I did this interview in 1993, and it was originally printed in Transworld Skateboarding Magazine. The photos that accompanied it will be up here as soon as I can get around to it... It’s now 2001, and Jason has come a long way--he’s riding for Black Label now, and he's got a beautiful wife and lil' "kid," and has recently moved to Huntington Beach, CA to put his foot in the door at Black Label. He's just put out the best video part of his life, and things are good. Jason has come a long, long way since this interview, but I believe it’s still interesting reading, giving a different perspective on one of skateboarding’s most underrated and interesting sons. Do you want to tell me the basic things about you? Okay, my name is Jason Michael Adams. I live in San Jose, California. I'm nineteen years old, I'll be twenty on September 24th, and I think that's all. I don't have a girlfriend. And that's it. What did you do before you skated? Nothing, I was just a typical kid. I played soccer. That was the only sport I played. I fucked around, BMX biked, whatever the kids were doin'. What part of San Jose did you live in? South, Almaden. I was born in Connecticut, lived there until I was one-and-a-half or two. Then I moved here, so I lived here pretty much all my life. (At this point we were interupted by a phone call from a girl demanding to speak with Jason, long distance, and then with a visit from Jason's roomate Tim Brauch and his iguana, Oliver. Tim and Jason indulge in a conversation about lame interview questions.) Jason: I don't want to talk about pollution, the government, "How long have you been skating?" Those questions suck. I want to talk about Tom and Jerry or Mighty Mouse. Tim: Wait, what about Bullwinkle? Jason: Yeah, I went to Bullwinkle's when I was a kid. Tim: When the water sprays... Jason: Totally, right on. Tenth birthday. With my friend Doug, who got killed last week. This is a critical part. He was my best friend from when I was five til I was fourteen. I found out last week that he killed a lady and her kid, and then the cops killed him. No one that close to me had ever died. Not only that he died, but that he killed other people. He was totally mellow. It sucks. How did you get into skateboarding? I was always interested in it, since I was a little grommet, and then finally, when I was in fifth grade, I had a birthday and saved up money to get a skateboard. I had it for two weeks, got it stolen, always was stoked on it, but didn't get a skateboard till I was in eighth grade. My friends Jeremy and... I don't even remember the other kid's name got 'em, so I finally saved up money. I had a garage sale and sold all this shit out of my room to get money and I got one, and ever since then I've been stoked on it. Then they quit like a year later and I just kept going. They did it because it was a trend, and I did it because I wanted to skateboard. Where did you skate? Alpha Beta. Not the Scurbs, a different Alpha Beta by my house. But there was a fat scene. Curbs, jump ramp to walls, jump ramps, you name it. Did you ever skate ramps? Once in a while, this dude Tom Miller's ramp, and all the cool kids could skate it, and every once in a while they'd let me skate it, and I was so stoked. Or we'd skate Bedrock Ramp. It was in these hills. But we were scared of the guys who built it, so we'd wake up super early and go skate it. We thought they'd beat us up if we skated it. All those dudes are losers now. Who were the first guys you saw who were good? All those cool guys. Salman, Tom Miller, Mike Prosenko, Sam Moore. No one cares about these names. When was this? Like '88. Prosenko was rad then. Was Salman good yet? He wasn't the good guy, but the was part of the group. Joe Conti was my hero. Number one hero, Joe Conti. Number two hero--Mike Prosenko. Number three hero--Steve Caballero. Well, Steve Caballero ended up being my all-time skatebording hero, but before that they were, cause they were the local guys. Did you read the magazines? Yeah, as much as I could get 'em. I couldn't get 'em that much. I'd read 'em. I'd be stoked to see Mike Prosenko's name in the contest results. He lived half a mile down the street from me. Who were you skating with? Kids from my school, and then eventually I got into the cool group. Skated with the cool guys. Almaden cool guys. Conti, Tom Miller, Chris Drukas. Eric Goodwin, Chris George. They were cool to me. When I went to high school that's when I got in with the cool group. Were there other skateboarders at your school? I went to Pioneer High School. When I was in ninth grade, there was a lot of skateboarders. They were in twelth grade. Then after that, there was maybe five. Then it went down to four. By the time I was a senior, I was the only skateboarder, there was maybe one or two others, freshmen or sophomores, who dressed like skaters, but I was the only skateboarder. Were you a punker, too? Not really, I looked like a skateboarder. I kinda listened to the music. I listened to the Ramones. Listened to whatever. I wasn't toally into it. I was just into skating, that's all I wanted to do. I'd go to school at eight, and I'd leave at two-thirty, and that's all, then I'd just skate. It's all I cared about. Did you graduate? Yeah, totally. In '91. How'd you get sponsored? Okay, my first sponsor was Venture. Greg hooked me up with Venture. He came to San Jose, and I just skated with him a few times and he was stoked on me. And then he got the job at Venture, and he said he'd hook me up. And he hooked me up. And then Salman hooked me up with Santa Cruz. 