When John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, isn’t digging under the crawl spaces of Inland Empire homes to fix clogs and leaks, he’s digging through archives to create online content that champions the region’s musical history.
“When I started creating content, I felt that a lot of other creators had made a name for themselves by making fun of Riverside,” Dixon said during a recent phone interview. “I never wanted to make fun of Riverside. I love Riverside. It’s a beautiful place with a lot of great people, history and stories. That’s what I wanted to portray.”
At 10 years old, he found a passion for creating content on YouTube’s early ad-free days. Under different pseudonyms, he’s done sketch comedy, documentary-style videos, and created science experiments on TikTok. While Dixon had fun experimenting with different styles, none quite took off for him.
That is, until he launched Riverside’s Plumber in July 2024.
Dixon, born and raised in Corona and working full-time as a self-employed plumber, has always been a music enthusiast who started listening to punk rock icons such as The Clash, Ramones, Black Flag, and Iggy Pop in high school. His love of music lore and interest in the history of his hometown became the recipe for success.
On Instagram, he delves into the musical history of Riverside and the Inland Empire, and has garnered more than 20,000 followers since the account’s inception. His Instagram videos cover topics ranging from the soul music scene in Riverside to the history of punk rock in Corona, as well as the origins of the local ska punk band Voodoo Glow Skulls. He said he gathers sources for his videos by interviewing three to four people and by having everyday conversations with locals at places like Penrose Records and other Inland Empire staples.
John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) John Dixon (R), aka Riverside’s Plumber, and his plumbing mentor, Curtis Hagen (L). Dixon will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) Show Caption1 of 5John Dixon, aka Riverside’s Plumber, will host a presentation at The Barn at UC Riverside on Tuesday, Oct. 21, focusing on the history of Riverside’s punk rock scene. Dixon, a full-time plumber, creates online content focused on the Inland Empire’s history. (Photo by Marvin Sandoval/@marvinsfilmgrain) Expand
“I’m making videos I want to make, and I’ve heard people call me a storyteller, and that’s a good way of putting it,” Dixon said. “When I’m sitting down and I have a topic that interests me, and if I can get someone to sit down with me long enough, I could find a story and then could flesh it out and tie it back to Riverside. I don’t necessarily even have to tie it back to Riverside, but there has to be, like an ‘aha’ moment that’s like a springboard in every video I make.”
His videos caught the attention of Glen Sturgeon, the archivist at the Riverside Main Library in Downtown Riverside, who asked Dixon if he’d be interested in presenting an open lecture on the punk rock scene in Riverside from 1979 to 1993. The lecture, based on more than 20 interviews with bands, venue owners, promoters, and punk rockers who were active during that period, took place at the library on Aug. 23 and drew such a large crowd that people were turned away at the door.
“I didn’t know all about Riverside punk rock, only knew bits and pieces that I had collected, but when Glen offered me that opportunity, I was on and cracking for six months straight,” he said. “I was chasing down leads, fact-checking, going through the archives and calling people. I probably made 100 phone calls to make that presentation happen.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by John Dixon (@riversidesplumber)
Dixon decided to add a follow-up event slated for Oct. 21 at the Barn in UC Riverside, dubbed “Downtown’s Decline: The Golden Age of Riverside Punk Rock,” which will focus on how changes in the economy affected downtowns across the U.S. and how those conditions intersected with the underground music scene in Downtown Riverside. The upcoming lecture, which will reference leading figures, venues, and bands, also drew local attention and sold out within a week. Both events selling out came as a surprise to Dixon.
“I had no idea it was going to be like that the first time around,” he said. “The official count was 50, but people in line who got turned away told me it seemed like more than that. I have trouble seeing myself as anything other than a plumber. I can sell out the library on Saturday, but Monday morning, I’m crawling under someone’s house. I still think of myself as a regular person, but I guess the content I’m creating is really resonating with people, and I’m really grateful for that.”
Dixon has been a plumber for nearly eight years and was previously under the mentorship of Curtis Hagen, who has been plumbing in Riverside for over 40 years and influenced Dixon to start his own business. A typical day for Dixon includes being on call for any plumbing jobs that come his way, hoping he’ll be “home in time for dinner.” When asked whether he would leave his plumbing gig for a full-time career as a content creator, he emphasizes that he doesn’t earn any money from his videos and sees it as more of a passion project he pursues in his spare time between plumbing jobs.
“It’s just fun for me,” he said. “Whenever I make content for other people, it’s not as exciting for me. It takes a lot of effort to make my videos. A good video can take me up to like 20 hours of research, rewrites, edits and filming. It takes me quite a while. It’s got to be something I really want to talk about, but plumbing takes care of me. It’s a good, honest career where I make good money, have time to pursue my hobbies, and still live a life that’s full of all the content I’m creating. So, I’m happy with the way things are right now.”
Downtown’s Decline: The Golden Age of Riverside Punk Rock
When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21.
Where: The Barn, HMNSS 1500, W Campus Drive, Riverside.
Tickets: Sold out via barn.ucrtickets.com.
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