Jay Adams
EZ Ryder Originalz (http://ezroriginalz.com/)
Every once in a while you get to meet a celebrity, and even less frequently you get to meet one of your idols, and even less frequently than that you get to have a lengthy conversation with a childhood idol. Over the course of two months, I got to rap with Jay Adams.
Jay Adams, and the rest of the Dogtown crew changed my life. Somewhere around 1977, or 1978, I picked up my first issue of Skateboarder magazine, and saw the lifestyle these guys lived. It was like that old cliché every girl wanted them, and every guy wanted to be them. Well, I wanted to be them. I rode a Sims Lonnie Toft with Tracker Trucks, and Kryptonic Wheels. All stuff I saw the pros ride in the pages of Skateboarder magazine. Jay rode at Skater Cross in Reseda, CA, I got a membership there. After getting to know Jay a bit over these few months, I have to admit I envy his lifestyle. Read on, and you’ll probably feel the same.
1. First I want to thank you for agreeing to do this interview. Hopefully, I won’t be asking you questions that you’ve already answered a hundred times before. What was skating like in Venice before the 1975 Del Mar Nationals?
Skating for me began before I can even remember my Mom used to tell me about the time I came running back into the house with blood on my face, and arms cuz I ate it somehow from pushing around on my knees she told me I wasn’t really crying too long, and went right back out side, and jumped back on.
You got to remember back then skateboarding was all about copying surfing. By the time I was 8 or 9 I lived on North Venice Blvd three houses away from the beach, or parking lot to the beach, but the beach side of Pacific St., Munies Liquor Store was on the corner of Pacific, and North Venice Blvd, and right behind it was an alley with three driveways; the first one was kind of steep so I named it Pipeline the second one was long, and you could start on Pacific St., and go through the apts, all the way to where the cars parked, and finally the alley itself I named that one Waimea Bay the next one down was a lil bit like the first one just not as steep so I named that one Sunset.
I had my three spots, and would spend hours pretending I was Jeff Hackman or Gerry Lopez, then Wayne Lynch; three of my childhood heroes from Surfer Magazine. I also liked Miki Dora, and copied his surf Nazi style, and put a swastika on my board. I didn’t know about all the suffering the Jewish people went through I just thought Miki Dora was cool, and the old man at the market on the boardwalk on Rost Street he had some funny looking numbers tattooed on his arm he got mad at me, and was yelling at what I had put on my board. I just thought it was funny because he was so mad I didn’t even know why he was mad but also remember I was a lil rascal who thought it was funny to sneak up behind the old Jewish men sleeping on the benches, and tipping their hats to the ground to wake them up to try to catch me or throwing rotten fruit at the trams as they went by.
My youngster days were all spent on the beach from POP Pier all the way back to Venice. The boardwalk was always filled with people and I rode my skateboard everywhere I went my step dad Kent Sherwood worked at Dave Sweet’s surf shop on 11th, and Olympic St., the surfer guys there had skateboards so I’d play on those also, this is the really old days I was probably 5 to 6 yrs old, but I think that’s where I first met Styeck I don’t remember him, but he was older, and remembers me because I was a lil kid so yeah all of my earliest memories are of me surfing, and skateboarding around Venice beach this was years before the Z Boy Zephyr Team thing that wasn’t till I was 13 or 14, and I’d have been skating all along since I was a lil kid my step dad Kent would take me to Paul Revere, or Uni High in Pacific Palisades two famous skating spots that the Hobie Team skated at in the 60′s, talking about the Hobie guys Torger Johnson was one of my early skate guys who I looked up to when the movie Skater Dater came out or when I first saw it . . . it was on I wanted to be a skater just like them, and I learned how to jump off curbs that was a trick for us back then. Actually the first trick I can remember seeing was from a guy named Kenny Ebee he could do a wheelie for like 3or 4 squares down the sidewalk and after I saw him do it I learned it but it was mostly copying surfing in the early days
2. Did anything change in Dogtown as a result of the newfound notoriety as a result of the contest, and being featured in Skateboarder Magazine?