'Cause Gavin (O'Brien, Santa Cruz team manager at the time) asked who were some street guys around. He hooked me up, and I rode for Santa Cruz for like two months. And then Greg Carroll from Venture...they were starting this new company called Think, and at the time Santa Cruz had like 40 riders. There was like five Jasons, and I was like nothin'. And Think was a small company, and my friend Shawn Mandoli, who rode for Dogtown at the time, was gonna ride for them. So I just went with it, and rode for Think. That lasted for like two years, and then I just said "Fuck it" and rode for SMA. I wasn't into their whole scene. What, the San Francisco scene? It was just the whole rave thing. I didn't want to wear their shit. I mean, it was a new company, and you're only gonna be a professional skateboarder for what, four years, and I didn't want to wait around for this new company to start up. I was just sitting at my house, making two hundred dollars a month. I had the opportunity to ride for SMA, which was a bigger company, and I could do more shit and make more money. So I did it, even though it was hard, 'cause Greg Carroll is my really good friend. So you made the switch about a year ago? How has it been? Yeah, a year ago exactly. It's been perfect. Have you traveled much? I went to England in February. It was cool. I've just been to contests, Connecticut, New York. I've been down south a lot. L.A., San Diego, Santa Barbara. I haven't done too much stuff yet, haven't traveled too much. Do you like contests? Yeah, contests are cool 'cause it's just a new scene. Meet people, see your friends, skate new stuff, there's always something goin' on, a party or something, after the contest. It's fun, it's different than your hometown. I thrive on traveling. Now that you're pro, is it what you thought? Is it what you dreamed it would be? No, because when I was a little kid, it was so glamorous. Hosoi, Caballero... I didn't know what to think, I thought they were just superstars. But I never even thought about it, I never said "Oh, I'm gonna be pro." Even when I was sponsored, I never said "Oh, I'm gonna be pro." It just happened. It's weird. I thought pros were more... I don't know. Was it a big deal the day you decided to turn pro? I was scared. I was totally scared. I thought maybe I didn't even want to do it. I was thinking maybe just shine it. Not even do it. But I said I have the oppurtunity so I'll do it. What do you think of the skateboard scene? (The sound of wind passing through closed, flapping lips, and laughter, fills the room) I hate the whole scene. I hate the rap bullshit, all the tagging bullshit, I hate all the glamour bullshit, I hate all the style bullshit. People are too into style, too into their fuckin' hair. They're too into their white tee-shirts. People should just skate everything. Just skate. Don't worry about anything. People are too worried about the goosip, and the style. Skateboarding is rad, I'll always skateboard, but I'm not into how it is right now. But I think all the new companies are rad, the little companies. It's not all the big Powell, Santa Cruz, Vision. I like all the little companies, and how it all broke down. It made it better, it made it more interesting. Do you think that skateboarders are a good group of people? Do you like most skateboarders? Yeah, totally. I like most skateboarders. I can't hang out with anyone else but skateboarders. 'Cause I can't really relate to anyone else. Would you let your daughter date a skateboarder someday? That's a fucked up question...(laughter) Hopefully I'll never have a daughter. But I know how skateboarders act. Like right now, thinking, I'd go "Oh, totally." But if I'm old and grey, I might change my mind. I hope I never will, but I don't know. I don't ever want to have kids. I don't want to get married, 'cause I'm not the responsible type. Don't you think you will be someday? No. How are going to get by? What are you going to be doing? I don't know. I think about it everyday, but I don't know. I'm not really interested in anything but skateboarding. Have you ever been in love? No, never. I've never really had a girlfriend. Before, we were talking about your friend who died. We all spend time by ourselves. I know that you like to sleep till three o'clock... I don't sleep till three o'clock, I might sleep till twelve at the latest... (laughter) Do you ever really think about life and what it is? Yeah, I think about it all the time. I think, "What am I going to do? I'll just get by, however I can." But then I think, maybe if I get old, I'll think I wasted all this time. See, I don't know. I try not to think about it. I'll survive somehow. I just want to have fun now, while I can. How long have you been living on your own? Not long. I moved out of my parents house in November, and got a place for a couple of months, that didn't work out. I moved back to my parents house for a month, and then here, for a couple months. So it's been not even a year. Do you ever think about getting old? Yeah, all the time. Every day. I guess it's all in your head. I always think, "I'll never get old." And then I think that some people regret that they've had all that time and they've lost it. See, I'm confused. I'm a very confused person. I think too much. How long do you think you can be a professional skateboarder? Not long. Couple of years. What about guys like Caballero and Hawk? Those people are totally different. They are amazing. They're totally rad. Different than me, definitely. I'm just one of those dudes that got lucky. Right now it's popular to be politically correct, and all into world issues. Okay, see, I realize the