Thunder Trucks has been turning out recent video content as fast as their pivot cups respond to pressing suggestion. While Pleather Jacket showcases Thunder’s 8th continent crew, Johnny Matarazzo continues Seattle scene’s heatseeking on the heels of Soundtrack with this here solo part. Matarazzo sets up a fresh Bus Transfer deck at 35th North then steps out the door with iced coffee in hand, ready to depart his sleepless hometown down to the famous skateboard southlands of SoCal, pushing uphill to arrive:
Johnny looks like Zered. He wears a Thunder t-shirt in lifestyle shot, then first trick pops frontnoseslide, held down a curved, beige painted barrier between sidewalk and street, similar but mirrored to the famous one everyone hits. He stands on this noseslide until his weight shifts over like switch back tail turns out to fakie. At LA Municipal Court yard, Johnny switchfrontnosegrindreverts a tabletop in shorts, Adidas socks and shoes for line starter, then nollie shove crooks the second level of the second bench. He varial heels a double-digit brick set then bluntslide transfers into a bank, bearded GX1000 Jeff Carlyle style. He nollie front feebles a smaller rectangle rail than f/s flips a landscaped gap with Pete Eldridge in mind. Smooth ground smooth bench gets back and forth nearly-mirrored ledge lines of half cab crooks and Suski grind backside flip out plus the other. Switch front 5-0 a handrail then fakie heel the next set shows burly Andrew Allen-esque tech followed by heelflip blast over stairs and gate with a hint of Lenoce in his full cheeked smile. Fakie front bigspin stair set is a surprising trick to follow a front shove back nosegrind revert on LA playground bench line idyll. He seeks gold in foothills; front heels a hydrant to switch descent, Mariners hat backward as instrumental jazz guitar noodles.
He switch front bigspins a rail the hard way, then switch back bigspins stairs for the second trick of a schoolyard line, again showing a deliberately complimentary presentation calculation. A triangle sided bench provides picturesque setting for switch backtail varial heels to switch ledge banger single. A brick outledge over stairs enables front noseslide nollie heel drop to fakie, the second time in this clip Johnny doesn’t bring front noseslide out to regular.
While semicircular ledge lurking, Johnny agrees a bandit better ride than sell a stolen skateboard, as second song, with vocals, starts singing for Johnny front crooking through curvature to nollie backside flip out, impressively technical, but I always feel disappointment when front crooks or noseslides don’t come out to forward. A loading dock lift gets back 180 nosegrind revert double angles. Johnny pop shoves a spiral railing to driveway roll, then props a grate to front 360 over a barrier post to LA downhill as the choir belts “Think I’m coming Down...” He switch front noseslides, fakie flip out to fakie as it should be. Lee Hazlewood sings plaintively through a three trick line that appears to show Johnny riding Foundation wood. Hubba nosegrind is a single, then Johnny fakie flips up a stair in a cuffed beanie and striped shirt that further suggests Foundation sponsorship (along with a Corey Glick comment on IG clip,) before unleashing a Mike Davis caliber switch 360 flip down double-digit set to sunsparkling rollaway with room to spare, hammer section has arrived. Is it UC-Irvine where Matarazzo noseslide crooked grinds the railing Kenny Hughes switch crooked? Again with Jeff Lenoce influence for first stair set switch ollie, second set switch hardflip. Johnny performs a long switch backtail flip out, then switch pop shoves a handrail to drop, double angle ender, Mariners cap forward.
The Eastbound and Down soundtrack, plus beard and ball cap remind me of Tyler Tufty. Alive and well, Johnny approaches 30 with his first Angeleno annual wrapped, this video proof of dedication and self-belief validates his Southbound move while acknowledging the support of the fertile breeding ground where he spent his formative years. I’ll finish my coffee to that.