Of course things changed, and people started throwing deals at us. I didn’t get a photo in Skateboarder Magazine until I quit Zflex, and rode for Logan Earth Ski then they put me in there lame magazine it was so political and if you weren’t from San Diego you weren’t going to get in there mag. It wasn’t until Alva, and I joined team Logan, and then we were a bit ahead of most of the others not better just a lil different but we got lots of photos, and then I went back to Zflex, and was popular enough that they pretty much had to run photos of me even though I was on Z again. Styeck made Dogtown popular with his articles, but the Magazine made a Dogtown down south rivalry, but I didn’t really have any part of it. I had lots of friends from down south, and skated down there with them all the time Alva had a huge ego, and most people didn’t really like him because of it that’s one of the reasons why I never wanted to be like him. Plus I just wanted to be one of the boys back home in Venice back then Venice was Venice and Santa Monica was Dogtown. I lived in Venice my whole life except for about 3 years when I moved there from 6th grade to the end of 8th grade then I moved to Hawaii, and when I came back to Cali it was back to Venice but there was a big difference between the two, and Alva, Muir, and all the other Santa Monica Dogtown guys weren’t allowed to surf in Venice, Sarlo was the only other guy on the Zephyr team who was from Venice.
So yeah things changed but most of all people changed guys got famous and some of us let our egos get outta control, but for a kid its hard not to able to not believe all the hype they say about you in the magazines I see it today in some of the surfers they believe their bigger than life when in reality they’re no different from anyone else even if there the best new guy at pipeline or wherever else their famous for ego is poison, and something you should avoid because it looks ugly, and makes you lame.
3. How did the Zephyr team come together?
Not too sure how the Zephyr team got started, but it was a surf team at first, and then it became a skate team. Most of us younger guys who were on the jr surf team all skated so when Cadillac wheels came out, and we heard about the Bayne Cadillac contest at Del Mar we decided to make a skate team, and that’s how it began after the Zephyr team broke up half of us went with my step dad Kent Sherwood he made the Zephyr skateboards we broke away from Zephyr and started EZ RYDER which only lasted about 6 months until it became Z Flex Skateboards now Jef Hartsell, and I are relaunching EZ Ryder Originalz. Which you can see at www.ezroriginalz.com check it out.
4. What was the most defining moment in your professional or contest part of your skating career?
The most defining moment would have been the Del Mar Contest because we were so different from all the other skaters they were stuck on 1960′s style skateboarding, and we were all copying Larry Bertlemann so there really was a difference. Also when I won the 1975 Hang Ten World Contest I got first in freestyle, and first in cross-country. Or my 3rd place in the 1977 Skateboarder poll awards, but that’s all just contest stuff and there’s been way more things that meant more to me. There was a time when we’d come to a skate park and the whole park would just stop, and watch I always thought that was pretty cool. Seeing a woman play my Mother, and a kid acting as me was pretty cool. The whole Dogtown Video and Lords Of Dogtown movie was pretty cool to experience. But just still doing it after starting 45 yrs ago is the best, nowadays it’s all just fun, and there’s nothing to prove anymore like when your a kid, and out to show the world what your all about.
5. Here is a two-part question: What was the best skatepark you ever skated? And what was your favorite backyard pool?
Back in the day Cherry Hill in New Jersey was one of the best but for us Marina Del Rey was home that that was some of the best times we had just skating with friends. The best backyard pool was the Dogbowl because we had an open pass to skate it whenever we wanted to, and things were being done that had never been done before, plus it was just our whole crew there, and whoever we took there with us.
6. What was it like getting your name and photos in the skate magazines?
I didn’t really like all the fame that we had because of skateboarding. When I saw the effect that skating had on guys like Tony Alva, and the ego it gave him I wanted nothing to do with it. I was just one of the boys from Venice, and I also lived in Hawaii, and ego would get your ass kicked, so I took the humble approach, and still do till this day. I really have a problem with ego in people because God made us all the same no matter how good you surf skate or do whatever you do. I also judge a person after they open their mouth not by the color of their skin or what they do, were all the same. Some are just blessed to have a turn at being good at something but usually that turn doesn’t last long. I’ve been pretty lucky to be able to get a lil money my whole life because of skateboarding like this morning I went to my PO Box and there was a check for a 1,000 dollars because of my Z-Flex deal. So I’m just grateful that I can still make a lil money now, and then. But Ego is poison, and should be avoided at all cost.
