Jay Adams
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Jay Adams (born February 3, 1961) is one of the original Z-Boys and is considered one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.
He was born in Los Angeles, California. In the mid-1970s, as a teenager he was a member of the original Zephyr skateboard team and of the Zephyr surf team along with Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta. The Z-Boys originally started to skateboard when they were not able to surf. It was with skateboarding that Jay Adams truly began to shine.
Adams is "the world's greatest natural skater," according to fellow Zephyr skateboard team member and Powell-Peralta Bones Brigade founder Stacy Peralta.[1] The Godfather of modern day skateboarding, Craig Stecyk, dubbed Adams "the original 'seed.'"[2] Stecyk also wrote, "Having known Adams over the years I really can't say he's changed much. He remains one of the most spontaneous, unpredictable persons I've ever encountered... Everything you've ever heard about him is probably true, or should be anyway. Mere words could never come close to accurately describing him."[3]
Adams is featured prominently in the award winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and in the dramatized film account of the Z-Boys origins, Lords of Dogtown. He made a cameo in Lords of Dogtown.
Adams has had numerous run-ins with the law in his adult life and spent time in prison for, amongst other things, assault and drug-related crimes. Adams is serving his sentence now for drug-related charges.
The character Iggy Van Zant from Tony Hawks American Wasteland is based on Jay Adams
[edit] Further reading
- DOGTOWN-The Legend of the Z-Boys, C.R. Stecyk III & Glen E. Friedman, Burning Flags Press, 2000, ISBN 0-9641916-4-4
- JAY-BOY - Classic photographs by Jay Adams stepfather, Kent Sherwood, Concrete Wave Editions, 2006, ISBN 0973528664 *[1]
- Scarred for Life - Eleven Stories About Skateboarders by Keith Hamm, Chronicle Books, 2004, ISBN 0811840530
[edit] References
- ^ Thrasher magazineHe also belonged to a Sponsor called "Nick Kostelnak Skateboards."
- ^ thesunmachine.net
- ^ SkateBoarder magazine, 1979 interview
