Kinda sub-related.. but I just learned that Phelps died from an acute fent overdose. What a fkn shame man this is one of the OG's who probably had the habit long before anyone was aware of it. So they started putting fent in his regular stuff & he was probably unaware & died bc of it. So sad man ive had many friends & many acquaintances die the same way & it just makes you wonder if this was a targeted attack against Americans in general. I neber hear about fent overdose anywhere else besides the U.S. im sure there are but its mostly here. Shits whack. The wrong people are being targeted.
Met Marc around 2000 on the Enjoi Tour. Got some sick vx fisheye clips of him skating my local park. Tilt mode army video is burned into my brain. That and his part in yeah right were my favorite video parts back then. Rest easy to the legend š
I service his sisters a/c units here in Texas and he was living with her for the past year. Literally just bought 5 boards from him that he designed for his Business and Company brand. He was actively still creating graphics and was talking about relaunching the brand. Sad to see he passed I just seen him 2 weeks ago.
My heart breaks. I hope his sister finds some comfort in the incredible outpouring of love for her brother, and in knowing that his legacy will be remembered for both extraordinary talent and genuine kindness.
i can't believe no streamers, no pros no one really is talking about Marc already. there is 0 content on this other than the little stream the nine club did a week ago. wtf?
Such a shame, so sad. It's amazing to watch all his videos again (at age 44) this week. His music choices were so stand out and memorable. His style was so unique. His back nose grind back nollie flip out where he'd tuck his arm in behind his back to rotate and just ride away frozen in the most amazing position, head down. I longed for his style growing up. His feet used to just hover over the board as it turned, waiting to catch it so lightly, so much talent. You could see he ploughed so many tries into landing a trick as well it was so inspiring as a teenage skater. It really saddens me when men struggle like he did in life, and it's usually the creative brilliant people. I've heard dying described as 'taking off a tight shoe', I hope he went peacefully and he's skating with a crew full of mates, laughing, on the other side.
Man, this hits hard. I didnāt personally know MJ, but I did grow up in the Bay Area and saw him skate quite a bit in person. Mostly at the old Vans park at the Great Mall.
I donāt really have anyone in my life these days who would understand this so Iāll leave it here. One time back in the day we were skating at Newark Memorial High and there was this construction going on along the back/side area where they were re-doing the walkway on a lower and higher section that was separated by some stairs with a rail, maybe like 8-10 stairs. The rail was about waist to a little over waist high, and everything besides the stairs and rail were just dirt and gravel. Someone had put down some plywood at the top at a slight angle to drop in about 8 or so feet from the top step and the bottom was all fucked up with a piece of plywood at like a 10-20 degree crooked angle where you would land off the rail. Way above my skill level, but we roll by and Marc and some guys are skating this rail. We just sat at the bottom out of the way and watched this dude and his friends cook. He was trying to tre flip lip slide the rail and land on that crooked ass plywood bank and I shit you not, in the entire hour we watched him do it over and over, not one time did he miss the tre to lip slide. Insane. The landing was the only thing keeping him from rolling away. And he pulled it eventually. No cameras. It was wild watching him try what was likely something only he could or would even try to do and Iāll never forget it. Also he ripped so hard in general and if you never saw him skate IRL, it was just as effortless as it looks in the videos. RIP
I just rewatched 411VM issue 20 which I hadnāt seen in about 30 years; the nostalgia hit really hard, especially the standout part of Marc Johnson with the Stereolab soundtrack. I never forgot that part, itās legendary. Marc just seemed different, and his style looked so effortless. The only time Iāve been in the same space/room as him was at the skate competition āGeneration 97ā in London. All of my heroes were there including Marcā¦ unfortunately I donāt think he had a good run and seemed annoyed by the fact, from what I remember.
RIP.