7. Now that eight years have passed, what impact did Dogtown and Z-Boys have on your life?
Well 8 yrs later huh? Some people weren’t happy about the first doc that Vans made, and didn’t pay any of us for. Vans is a big co, and we shoulda made them pay us, but I didn’t complain about it I just used it to my advantage. I ended up getting a shoe sponsor Osiris, and that helped out for a few years I didn’t make a whole lot of money, but it paid some bills. The whole Doc opened up a lot of people’s eyes, and influenced a lot of older guys to pick up their skates, and ride again. Lots of these older guys kind of related to us, and started buying our skates again cuz we have old school style boards that they could ride around the parks on, and basically jut surf skate the bowls and not have to try to get all new school when they skate. It also opened up the movie deal, which we did get paid for, and that brought even more recognition and that brought board sales up, and opened up other doors that hadn’t been open for a while. Its weird now because people come up to me all the time telling me how their kids are into the movie, and watch it a couple of times a week. So the guys we grew up skating with are the parents now, and their kids are skating, and got to see us because of the movie, and can relate to us because of it. I guess were lucky cuz old school is kind of cool to lots of the kids, or so I’m told basically you need to take advantage of what God puts into your life, and the whole movie, and Doc was good to me because I’ve been able to use it to my advantage. Instead of complaining about what I didn’t get I’ve just been grateful of what I’ve been able to get. But the best thing is that lots of kids can relate to us, and will listen to what I have to say about staying away from drugs, and other problems their going through. I have parents write to me all the time asking me to write to their kids who are dealing with problems their going through. I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life and still do but some kids do listen to what I have to say about not making the mistakes that I made, and that feels good to know that I can help them out. Money is cool and we all need to pay bills but it’s not what life is all about and never will be for me. I still have a hard time saving money because I figure when ya got it spend it on something fun like traveling or something and worry about making more later. I told my friend a few days ago I’m saving it for a rainy day, and it started raining again so what should I buy today? Hahaha whatever I’m getting off track so that’s enough for this question.
8. What impact did punk rock have on your life? What was your first exposure to punk rock
Punk rock affected my life 100%, the first show I went to was at Baises Hall there was a famous riot that night. I can’t remember who was playing, but I think it was Black Flag, Circle Jerks, And Fear, or X, or some bands like that. Up until then I really didn’t know what real punk rock was all about I think I might have seen a show the weekend before that at Marina Del Ray Skate Park but the Basises Hall show was really the first one that I went to I didn’t know about Black Flag, and real violent bands like that. I thought it was new wave crap like Devo or Talking Heads, and when I saw the real thing I was instantly hooked. When I got to the show they had closed the doors, and weren’t going to let anyone else in. Someone broke out a window, and we had to get lifted up, and through it. When I landed on the floor, and looked around at a few hundred kids going completely crazy slamming in a huge pit, I’d never seen anything like it before. People were getting their asses kicked, and it was crazy. I was in a Venice gang called the Venice Hoodlums we were a mixed up bunch of White Boys, and Mexicans and we dressed up like vatos, Dickie pants, white shirts, and Pendletons, and bandanas. But after I saw that show I completely got into punk rock it was perfect because I was troublemaker, and thought it was cool to have people fear me. When I walked into a room I wanted people to say damn these guys are crazy you better watch out or they’ll fuck you up. Punk rock shows were perfect for that because it was all about violence, I started hanging out with Mike Muir he had just started Suicidal Tendencies band he used to wear a leather jacket with safety pins in his ear and we all wore boots with bandanas tied around them. I was still wearing Dickies, and vato clothes with my blue bandana because Venice was a blue-color town. So Mike started dressing in Pendletons, and Dickies as well, and Ric Clayton started drawing hand-drawn Suicidal shirts before every show we went to. We’d all meet at Mar Vista Park before every show, and pretty soon we had 30 to 50 guys showing up to go to the shows. We all started wearing the same kind of clothes, and it started looking like a gang, but we had to because the other punks from Orange County were beating everyone else up from LA so we put a stop to it by protecting each other.
