You changed directions with Metal a few months back, how has it been running the whole show these days?
I’m waaaaaaaaaay more stoked on the company right now then ever! Sean Burns came out here to help on the work side, as well as awesome help from Harry and the rest of the WE THE PEOPLE dudes. Our samples are the best bikes we’ve ever had! The dudes have been trying to beat the shit out of them for months, but they are all holding perfect!
Is there anything new going on with you and your sponsors DUFFS, Odyssey, and Dans Comp?
In the sense of new, I have a new pro model shoe coming out for DUFFS that I’m mad stoked on! They will be out mid or late summer. I really did most of all the design and had a great time on the project. As for Odyssey and Dans, they are still awesome as ever. All three of these companies really helped out and stuck with me through the weirdest year of my life! My hats off to all three of them!
Jimmy, Fuel TV and Leland. Ghetto Street Comp, 2004. Photo: Ed Docherty
How’s the leg doing? Are you 100% yet? Any rehab?
Yeah I did rehab and finished that, but no, I’m not at 100%. I make myself get out there, but it’s one of those things that going to take time. My femer was shattered in seven pieces and I now have a titanium rod for a femer screwed to my knee and my hip! That mixed with a torn ACL all due to an old dumbass driver swerving over two solid yellow lines and plowing me over through a bike lane! I refuse to quit trying, I was already supposed to die 4 times in ‘08 from the head injury before this guy plowed me over. I guess that was number 5.
Living in a scene as big as Seattle I’m sure you see a lot of talented riders, has there been Any unknown talented riders that have impressed you lately?
There is this cool guy from Tacoma called Panama Red. He’s had that name since I’ve met him and don’t even know his real name. Anyways, I went to the UP skatepark last week and this kid was blasting the craziest transfers and airs all over the place. It had been a while since I had seen him ride, and he’s killing it now!
Prior to starting Metal did you go to college or anything? How did you learn the business side of BMX?
I’m a bit too A.D.D. for college. I learned by just having sponsors over the years, going to meetings, had a job doing sales in the industry, and going to trade shows. All that mixed together introduces you to dealers and shop owners in the buisness. You have to know what they want, but most importantly, you have to know what the riders want and push it in that direction.
Have you been finding much time to ride? Where can you be found riding these days?
Yeah, just relearning to ride with this fake robot leg is a hard push. I’m pedaling around town hitting curbs and pumping tranisition at the moment. My hop is a bit waffer at the moment, but I’m working on it.
Jimmy in Bellingham, WA, 2004 Photo: Ryan Worcester
If you could go back in your life and relive any day in your life when would you go back to, and what would you change?
Hard one....a lot of great times with no changes, but change wise I would go with the second MTV Sports and music festival in Memphis. I jumped over a semi trailer to land on another one and crashed. Once up in the air, I realized how much time I had up there and decided to kick out a bit and turn bar. this went into a kicked out dead sailor and I ate shit. I was told by everyone there if I would have pulled it I would have won. If I would have just stuck to a Greg Hill tuck I would pulled it clean! I get pissed thinking about it.
Do you feel like your parents support from the start helped put you where you are today?
In a way yes, my mom was always awesome about it. She had a little camper that turned into a bike shop at races and we had a racing team. She took us to more races then she could afford and worked her ass off for us, awesome mom. My dad however, hated it! He always told me to quit. This too might have helped in a weird way. It could have been a subconsious middle finger to him for telling me to quit everyday. Everyday until I got signed with HUFFY when I was 21 and he saw my contract. Then he shut up about it, and now asks me things like, hows METAL going?
What do you think you would be doing today if it weren’t for BMX?
Well, I started BMX in 1981-82 and started skateboarding in 1984. There was a time when I was skating more than BMX for a bit and almost made the switch, but didn’t. Music has also been a huge part of my life and I had to quit my last band when the HUFFY deal came around. More time for those two things mixed with snowboarding would probably take up the majority of my time.
Do you believe BMX has made you tougher than nails? I don’t believe you’re human anymore after all you’ve been through lately…
In a way yes, it does raise our tolerence of pain. The ambulance’s medics were freaking out on me when I got ran over by the jeep because I was screaming at the guy about ruining my year of riding and maybe my life instead of crying in pain. They were freaking out on how I could be talking about work with my femer sticking out the back of my leg. I told them, this isn’t my job, it’s my life...and this old fucker might have killed it for me!
Jimmy and the Magic Tape Drop. Metal trip, 2006 Photo: Jeff Allen
Anything else you would like to say?
Just a big thanks and lots of love out there to my team riders, my awesome sponsors DUFFS, Odyssey, Dans comp, Tom and Tina at Empire, people around the world who helped with my hospital bills and great friends who really pulled me through the weirdest year of my life! My heart rate dropped below 1 four times during my coma and my family was told I was passing away each time. I did see the other side and am now longer afraid of death because I remember the how nice the passing to the other side was. I remember begging to come back to earth because I still had things I wanted to do here before I moved to the next demention. I remember a long conversation I had with a higher power while walking on a path around a mountain, and yes, it was brighter in the direction I was going. When I figured that out, I turned and ran the oppisite way and our conversation started while I was running. When I was speaking while running the sky was blue, when the voice spoke to me the sky changed colors over and over. Then when I was answering the questions it went back to blue. This went on for what seemed like an all day hike. It was the best conversation I’ve ever had in my life and After explaining why I had to go back to earth I woke up in a hospital bed and the doctors were freaking out. I was in a drug induced coma and not only did I just jump from dying to living, but my eyes opened and I awoke. I was on the largest amount of horse tranquilizers legally possible. The doctors had zero clue how I was able to awake. Nothing crazier will ever happen to me again until the next time I actually die. I’m actually tearing up writing this right now.
Interbike 2008 Photo: Ricky Adam
Melbourne Australia DIG trip, 2003 Photo: Ed Docherty
2007 NW motel fakie. Photo: Sandy Carson
Seth Holton, Ryan Worcester, Sean Burns, and Jimmy, NW 2004
Jimmy at home, circa 04 Photo: Sandy Carson
1989 style in the UK, sometime in 2003 Photo: Paul Bilss
MTV Comp from DIG issue 10. Photo: Ed Docherty
Roswell, RF 1, 1998. Photo: Ed Docherty
Austin Church gap, Road Fools 1, 1998, from DIG issue 8. Photo: Ed Docherty
