DEFEND YOUR RIDE: Andy At Roscoe's House Of Chicken 'n Waffles

Q: Do you come here often?

A: I come here probably once or twice a year. I love it. It's obviously a unique combination and something others have tried to replicate elsewhere since it's been popularized. But it's the original, and I think it's fantastic.

Q: But you don't eat here more often?

A: No. I mean, you know, you'd probably want to do that in moderation.

Q: So tell me about your car.

A: It's a basic Honda Civic. I'm not a real flashy guy or anything, so it's nothing out of the ordinary.

Q: What is your car's nickname?

A: I don't have one.

Q: Can you come up with one?

A: That's tough if I haven't come up with one yet. People have always asked me this question. I've thought about it, but I feel like if it's not spontaneous, then I don't want to force it.

Q: It's like naming a baby. You don't just want to pull something out of a hat.

A: Although eventually you do have to name a baby. I don't feel any obligation to eventually name this car.

Q: Did you buy it brand new?

A: I did, yeah.

Q: How did you decide on this car?

A: Hondas in general are really reliable, and like I said, I'm not a flashy guy. I'm much more about reliability and durability over anything else. I wanted something that I knew I wouldn't have to worry about too much.

Q: No fears about it getting carjacked or parts getting stolen?

A: Yeah, definitely. I mean Hondas are known to be targeted.

Q: The Civic is number one, right?

A: Yeah, Civics, right. I think because they're so well made and reliable, it's kind of a double-edged sword. But I don't live in a horribly crime-ridden neighborhood or anything. I park on the streets, so it's always a possibility and something I think about. I have a security system on it, but I know that it can only do so much.

Q: What's your car's main use? 

A: I spend hardly any time in my car, actually. I work from home. It's really just something I use to get around at nights or on weekends.

Q: Do you ever take day trips in it?

A: Occasionally. Not too much. I enjoy a drive maybe up to Malibu. If I'm going to hang out with some friends, then sometimes we'll drive somewhere, but that's about it.

Q: Where's the farthest you've ever driven in this car?

A: I went to Santa Cruz a couple months ago. I went up for a weekend to visit a cousin. I just thought that I'd enjoy driving rather than flying. It's doable in a day, and I hadn't done that drive in a long time. I wanted to drive up P.C.H. as much as possible and just enjoy it. A big part of P.C.H. is closed, unfortunately, kind of in the Big Sur area, which is the most beautiful, well-known stretch. But I did as much as I could.

Q: And you went solo?

A: Yep.

Q: How long did it take you to get there?

A: I took my time both ways, eight hours or so. I took some stops here and there. You know, I tried to break it up.

Q: What was your favorite part about that drive?

A: The scenery, definitely. I love the drive on P.C.H. up into Ventura, right before you hit the Ventura/Oxnard area. It's one of my favorites, really, in the world—something I grew up with.

Q: Did you grow up here?

A: Yes, in Los Angeles, in West L.A.

Q: Oh, so you are a rare breed.

A: Something like that.

Q: How do you feel about all the transplants creating increased traffic in Los Angeles?

A: I don't blame transplants for the traffic. I mean, there's no one group that you can blame for it. I don't worry about the traffic too much because I don't drive too much. But it's still frustrating when I have to. I'm kind of spoiled since I don't have to drive that often, and when I get stuck in traffic, I guess it can be frustrating.

Q: What's your general philosophy about driving?

A: You can go a lot of ways with that question. I just try to generally take it easy. It's easy to get frustrated with other people, but I try to leave myself time to get where I need to go. I remind myself that it's never really that big of a deal if anything goes wrong. I try to be courteous. If someone is signaling to get in, just let them in.

Q: You seem pretty laid back.

A: I try to be.

Q: Do you have any rules in the car?

A: Not really, but I do keep it very, very clean. As you can see, I hardly keep anything in here. I guess, if anything, it's a rule for myself. Whatever I take in, I usually try to take it out. I think especially, just going back to what we talked about earlier about the car getting stolen. You don't want to do anything to make it more attractive, whether it's leaving some stuff in the car that might be appealing to someone who's walking by. But, you know, it's a secondary thought for me. I just like to keep the car clean.

Q: Or you could put some dirty socks in it to act as a deterrent.

A: Right, right. I guess it depends on what exactly you leave in the car.

Q: If your car had a human emotion, what would it be?

A: Just very mellow and laid back. Just kind of down-to-earth.

Q: And what's your absolute dream car, if the sky's the limit?

A: I'm not a car guy at all. I'd probably go for some sort of luxury car, you know, like a BMW or something like that. But I don't have any specific make or model. Maybe an Audi. I like those.

Q: Anything else we should know about your car?

A: I love the sunroof. Definitely love the sunroof. L.A. obviously hardly has any bad weather, so there's always an opportunity to drive with that open.

Q: Just the sunroof?

A: Yeah, I'm looking around right now. It's real exciting.