It got outta hand, and eventually we were basically a gang following around the band, but Suicidal Boys were not going to get our asses kicked in LA. So punk rock was everything to me, and I was completely brainwashed by the whole deal, I wouldn’t listen to anything else, but punk rock, and when I went surfing guys would try to make fun about me because I was a punk I thought all surfers were fags with their ling blond hair, and day-glo cloths; I always said I surf, but I’m not a surfer fag. Surfers didn’t like me, and I didn’t like them, but I was surfing every day and was getting in the California magazines every month. Breakout Magazine put me on the cover, and basically every month I was getting photos in it. But surfers at the time were so fuckin gay it made me laugh it wasn’t until 10 yrs after punk was done that surfers started trying to look punk, and accept it like they do now, but they were still clueless to what real punk rock was all about. Nowadays everyone is either a wanna be gangster rapper of faking it by thinking they’re punk rock, it still makes me laugh cuz I remember when I was one of the only punk rockers who still surfed anyway enough of this question.
9. Rather than complain about the current state of punk rock, my question to you is: do you find it strange or maybe amusing how incredibly accepted punk is now?
It’s funny how people have accepted what they think is punk rock, but in reality it’s just watered down bubble gum rock. Some of the bands that claim to be punk really make me laugh cuz there’s nothing punk about them, not even their fake-ass Mohawks, or tattoos. For me, punk rock was the attitude we had at the time, we were all pissed off teenagers who didn’t want anything to do with what all the older people were telling us what to do. I’m not too sure why we hated hippies, but I think for me it was just hating all the longhaired heavy metals fags that hated us. Being a punk back in the early ‘80′s was dangerous; people would chase you down the street if they caught you alone. That was OK with us cuz we’d catch some of them alone, and they’d gat a beating. I’ll just sum it up, and say punk rock for us west-coasters was all about violence causing riots, and beating the shit outta people for fun. It’s just part of being young drunk, and pissed off at the world.
10. How active were you in the making of Lords of Dogtown? Did you offer any skate instruction for Emile Hirsch?
Yeah, well I was stuck in Hawaii when they were making the movie so I wasn’t as involved as I could have been. I got to meet Emile when he came over to study me, or whatever he was doing, but we met, and he was a cool kid who I feel really lucky to have had portray me in the film. When I was first approached by John Linsom about the film I was locked up in OOC prison, or actually it’s our county jail here in Hawaii. I had some lawyer guy call me down from my cell, and he offered me $8,000.00 to sign a contract for the film. I was like you’ll give me 8 grand right now to sign up for this movie about us, and if it doesn’t get made then I don’t have to pay you back. And they said they’d give me another 70 grand if they made it so of course I said yes. My bail was $2,000.00, and then I paid this lame ass lawyer $5,000.00 grand to represent me in the case I was fighting. So I only ended up with $1,000.00 in my hand, which went to my back rent. I also had a heroin habit at the time so I really didn’t care too much about anything else than getting outta jail. So I signed it, and Tony Alva wasn’t into it, and the producer guy John told me “fuck him well make it about you.” I refused that, and said that I thought it should be about the whole Z Boy Team. Anyway later on Tony jumped on board, and so did Stacy, and the rest of the guys, and they basically just took over. Stacy ended up writing the story, and Tony was totally involved in anything he could be. I’m not sure what everyone else got for it, but I got what they promised so they kept their word with me. But I’m sure Stacy, and Tony weren’t worried about me like I was about them in the beginning. It’s just funny to me to see all the ego come back in some people like it had when we were kids, and it just made me glad I am how I am, and not like how other people are. So, I really didn’t get to be involved as much as I’d of liked to have been, but they did a good job on it, and I’m not embarrassed how it turned out.
11. How does it feel to know that these two films may be the reason a 10-year may pick up a skateboard for the first time?
