Matt Hensley Plan B Questionable

[armin38822]

when did he ''officially'' retire ?

[sumasalts2xxx]

then was when i liked plan b

[xyfb]

believe it or not he now works at a morgue (and was recently disciplined for stealing a gold ring from a corpse!)

[cheeseyg911]

@xyfb What the hell are you smoking!!! He owns Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub and Grill and plays the accordian for Flogging Molly!!!

[cheeseyg911]

@xyfb Dude you have no clue what you are talking about!!! He owns Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub and Grill and plays the accordian for Flogging Molly!!!

[cheeseyg911]

@xyfb 

[AMcKenzie1177]

Why did he retire so early? He was ahead of his time for sure!

[lynus111]

@AMcKenzie1177 he left to become a paramedic, I think he got disalusioned with the skate scene

[477lolizgoood]

i met his dad today, who lives in the same mobile homepark a my grandpa, and he said he'd hook me up with some duff shoes

[skamaster48]

he is in floggin molly now

[freakoutguitarsolo1]

5050 early grab-out. was my fav back in the day, i still pull them off on big quarterpipes lol frontside 5050 early grab out, mike v still does them too sometimes

[NeuralNetProcessor]

I'd kill for a vid of all that old footage of Hensley from back in the day like 88-91 back when skateboarding was cool. Fuck that i'd kill for footage from back in those days of any of those guys: Hassan, Barbee, Hensley, Tommy G...

[TheRalphus666]

I remember 10x30 decks,medium size wheels ,shoe goo and/or duct tape on your kicks

[rebusd]

goddamn did I love Hensley.

And let me go on record that the TWS review coverage of Shackle vs. their simultaneous coverage of Public Domain (I'm talking same column) was, shall we say, corrupt at best, lol. At the time, I thought SMN blew any of the powell stuff away, but that was just the skate-dork in me... time has taught me dif.

[freezazoid]

hensley was in Questionable? I don't remember that. 

[kingnocomply]

it does look like he helped pave the way for street skatboarding , 5 stars

[srarcade]

Matt helped inovate skating so much back then he really skated outside of the box. I remember the first time I saw the king size model when it came out i was like "which way is the nose!? you can ride it either way!" A year later all new decks were following suit. And then came the really small wheels...

[BungleBone]

Yeah Matt.

[woolgathered]

Yup. Matt was such a great influence on me back then. He was leading skating into more tech but he still had his surf influenced style. A couple years later, wheels were tiny, pants were huge, tricks were switch and the style was cockroach. And Matt retired at the top of his game. Can't ask for anything better than that.

Matt, Natas, Lee, Dressen, Gonz, Vallely.

[codelocator]

Totally agree, I'd add Guerrero to that list too though.

[mikebythesun]

Hell yeah, Tommy G. How could I forget!

[ZAKROCKER93]

@woolgathered what about tommy g

[Lavern4101]

@woolgathered Right on but sub Vallely for Klein.

[Ishouldsk8more]

What Jam song is this???

[SevenSkateboards]

@Ishouldsk8more i dunno dude... sorry.

[SevenSkateboards]

@Ishouldsk8more ... actually I do know...

i just had woken up ya see.. er.... its The Jam - News Of The World .

... and YEs, you should skate more.

[Ishouldsk8more]

ty.

[ZZmemberZZ]

I remember when H street's video came out. They were on a different level. Hokus Pokus,Shakle Me Not. They were killing every other company out there.

[codelocator]

Hokus Pokus and the first Blind and World Industries vids, around the same time. And what times..

[ZZmemberZZ]

@codelocator jesus a long time ago. I think it was 89 or 90? Blind "video days" 91' Shit I had that Jason Lee board. World Industries "Rubish Heap" was good. I had the Ron Chapman with the Hendrix lookin board.Jeremy Klein was in it and Rodney Mullen switched from freestyle board to street. that was in 89' All were video tapes that I watched and studied until I broke them or stretched the tapes.Then i borrowed and copied friends until I killed them too.Over and over again.

[makenvolborg]

fakie 540 oille.done in 1992.

what the fuck.

thats some mad shit right there

[luis12w]

that blew my mind...

