Thalia Zelnik grew up in in the West Village of New York in the 1970s and 1980s, and when I stumbled upon a photo of her online, which was also published in Thrasher in the February 1987 issue, and a few other issues, I had to reach out. Thanks to social media, we made a connection which resulted in an interview on November 27, 2023.
The photo of Thalia I was so stoked on was used in a Placebo Products ad and it also included a catalogue for JFA (Jody Foster’s Army) products like skateboards, stickers, records and cassettes. Back in the day, Thalia used to hang out at a local skateshop, called Dream Wheels in SoHo where her girlfriend’s brother Bruno Musso, co-founder of the legendary brand SHUT Skateboards, and many others used to meet up. This was where Thalia was introduced to skateboarding. “I hung out with dudes who skated, and I felt like every time they went off and did something, they were on their boards and I couldn’t follow them, so that was the motivation to keep up – that’s how it started.”
Thalia explained that Washington Square Park was where the neighborhood kids congregated, and that’s where she often hung out because the “architecture seemed to attract a lot of skaters” with concrete benches, and ramps surrounding the central fountain. There’s some great photos from the 1980s by fellow female skater, Stana Weisburd for Jenkem magazine that give a sense of the scene, as well as photos by Jessica Bard (who was part of Thalia’s circle of friends) and others for the book Full Bleed: New York City skateboard photography (2022).
And this photo was published in the March 27, 1986, issue of The Villager where skateboarders apparently drew a large crowd.
Because the scene in NYC was so diverse and the kids were largely unsupervised, Thalia socialized with a wide range of interesting people. “I had a lot of different groups of people that I hung out with when I was a teenager. I was not exclusive to one particular group. I liked being a chameleon – that’s my thing.” The energy in the city in the 70s and 80s could feel like a war zone, which meant she was always adapting with the goal of getting along with everybody, but Thalia always felt welcomed by the entire skater community. She loved traveling the city in huge groups since skateboarders were banned from the sidewalks, so they skated in the street as a mob, terrorizing the cab drivers!
When I asked about the photo of Thalia, rocking her Vans, cut-off vest, knee brace, skateboard and knee pads, I got the full report! The brace was because Thalia had broken her leg and had some torn cartilage from an odd accident. “I was skating home, and a friend of mine was on a bicycle and grabbed onto my jacket to get us across 7th Avenue and he didn’t let go. And when he finally did my board was literally behind his back wheel, and then he hit the brakes! I flipped over him, the bicycle, everything, and the injury happened on the impact with the bicycle. So, I hear a snap, I go flying through the air and the only thing that saved me from further injury was because I had been taking Aikido, and so I knew how to fall and roll.”
Thalia definitely hadn’t asked to be hauled at great speed, so the culprit whose nickname was “Slow Motion,” since he was known for particular dance moves on his roller skates, became her designated driver around town. “I’d get on my skateboard. I had a cast from my hip to my ankle, and I made him pull me everywhere… this was a heavy cast.” Thalia had surgery in 1986 and had to do a lot of rehab, experiencing significant pain, which was not fun for a 16 / 17 year old, but it didn’t deter her interest in skateboarding.
This photo says “Victor” (maybe Tony “Tony Victor” Beram, the Placebo Records manager?)
And then the photo happened. “The photo was taken by the manager for JFA – they were in town and Dream Wheels, the skateboard store that I hung out in sponsored them and had a demo. And we built ramps and did all kinds of things for this. And then me and my friends just took JFA all over the city and gave them the skater tour. And so, this was the day of the demo that the photo was taken. They came off of their tour bus to skate, and the manager asked me if I wouldn’t mind posing for this photo, and they gave me a JFA skateboard! I didn’t realize that it was going to be in Thrasher – I think one of my friends pointed it out to me. I had no idea what kind of impact this was going to have, right? And I started being recognized… it was just a surprise thing and apparently it withstood the test of time.”
Brian Brannon from JFA was still in touch with Thalia and alerted her that the photo even appeared in a recent YouTube video for the band, for the song, “Stage Dive” (2023):
Thalia continued to skate well into her twenties, since it was her core mode of transportation until she moved to Mexico, and the dirt roads made it a bit more challenging to skate! But she explained that, “anytime I traveled I took my skateboard with me – it was always a great way to meet like-minded people. Basically, just skate through a new city and you’ll find them. It’s like an underground community that most people have no idea exists.” For example, Thalia lived in San Francisco and visited friends in San Diego, and skateboarding was a great connector.
Eventually, Thalia’s skateboard was misplaced during a move but during COVID she picked up a few new set-ups and because her kid was interested in long-boarding, she’s been willing to try it out and cruise the many beautiful paths and parks around her current city, Calgary, AB along the Bow River. Thalia had to admit that the longboard felt more like a sled and she still prefers her smaller Tony Hawk deck.
Photo: Taken by Pepe Torres of Thalia in black and Deva in pink at Washington Square, NYC in the 1980s.
Growing up in NYC and being around diverse groups of people whether they were skaters, punks, into hip hop and break-dancing, or part of the Rastafarian community, meant that Thalia always loved “being exposed to new people” and living a life of adventure. NYC as a teenager might have been lawless, but “it was an incredible time. We literally did whatever we wanted, any time of day or night.”
Reference:
- Thalia Zelnik, personal interview, November 27, 2023.
Womxn Skateboard History 