Jay Adams
| Jay Adams | |
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 Jay Adams circa 1976 |
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| Born | February 3, 1961 Venice, Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Professional skateboarder |
| Known for | Member of the Z-Boys skateboarding team |
Jay Adams (born February 3, 1961) is an American skateboarder most prominently known as one of the original members of Z-Boys skateboarding team. He is considered one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.
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Career [edit]
He was born in Venice, California in 1961. He became a member of the original Zephyr skateboard team and of the Zephyr surf team along with Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta.
According to Bones Brigade founder Stacy Peralta, Adams "is probably not the greatest skater of all time, but I can say without fear of being wrong that he is clearly the archetype of modern-day skateboarding."[1] Craig Stecyk dubbed Adams "the original seed."[2]
In popular culture [edit]
Adams is featured prominently in the award winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and in the 2005 dramatized film account of the Z-Boys origins, Lords of Dogtown. In the movie, he was played by Emile Hirsch, who was praised by critics for his portrayal of the original Z-Boy.
Legal problems [edit]
Adams has been in and out of prisons as he struggled with drug addiction.[3] He was charged with murder, and convicted of assault, following a gay bashing that he instigated in Los Angeles.[4] He served two-and-a-half years of a four-year sentence in the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan, Oregon, after being caught on a wiretap acting as a go-between for a buyer and seller of crystal methamphetamine. He was released to a halfway house on July 8, 2008 for the remainder of his sentence.[3]
Personal life [edit]
He was married to Alisha Adams, with whom he has a daughter, Venice. He also has a son Seven, from Samantha Baglioni.[3] He was recently remarried in Honolulu to Tracy Adams.
References [edit]
- ^ Thrasher magazine
- ^ thesunmachine.net
- ^ a b c Edelstein, David, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/sports/othersports/30xgames.html "A Lord of Dogtown Reemerges" New York Times. July 30, 2008, accessed November 11, 2008.
- ^ Jay Adams, 2000 Interview, http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/jayadams/juice.html "Jay Adams, 2000 Interview", accessed May 15, 2011.
Further reading [edit]
- 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 0-9735286-6-4 *[1]
- Scarred for Life - Eleven Stories About Skateboarders by Keith Hamm, Chronicle Books, 2004, ISBN 0-8118-4053-0
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