I've known Jon for a long time. The picture on the top of the post proves this statement. That's Jon sitting between me and Brian, incase you couldn't tell. Since I don't live in Utah anymore, I don't have any recent photos of Jon, so I put up some photos that he gave me in 2002. The gap he's trying to ollie is the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) gap. I think he was the first one to try it, but he never rode away. The picture below it shows his big earnings for trying this mega gap. The back of the picture reads "Me and my earnings: $2.50 and 2 bruised heels and 1 cut palm". Big money for a 17 year old. The picture on the bottom was taken by Garett Taylor in 2011 on a metro in Paris. Good times. Anyway, I figured that since Jon was interviewing everybody, he might like to get interviewed too; so I sent him some questions that I had. Even though I've known Jon his whole life and we've always been best friends and really close, there are still lots of things that I don't know about him. These questions reflect the deep things that I think about while I'm spacing off in school. Speaking of school, I wanna say congratulations to Jon for graduating from college! He only took 6 years to get his bachelors, which means he's tied with Brian for getting their bachelors the quickest in our family. I got mine in a hefty 7 years. So we're all real proud of Jon and wish him the best in the future, which he will talk about in this interview. He thought that maybe this interview should be broken up into 2 interviews because of its length, but I feel that the epicness of this interview suits Jon perfectly, so I'm keeping it just like it is. So, here it goes, welcome to the Jon Hart Ultimate Collector's Edition Director's Extended Cut Interview!
What are you up to nowadays?
I just finished school. Now that
I’m graduating, I’m working for the summer at a park in Provo taking care of
the grounds. I like the work because it’s outside, I don’t have to talk to
anyone, and I get to exercise. It’s pretty simple work, and I get to think all
day long about whatever I want to, so I like it. When I’m not working, I skate
all the time, try to get tricks for Bolts of Thunder 4, or film other people
getting tricks. It’s always a good time. Rachel, my wife, comes out skating
with me as much as she can, and we hang out the rest of the time that I’m not
working or skating. That’s seriously all my life consists of these days, not
much variety, but I like it. It’s all going to change soon, so I’m soaking it
up while I have it.
Why and when are you moving to
Vermont? How long will you be gone for?
I’m moving to Vermont in August because I’m going to graduate
school. 6 years to get my Bachelor’s degree wasn’t enough for me, so I’m taking
on a Master’s degree in energy regulation. Everyone always asks the follow up
question, “.. what can you do with that?...” whenever I say ‘energy
regulation’, so I will tell you before you ask that question. I’m not sure. But
it involves working with cities, states, our country, other countries,
businesses, and individuals on how to use, manage, distribute, or generate
energy. I think energy is fascinating, and I think we have a long way to go to
make our country and world use energy in ways that benefit our health, economy,
and environment. Vermont has the best program in the country for this kind of
thing, so I’m going out there. The program is only for 15 months (which is a
year and 3 months for those of you who don’t want to do the math), so I have no
idea where I will be or what I will be doing after that. Hopefully somewhere
cool and fun.
Your dad was 28 when you were born
and you are 28 and will be having a baby boy in a couple months. Is this a
coincidence? A sign?
I’m hoping it’s a sign that the new
generation of Jon Harts are going to be brought into the world with a love for
all things good. I’m not sure how I make that connection, but I feel it in my
bones, and especially in my tibial tuberosity. That’s the bone that feels it
the most (it’s more of a protrusion than an actual bone of its own, but that’s
the part of the tibia I feel it the strongest).
How’s the new video coming along?
Really well. I’m super happy with
what we’ve gotten so far. If we were to stop filming and making the video right
now, we would have a really fun video to put out and would stand on its own
against all the other videos we’ve made so far. Everyone’s constantly been
getting footage, so everyone already has enough to make good parts and a good
video overall. I’m super excited for the finished product and for what we’re
going to get in the next couple of months. More than just about anything, I’m
excited to see other people watch it. I don’t know why I love to see people’s
reactions to things. So the finished product will be fun for me to watch, but I
will have just as much fun watching other people watch it and hopefully enjoy
it. You’ll like it, trust me.
Are you stressing at all for it?