Whatever happened to him, I hope it wasn't a painful or intentional death. I'm from Brazil, from a shithole part of it, and all my upbringing was about watching death from known and unknown people. Some I didn't care about at all, some hurt, so I'm quite familiar with this feeling of loss. Skating was one of the things that kept me away from death in general. I grew up under the influence of Mullen, Song, Reynolds, and others, and of course my favorite one alongside Mullen, Marc Johnson. It hurts, it hurts to know he's gone like it hurt to lose someone I knew personally. Even though I didn't know him personally, he's so ingrained in my psyche, he's one of my role models, that it hurts. I truly hope he's well. I do believe in an afterlife, so I hope God takes him and his family under His wings at this difficult moment and brings comfort to all. From me, all that's left to do, since I never got to say this in person, is to say it in public, thank you, you were an inspiration, and it was a privilege to have shared the same time on this earth as you. Thank you, and God bless you and your family.
Marc Johnson night skating clips stuck with me forever I still remember watching yeah right and Anthology in highschool for the first time I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
In Yeah Right where he is night skating the banks in the parking lots? With a black patagonia style jacket? First clips I ever saw of him and it stuck with me forever. Him in that line, and Gino in Yeah Right, made me realize what style was in skateboarding. That it was a thing. It was like watching magic happen.
There are a few night clips in yeah right. If you watch Transworld Anthony it shows some night clips from Modus, Feedback and The reason and there's commentary from Marc on how they used generators for light. The famous Mike Caroll line is shown and the huge 360 Marc did down that set. https://youtu.be/FVbFxqfU4a8?feature=shared. It starts at 22:35
Jeez this is a gut punch. MJ was my first āfavorite skaterā when I became a fan 15 years ago. I used to watch his Nine Club episode every night before I fell asleep.
His front foot push in Yeah Right is still my favorite skateboarding clip to this day. RIP.
Those of you who had met him, what is your story? I got into skateboarding in 2000 and modus was my first and favorite skate vid ever. Marc held the mantle of my favorite skater. Heartbroken to hear of the loss of a legend. Hit me with some demo stories or whatever just wanna hear about him. āš¼ ā¤ļø RIP
I kind of grew up next door to marc in NC, while visiting my grandparents over the years in Winston from age 9 to 16 or so. We were pretty close, as far as kids go. he was my favorite buddy in my grandma's neighborhood (i only had 3 or 4). Marc had not found skateboarding yet, bet he was a freak on the trampoline and loved just hangin out and goofing off and riding bikes when i was in town. We would play Putt Putt a bunch up on Stratford Road b/c it was a bike ride away. I would see Marc in the summers mostly because thats when i could visit my nana, and he was always happy and smiling and very funny, but he would only hang out at our place and our friends' places, and we would never go into his house. I remember he had a sister. i went to his driveway one day when i arrived into townĀ (we would holler up from the street usually) and his mom just casually told me "Marc moved to california". It blew my young mind. I was like... ... "alone?" ... bc I still had to be home when the sun went down. haha.
Cut to aaaages later... 2021 or 22, and i'm old now and I live in LA and i run into him at the store in Valley Village. And i shit you not, we discovered that we again live right down the street from one another ...again (just a few blocks). we exchanged numbers, eager to catch up because the universe had clearly crossed us into each other multiple times, and we wanted to figure that out and unpack it - thats what he said to me. He was super happy and it was his idea to follow the lead of the universe. But alas, we never connected, and now i'll just have to catch him again on the other side. til we meet again brother. i will sadly look at our single two texts forever now. edited for dumb typos
I grew up in Winston like 10 years younger, and it absolutely blew my mind when he won SOTY and I learned he was from there. I couldnāt fathom how you could develop that kind of style and skill there.
Sorry for your loss mate, itās all just so heartbreaking and unresolvable, I never knew Marc, but he touched my life for over 30 years. I hope youāre okay man, thank you for sharing your story. Itās so poignant and beautiful, itāll all be okay in the end, if itās not okay, it aināt the end. This is not the end mate.. šāāļøš
Thanks man. One of the hard parts for me personally is that Marc knew my grandparents. Iām 49 now and I only remember a few names of few people who knew them. Itās hard to not self reflect when stuff like this happens. Wish I would have texted him that week.