[chicochongo74]

My first introduction to my step father was "I'll give you whatever you want to rip up our old deck and make shit clean" I did it and went and bought a Hensley H-street (Wrap around poll model) and killed it. Thank you Matt!

[chicochongo74]

Matt was awesome! Loved him as a kid,love him now! I'm glad he quit on top of his game and became a perimedic in Chicago and then went on to play in Flogging Molly. Matt is one of us and will always be missed and a hero.

[latino1302]

I had both decks, the king size and the shorter one. both with Mc mgill were soo cool!

[rebusd]

anybody remember the Jovantea backside kickflip ad at Wallenberg (spring 95)? I actually witnessed that photo session (jan 95) from the west side of the yard, and Sheffey gave me the most fucked up "don't even look at us" look from the third seat of the four. I still get chills. His Santa Cruz part was the shit.

[solares75]

this dude was an inspiration to me fucking great yeahh¡¡

[rcrice93]

In a sense and in response to a lower comment, that's why freestyle appealed to me, as unpopular as it was. The beauty was its simplicity; the skater, the deck, and the ground. No rails, ramps, or edges. Those guys were well ahead of their time, as evidence in its evolution to current style of tricks. In any event I watched the street sessions a la Hokus Pokus every goddamn morning for a year straight. The soundtrack was even amazing. you can now purchase The Cry on iTunes. Peace

[rcrice93]

For example, Sean Sheffey, one of the sickest skaters of that time too and vastly underrated could do almost any trick you asked him. Believe me I know because I grew up in DC and skated Liberty Square with him almost weekly. But his style was dirty. He could ollie a 5' fence but it looked awful if you're honest about it. Matt's style was clean and let's be honest, just fucking charming.

[travelintrevor]

I skated with Sean a few times before or around the time he turned pro for SHUT back in the late 80's...back on Andrews in PGC.

[rcrice93]

Indeed Alva has balls made of part demon, part grizzly, part grey matter. Matt's influence was more than just doing more stuff. So I think to argue who's arsenal was packed with more stuff is irrelevant. It's style. When you chisel away at the trick itself and you account for personal style and I believe that should be the foundational requisite for who is better.

[bizmarckfernandez]

I suspect that Matt quitting had to do with the evolution of skating into much more freestyle-inspired tech skating, and like Natas, Eric D and Jason Lee, he probably wasn't into that. Remember back then street skating culture wasn't impressed with the super tech antics of freestyle skating. In fact, freestyle was pretty gay back then. And up comes a new crop of skaters who do nothing but tech and Matt and those others realized they weren't equipped or even interested in going toe to toe.

[kap1alkaline3]

When i first started skatin (93) Matt was the cardiel of the time. Meaning he had the respect of every single industry skater, hands down. Skatin today needs more Matt Hensleys....(i still skate {never quit})...

[rcrice93]

matt was the sickest skateboarder, but the entire H-Street team was groundbreaking. Matt had that charisma that every skater wanted and not personal charisma but that personality of your style and expression. To me, being a technical skater was my goal - unlike the Alvas of the world who were outstanding but not nearly as influential as Matt was to me. Matt was a better skater than Hawk back in the day because of his style - and he was pulling 720 ollies on mini ramps.

[themainus]

two very diff sk8ers.and that was a 540 ollie not a 720.they really cant be compaired.shit jason lee was killing it at that time.he was doing more shit than hensley in 92.but i hung out with both and they're both way cool people

[rcrice93]

Agreed. And you're right--540, not 720. The difference between Alva and Hensley is vast. Two very different skaters because they were two very different people. I skated with both--once in a contest where Matt was a judge and once in a pool where Alva put on one of the most impressive shows without even trying.

[blacksuperbowl]

lol no he did 720 on mini ramps look at matt hensley never forget

[themainus]

nope!!!thats was a 540 stupps!!!and more like a 360 with part kick turn....still super sick but not even close to a 720!!!on a ramp to do a 720you have to go into it fakie then you land foward or the opposite.

[blacksuperbowl]

no he does a 720 in the realted videos the one that says "Matt Hensley (Never Forget)"

[eDDOsteeze]

HES A LABEL SKATER!!

black label yo

[janzerv1]

Dude, you're an idiot. Hensley was sick. Label or not, who gives a shit?