Actually, no. I don’t know if
that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I’m going to go on a hunch and say it’s a
good thing. Making this video has been pure fun so far, and that’s how I see it
ending. I’m not sure what it is about this video that’s made it so laid back,
but being really relaxed about it has helped me have a lot more fun when I’m
skating and when I’m filming. I’ve been able to get more stuff because I’m not
super stressed about it. But I’m sure as it gets closer, I’ll have more
sleepless nights where I stress about our little home made video.
Of all the videos you made, what
was the most stressful?
Bolts of Thunder Gone Wild. We’ve
made quite a few videos over the years, not just Bolts of Thunder videos, and
they all involve at least some stress. Mostly stressing about the tricks I want
to get. I usually have a handful of tricks that are pretty scary for me, but I
really want to get them. I’ll stress about it when I think about them until I get
them or accept that I’m not doing it. I think every video I’ve made I’ve had
that happen. But Bolts of Thunder Gone Wild was a different kind of stress. I
was stressing over everyone else getting their parts done. I don’t know why,
but I really wanted everyone to have good parts, so I was going crazy trying to
track down people and film them. I was getting married that summer, and I had
quite a bit going on, so it was pretty stressful. I’m glad this video is not at
all like that, even though we’ve got a baby on the way.
What are your 5 favorite tricks
(not including you) that have been done in the previous videos?
Nick’s roof drop is timeless and
classic. Everything about it screams Bolts of Thunder. For real, Nick, you will
ever go down in Bolts of Thunder history for that trick. The wrist guards, the
roll ups to the edge of the crumbling roof, the make shift landing we made,
cops driving by and Nick ducking down to not get caught, the slams he took,
then the final ride away. The camera battery died right after he rode away, so
it was perfect timing. That trick brings a smile to my face every time I see
it.
AJ’s full cab flip over the rebar
gap in our last video. I can’t remember if he just started throwing it over it
or if I jokingly suggested it. Before he ever tried it, I would have
never thought that he’d actually do it because that’s such a crazy trick, but
then that spot is the scariest thing to skate fakie. But then he just started
trying it and getting close then sticking it and slipping out. It was way hot
outside, and he was beat, and he kept almost getting it but not quite. Then all
of a sudden he did the most perfect full cab flip you could imagine over that
gap. It was nuts.
Dan’s mega launch in Paris, his
last trick in his part in Bolts of Thunder Gone Wild. Dave filmed it and sent
me the footage, so I wasn’t there when it happened. I thought it was super nuts
when I saw the footage. But then I actually skated that park last October when
I went to Paris and skated with Dave, and I could not believe Dan did that.
Even for Dan standards, I was in shock. I was scared just rolling down the roll
in for it, and I didn’t get more than 6 inches out of the launch. After seeing
the launch in person, that’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen Dan do.
Matt’s hippy jump from one board to
the other to huge hill bomb, his last trick in Bolts of Thunder Gone Wild. That
hill is scary to ride down, and I’ve only ever done it sitting down. Matt for
some reason embraced the power of the hill and found two ways to film on it in
different videos. We went to get that trick one day, but it was super windy and
Matt didn’t get it. He kept sticking when he jumped on the second board and
rolled down the hill a couple times. It finally started raining, and we had to
call it quits. We went back the next day and Matt did it first try with no warm
ups or anything. It was one of my proudest moments for some reason watching
Matt ride out that hill. Truly epic.
Dave’s ollie down that huge gap in
his first part. I’ve told this story on the blog before, so I won’t tell the
entire thing again. But that gap is completely insane, and ollieing it when
you’ve got double heel bruises is even crazier. Dave inspired us all in filming
that first video, and he definitely led the way in getting gnarly. That ollie
summed up a summer of working ourselves to make our own little video that we
thought nobody would ever even see.
What are your 3 favorite tricks
that you have done in the videos?
5-0 on the big power box. I did
that just to spite myself for having fallen on it so hard.
Kickflip over the 10 stair rail.
That was right after Dave ollied that huge gap, and I wouldn’t have done it had
he not done that gap. I got a stress fracture in my right leg from jumping down
it so many times. It took me an hour and a half straight of trying it to ride
away. It was painful but very rewarding.
