John was friends with Bryan Ridgeway in West Virginia back in the Apple days. He moved out to Northern California in 1985 to pursue a music career and ended up divorced, broke and owning lots of music equipment. Later on, John got into computers and now owns even more music equipment. He has no kids so far—just three cats and another woman. John got back into serious skating last year— thanks to Tha Ridge—and is loving it. Age is irrelevant—OSSJII proved that. Interview via email on March 19, 2002
How often did you go to Apple?
At least six times. I didn't have a car or license, so I had to bum rides from the Ridge, Field or sometimes our parents.
Which areas of the park were your favorite?
I was partial to the pools and the halfpipe. I always wanted to ride a pool, and Apple was my first exposure to actually riding one. West Virginia skaters only had [above-ground] vinyl pools, so we weren't on the cutting-edge of things.
Did you see any pros skate there?
David Andrecht is the only pro I saw. He was really cool, with a great attitude and great skating. Rock 'n' roll boardslides in the kidney pool—I can still see them in my head.
What tricks did you do and in which areas of the park?
I wasn't doing much at the time. I did get some backside grinds in the halfpipe, and some tile in the pools. I could do some tricks in the L-bowl and reservoir, but I liked the pools the best. Carving in the egg pool felt so good. I'm tall, so a big pool was great for cruising around.
What is the raddest thing you saw happen at Apple?
David Andrecht, rollerskaters, and anyone who could ride the pools.
How did Apple rate as a skatepark? What were its strong points and weak points? Did you ever skate a park that was better?
I rate it high on the list. I skated Falcon, Getaway, Vans Milpitas, Vans Orange, etc. and I still think Apple had the best variety of things to ride. The pools were a little rough with some tight trannies in the shallow, but I still liked them. I will always rank it first, since it was my first experience with seeing and riding pools that were like the mags!
Did you ever attend any special functions at Apple (am contests, parties, after-hours sessions)? Please describe.
I think the David Andrecht weekend was part of a sleep-over. We were staying at the Red Roof or Anchor Inn. I couldn't skate all night due to just being a tired hillbilly.
Please describe any vivid memories you have of Apple.
Walking into the lounge, or check-in area, and hearing the Sex Pistols (or someone) screaming, "EMI!, EMI!" over and over. My father was like, "Hey, that sounds pretty good." I almost died.
Looking out the window from the lounge and seeing all the [runs] for the first time. I felt like an astronaut getting ready to land on a new planet.
Watching and skating with all of the bermuda-clad, argyle socks, and horn-rim glasses crowd. In West Virginia, we would have been ass-kicked for our different looks and attitudes, but at Apple we were the shit.
Please describe anything funny or strange (skating or non) that happened there.
Boatman peeing on the carpet in the hotel room. Dennis Blevins getting the Frankenstein head-split when he slammed in the half pipe—took some stitches on that one.
Were you bummed when Apple was destroyed?
Bummed from the standpoint of not understanding how someone could take the time to make such a cool place, and then it was gone in such a short time. Back then, I didn't understand how business works, so it was hard to realize. My advice to everyone who is currently enjoying the influx of parks is to enjoy them as much as possible, cuz you never know...
Please add any other memories, info or comments that you wish.
Gotta take credit for the "Annoying BMXer" photos. Yeah baby, thats me! I was working in a bicycle shop at the time. Our local skate crew was into anything from California, so once I saw bikes in the parks, I had to try it. I would NOT attempt to carve the egg bowl now! It was fun to try it, and nobody vibed me. Now those damn rollerbladers on the other hand...
If you have any Apple T-shirts, stickers, the brochure, etc please let me know so I (or you) can scan or photograph them for the site.
Heading to West Virginia this year, so I'll check the folks' house.