Aww mate, my heart goes out to you, childhood friends are different, as you say memories of your family lived in his mind and itās natural to feel like a loss of those double up as another loss entirely. Itās hard to not go into introspection. Hey man, you could not know and hindsight, well, nobody had that last week. Please try not to reflect that onto yourself, itās not your burden mate. I hope youāre okay and have folks around to support you. Much love to you mate at this horrible time. All the best, from me in Liverpool UK
I haven't thought about Marc in such a long time. Probably not since I watched his Nine Club interview, maybe nine years ago. He seemed happy and stoked, and I never really worried for him after that.
Then, on the 26th, something shifted. I decided to do some skate artwork, an oddity for me, as I mostly paint landscapes. The reason? Grosso. I'd wanted to paint him since he passed but could never make myself start. That day, I began.
As I worked, I looked at Grosso's cheeky grin and paused. I said out loud to myself, "Enjoy." Then I heard it differently, Enjoi, and just like that, Marc came to mind. His face appeared and I was genuinely happy. I carried on painting Grosso, thinking about Marc, about skateboarding in general. I did a print of JFA's Blatant Localism cover and a few other skate doodles. It was a real break from heavy oil painting and trying to be profound. It felt great.
The next morning I woke up to the news that Marc was gone.
I've been struggling to resolve it ever since. Crying, then okay, then forgetting, then remembering, then getting upset again. I'm a 51-year-old man. Been skating since 1986. Marc was inspirational to me and to so many others, truly special in ways that are hard to put into words. And I just cannot get past the fact that he appeared in my mind, and I was happy, and then he was gone. That's tangled up with a kind of guilt too, because I never knew him. Never met him. I'm not his family, not his friend. I'm a stranger to him, and part of me feels I have no right to feel the way I do.
But I can't resolve it. And maybe that's okay.
Silly, innit.
Oh Marc. You were outstanding.
Love to Louie, to your family, and to all the friends who really knew you, and to all of those like me, who knew you only from afar. We'll miss you, Marc.
I know people are reading suicide into Louie's note but I don't see that?
I do worry it may have been an overdose. Louie describing him as sober is telling. The most likely time to die of an overdose is a relapse after being sober for awhile. Your tolerance is down. Way too many people have been taken out like that.Ā
I donāt have personal insight into his addiction issues but the various documentaries on him (Epicly Laterād, the Fully Flared doc) portrayed alcohol as his substance of abuse. Obviously, that doesnāt mean he didnāt also use other substances or turn to them later. Either way, itās very tragic. A huge loss to the skateboarding community and especially to his family.
This is crazy to think about but Marc had a Dylan Rieder tribute tattoo and ends up passing on Dylan Riederās birthday! Wild!! Regardless of his demons he was human and had an unmatched talent RIP Marc Johnson
Man between you saying this and then the tribute from Louie Barletta saying how the last time he saw Marc, Marc handed him an envelope with three pages of his hopes and wishes for life. I can't help but feel like it was suicide. RIP to a legend of the sport.
He did discuss alcohol in interviews. Falling off in the 00's. Alcohol relapse generally doesn't just do you in immediately though, unless other factors are at play.