Front board down the hospital
hubba. Again, Dave stepped up and 50-50ed that thing second or third try right
after we pulled up to it. I had been wanting to skate it for a couple years,
but it wasn’t until Dave jumped on it that I finally did it. I landed it fourth
try, and I remember thinking it was way easier than I thought it would be as I
rode away. So I did it a second time right after that just to do it again.
Who has the best part in Bolts of
Thunder history?
That’s a hard one to say because
there have been so many good parts. It’s like asking who my favorite child is
when I love them all so much… But, Dave’s part in the first video. I got a tear
in my eye once from watching it, and I’ve started clapping at the end of it
several times. I’m being completely serious. But I still love everyone else’s
part too.
How do you do such good kickflips
and what’s your favorite kickflip you’ve ever done (filmed or not)?
Practice. It took me a year
straight of trying to land kickflips until I finally landed one. All of a
sudden something clicked in my head, I knew how I was supposed to hold my
balance in the air and everything. Once I landed one, all of a sudden I could land
every one I tried. It was so weird because I had tried so hard for a full year
with nothing at all then all of a sudden it was strange for me to miss one. I
think I loved the trick so much because I had worked so hard for it that I just
kept doing them over and over. And never stopped. That’s still all I do when I
skate. For real, probably 80 percent of the tricks I do on my board are either
just a flat ground kickflip or another trick with a kickflip in it. I still get
goose bumps on my arms and butterflies in my stomach when I land a good solid
kickflip. The thrill of doing them never went away and I hope it never does.
There are two kickflips that stand out in my mind as my favorite ones. One was
over this drop that we called “the 11 stair drop”. It was about 5 or 6 feet
high and had a curb at the top. I had kickflipped it a couple times, but never
filmed it on my own camera, so I wanted to do it again. I remember this one
that I did over it and as I started popping the tail to do the kickflip I got the
most excited and relaxed feeling like I already knew I had done it. The board
felt like it flipped perfectly, came right back to my feet, and I floated to
the bottom. That’s the best feeling kickflip I’ve ever done off of anything
even though I’ve done bigger kickflips since then. Another one that stands out
was off this 8 stair in St George. It was a similar feeling when I landed, but
I really liked the way that Matt filmed it. I don’t know what he did to film it
so well because it’s just really simple, but my heart rate goes up a little
when I watch that trick in “shred zeppelin”, the video it’s in.
Here’s your therapy section. Say
what comes to your mind:
Oysters
The most delicious farts I’ve ever
smelt
Washington
No money and laughing so hard that
my abs hurt
Your new baby
Anticipation
Bolts of Thunder
My friends
Mega green power box
Relief that I don’t want to skate
it
Your new crew of friends
Youth and fun
Gnarred for Life
Proud of the tricks I did, slightly
embarrassed to watch it
Level 8
Pure skateboarding. Some of the
funnest times I could ever have with Matt and Nick
Can I spoon with you?
Two brothers willing to save each
others lives in Havasupi
Biggest disappointment in life
Being mean to people
Tell dad you fell down
Loyalty to the game. Willing to go
down in the 15th round for your brother.
Alright, are there any tricks that
you regret putting in any of your parts?
Oh man, this came straight to my
mind when I read that question. In ‘Gnarred for Life’ I put two angles and slow
motioned one of them of this nollie bigspin out of a half pipe. I can’t do that
trick, so I was happy to get it, but it looks so cheesy the way it’s in the
video. That entire part has some pretty bad editing. It was me trying way too hard.
I’m glad I’m past that.
Are there any big tricks that you
got planned for your new part?
A couple. I’ll just say it, you’ll
still be surprised if I get the tricks or not. There’s this hubba ledge on
State Street that I’ve wanted to skate for years but it has no runway. I could
have done it last summer but my ankle was hurting really bad and my confidence
was low. I’m feeling way better these days, mentally and physically, and I
really want to skate it.
Who’s gonna have the best part in
the new video?
Hard to say because it depends on
what kind of skating you like to see. I think Zak will have the most variety
because he can do every single trick you can think of. AJ has some really solid
tricks and lines already, and he’ll be back filming again, so we’ll see what he
gets next. And Kenzo has some crazy stuff and looks so good when he skates.
