Messageboard allegations of Jamie Thomas' penchant for "Daddy rock" aside, it's hard to find a video part of his that doesn't get you stoked. When he stepped to the forefront of big gap and rail skateboarding in Welcome to Hell
, I think a lot of people wondered how long his body could last. That part got repeat play for almost everyone who grew up in that era. Then came Zero and, well, that one has been written. People who grew up with it had the whole look—black skull hoodies, hood up, mimicking the roll up, agonizing head-grab stop to a sketchy spot. From afar, he was like some mythical man to a lot of kids. It sounds super weak, but I'll admit I still catch the occasional chill when I see him (leftovers from when I was younger, I guess)...and I'm a full grown adult.
He definitely went through some rough knee problems, but if anyone is able to overcome any adversity, it's Jamie Thomas, who later became known as "The Chief" for an almost frightening persistence and mandating approach. But, you really can't knock it when you see him skate in his Ride the Sky re-edit
and his most recent Ten Tricks. Now with a bigger bag of tricks, dude can still shred.
Note: I originally planned to link Jamie Thomas' most recent Ten Tricks. It seems that it got taken down in the process of writing this, so you'll just have to settle for his first Ten Tricks
that came out two years ago. When you see the most recent one, you'll know what I'm saying. He's still good.