The TAMerica Interview

The USA didn't know what was coming!

12 Dec 2023

TAMERICA tam roastin BSD 2023 mcgrath 11

Rail hop over and into the tranny of the red chair. Houston, TX.

Photos & Intro by Wes McGrath Interview by: Trent Lutzke

If you haven't heard of Tam Roastin' yet, well brother you better listen up! Tam hails from the motherland of Scotland and he now resides in Glasgow, where he has found the support from Grant Smith and BSD. Through his amazing personality and his exceptional skills on a bicycle, Tam has been able to transcend the Atlantic Ocean this past summer and spend his entire Visa in the United States for his first visit to the states...

Landing in Austin, Texas he was quickly indoctrinated into the home and Texas lifestyle of the Trent Lutzke compound. Exploring the streets of Texas and all the way into the swamps of Florida, Tam quickly fell in love with the "no rules" policy here in the US and engulfed himself into the cultures that surrounded him. From his tactical Procedure projects to enjoying the in-between, Tam has proven his addiction to kinked rails is a good thing and we all loved kinked rails! Come back soon Tam, from Texas with love.

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Name: Tam Roastin.

Age: 23 years young.

Sponsors: BSD Forever, Procedure, Enjoy the In-between

Years riding: Roughly 12 years.

Where exactly are you from: Beith, United Kingdom.

What's your favorite part of visiting Texas? That sweet Texas sun!

Tam takes a seat in the alleys of Austin, Texas and soaks up that southern sunshine.

Tam was proving a point here, he can actually let go of the bars! Barspin rail hop in Houston, TX.

What is it about kinked rails?

I ask myself this question all the time, I’m not sure where it started or why but all I can say is that it is quite simply the best feeling in the world coming out the end of a doozy kinked banister.

What was your favorite moment from your trip to America?

Honestly, there were so many highlights I wouldn’t know where to start, but driving through the southern most portion of the country with two of my best mates was life changing! To be perfectly honest, growing up in my tiny town of Beith, watching the madness that is swampfest from my tv screen, I never would have imagined making the journey all the way to the United States. This unplanned trip brought me all the way to the end of the swamp rail and that right there is a huge life goal of mine as a bike rider! haha

At what point did you realize you actually liked country music?

Hahaha! There was the Country Music Awards right in centre of Austin, me and my good man Grant Yoobie snuck into the awards by saying we worked at the food truck, the security guard wasn’t convinced but after giving him a few cigarettes he let us into the venue! Through the crowed sea of blue jeans and cowboy boots, Darius Rucker played his version of the song, "Wagon Wheel" and I somehow knew all the words to the song and at that moment I knew, country music makes me feel at home and is now listened too on the regular!

What was the farthest you traveled during your stay in America and where did you go along the way?

Trent, Yoobie and myself set off on a life mission form Austin, Texas to Wildwood, Florida... all 1100 miles of it! We stopped off in New Orleans, Louisiana for a 4 day party during Mardi Gras. Reed Stark and the epic Kosh were our hosts and city guides, so needless to say we had a raging good time! Our end destination being swampfest, quite honestly the most mental place I’ve ever experienced! Then a camping trip / road trip all the way back to Austin, there was a few bumps along the way but nothing major, nothing like the open road of America to get properly acclimated!

This is one of Austin's most well known legendary spots and Tam still found his own way to a fresh clip. High-speed 360 over the dumpster! As seem in the 2024 BSD calendar.

What would you say to someone who wants to travel to another country for 3 months and stay on some dudes couch?

Ahh easy, what goes around comes around! It’s a beautiful thing having people take you under there wing, and then when you're able to repay the favor, it truly makes me so happy and grateful, life is crazy beautiful maaaan.

Anyone you’d like to thank that was along for the Tamerican adventure?

Too many people come to mind, but first a massive shout out and thank you to the main man Grant Smith, who has helped me get to all the places and see all the sights! Especially, a BIG thanks to everyone at the compound for your hospitality and for being sick guys! Everyone in the Austin Bmx scene, you guys are crazy on and off the bike, you know who you’s are! HUGE thanks to Reed and Kosh for the hospitality in New Orleans you guys are the best!! I’ll never forget those trips! To Yoobie and Maddy-Lee you are some of the realist people I know and I love you very, very much... Last but not least, Trent mother fucking lutzke! I never knew that the day I met Trent in Glasgow he would become one of my best friends, the realist of the real and the loosest of the loose, words simply can't do it justice to show how thankful I am to have met this guy, bless the fuck uppppp <3

Tam, Curley, Trent, Reed and Denim check the fresh footy in anticipation of satisfaction.

Tam in the midst of a heavy jam session at his newest local, House Park.

This 360 toothpick smack was done with a hurt wrist, but Tam doesn't care when he sees something he really wants.

WORDS BY TAM:

"Growing up as a BMX rider from Scotland, going to America is always a dream. To have sent it the way that I did, the way that I did, was a big move for me going somewhere I didn’t really know anyone, but I knew the people are crazy. I can’t believe how well it went, there were so many ups and downs, fence crashes and broken wrists, riding with my best pals and some of the worlds best riders... in a mental BMX scene and driving across the country, it was an amazing time to be alive and it’s only going to keep moving forward, life changing to say the least, big up everyone! I’ll be back 110!" - Tam