For those who lived through it, the early 1990s hold a special, almost mythical place in skateboarding history. It was a unique period, a raw and authentic time when skateboarding felt like a closely guarded secret. The overblown popularity of the 80s had faded, street skating was just beginning to take shape, and the skateboarding community had shrunk to its core. To be a skater then was to be part of something truly underground. Skateboarding was absent from mainstream media, skaters still faced ridicule, and even “professional” skaters struggled to make ends meet. Rob Dyrdek, now a millionaire owner of Street League, was receiving mere royalty checks, and Tony Hawk, the icon of skateboarding, had to sell his car to launch Birdhouse.
Yet, this era was a golden age for skateboarding creativity. Freed from the constraints of mainstream attention, skate culture thrived on its own terms. Graphic artists fearlessly borrowed intellectual properties, music was used in skate videos without concern for licensing, photographers pushed the boundaries of their art, and skate filmmakers moved beyond the clichés of 80s videos. The definitive moment that sealed the shift away from the 80s was the release of Hokus Pokus, a groundbreaking skate film featuring Matt Hensley, Danny Way, Mike Carroll, and a host of other talented skaters.
Recently, the rediscovery of a lost Venture video from 1991 by Transworld sparked a wave of nostalgia for this era. This led to revisiting the past, flipping through old Thrasher and Poweredge magazines. Amongst these relics, a book of art and poetry by John “The Man” Reeves, a former amateur skater for H-Street, was found. A call was placed to John Reeves, inviting him to reminisce about the making of Hokus Pokus, the legendary H-Street house, and even an encounter with Mark Gonzales.
VICE: In the H-Street videos, you were introduced as John “The Man” Reeves, a moniker you’ve used ever since. Where did this nickname originate?
John Reeves: It’s definitely not self-proclaimed! It goes back to the mid-80s and my first sponsor, Primo Desiderio, who provided me with his pro model Vision boards, Vision clothing, and Tracker trucks. We used to do demos at elementary schools in Southern California. He also had “Team Primo,” which sometimes included top Vision-sponsored amateur riders like Matt Hensley and Danny Way. For these demos, he made flyers that announced: “Featuring John “The Man” Reeves!” Kind of odd when you consider I was only around 13 years old. I think Primo called me “The Man” because he’s a smaller guy, and I was bigger and skated bigger, more like a man.
Initially, I felt a bit strange about it, worried people would think I took it too seriously. But anyone who knows me knows that’s not the case. I used to feel a little embarrassed when people would say, “Hey! There’s John The Man Reeves.” However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to embrace it. Now, I see it as something that sets me apart in the vast world of skateboarding talent.
Along with Blind’s Video Days and World Industries’s Rubbish Heap, Hokus Pokus is considered a defining video for a generation of skaters. What was your experience being part of Hokus Pokus?
Filming Hokus Pokus with Mike “Mack Dawg” McEntire and Mike Ternasky (“M.T.”) holds really fond memories. Mack Dawg was filming on 35mm film, and M.T. was shooting video. We mostly filmed at our local spots in San Diego, but a major highlight was when M.T. took us to LA for my first ever skate trip. It was me, Donger, Matt Hensley, Steve Ortega, and Sal Barbier, and we linked up with Josh Swindell, Trent Gaines, and their crew. That trip is unforgettable. I landed a melon grab over four trash cans, and that clip made it into the video’s opening montage.
Many firsts happened while filming for the H-Street videos, and some of the originators of these tricks haven’t received proper credit. For example, in Hokus Pokus, I performed a lean to tail bluntslide on a handrail at Montgomery school, a frontside late shove-it, and a kickflip backside tailslide at an underground spot we called “tweakers.” I hadn’t seen anyone do those tricks before. The late shove-it came about when I was trying a frontside pop shove-it like Gonz did in a Vision ad, but I ended up ollieing first and then turning the board.