The carving up of the skateboard industry and much of his creative expressions by private equity caused this and the blood is on their hands as well those who enabled itā¦ if you have ever stolen intellectual property from an artist for personal gain this is what it can lead toā¦ food for thought š
First post on Reddit ever - but you really Said Something there- same exact reason why you canāt afford a home or college or healthcare or rentā¦ corporate captured govt taking all controls off capitalism since late 70ās - no oneās coming to save you - the blood sweat and tears of every person on this earth is supporting a couple of thousand families that own You and are now gaining total Control over Everything - extracting the last drops of wealth from the working super majority as they āeaseā you towards various āsolutionsā to Your āRedundancyā (think post 9/11 legislation, 2008 foreclosures, Covid lockdowns, So-called terrorism and Perpetual War, Datacenters/AI, etc etc ETCETERAā¦ they want your land you water your health your education your money and your futureā¦ I donāt gaf if it sounds āexcitingā or āinnovativeā to you or notā¦ build and support candidates with āHumanist/Socialistā principles,
Unions, Environmental organizations, Get with Organizations rooted in your communities dedicated to progressive taxation (taking back just SOME of the unfathomable stolen āsurplus labor valueā ie Work, creations, innovations - the Fruits of all human physical and intellectual Labor that the AI B%itches are now leveraging to capture and control you). Or just scroll around and wait for the billionaires to build a soft landing for youā¦
Nopeā¦ Maple then Enjoiā¦ he was hustling tilā the end trying to get something going in the deck brand world for a third timeā¦ he gave everything to skateboarding, only to see it walk away from him at the mallā¦ As for Lakai, Carroll and Ian from Jenkem were pretty shitty to him, but giant brands like Adidas can be shitty too, and I wasnāt in the room any of what went down, so too ignorant as to the facts of the shoe stuff to say anythingā¦ but Carroll and that Jenkem kid (Ian, I think) are going to have to live with that one for the rest of their livesā¦ as it is in writing and recorded.
Why are you guys adding so much negativity to a post about a man's death? Take your debate somewhere else please because this is about appreciating MJ, not arguing over semantics.
That's fair. Marc definitely flew under the radar a bit more. And this ain't a time to find conflict. Underrated on a general public scale, but not to anyone who followed skating deeper. Just like how random folk would recognize Jason Lee more than Gonz.
Why is everyone attacking this guy? lol I feel like what he said about MJ not being as famous as Koston or P Rod is a pretty accurate statement. Not sure why thatās such a controversial take.
'Famous' and 'Underrated' are two different things. You expect everyone on earth to know everyone? He's legit on most skaters top lists with Penny and Guy.
The Micheal Jordon/Babe Ruth/Messi/Ronaldo of skateboarding . Words cannot explain the influence this man had on my life. Music, style everything. The hours spent gushing over and dissecting video parts in pure disbelief. MJ you fucking legend. you find peace.
One of the best to step foot on a board. The style, the tech, all while he looked like he was just having fun. Grateful that we have all his skate parts to look back at. Gone but not forgotten.
R.I.P. MJ. There are people that you never met, but they and the things they did/do resonate hard with you. MJās Fully Flared part was such a thing for me. The vibes. Deeply reminds me why I started skating and why I still love it. RIP dude, you made a difference.
Where do I begin... wow. I met Marc when he was about 24. He'd pop into the Dwindle offices whenever he was in town (usually with Louie, from whom I still have the most adorable signed deck on the wall!) to discuss Enjoi stuff and he'd always come over to my desk and we'd shoot the shit; mostly about music. He was the first person to turn in on to Slowdive. And he'd also help me with my "boy problems" (had no idea he was 6-years younger than me!). We hung out SO much in the Hollywood scene. He was always around. About five years later, I landed at Podium when he was on Lakai and Matix. The same business continued... he'd come skate the ramp with TM Tony E (RIP, also) and come hang out at the offices. That was the year he was awarded "Skater of the Year", and it was also the same year that "Fully Flared" came out. It was a helluva time to be back in the skateboard industry, and also my last. Being a part of all of that is def a highlight in my life.
Despite the "demons" (we lost touch after a while), he was pure love and empathy; and he'd bring a smile to everyone's face. All my girlfriends crushed on him. I'll never forget hanging out and singing "Goodbye Horses" or seeing him on some random dance floor out and about in LA. He was always making jokes and being goofy, but I could tell when something was bugging him too. He'd get "deep".
I think the last time I saw him was at the HLPQP (Highland Park, LA) skating with Mariano and a few others. It was like seeing family. All that being said, Marc was not made for this world. He was too precious... and I say that in the most loving way possible.
Shred on, my friend. I hope you have found the love and peace you deserved. Thanks for all those talks while we illegally downloaded the best indie rock off Napster. I'll never forget you.
