joins us on our outreach events.

Deirdra: Does your mom know you are doing this?

Rock N Roll: I'd like to think she can see me from heaven.

Deirdra: Do you have a weakness?

My weakness is little kids and animals. Everything else takes a backseat to helping or spending time with them.

Deirdra: How long have you been doing this?

Rock N Roll: Five years as an RLSH. Forever as myself. For instance, 10 years ago I started a charity organization of musicians that raised money for kids with childhood diseases.

Deirdra: What is the most frustrating thing about being a superhero?

Rock N Roll: Feeling like you're only putting a band-aid on a gaping wound.

Deirdra: Do you keep a secret identity, is so, why? Is it hard to keep a secret identity?

I do. I don't want to make it easy for the world to find me or my family. In this day and age, that's close to impossible to do, but I try anyway.

Deirdra: How did those close to you react when you became a superhero?

Rock N Roll: They weren't surprised and wanted to know how they could help.

Deirdra: Who is your hero?

Rock N Roll: My mother. She was the original superhero. Her kindness is still talked about, 15 years after her death. My husband is also my hero. He's a kind human being. My sons are also my heroes. They're amazing people and I'm honored to be a part of their lives.

Deirdra: What do you want the people of your community to know?

Rock N Roll: Those who think Real Life Superheroes have no real super powers are wrong. We have a few, the greatest of which is the ability to draw attention to and shine a light on the problems in society and the people who need saving. We also draw attention to those whose efforts dwarf our own, and we do all this by simply donning a costume and hitting the streets.