Well its good to know that we have an influence on younger kids, but it’s also important to me to set a good example to them. Lots of things I did in the past weren’t very good, but that’s part of growing up, and making mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes, but you really should learn from them, and try not to keep repeating them. Of course that’s easier said, than done especially when it comes to addiction issues. I believe kids need to know the danger of drug abuse, and I’m a living example of a person who has been at the bottom, and have been able to get my life back on track. But I take none of the credit I give it all to God who has a perfect plan for all of our lives if we just give him a chance to lead us to it. God can make the changes in our lives that we weren’t able to make on our own. The hard thing is to keep living for him, and not get caught up in all the other things this life has to offer.
12. Had you been aware of your, and the Z-Boys’ legacy?
I’m aware that we were among some of the first guys to skateboard empty pools, and actually make skateboarding an every day thing that we did. We weren’t the first guys to skate in empty pools. The guys in the 60’s did it before us. Now we had better equipment to ride than the guys before us so we took it to another level than they had in the past. There were other guys riding pools as well as us guys from Playa Del Rey. Guys from San Diego. Guys from all over So Cal. I think we had an advantage in the beginning because Tony Alva, and myself had been skating places like Paul Revere Jr. High School for years before the Cadillac Wheel came out. It was after the soft wheels came out that skating became popular again, and we had already been skating for a few years before that happened. Lots of people like to claim they were the first to do this or that, and it’s easy to get caught up in that kind of stuff. But I’m pretty sure our crew of guys were seeing some of the first things being done. And I’m talking about simple things like front side grinds in pools, or just getting what we called one-wheelers. I remember nobody used to grab their skate with their hands when they did kick turns. There’s lots of things I could claim to be the guy who did them first, but then this would turn into some kind of ego question, and I’ll try to avoid that, but I did to see lots of the first things being created. I’m happy to have been a part of it when I was because it was all about having fun, and not something you’d wanna do to get rich, and famous like it can be for kids nowadays.
13. Do you stay in contact with any of the original Venice skaters?
I try to stay in touch with some of the OG guys I speak to Shogo allot, and still roll around with him because he lives here in Hawaii. Wentzle also lives here in Hawaii, and we talk on Facebook, ha-ha don’t laugh. Tony Alva came to see me a few times when I was working at Hurley, but he never returns his calls so I’ve given up on trying to get him on the phone. I speak to Wes Humpston, and Jim Muir every once in awhile, and I also keep in contact with Stecyk, and Jeff Ho .I try to talk to them as much as possible, but it’s hard because I live a whole big ocean away from most of the guys
14. I hope this isn’t too far out, here’s a bit of self-analysis. Many of the skaters you rode with or hung-out with had the some success or fan-base when you were with them. So, the question is what did/does Jay Adams bring to the sport?
I think what I’m trying to bring to the sport or kids who are fans, is that I’m a survivor; I’ve been through a lot of crazy things, I’ve been to prison, I’ve been a heroin addict, I’ve lost almost all of my family members, and my wife divorced me when I went to prison last time; so I’ve been through some pretty crazy times in my life. But I thank God every day for all that He’s let me live through. I’m positive He’s the reason why I’ve survived all the things that should have killed me in the past. If God can change someone like me then He can change someone like you. Nobody would have ever thought that I would become a Christian because of the lifestyle I’ve lived in the past. I really believe God has me here for a reason and I’d like to believe its to help kids not make the same mistakes that I made when I was younger, and still struggle with every day. Drug addiction never gives up on us, and were in a battle for life to keep it from getting a hold of us again I constantly have to remember that, and I need to stay involved in either AA/NA, or even more important for me my relationship with Christ. I believe AA/NA are really good to clean yourself up, but God can clean you up on the inside as well as the outside. My heart was filthy from years of abuse that I did to myself while I was growing up. People say the Bible will brainwash you, but my brain needed to be washed because it was filled with filth. Christ can make you feel good about yourself again no matter what you did in the past. He, and only He can wipe away all the things we did in the past that we know weren’t right, but kept doing them anyway. I need to keep my relationship with Him because I always fall short when I try to go at it my own way. I’ve failed time, and time again, but when I’m walking with Christ on my side I tend to make the correct decisions that I probably make if I wasn’t trying to focus on Him.