Everyone else is getting really cool stuff too, but those are the parts I’m
most excited to see. Coleman and Steve will have full parts also, and there’s
will be good and fun to watch. Just wanted to give them a shout out.
What are your some tricks that you
like the way they were filmed (tricks you have done and/or tricks that you
filmed other people do)?
Zak did this line at the baseball
diamonds and I like the way I filmed the first trick. The rest of the line is
just standard following behind him because I didn’t know what else to do. But I
really like the way the first trick looks. There are a couple other tricks that
came to mind, two of Kenzo for the new video, so I won’t say what they are. I
like the way I filmed Weston’s part in a video I made 10 years ago. It’s in the
bonus section of the first Bolts of Thunder video. I don’t even know if it’s
filmed well at all or not, but I remember being really happy with the filming
at the time.
Are you planning on making any more
Bolts of Thunder videos? Or is this the end?
Funny you ask that because I was
thinking about it at work today. It’s hard to say, but to be honest, I don’t
see myself making any more in the near future. I’m not even going to be around
anyone I know when I’m in Vermont, and I don’t know where I’ll be after that.
So as far as me making a Bolts of Thunder video with our crew, I don’t see it happening.
Not that I’m closed to the idea, I would love to, but I don’t know how it would
happen. But I’m sure I’ll make something in the future. I love working on
projects, and I would be really bored if I wasn’t doing something. I’m sure
I’ll be really busy with work and a baby and everything, but I like to have
little projects on the side that help me relax and have fun. So we’ll just see
what happens.
A number of people want to have
some tricks in the Bolts of Thunder videos, yet, there seem to be plenty of
kids that don’t make the cut? Why is this? What does it take for someone to be
in one of the videos? Is there anyone who is banned from ever being in a video?
This is a loaded question. I won’t
name names. Yeah, there are people that want to be in it that aren’t going to
be in it, and it’s completely their choice not to be in it. It’s weird because
I’ve gotten text messages or phone calls from several different people that are
like, “can I be in the video?” but then they won’t even respond back to me when
I invite them to skate. I’m not quite sure what they’re expecting to happen, if
they want me to show up at their house with a fully charged camera, a cooler of
refreshing drinks, a list of spots and tricks that I would love to see in our
video, and hours of free time to wait upon them, but that’s not how it happens.
Making these videos is just like it was when we were teenagers. We go skating
with our friends and bring a camera with us. When someone wants to get a trick,
we film it. As easy as that. If someone doesn’t even want to talk to me, then
I’m not sure how they’re going to end up with a part in the video.
There are people that I would love
to ban from being in the video, but I’m trying to be nicer to people, so I’m
not banning anyone. I’ll just say that they’re banning themselves by being
crack heads and not moochers. You know who you are. Actually, if you’re reading
this, you’re likely not the kind of personality described above, so don’t
worry. You can be in the video.
Let's say that each member of Bolts of
Thunder is a Greek legend or a god, like from "The Odyssey"
or others. What character would each person be, or what kind of
god/legend would each person be?
Brian would be Zeus. I say that for several reasons, the first
being that he can grow a beard worthy of the gods. His physical stature,
charisma, and charming ways earn him nothing less than title of king of the
gods. Matt would be Poseidon, Zues' brother, and king of the sea. He would
curse earthlings for not paying him homage or giving him his hard-earned
respect. Dan would be Achilles. This choice is obvious for those who know
him, but for those who don't this is why: Dan is invincible. Not to mention his
uncanny good looks. But he does have one weakness: his shin. He can take a blow
to the head like a champ, but a skateboard to the shin will bring him to the
ground. We would rename human anatomy to call our shin the "Achilles
Shin" and our tendon on our heel would have another name. I'm going to say
that Dave is Hates, king of the underworld. I don't know why, but I can see
Dave hanging out with rotting corpses and be just fine with it. Maybe its because
he wanders the streets of Paris unscathed, and that's not too different from
the underworld at times. Dave would be a good greeter too for the souls of the
dead. He'd keep them good company. And if he doesn't want to be Hades, he can
be Dionysus, the god of wine, parties and
festivals, madness, chaos, drunkenness, drugs, and ecstasy. Nick would
be Perseus from "Clash of the Titans" who wanted to save
the princess from getting eaten. Nick wouldn't have known what he was getting
himself into, but his kind nature and tendency to volunteer to help people
would have gotten him into an adventure of epic proportions. Kind of like the
time he volunteered to convert the mp4 video to an mp3. That took a couple
days, but he figured it out when any other person would have given up. AJ would
be Apollo, god of music and poetry. With his endless, abundant freestyles that
fill the air, AJ is going to be Apollo. Apollo's also the god of healing and
manly beauty, so that belongs to AJ. Heal your shoulder, AJ. Ben would be Hercules.