[Ishouldsk8more]

Sweet song.. I am thinking it "The Jam"...?

[revertpictures]

yes........" news of the world "

[MagicmanofOdin]

Matt was the skater in the late 80's that i was most influenced by.The shakle me not and hokus pokus videos i watched religously.I tried to learn every single street trick Matt was doing.Before ever watching a H~street video i had been skating for 6 years.The last trick i learned was the 360 kickflip.I remember reading a Transworld Tom Know said"once a skater, always a skater"This to me couldnt be more true.I quit skating in 1991 if i wouldnt have it would have been 23 years of skateboarding.

[MagicmanofOdin]

Excuse me i meant "Tom Knox".Til this day i wish i would have never quit.But as we get older our bodies cant do the same things we did as kids.Now all i have is a bad back suregery and memories of the best years of my life.

[MagicmanofOdin]

By the way... Matts deck with the ray of lights on it was the best fucking deck i've ever skated on!!! I've gota dollar on a platter!!!!

[rudelol]

yea ur right..i had that board too, seemed like it gave me super powers!

[PlanBskater87755]

I wish you well. =( It's sad that you can't skateboard again

[oldkookskater]

I'm sorry to read your post... is there any way you can get back into skating but do more carving - less of the street-tech stuff? I skated until 1990 and then I quit only to start again in 2000. My back was killing me all the time but skating and just carving around loosens it up a lot. I can't really do the street-stuff I did when I was a kid but the carving and pumping around the bowls/ pools has been good for me.

[unionjackthelad]

you should watch a recent vid.

overground broadcasting,i skated 89-98 and new vids dont feel the same.

the vid i mention is pure class,360 flips mixed with no complys and wallrides.

to watch it feels like they had great session like we all used to rather than the pure ultra tech shite thats spammed out the usa

[homeimports]

Yeah when i was skating back in the day, this was the man in my eyes

[cremefresche]

Check out the end at 0:57...Hensley looks like Barack Obama!! Got the same smile!! lol!

[almostnikeskater]

my name is matt hensley! wierd. and i skate...

[hensly77]

1 footed 540 frickin sweet bro

[Royfokker73]

Everyone I know was sad when we saw this video back then. He was a major influence for anyone skating back in those days.

[MBB138]

the song is called News of the world by The Jam

[zjoos]

what's the song called?

[aypster29]

motherfuckin ripper.

[4130aykut]

For me, as a Skater from the late 80`s till middle 90`s: Skateboarding = Matt Hensley!!! Hope to have a Show soon with you as your support;-)))

[EddieRadil]

He was ahead of his time and paved away for alot of the triks being done today.

[salton4]

awsome video! i must admit though that this is the first time ive seen matt skate, and this is mind blowing. i know him more from flogging molly. anyways thanks for the vid!

[Buurg]

540 on street... I've never seen anyone else do those. Matt was a real skate champ.

[morpher910]

i think the best steet skaters of that time were rodney mullen and matt hensley

[Nitrousx]

@Buurg i've seen a few.

But yeah Matt is a champ fo sho. He just won the TWS legend award

[ollieimpossiblepizza]

@Buurg brian lotti did it down 3 stairs in the planet heart video 1991

[evorobin]

@ollieimpossiblepizza

Actually more like 450 degrees tbh

[Nietsro]

Who can do no complies the two stances and 180,360 out of them and who can do a 540 on street? This dude can. and chris

[Nietsro]

Who can do no complies the two stances and 180,360 out of them and who can do a 540 on street? Chris cole. noone else. maybe alex but i doubt it....

[dgarvin1]

These guys (Hensley, Lotti, etc.) retired early because back in the early nineties a professional skater made 20k a year if he was LUCKY. Most lived in cars, on people's couches, in pantries, whatever. Some people just can't live like homeless people and I can't blame them. It sucks to think what the fans like us missed out on though

[planbsick]

yea, i wish he was still around his part is good...

[toynazi]

no doubt, he was a huge influence on me growing up.

[toynazi]

he didnt quit because he wasnt making money! thats not what it was about for him. my uncle lived in vista down the street from him for a long time. i have a hensley board that was never released to public that i could probably sell for a fortune. but never would

[dgarvin1]

I didn't say he "quit."

I said "retired from professional skateboarding."

