JAY ADAMS HOOKED ME UP

By Chip Morton

This was way back when, during a period when Jay was skating again...meaning he wasn’t in jail and wasn’t on a tear somewhere. I was a lowly nothing on the skate photog scene but somehow I got hold of him and he was super friendly.

“Yeah, come on up to Venice! We’ll go to this ramp and you can shoot!” he said.

So I go to Venice one afternoon and make my way into the yard where there is this tight vert ramp. I meet Jay and everyone and they are really great to me. Everyone is having good, fun, backyard ramp session.

We go back to Jay’s to relax and wait till it cools off for an evening session back at the ramp. Jay’s place is like you could imagine- stereo blasting, keg flowing, sand all over the floor and cupboard doors falling off the hinges. Two of Jay’s friends come running in at some point, all hyped up. They had gotten in a fight down the street and the other dude had pulled a gun on them. Everyone laughs (except me), hands them beers and carries on. 

A couple minutes later, two cops come charging in the open front door with guns drawn and they are pissed.

“HANDS UP!!! GET AGAINST THE FUCKING WALL!!!!” They are looking for the two friends of Jay’s that had been in the fight. Apparently, the other guy had twisted the story telling the cops it was Jay’s friends with the gun. So they are pissed, kicking open doors and pointing guns at our heads. Now, this sort of thing is way, way, WAY out of my comfort zone and I’m internally just freaking the fuck out. But I look over, and I’ll never forget this, I look over at Jay and he is just...not even phased. He has this look of complete “Whatever” on his face. Not even like he is annoyed, more like he is taking a leisurely stroll in the park. The cops get hold of the two guys and talk to them and sorta get things straightened out and take off again to find the other dude from the fight. I’m just going “Holy shit!!!” and Jay, like nothing had ever even happened, says “Let’s get back to the ramp while the light is still good!!!” And that evening I snapped this photo of Jay, which ran as a full page in Transworld. Whaddya know!