Those who have had the opportunity to witness
Hank St. John climb already know his amazing strength and abilities on the wall, but
what do we know about Hank off the wall? Recently Rock V5 Role had a chance to sit down with one Billy Hank St. John,
climber and artist extraordinaire, to ask a few questions about climbing
culture, fashion, and music. But most importantly, to find out what Role climbing plays in his life on and off
the wall. This is Hank St. John in Focus.
Rock V5 Role: How long have you been climbing?
Hank St.John: I think I am going on about 4 or 5 years now.
RvR: How did you get into it?
Hank: Went to the free climb at the wall at the
University of North Texas and was hooked immediately, although I had been and
avid tree and flag pole climber in my early days.
RvR: Have you ever competed in a legit indoor comp?
Hank: Nothing I would call legit, I have been to a
few college comps but I get bored filling out my score card about half way
through, I have a short attention span that way.
Photo by Jeline Guiles |
RvR: Do you prefer indoor or outdoor climbing?
Hank: I guess what I should say is outdoor but it
is all the same to me. The thing I like most about outdoor climbing is the
camping with friends’ part. I get about the same level of satisfaction sending
projects whether they be indoor or out.
RvR: The words of a true soul climber. What is
your favorite brand of climbing shoe?
Hank: 5.10 for sure. Although, I will take anything
that fits from the lost and found.
RvR: So you’re the one who's re-homing all those
lost souls.
Hank: Most of my climbing gear is either a hand-me
down, gift, or something I found. It’s almost like being sponsored, except I don’t
have to deal with the pressure.
RvR: I have herd the term "Hank Pants"
being thrown around gyms on multiple accounts.
Hank: While some practice the art of setting routes,
I set trends.
You see that Keller Wolfe has been wearing a tank top lately. He
got that from me.
RvR: Do you wear any of the major climbing brands
to send?
Hank: Well no, "Hank Pants" is actually
code for old brown polyester pants. I bought some linen pants from old navy and
thought they were awesome but I realized that butt sweat soaks through them way
to fast. Maybe I will find some Prana pants in the lost and found some day.
RvR: You’ve got to be careful, on a hot day butt sweat soaks through Mojos as well.
Hank: Maybe it’s a butt issue and not a pants issue.
RvR: How do you feel about climbing culture being lead into the main-stream media?
Hank: Well, I think as soon as Alex Honnold plummets
to his death that shit will be over and hopefully the gym will get less
crowded.
RvR: That darn Alex. Talks of climbing being an Olympic
sport will bring climbing to the masses in a different way; do you think the
Olympics will solidify climbing in pop culture?
Hank: I guess so; I don’t think that makes it main-stream
though, I don’t think pole vaulting or gymnastics is very main-stream. Whatever
interest popular culture has in climbing it will be a short lived fad just like
anything in popular culture.
RvR: Along with the progression of science and
tech, social networking and media, where do you see climbing culture moving in
the next 10 years?
Hank: I have no idea, I just hope I am able to still
be climbing 10 years from now, it has become such a big part of how I identify
myself I’m not sure what I would replace it with should I have to stop.
RvR: When climbing or training hard in the gym
what genre of music or artists do you prefer as background?
Hank: I would have to say hip hop, but for some
reason they are always blasting Katie Perry or Linkin Park at Exposure, I guess
after that abuse I could climb to anything.
RvR: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
What was the last concert you've been to?
Hank: There are plenty of house shows and small club venues around Denton
to see local music. But the last memorable show I went to was when Tom Waits
came to Dallas a couple of years go. I’m kind of a homebody.
RvR: Are there any upcoming shows or festivals you
want to see?
Hank: Well there is Lucian Freud exhibit at the Ft.
Worth Museum of Modern Art opening in a couple of days that I am super excited
for. Dude was a beast.
RvR: How do you exhibit Freud?
by Hank St. John |
Hank: Lucian was Sigmund Freud's grandson, he passed
away just recently. He was a painter, a great one at that.
RvR: I had no idea you had so much respect for the
arts, you must be an artist yourself. What mode do you create with?
Hank: Pen and ink almost 90% of the time
RvR: How long have you been drawing?
Hank: I have been drawing for as long as I can remember;
right now I am working on this big drawing of a mermaid with some kind of sea
plant growing out of her nipples.
RvR: Sincerely, I would love to see that when its
done. Where do you get your inspiration to draw?
Hank: I don’t know its second nature now. Everyone
filters the world around them and then re-constitutes the parts and expresses
it. Somehow I just do it through drawing.
by Hank St. John |
RvR: What do you enjoy more, drawing or climbing?
Hank: Damn, ummmmm, I think it’s climbing right now,
I obsess over it, I don’t really do that with drawing, both are important but I would rather go climb then sit down and draw.
RvR: Now readers in the climbing community will
see you for more than just the strongest soul climber in DFW!
Hank: Ha-ha, it’s funny, most people that I climb
with have no idea that I draw and I don’t have any idea what they do outside of
climbing and all of my artsy friends don’t really know anything about my
climbing life, it’s two different worlds.
RvR: Enter Rock Versus Role.
by Hank St. John |
Hank: It’s good though, when I get to the gym I just
want to nerd out on climbing.
RvR: If you could choose one song off the top of
your head that you want the readers to listen to what would it be and why?
Hank: Tom Waits "Don’t Go into that Barn" because
people should be weirded out by music sometimes, and not enough people listen
to the great Tom.
RvR: Thanks for your time and insight into the artsy
side of climbing culture and your other life!