15. When did you move to Hawaii? And why?
I moved to Hawaii when I was 15 yrs old. My step dad Kent Sherwood was born, and raised here in Hawaii, and growing up as a surfer I always wanted to come to Hawaii, and surf over here, and can remember the first day I ever came to Hawaii we were staying in Waikiki, and I ran through the hotel, and straight to the beach just to feel how warm the water was because Kent had told me about it when I was a kid. I couldn’t believe how good it felt, and he was right it was perfect for surfing. I think I was 12 yrs old the first time I came to Hawaii, and I can remember coming out to the North Shore, and seeing Sunset Beach, and The Pipeline, places that I’d dreamed about all my life as a kid. Kent had a good friend named Blah James who was a super heavy guy here on the North Shore in the 60′s, and he lived right there at Val’s Reef at Sunset Beach. He had a girlfriend named Kathy who later became my Hanoi Mother here in Hawaii, because I kept coming back as much as I could as a kid. I’d come for the whole summer, and stay with Kathy here at Rocky Pt. She had a new boyfriend named Kerry who took me surfing to places like Maili Pt, on the Westside. When I was 13 my Mom moved us over to Hawaii for the summer, and we had an apt on Seaside, and The Alawai Canal. I’d get up early every morning, and walk down to Kaisers to surf. I’d met some of the local kids, and we’d keep our surfboards stashed under the stairs at The Reef Hotel right at the beach, nobody would take them, but these guys were the local kids anyway, so they’d most likely find them if there ever got taken anyway. We moved back to Cali, and I’d skate as much as possible, but surfing was my real passion. When I was 15 we lived in Santa Monica, and I’d just finished the 8th grade, My Mom, and I moved back to Hawaii I ended up meeting Kalani Foster, and his brother Marvin, they were both really good surfers, and I ended up going to the same school as them, Wailuea Hi. I was about the only white haired Haloe kid in the school. Having Marvin, and Kalani as my best friends helped me not get beat up. Plus I was known in the skateboard world already as well, but I think the thing that helped most was I could surf pretty good. They had the Haleiwa Sea Spree Contest one year, and Marvin won it, I got 2nd, and Kalani got 3rd, so that kind of helped as well. We used to jump on the bus, and go all the way around the Island to skate at places like Uluwatu, and Wallos. Everyone used to skate, guys like Buttons, Larry Bertlemann, and Derek Ho, just to name a few. In the 9th grade I started skipping school plenty I’d get on the bus ride it to where they’d drop us off then I’d bail out, and hitchhike up to Rory Russels house and either go skate Kammies Drain, or surf wherever it was good. I’d been ditching school for about 2 and a half months, and remember I was at Kamies with Rory when my Mom grabbed me by my hair screaming about how the school finally got a hold of her, and let her know what I’d been doing. After that I pretty much just dropped outta school, it just wasn’t for me anymore, I was more into going back, and forth to Calif for skating, and doing whatever traveling I could do for surfing.
My Mom ended up moving back to the Mainland after about 3 yrs, but I’m really glad I got to be on the North Shore back then because it’s nothing like it used to be nowadays. Back then it was dangerous to surf at certain spots, you couldn’t pull up to Vland like you can today, and just paddle out. Well you could, but you’d most likely get a beating, nowadays they have cell phones with that 911 thing so its changed quite a bit. I’m not sure if its better now, or better then. It’s nice to know that your not going to get beaten up when you go surf, but its also way more crowded, and plenty of people who don’t have a clue to what’s going on in the water.
16. What do you think of how skating has progressed?
The way skating has progressed is amazing. Just like all the other sports have gotten so outta hand it’s crazy sometimes I laugh at all the team sports how they’ve basically stayed the same as they always have been since they started. To me baseball is boring it would be like having the same half pipe contest every week at another spot, it just doesn’t get me amped to watch it like the other sports do like surfing, skating, motocross, and all the fighting sports. I’m glad I got to be involved in skating during the time period that I did except it would have been nice to have made a lil money from what we did. But that’s my fault because I didn’t want to put on their lame Pepsi Cola suit to get paid doing it the way they wanted me to do it. Me, and my friends made it something mommies warned their lil girls to stay away from, we made it Punk Rock, and our whole life was Thrasher from sun up till it got done at night. Nowadays kids are getting paid too much money to be rebels like we were.
