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KODAK TM
TAMILE
HOMAS
Interview by Michael Burnell
W
HEN I first got this job over two years ago, there was a rumor that Jamie Thomas was banned from Thrasher. Jamie
believed it. The editor, Jake Phelps, denied it. "We just don't have any photos of him!" he'd yell at me. I wasn't
sure who to believe. Regardless, there was some heavy tension the first time I hooked up with Mr. Thomas to go shoot pho-
tos. He complained about Phelps. I pleaded the fifth. He vented his hostilities. I smiled. It was one of the most uncomfort-
able afternoons of my life. A few months later and, what do you know, a photo of Jamie runs in the mag. I guess he's not
banned after all. It was shortly after that when I began to wish, however, that he was.
Reason being: shooting with Jamie Thomas spoils me. No "I can't think of any spots." No "My shoes feel funny." No
"I'm sorry you just drove for an hour, but I'm so stoned..." None of that garbage. Instead, I get to hang out with a guy
who: 1. Loves to skate. 2. Is down to get wrecked. 3. Knows what he wants and will stop at nothing until he gets it. All
that and he usually drives, too. And his car is always filled with nutritious snacks.
Jamie Thomas is a phenomenal skater and a generous person with a great sense of humor. His ascension to the tippy-
top of the skateboard heap is one of the hardest-won victories since Rocky 3 beat up that big Soviet freak. At this point,
his biggest challenge is to keep one-upping himself. Thanks for the fun and effort, Jamie. The only way you're getting out
of this magazine, in the future, is on a stretcher.
60 THRASHER
Did you really get a tattoo when you
were fifteen?
I don't know how pertinent that is. I
was sixteen.
What did you get?
An eight ball. On my left arm.
Is it still there?
No, I got it covered up with some
sketchy sun six months later. It didn't
take long to figure out the eight ball was
a mistake.
What kind of kid were you?
An independent one. I was the
fourth child, and every child in my
family was somewhat rebellious, so
by the fourth rebellious child my par-
ents had had enough. I raised myself
in a sense. They were there for me
when I was in trouble to tell me right.
and wrong, but it usually took me
getting in trouble before they told
me. My mom taught me lots of
things, but lots of things I had to
learn on my own. I probably had to
learn a lot more things on my own.
than the average kid.
Were you ever a ninja?
I wanted to be a ninja.
What kinds of things did you
do to get attention when you
were younger?
Well, I was a skateboard kid. I did all
the basics: your mohawk, your shaved
head, your bleached hair, whatever.
Some of my years I spent in really con-
servative areas; I lived in Alabama for a
long time, and you didn't have to do
much to get attention there. If you
looked at all different from the average
Big dog goin' for the gusto while the video troll creeps.
Daniel Harold Sturt © 199