[toynazi]

he still rides!

[bbbokkk]

matt made damnn good money back then , he was one of the top guys. he quit because he didnt wanna try to keep up with all the new guys who were on plan b and all the other companies who were coming up. he was great but there were 100 guys who were also really good and younger and hungrier. just so you know , the average pro skater in cali TODAY makes less than $20k a year. people think they are rich cause they have a deck and alot of them are making no more than a grand a month...sad but true.

[skate12]

jo q bueno

[Patrick81291]

Hye gguys... matt isnt in flogging molly anymore either.. he ritired to spend time with his family so rumours go

[freestKyle2]

Oh my god I knew there was a skateboarder in Flogging Molly named Matt Hensley but i never knew he was the same guy from the H-street videos. This guy was seriously one of the most progressive skaters in the early 90's when skating was dead. I always wondered what happened to him because i was blown away by his skating but I just didn't know his name.

[wtsek]

Hensley should have never retired.

[BongForBreakfast]

oh my fucking god. Ive been skating since 99 and i cant believe i just watched that part. the things he was doing in the late 80's were nuts. he better be in skateboarding still

[northerner1]

Matt's still skating a bit but his main job is in an Irish style punk band called Flogging Molly now.

[johnneedslove]

when that oillie nose manual over the table came out all of teh heads in the store freakin bugged out. that was off teh charts ill i can tell you.....for that time we were all like "what the what??"

[tdaneri]

He was some kind of god. We used to see this stuff and keep stoned for days. you can't imagine the feeling watching this kind of things. he used to live with his grandma and showed her in his videos, proudly and lovely. And then, befor all the marketing, he suddenly said goodbye, like a virtual suicide leaving all us orphan. If he would stayed he would be very rich, but he was the last warror skatin just for the fun. You cannot imagine who this guy is.

Good luck Matt... we miss you!

[ljluck]

Hensley left behind a skate legacy

[thjones92]

why is he retired, but black label still puts out pro boards for him, and he is on the legends team? wierd

[pared1986]

some things have no explanation..brian lotti retired in 94..in the top of his career..thinkhe was not even 20 at that time...

[x20Cinema]

he came back kinda

[fabioschuma]

bons tempos, depois de 16 anos conheci o cara pessoalmente, valeu matt

[joeymrules]

Coolest man alive quite possibly. Amazing pro skate and former accordian player for 10 years of one of the most original and greatest live rock bands of all time Flogging Molly.

[MurdererAtFirst666]

awesome, he was his time miles ahead

[orsenandty]

Nothing like watching a icon grow thoughout the years.. KEEP IT F@#KI&% REAL....YEAH MATT!!

[gorillasareourfriens]

casi 20 años despues no hay quien tenga ese estilo

[nollieboardslide]

wow fakie 540 !!

[twitchtwitchreel]

matt hensley, erric dression, natus capous you all will live on for ever in my heart. You inspired me to push myself beyond the norm of socity and go big.

God Bless

TTR

[blahblah6565]

damn son thats deep

[Wendal07]

It's Natas Kaupas actually, but yeah I fully agree. Natas, Jason Lee, Mark Gonzales and Matt Hensley are myi all time favorites by far. I will always love these guys.

[twitchtwitchreel]

Don't you ever wonder what the pro's of yesteryear are doing now? I wish I had kept my old skate video's! Does anyone remember Hocus Pocus from H Street? I have looked all over for that video.

[pared1986]

forget ...Hocus Pocus?? No way!!..first time i watched was back in 99...unforgetable...

[bizmarckfernandez]

If you first saw Hokus Pokus in 99 and were blown away, just imagine what it was like seeing that video come out in 89 or 90. It blew everyone away completely. Pop shove it backside grabs over garbage cans was RIDICULOUS back then. Not to mention the feeble grinds on handrails. Huge.

[boatynoh]

skatevideosonline(dot)net

d.o.p.e.

[bizmarckfernandez]

Hokus Pokus and Shackle Me Not have been re-released on DVD. You can get them on line really easy, especially eBay.

[jeysonzimerer]

nooossa eu me lembro desta época...andando de skate em santana com o apoena e o alexandre ribeiro na zn...como diria o thaide: que tempo bom que nao volta...nunca mais