17. Not everybody is aware of this, but aside from the skating, you’re a hell of a surfer. When did you start surfing?
I’ve been surfing as long as I’ve been skating, and after the whole skate thing for our turn, as some of the top guys I really focused on surfing, this was the early 80′s and myself, and John Mc Clure pretty much helped the whole aerial thing get going in the surf world.
We used to shoot lots of photos with guys like Steve Sakamoto, and Craig Fineman both have passed away recently, but they were shooting for Surfer Mag, and a Calif mag called Breakout. John and I were in almost every mag for awhile and we were trying all the new moves at the time John was doing all the reverse stuff back then not the air reverse, but the turns breaking his fins free. I’d say I brought the rail grab cutback to the surf world my first pic in a surf mag was, a how do you say, a mute grab under the lip. Well, it was just a left-hand grab on the rail, while doing a slash under the lip. Nobody was doing that stuff back then, and they didn’t even have a name for it. But the rail grab cutback was the move I got the most photos with, and nobody was doing that either, so sorry Taylor Knox, that one was done years before he ever even started doing em, ha-ha, whatever?
Anyway, surfing in Calif was lots of fun in the early 80′s it was still dangerous to travel to places you weren’t a local, but I never really had any problems anywhere, maybe because people knew me from skateboarding, but mainly because I knew how to show respect to everyone especially when your surfing their spot. Surfing was dangerous back then especially in Calif just like it was here in Hawaii. There wasn’t cell phones with the 911 panic #, and people were very territorial about there surf spots. Back in the day you couldn’t drive up to V_Land, and pile outta the car filled with six other guys on longboards, and girl who go out and drop in on everyone. You’d get beat down, and your car wouldn’t drive the same on the way home.
I guess its better now, but there are too many people who don’t have a clue when it comes to showing respect. Everyone thinks they’re the next Kelly Slater, especially here in Hawaii. People come here from wherever, and expect to take over when they paddle out, but they gotta remember they’re not at home, and no matter how high you are on the pecking list at home your on the bottom here in Hawaii. Wait your turn, and don’t over amp, and try to out-paddle everyone, and you should have a good time, but remember lots of us guys have lived here a long time enduring summertime flatness, and have to deal with 10,000 guys from wherever trying to take over every time they surf Rocky Pt. Not gonna happen, anyway surfing should be fun too many people wanna be pro so there not really enjoying it for what it is, and that’s just having fun with your friends, mellow out, and slow down a lil bit.
18. Tell us about your latest venture, EZ Ryder Originalz (http://www.ezroriginalz.com).
Jeff Hartsell, and I re-launched the name brand EZ Ryder which was the skate company that never really happened when Zephyr team broke up, half of the boys went with me, and my step-dad Kent Sherwood, he made all the Zephyr boards anyway. So Alva, Myself, Paul Cullen, Shogo, Wentzle, and a few others went with Kent, and we called our new team EZ Ryder. We entered the Hang Ten World Invitational Contest at the Los Angeles Coliseum, at the time this was a very big event, and probably the biggest skate contest so far. Our team EZ Ryder got a 3rd place overall finish, which was good because our team was small Tony won the Open Men’s Cross Country, and I won the Jr. Men’s Cross Country, and The Freestyle Event. That was probably my best contest result ever. Well, World Champion is good, I guess, but I think it was only that because that’s the name of the contest.
Anyway, EZ Ryder didn’t last long, everyone was scattering around, and EZ Ryder evolved into Z-Flex Skateboards. Alva went, and rode for Logan Earth Ski, and my Z-Flex model was created. My graphic is still being made and sold to this day so it’s probably the oldest graphic that’s still being used, that’s like 36 yrs old or something.
