Wildland
I NT E R V I E W: JAY A DA MS SAN CLEME NTE , CALIFORNIA PORTR AIT OF JAY BY JASON REPOSAR WORDS BY NINA HOOGSTR A ATE & JAY ADAMS
Ex-convict, former drug addict and one of the world’s most renowned skateboarders: Jay Adams gives us an insight into his surf and skate routine in Venice as part of the legendary Zephyr skate team, his views of gay marriage, women in skateboarding and surfing, and his gratitude towards the Man Upstairs.
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Can you describe the skateboarding/ surf scene in the 70s in three words? MY WHOLE LIFE What did a typical day look like as part of the Zephyr team? Well, I liked to surf before school then have a skate either on Bicknell Hill or catch the bus up to Paul Revere, and sometimes we’d all skate Pearl St. in Santa Monica after dark. What is your daily routine like now? Do you still surf and skate? We go to bed early and get up at 4am. My wife and I read the bible together for an hour or two, then we go to the gym and work out for about 2 hours or a lil bit more usually. We do an hour of weights then another doing cardio or a spin class together. Then I give the surf a check on the way home and decide if it’s a surf or skate day... sometimes it’s both or other times I’ll surf two sessions, if it’s really good. Where did the name ‘Lords of Dogtown’ come from? Did you guys call yourselves that or was it a nickname that was given to you? Don’t know how they came up with that name, but now I’m more of a Dog in Lordstown. Yes it was a Hollywood movie, some of it was correct and some a bit made up. Apart from Peggy Oki, were there a lot of women who knew how to surf and skateboard or was it mainly maledominated? There has always been women who have surfed and skated but it’s been pretty much male-dominated in the past. The Blue Crush movie seemed to get lots of girls really into surfing and now the girls are really stepping it up in skating too. Women are so good these days it’s really amazing how the talent level has progressed. The lil tomboy skater girl days are over. Nowadays the girls are ripping just as hard as the boys and they haven’t lost any of their feminine beauty. Are you still in touch with any of the other people from that scene? We all had dinner together last week in Santa Monica. Seeing Alva, Peralta, Muir and a few other guys
together again was nice. Was the film ‘Lords of Dogtown’ in 2008 a close and accurate representation of reality? As a Hollywood film, was it slightly romanticized or glorified in some way? It got our personalities correct but don’t believe everything Hollywood does when it makes a movie. It was a great kid-movie but they made a PG13 movie outta an R rated story. Do you still feel the same about skateboarding and surfing as you always have? Of course I do, it’s actually more fun to me these days because there’s nothing to prove. It gives me a chance to let people see the changes God has made in my life. How does modern day Venice Beach (and California) compare to when you were younger? Well its not anything like how it was in the 60’s and 70’s, even the 80’s were pretty cool in Venice. I moved away to Hawaii in 1989 so I haven’t lived there in a while. Nowadays I’d prefer to just visit for the day. It’s too much of a circus everyday there now. We use to have great surf there and we had it to ourselves. Nowadays there’s just too many people. What do you make of contemporary skateboarding and surf culture? Are things repetitive or is creativity and progression still thriving? Guess that depends on who you’re looking at. I will say that nowadays too many people do it for all the wrong reasons. Being a famous pro isn’t what it’s all about and video clips seem to be the only reason why some people do it. Are there any surf/skate spots you would love to visit and haven’t yet? Yes, there are plenty of places I would love to go...all over the world. Were any specific popular drugs used within the surf/skateboard scene? What was the attitude to drugs at the time? We grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, everyone did drugs and if you didn’t then you were the
We didn’t know the dangers of drug addiction like kids do now. You never get good at doing drugs: you either go to prison, have to get help in rehab or even worse - YOU DIE. It’s just a dead end from the start and every drug addict I know started off by smoking weed and drinking alcohol. DON’T KID YOURSELF; IT’S ALL-BAD! Was there a specific moment where you can remember realising your drug use was becoming more than just a social activity? My whole life revolved around surfing and skating. After I stuck a needle in my arm everything changed and got worse. I went to prison twice and lost over 15-20 years of my life because of my drug addiction. Do yourself a favour and learn from our mistakes. I read in a few interviews that you ‘instigated a gay bashing’ in LA, was this actually what happened? How do you view gay relationships and marriage? The trouble we got into that night had nothing to do with the fact the people we got into a fight with were gay. It was during the Punk Rock days in Hollywood and it was a violent time. We were young, dumb and full of alcohol. We weren’t bashing gays, we were just out to bash anyone who we came in contact with. I’m not proud of that but that’s just how it was for us then. As far as how I view gay relationships and gay marriage, I am 100% against them however I do respect gay people, I just tell them what the Bible says. God loves everyone but he doesn’t love the sin we commit in our lives. I tell the people who are having premarital sex the same thing. Yes I was guilty of sexing up women before I was married and I am far from perfect. I have my own sins that I have to try not to do anymore. I’m not ashamed of the Gospels of Christ and never water it down to make people feel ok for the sins they are a slave to. By the power of the Holy Spirit we are all able to change our lives around and live more like Christ. I know this isn’t what the world
wants to hear but I am going to follow Christ and do my best to obey his word. How isolating was your initial experience of prison? How did you deal with it? Prison was exactly what I needed to happen to me. Sometimes you have to have something taken away for you to realize how much you really want it. Prison saved me from myself. What’s the main change you noticed in life when you came out of jail? I can make the right decisions in my life this time and not repeat the same mistakes I made before. When did you discover your faith in religion? I accepted Christ in the early 80’s. I’ve been either on drugs or going to church since I was a younger guy. I always had one foot in Christ and the other in the world and that’s a very dangerous place to be in your life. How would you describe your relationship with God? How does it affect your day-to-day decisions? My relationship with God affects everything I do in my life. I’d rather please God than please myself. I’ve learned that I can’t do anything on my own. I need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the things that take me away from Christ. People say the Bible brainwashes you and I thank God that it does. My brain was filthy. All I thought about were sinful things that left me always wanting more. Having a relationship with Christ is the best thing I’ve ever felt and gives me more freedom than I’ve ever had before. What’s your view on afterlife? My afterlife started when I gave my life to Christ. I’m already living my life of Eternity. You have to kill yourself for Christ. Nothing compares to being sure of what’s going to happen after we’re done with this life God has given us.
Wildland RIP JAY!