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‘We said yes to everything!’ John Reis on his blistering punk career, from Hot Snakes to Rocket from the Crypt

He went from San Diego’s DIY scene to mega-budget albums and Top of the Pops. Now, grieving late bandmate Rick Froberg, he explains why he’s still punk’s hardest worker

Over the last 35 years, the hardest-working man in punk rock has recorded more than 25 albums and an avalanche of singles with groups including Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, the Night Marchers, Sultans and more; as Swami John Reis, he’s about to put out a blistering new LP, Time to Let You Down. Rocket aped the primal favourites of Reis’s teenhood – the Ramones, the Dictators, the Saints and Didjits – but their punk-rock party truly hit top gear after the group acquired a horn section. Arriving as grunge mouldered, Rocket dressed in matching uniforms and greaser quiffs, took pseudonyms – Reis was “Speedo” – and engaged in life-affirming rock’n’roll showmanship, including onstage fire-breathing and swinging guitars around their bodies like hula-hoops.

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