Jeff and I thought EZ Ryder was a good idea to get going again since it had such a short life in the beginning, We started off by recreating the 60′s style Hobie laminated replica, only thing is we made it with Hawaiian Koa wood since we made ‘em here ourselves in Hawaii. We wanted everything to be perfect so we found a roller skate co. that sold us clay wheels, and small trucks the only thing we made modern was the precision ball bearings we just took off the cap to keep that retro look but why go with the old style loose bearings when the new ones work so much better, and are 100 times easier to deal with? At first we thought we might have a problem selling the 50 board run that we made, but we sold out right away, so I think we need to do another run of ‘em. Actually they’re really cool, and pieces of art, the Koa wood is beautiful, and where can you find a 60’s style board in brand new condition? I’d say they’re definitely better for the wall though, but we have test ridden them, and they work, but if you wanna ride a skate I’d suggest riding a modern one over one with clay wheels. Anyway, our product should be available soon.
19. What’s life like for Jay Adams now? Tell us about any part of your present day life you’d like to share with all of us?
Life for me is pretty easy nowadays, I’m on probation for another two years, hopefully, after that I’d like to bail the USA for awhile I’d like to spend some time in Indo, or Mexico, and Aus, I think if I ever get to Aus I’d defect, and never come back. Hawaii is cool, but it’s a trip, and I’m over living, and surfing in a crowd, and dealing with all the egos of people trying to build their young crazy reputations. I wanna just cruise, surf, and skate for fun, and enjoy life a lil bit, I’m gonna be 50 years old in February, I’ve been surfing, and skating since I was four years old, and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon I’d just love to get away from all the crazy hustle, and bustle here on the North Shore, for me surfing is about scoring good surf with just a few friends, and having fun.
20. What is your attitude toward skateboarding right now?
Ha-ha I had to leave ya hanging on that one. Anyway, I’m so blown away by the skateboarding that’s being done right now. Skaters are doing crazier stuff than Evel Knievel was doing on his bike. Flying higher, and going farther, imagine how he feels watching the freestyle moto guys these days. I’m proud that I got to pave down the road these guys are skating down these days.
I still love skateboarding just like I love surfing, I get a good feeling after doing both. If ya ask me what I like better, I’d ask you if you like blondes better than brunettes there both good I guess I’d answer like this if the waves are good I’ll go surf if the waves are bad I’ll go skate. But I appreciate a good day of surfing a lil bit more because all the factors have to come together to make it a really special day. A perfect bowl can always be there 24 hours a day, but a perfect day of surf may only last for a few hours if you’re lucky.
I’m excited about the future, and man-made waves seem like a good idea. I think then you could have a really fair surf contest, imagine every guy getting the same perfect, three waves to surf, then we’d see what the guy’s imagination could take him to. But everyone would have an equal chance at doing what they can do that’s one of the problems with pro surfing, not every guy gets the good waves to rip on.
It’s great that guys are actually making money now, but I also see lots of kids with only money signs in their eyes. Kids need to enjoy surfing and skating for what it is and for me that’s a fun lifestyle that’s about being healthy enough to go out, and do it. Have fun, meet people from all over the world, and share what you know with them.
I owe my whole life to surfing, and skateboarding, and without it I’d probably be someone completely different. Now that I’m older, and the daredevil days are over I actually enjoy it more. There’s nothing to prove anymore so it’s all about just being out there, and being a part of it. I’ve seen lots of guys who have a hard time stepping down, and letting the next guys have their time to shine. I’d say you’re really lucky if you get a turn to be one of the better guys doing what you do whether it be surfing, skating, riding motor bikes, or whatever, but nobody’s turn lasts forever so enjoy it while you can, and never let your ego turn you into something ugly. I’ve been pretty lucky to have been able to make a lil money from it as long as I have, and I’m very grateful for that. God is in control of everything. He lets us endure. I’m so happy that’s He’s opened my heart to know He’s for real, and believe His word is true. Actually I know I’m still alive, and He’s let me survive all the crazy things I’ve gone through so far just so I can share Him with others, and let them see the changes only He can do to a person like He has with me. Thanks for letting me share a lil of it with ya all aloha In Christ por vida.
