100% Skate Boarder
The week before Jay Adams passed away, I watched Dogtown and Z Boys for the umpteenth time. K, my partner always gets sad at the Jay Adams section, and as always I assured her that he is actually doing okay. In that I have seen photos of him surfing, gouging big turns, skating with style and absolute gusto, as well as clips of him being interviewed in which he is looking really healthy and well. All in all he always seemed to a doing lot better than at the time when the Z-Boys film was shot in 2001. So we watched the film and K did not get sad at the Jay part.
Some six days after this latest viewing of the film, I heard the sad news that he had died.
So many people have said so much in honour of him already, there is a lot of love for him, that's for sure. For one individual guy to connect to so many people the world over, is a real accomplishment, I did not know him as a person, and yet he touched my life to such a degree that I felt as though a friend had died last week. I feel that this is down to something considerably more than Jay's skateboarding ability. While the entire Dog Town and Zephyr crew can take credit for the advent of modern skateboarding, it is Jay Adams that I feel is most deserved of the title. He obviously lived a tough life, but despite everything he stayed true to skating and surfing right up to the time of his death, which happened in Mexico while on a surf trip with his wife, Tracy. He epitomised skateboarding for the sheer fun of it, not for the contest scene, the money and the kudos, but rather the simple act of having fun, doing something you love. For these things I have the utmost respect for this true legend.
The surf and skate world has to a degree crossed over in to the corporate arena, as such there isn't a whole lot of room for characters and individuals. More often than not the pros have to fit in with the image as defined by their sponsors, so I don't think that it is likely that we will see another Jay Adams, or anyone with like him anytime soon. He gave so much to the culture, that I think we are all indebted to him. For these reasons, he will never be forgotten.
Some six days after this latest viewing of the film, I heard the sad news that he had died.
So many people have said so much in honour of him already, there is a lot of love for him, that's for sure. For one individual guy to connect to so many people the world over, is a real accomplishment, I did not know him as a person, and yet he touched my life to such a degree that I felt as though a friend had died last week. I feel that this is down to something considerably more than Jay's skateboarding ability. While the entire Dog Town and Zephyr crew can take credit for the advent of modern skateboarding, it is Jay Adams that I feel is most deserved of the title. He obviously lived a tough life, but despite everything he stayed true to skating and surfing right up to the time of his death, which happened in Mexico while on a surf trip with his wife, Tracy. He epitomised skateboarding for the sheer fun of it, not for the contest scene, the money and the kudos, but rather the simple act of having fun, doing something you love. For these things I have the utmost respect for this true legend.
The surf and skate world has to a degree crossed over in to the corporate arena, as such there isn't a whole lot of room for characters and individuals. More often than not the pros have to fit in with the image as defined by their sponsors, so I don't think that it is likely that we will see another Jay Adams, or anyone with like him anytime soon. He gave so much to the culture, that I think we are all indebted to him. For these reasons, he will never be forgotten.
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RIP Jay Adams. February 3rd 1961 - August 14th 2014. |
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