Image by Daniel Harold Sturt
And in This Is Not the New H-Street Video, I was among the first to do frontside noseblunts, especially the one Daniel Harold Sturt photographed where I popped in no-handed on Primo’s spine ramp. Before that, I always grabbed tail or frontside to pull it back in. When it comes to crooked grinds and noseslide variations, credit should go to Dan Peterka, whose approach to skateboarding was always incredibly fresh and original. Hensley had a lot of firsts, Brian Lotti, Colby Carter… the list goes on.
What was the H-Street house like, the team’s flophouse? How wild did it get?
H-Street might have been the first team to have a house for riders to live in while filming. I believe they got it specifically for shooting Hokus Pokus. Sal Barbier had the master bedroom, and Donger had his own room upstairs. One time, we took acid and pretty much stayed in his room the whole trip! He had this massive Slayer cloth banner on his wall, and we just tripped on acid, listened to Slayer – “ON AND ON, SOUTH OF HEAVEN!” – all night, and smoked a ton of weed. We were kind of the stoners on the team, which is a bit concerning looking back because we were only 14 or 15! I remember when Mikey Carroll and Timmy Gavin came to the house; they were so small they’d sleep together in one sleeping bag!
Does it surprise you to see the legendary status of your former teammates like Danny Way and Mike Carroll? Or did you recognize their potential back then?
Sometimes it really trips me out when I think about how those guys seemed to know exactly what they wanted to do with their skateboarding careers and how early they got involved in the business side of things. Back then, skateboarding was more about being punk rock and not caring about the future. Plus, no one anticipated skateboarding becoming so mainstream and sustainable. I’m incredibly proud of them for having the business acumen to create everything they envisioned and execute it so well. But it’s not entirely surprising because Mike Ternasky instilled that drive in them at a young age. He was like a father figure to Mike and Danny and made them feel superior, especially when he launched Plan B.
What are you focused on these days?
Currently, I’m still skating and creating. I’m involved with Bodega Skateboards, helping with design and other aspects. I have a few pro models out with them right now. I also help manage a skatepark and teach kids to skate. Beyond skateboarding, I’m making music and working on my second book, Save Manhattan For Another Day. And I have a new project called “ArssiA.” It’s an acronym I created that stands for “Artists Ride Skateboards Skateboarding Is Art.” Right now, it’s primarily an Instagram page, @arssia, along with some t-shirts and stickers. It’s a project I plan to develop throughout my life.
Bodega Skateboards recently posted a video of you playfully wrestling with Mark Gonzales. What’s the story behind that?
Oh man, that play fight with Gonz was totally spontaneous. My girlfriend knew about an art gallery show and magazine launch and wanted me to go. As soon as we arrived, I saw Mark, and I was so excited I just ran up and gave him a hug-tackle! He was really cool about it and suggested, “we should film this!” He came up with the idea that he’d pretend to flirt with my girlfriend and offer her flowers, and then I’d get jealous, and we’d start fighting. Next thing I know, I get an email with the whole hilarious thing edited in a Benny Hill style.
I don’t get to skate with him as often as I’d like, but the last time we did, he texted me, “OK, meet me at the downtown Starbucks at 11:00, and we’ll film some stuff.” I got there at 11:05, and he saw me through the window and ran out with an iced coffee, saying, “Dude, I was just about to leave.” Then he pulls out his camera and starts filming, telling me to just start skating! I wasn’t even warmed up, so I just did some 360 powerslides and whatever. And this was during lunchtime in the financial district, with people and cars everywhere! We ended up skating at a few spots for about an hour and a half, and then he just said, “OK, I got it. See ya later,” and skated off! A few hours later, I received an email from him with a hilarious edit of what we’d just filmed.
When did you start writing poetry and lyrics?
Writing and poetry started in high school, in the late 80s and early 90s, when I was the lead singer in a few bands in San Diego. I’ve always loved to sing. My parents sang in church when I was a kid, and all my sisters sing too, so writing lyrics came naturally. My poems and lyrics can seem similar if you just read them, but the difference is that I actually sing the lyrics. I also have a SoundCloud page where you can listen to me read some of my poems.
Follow John Reeves on Instagram and order his book Open Through the Mindflow here.
More from the interviewer can be found at Chrisnieratko.com or @Nieratko.
