Fashion girl punk

Jason Adams: "punk rock, skate hard" - Heads_Adams

Who is truly the mast beautiful of the BMC?

Well, there are different levels of beauty. First name that pops into my head? JJ Rogers.

And what is it about him that's so beautiful?

He possesses all the traits: looks, attitude, history. He's got it all.

Have there been any recent recruits?

It's tentatively frozen right now. I kinda retired. I'm still definitely affiliated, but I've stepped down in my role as one of the Five Fathers. I live in Southern California now, and it's based out of San Jose.

Have there been any dismissals?

I think the only dismissal was Chet, but we put him back in later.

Can you get the eight ball in that club?

You can. In Chet's case, he wasn't comfortable with his beauty. You know when people aren't comfortable with their position, they kinda make fun of it?

Right.

Yeah, but he figured it out. He saw the light, so to speak.

Do you have any Simon Woodstock updates?

I saw him at the Vans park.

Skating?

No, he just kinda showed up. He's going to Bible college somewhere down here.

Yikes. What's the highest on the hog you've ever seen him?

After he had his Shaun Palmer fight, or maybe some of his MTV debuts.

Did you get any autographs as a kid?

No.

Not even Evel Knievel?

No.

What skater did you really look up to though?

There were different phases, but I'd have to say from the beginning of skating all the way through it, Cab was the hometown hero. Tom Knox. I loved Tom Knox when I was a kid.

What was it like growing up in an area with so many high-profile older skaters?

It was great. Those are the guys who influenced me more than the big name pros. A lot of the guys who influenced me weren't even pro.

Like who?

There was a guy named Joe Conti, Mike Prosenko, Corey and Reese and that whole crew. Then there were the guys who moved to San Jose like Todd Fransen and Ross Goodman, but the Sacto guys had a big influence on me too. I loved the Sacto guys. There was always a San Jose/Sacramento connection.

Is it satisfying, at least on the surface, to know that the style and fashion of the classic San Jose/Sacto skater has crept through skateboarding in a huge way?

It's kind of the same, but it's not. This whole new wave of "punk" skating isn't the same punk skating that I grew up with. Like you sald, it pretty much is just fashion. And it's definitely not the same attitude that everyone had where I grew up.

What was that attitude?

Fuckin' skate hard, man--punk rock, skate hard. This whole glam thing is totally different.

Did you freak out when you found out you were gonna be a daddy?

Yeah, I did freak out. When I think about it now, I realize I was freaking out.

Were you in for the whole deal or out in the waiting room?

Oh, I was there.

Little surgical mask and everything?

The whole nine.

Little boy or little girl?

Little girl. Haley.

Did you ever have an eye-opening experience with a team manager or company owner when you were coming up?

Working with Mike V and John for sure. With Mike, seeing how he operated showed me that anything could happen 'cause he would just do his own thing. It gave me hope. John having faith--I was never the most confident person in the past, and having John say "Dude, just do your thing. It's cool" gave me some confidence.

Did you ever stress out about not keeping up with the Jones' trick-wise?

I did for a little bit. That's kinda why I faded out and hid from skateboarding. I always skated, but I remember a day in 1992 or 1993 where I just said, "Fuck this. Fuck trying all these crazy ticks." I totally faded. But then when I met Mike I said to myself, "You know what? I can do whatever I want."

So you think there's room for pros who are rad but don't necessarily do the kill-yourself-type stunt work?

Yeah. It just took me awhile to figure out that I could be one of those guys. I definitely think there is room for those who don't have the latest and greatest tricks. Half the guys out there have the latest and greatest tricks and I couldn't give a shit about 'em.

That's true.

I don't really look at skateboarding as a sport. I look at like, as with music or something, it's more of your attitude and style.

Have you gotten hurt with that pointy nose yet? Does that thing poke you real good?

I got a little ankle bite the other day, but not too bad. To answer everyone's question, I've never gotten it in the nuts.

What's your advice for the kids? Is there any advice you wished you had gotten which would have saved you some trouble or heartache?

It sounds cheesy, but have some faith and don't be afraid to have dreams. I had dreams in the back of my head but didn't think they could pan out, which is where I made my first mistake a long time ago. Have some faith in yourself and don't be afraid to dream.