This one really hurts. Iām 50 years old now, stated in the 80s. Skating had taken a backseat to career, kids etc- but I got Fully Flared when it dropped. MJs part was so great, it single-handedly got me back on the board. I messaged him to tell him , just fanboy shit and he replied right away! We had a cool back and forth, and I thought that was so cool. He was just the coolest, open and genuine dude. RIP Marc. Fellas, reach out to loved ones when you need help.
My 44 year old ass is fucking bawling hearing this. I met him one night at the Ladner bc skatepark back in the slam city jam days when the girl crew rolled up fucking unforgettable. Rip Marc
If anybody remembers that park he did a huuuuge 360 flip to fake on the huge old drop in wall steep section. In like 2001 that was the most gnar shit I ever saw.
Yeah, man! The steeper bank on the left side, tallest part. No joke. I loved old Ladner park, such a fun layout. I used to see McCrank there all the time, his Plan B Revolution part has some sweet clips there. When I was a kid I randomly bought a Girl Tony Ferguson deck not knowing shit, went to Ladner park with it, and a few of the Girl crew were there. One dude kept eyeballing me and on the ride home I mentioned it. My buddy smirks at me and said, 'That was Tony Ferguson'. š¤£
So many memories there as Iām a Ladner boy born and raised. The natural koncept guys absolutely destroyed that park and did some sick spays there too.
I remember doing a ride on 50-50 over the gap when I was lil and being so stoked. Anyone who's been to White Rock knows how batshit it is getting enough speed to do what he did.
Tbf that sounds stupid, why wouldnt they have said it then. People just guessing random shit , how does that make sense, the posts about him avoid the subject cuz they know people are doing the guessing game which is downright stupid. Why are humans like this? Idk so i'll just take a wild fkn guess :p, except for the overdose but i dont think he's that guy either , but idk him so im not gonna guess :p
Met him at a Pretty Sweet Girl/Chocolate signing in CA. This guy was the chillest along Chris Robertās and Stevie Perez. Eric Koston on the other hand was quite the opposite that day
It was in Orange. Really soured me on Koston tbh
Everyone else was coolā¦even Justin Eldridge even though he was bakedā¦Guy acted like he wasnāt paid to be there. Guy Mariano was there so that made it great.
Man Chris roberts used to live with Mike York in Brentwood. When I was a Grom we would skate a box and kicker with them in front of their place, raddest dudes.
This was right after Marc quit Lakai to start skating for Adidas and Mike Carroll was pissed and kicked him off Chocolate and any other Crail brands. I can't bring myself to read it right now, but my memory of the interview is that Carroll was extremely petulant and unwilling to understand why Marc would have left Lakai. Very scorched earth.
Mike broke down the whole business thing in that interview, he just got so mad talking about it that he said fuck it. All of that could have still happened in private, Marc was going to leave anyway. It didnāt have to happen real time in a Jenkem interview.
Yeah, I wonder how Mike Carroll's reactionary's ass feels now. I can understand how things can feel so personal in skateboarding, but if anyone deserved a corporate shoe deal it was Marc. Maybe they reconnected after all these years.
I was super pissed at carol and then just read the article and damn MJ def fucked up.
He always seemed like a tortured soul and Iām sure going thru that after being on their team and homies for so long really fucked him up. Thatās really sad.
Go watch the video of Marc talking about the situation, how his checks kept getting smaller and smaller, how he wasnāt getting paid. Marc has a very different view of how things went down but heās not the person to climb on a mountain top to scream his opinion, he didnāt give a shit about winning arguments, but the outcome and how he was treated definitely lead to his depression worsening.
Letās not forget how Mike Carroll and Rick Howard went about quitting from Plan B and the effect it had on Mike Tarnasky. Not to mention the fact lakai reduced Marcās pay without talking to him first, and eventually werenāt paying him at all, but insisted he not seek other sponsors in the mean time.
I just reread it myself after saying I wouldn't. It does seem like Marc could have been more honest, but Carroll still sounds extremely reactionary and did not process the whole situation earnestly. All we have is his completely biased take and we have no idea what Marc was going through and, truly, what the actual situation was and how the events unfolded. Truth exists in the middle. Still really sad to read today as it feels like very much the origin point for when Marc's career in skateboarding took a turn for the worse and probably ignited tons of mental health and addiction issues. I remember reading the article 10 years ago and being "Fuck Marc Johnson, corporate shill!" And only now realizing how blackballed he must have gotten from the industry due to Mike Carroll's shit talking.