government's fucked up and they're doing bullshit. But there's nothing you can really do about it. You can bitch about, but no one really does anything about. Do you vote? I'm not even registered to vote. See, I'm not gonna complain about it 'cause I don't do anything about it. I'm kinda just to myself. I don't watch TV, I don't listen to the radio. I just keep to myself. I just want to kind of get by this life, and get it over with. As easy as possible. Which is stupid, but that's just how it is. Do you think you have a responsibility to everyone else to be aware? No. What about things like pollution and smog? Okay, pollution and smog. I think it's meant to happen. Okay, I believe in God, I believe in the Bible. I was raised that way. I believe the whole society has brought it on. It's gonna end sometime, and I'm just going with it. It talks about it in the Bible. It's meant to end. What is? This world. Do you think it's going to happen in our lifetime? I don't know. It's pretty bad. I think it's destined to happen. Do you do anything about things that bother you? Like the litter everywhere, and the tagging you see across the street from your house? Okay, I don't tag, that's bullshit. I might leave a cup somewhere every once in a while. But I seriously try not to, because I don't like cruising down the street and looking at garbage. I don't like looking at it. I mean, I try. I might do it once in a while, 'cause I'm lazy. Like today I left a Togo's cup in Palo Alto. I try, and if there's something I believe in, I'll try. But I do believe that God had a plan. Do you get along with your parents? Do you talk to them? Yeah, kinda. Yeah, I do. I talk to them, but I don't TALK to them. Like, they don't know really anything about me. I talk to em every couple of weeks. "Hi, how ya doin?" Whatever. They probably wouldn't like me if they actually knew me. My mom and Dad are totally devoted Christians. I don't know. They totally love me, and I talk to 'em. But they don't know me. Go on to the next question. Do you like yourself? Are you happy with Jason Adams? Yeah, I'm happy with myself...Actually, I'm not totally happy with myself, 'cause I'm a puss in skateboarding. I have lack of motivation. I'm lazy, and I know I could do so much more, but I always just say "Fuck it." And I'm scared of getting hurt. I get really pissed off and I stress, and then later after I'm not stressed for skateboarding, I get stressed and pissed off because I got stressed. Would you say you're a shy person? Yeah, totally. Isn't that just an escape, being able to say, "Oh. I'm shy?" No, I don't like it. I hate it. I've worked on it. I've gotten so much better. What music are you listening to these days? I guess punk rock music. There's a lot of different kinds. Lately I've been listening to The Muffs every day. Screeching Weasel, Rancid, NoFX, Green Day's rad. Black Sabbath, that's different, metal or whatever. I could go on for like ten years. Oh, Operation Ivy. And KPF, San Jose. You have a Black Flag tattoo on your leg. Don't talk about that. What does it mean to you? Okay, the Black Flag tattoo...Me and Salman Agah hung out for like... I don't know, the last four years. Every day, always hung out. We totally liked Black Flag, we'd listened to Black Flag all the time, together. And one night we were just like "Let's get Black Flag tattoos to remember the times that we hung out together." And we got 'em. It's not "Yeah, punk rock, I love Black Flag." It's more like me and Salman were best friends and we liked Black Flag, so we got 'em. So when I'm old and grey and bored, I'll look at it and remember the times skateboarding. Have you ever thought about getting new tattoos? Yeah, I probably will, but I don't want to just go get something, I don't want to regret it. Have you ever been hassled for skateboarding? (Smirks, laughs) Every day. Cops, security guards, shop owners, whatever. Everyone knows what it's like. Everyone deals with the same shit everyday. When you get hassled, are you passive? Depends on what kind of mood I'm in. Usually I don't say anything. Whatever, we'll just leave. But sometimes if I'm in a bad mood, it really pisses me off, and I'll yell at the dude. I'll just be pissed. It just depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I'm a very moody person. You never know how I'm gonna act. Have you ever been in a fight? Yeah, days ago. Like fifth, sixth, seventh grade. I'm not into fighting. Who are you skating with these days? Tim Brauch I hang out with every day. He's one of my best friends. I love Tim. But it's different at different times. I skate with Shawn Mandoli. Jai Tanju, my roomate, I skate with a lot. Jimmy Young, I've been skating with a lot. Besides that it's whoever comes around. I try to leave as much as possible. Edward DeVera I used to skate with a lot. Usually Tim. Do you plan your day? No, I don't like to make plans. Do you like doing video? No, I get stressed. When the camera comes out...it's the bail gun. I'd rather just skate. I do realize that I'm a pro, and I've got to do that stupid stuff. Sometimes I like it. It just depends. Lately it's been lame. Is there anyone who you'd like to say "Thank You" to or "Hello" to? No. No. Yeah, I'd like to say thanks to Greg Carroll, you helped me out a lot. And Salman, you helped me out a lot. I love you. That's just about it. Without them I'd probably be working at K-Mart. Would you be bummed if you were working at K-Mart? I don't know. I don't know what I'd be doing right now if I wasn't skateboarding. It's weird, I never even thought "I want to be pro." It just kinda happened.