He has the abs for it, and he reminds me the most of Dan than anyone, and Dan
is a demigod. So Ben is Hercules. Zak would be Asclepius, another god of
healing. This would explain why his bowels are able to take Betos burritoes; he
heals himself while he eats. Kenzo would be Aether, the god of the upper air
and light. The Greeks accredited him for giving them sunshine that made them
happy. Kenzo's radiantness serves the same purposes to Bolts of Thunder and
makes the rest of the crew happy, and when he skates, he uses the upper air to
power boost him several feet high at a time. Steve would be Archimedes, who was
an actual person and inventor. The fact that Steve can make shapes out of
balloons earns him the title of the craftiest of all Thunder Bolts, and he
would go down in the good books as a great inventor. Coleman would be Helios,
the guardian of the oaths. He is considered the best friend of all the gods
because he is the most trustworthy. I don't know of a bad bone in Coleman's
body or a person that doesn't like him, so he wins the spot of the best friend
of all the gods. Bolts of Thunder itself would represent Chaos, the nothingness
from which all life sprang.
Now that I am not in Provo to give
the videos quality control, do you feel that you can do whatever you want in
the videos?
Yeah. I’m in complete control these
days, so I’m finally getting to put in all the special effects and time lapses
I wanted so bad to be in the other ones. I think you and I are pretty much on
the same page (Matt and me) as far as videos go. There might be minor editing
differences, but nothing huge. This video will have the same feel as the others
we’ve made, even if Matt’s not here.
Because of your arrogance and plain
disregard for my wishes and feelings, do you feel that the video has gotten out
of control and that it will totally consume your very existence?
It might. My arrogance does tend to
get in the way of life some times, and I should heed your counsel more often.
We’ll see if I make it out stronger or bitterer towards people.
Have I been getting the necessary
respect among your new circle of friends?
I think you get more than me. For
real. I’m just a grocery boy, sent on an errand by store clerks to collect a
bill. You, you’re a legend. You went awal and have set up your little renegade
camp somewhere up the river in Omaha, and from what I hear you’ve got a
following out there of psychos and hippies. Everyone respects you, even if you
did lose your sanity and you only bathe with a wet rag that drips water over
your head. They still love you. But look out for dancing machete shadows in the
night, and don’t let anyone in your neighborhood kill a cow.
I’ve obviously run out of any type
of meaningful questions. Do you have anything you want to say? Any shout
outs/disses? Words of wisdom?
In all sincerity, I would like to invite everyone reading this
interview to try and be nice to other people and be a good friend. I realize
more and more that I’m not naturally a nice person, but I’m so much happier
when I am nice to people. I think I could have made a lot more friends and had
better relationships with people if I wasn’t so judgmental, and I regret that.
So I’m trying to do better. I don’t know why I’ve been thinking that lately,
but it’s so important to be a good friend to people and help out in any way you
can. You’ll never go wrong if you have a good attitude towards others and can
help in anyway. Bolts of Thunder 4 is going to be awesome, I’m so excited to
see it!
Thanks for the interview,
Matt!!! That was an unexpected surprise. I’ll also publicly say that you are
very missed here in Provo, but you are felt in spirit. No joke, you still have
a very big influence over Bolts of Thunder. I also want to say hi to Rachel,
who will read this interview. Rachel is the best wife a man could ask for. I’ll
end on those words. (Editor's Note: I apologize for the weird and offensive text sizes that appear in this interview. Due to my lack of knowledge in the arts of Microsoft Word I am unable to figure out how to make all the words into the same size and font, so deal with it... or don't deal with it... either way is fine)