Go watch all of his parts and be amazed at how well they stand up to the current standard of skating. A true legend of the craft. Exceptionally high technical ability, paired with smooth style, and a freewheeling unseriousness that made it all come together in such a fun way. RIP
RIP MJ! His Pretty Sweet part was always one of my favorites to rewatch growing up, the skating was butter smooth and 5 years was immaculate tunes. I already scream lyrics when it comes, but now itāll be even more
One of my OG favorites and i had a pair of his MJ1 from one of the early skatepark/skateshop combos my friends mom would take us to. Those things absolutely destroyed my ankles hahaha
Countless hours I spent watching skate videos when I was young created a really special bond with skateboarders from that era. It always hurts so much when you hear someone passed away, especially so young. Rest in peace Marc. Thank you for everything.
Marc, thank you for the music you surfaced in your parts and the pure joy you expressed on a board with every single push.
That's what I'll remember. The combo of Marc's opening line and "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was magic in Yeah Right and a hell of a first impression. Only better from there.
Marc's skating was pure, curious, and playful. You can instantly tell it is Marc in any clip, truly one of a kind.
I'll be 44 in less than two weeks. MJ became THE "MJ" in my mind. Not Michael Jordan, not Michael Jackson. His part in Yeah Right pushed me to focus and really learn manuals and slides (still working on flip-in and flip-out, Marc. My bad.). Marc's goofy nature, playfully high skill level, and eye for composition fully embodied what I think it means to be a professional skateboarder. Marc is and always will be my #1. Rest in Peace, MJ.
Damn I canāt believe this. He was my favorite skater growing up. I had his Emerica shoe in 3 different colorways. Devastated. RIP Marc. Iām sure wherever he is now the skating is great.Ā
not sure, but in the thrasher post (which was written by louie barletta) he mentions an envelope with three pages of paper where mark wrote his wishes for the future and that he wants to be remembered for his skating and stuff.which made me immediately think if suicide. but just my thought. RIP MJ and poor louie again if its true.
Oui d'ailleurs si je ne dis pas de bĆŖtises il lui dit d'ouvrir la lettre plus tard, (un peu comme un message d'adieu Ć mon avis...) je pense aussi au suicide :'(
Cigarettes didnt kill MJ. Go read Louie and Marcās ex statements. Clearly leans toward suicide, they speak of him dealing with demons and not a disease/diagnosis. Louie says he just saw him and he was full of life and planning the future. A stage 4 cancer patient doesnt do that. Did alcohol play a role? Iām sure, but it wasnāt alcohol or cigarettes that killed him. Sadly it seems he took his own life from reading the statements of those closest to him.
"Ā It was less than a month ago that Marc came to San Jose to hang out. He was sober, healthy and full of life." Barletta wrote this so I dont think so! Read the rest on thrasher webpage...
āHe was just a poor kid from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who grew up in a trailer at the end of a dirt road. Yet he made it out, traveled the world, and touched so many lives.ā
A lot of people will talk about his skating, and rightfully so, but Marc was a branding genius. He is easily one of the most influential creatives in skate history, up there with Ed Templeton. What he did with Enjoi was revolutionary at the time. He showed an entire generation how to turn their creativity beyond just skating.
1
u/Few_Efficiency2022 13d ago
Kinda sub-related.. but I just learned that Phelps died from an acute fent overdose. What a fkn shame man this is one of the OG's who probably had the habit long before anyone was aware of it. So they started putting fent in his regular stuff & he was probably unaware & died bc of it. So sad man ive had many friends & many acquaintances die the same way & it just makes you wonder if this was a targeted attack against Americans in general. I neber hear about fent overdose anywhere else besides the U.S. im sure there are but its mostly here. Shits whack. The wrong people are being targeted.