Royer, 49, has built an impressive résumé over the years — his bands have included Social Distortion, the Adolescents and D.I. — but to those who know him around his home in Balboa, he’s hardly an untouchable celebrity. To supplement his income between gigs, Royer slaps sandwiches together while his son attends Newport Elementary School, and the job occasionally feeds his creative side — he recently wrote a song called “Subway Scientist,” a humorous ditty about customers who make finicky orders.
“You know, those people who say, ‘I want three pickles, two onions...,’” Royer said recently during a bustling lunch hour, talking at his usual fast clip while his hands sorted lettuce and chipotle dressing.
As he worked, Vincent Munn, the owner of nearby Pier Records, stopped in for a bite. Royer spends much of his later afternoons hanging out at Munn’s store, talking rock ’n’ roll and dispensing advice to the young musicians who come by to see him. Of course, some people know to look for Royer behind the Subway counter, too.
“I’ve been in here before when people actually cruised by and asked Casey to sign things,” Munn said. “These guys came in one time and said, ‘Aren’t you the guy from the Adolescents?’ Casey sent them over to the record store to get some CDs.”
When Royer started his music career three decades ago, working a regular job didn’t sound that bad to him. In fact, punk purist that he was, he despised the idea of being a corporate rock star. Even as other bands brought their incendiary style into the mainstream, Royer viewed their success with a skeptical eye.
