A Day In The Life Of Thomas Castro
“I am an actor, recording artist, model, skater, surfer, snowboarder. New age renaissance man. A multi business entrepreneur who creates his dreams into reality. Who juices sugarcane and tends colonies of bees. I am Thomas Castro, an unorthodox multi talented individual who follows the beat to their own drum.”
Sometimes people can look at you and perhaps come up with their own conclusion about you. But that may not be the case. So what can you tell us about your background?
That's true. People do look at me and come up with their own conclusions. I was born and raised in Far Rockaway, New York. My mother is of Dominican descent, so I was raised with a lot of Dominican women. I was a quarterback for the Rockaway Ravens for 7 years back to back until I found my first skateboard at 14 years of age. That changed my whole perception on life and I gained a philosophy, a new way of life from skateboarding.
How much of an impact does skateboarding have on you today?
Ever since I started skateboarding it changed me immediately. At that time I was 14 years old and had friends around the same age with a real AK 47. Far Rockaway was crazy like that back in the day. I've met so many people just from skating alone. Skateboarding made me more me. It made me focus on what I want. It still teaches me to get up because falling is a part of the sport.
Wearing Meuces Beanie, Rick Owens Slab Jacket, Acne Studios Cargos, Ho Chi Minh Tee from Vietnam and New Balance footwear while skating at Rockaway Beach Skate Park.
Not only are you a skateboarder but you’re a model, artist and business owner. How do you find the balance between all of these?
I started modeling professionally around the age of 18. Working with big brands, doing commercials, billboards and magazines. I found that if you want to live comfortably in New York you need to have three sources of income. Balance between all of them is completely challenging because you need money to generate money. So I'm not working as fast as I'd like to because of not generating the funds fast enough. It's a process called life and it's humbling.
Wearing Jean Paul Gaultier Elephant Mesh Shirt, custom tailored trousers from Vietnam and Aime Leon Dore Loafers.
When it comes to your style, what ways can you describe that?
I have a free spirited nature. So I like to wear clothes that make me feel good while wearing them. I love fitted mesh Jean Paul Gaultier shirts. Dsquared2 is one of my favorites for boots. I have a little bit of a collection of Dsquared2 boots. Saint Laurent also makes some great clothes. Acne Studios is another of my favorite brands. I guess I just have an eye for what looks nice and wear it.
Wearing a Jean Paul Gaultier Mesh Shirt while holding a Buddhist bell.
Pictured above: Blue cowboys boots thrifted in Los Angeles, Saint Laurent Harness Boots, Maison Margiela Tabi Boots and Dsquared2 Pony Hair Boots.
You go by the moniker, Father Tom. Is there any significance behind this?
Because I am the original man. Owner, maker and cream of the planet Earth. Father of civilization and God of the Universe. The universe being my mind and God because I am a master of myself.
Pictured above: Castro’s workout routine involves the art of wing chun. He’s accompanied by one of his cats, Obsidian. Sak Yant tattoo done by a monk while on his trip in Cambodia.
As an artist, what ways do you try to captivate people with your music?
I try to captivate people by putting mathematics and hidden knowledge in my music for the ones who actually know. When they hear my music, they would scream.
Wearing Acne Studios Pants and a golden Kung Fu shirt.
You have produced a variety of cane juices under your newfound venture, Castro Canes. Can you give us some insight on this?
Castro Canes came to mind while I was in the Dominican Republic and my love for sugarcane found it all. I ended up being friends with a guy who lives in Vietnam and makes juice machines for sugarcane. I ended up going to Vietnam to go meet him and I bought a juicer for myself. I didn’t intend to start the business until after I had the juice and really wanted to share with people because it was too delicious.
Pictured above: Castro preparing to juice sugar canes for his juice business while sporting a Jean Paul Gaultier Mesh Shirt.
You recently embarked on a trip across Southeast Asia. How was that experience?
I toured from the top in North Vietnam to the central part and down to South Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh. After Vietnam, I then went to Cambodia in Krong Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat. From there I went to Indonesia to surf. Vietnam for sure was my favorite because of the food. I loved it so much that I took 8 cooking classes in Vietnam alone. Now I’m a 4th time certified chef trained in all of these places. I never imagined being a certified chef but all I want to do now is keep perfecting my craft and travel.
Pictured above: (left) Various collectibles in Castro’s residence including a surfboard, an African basket, books, meditation bowls and a gong purchased in Vietnam. (Right) A mask of the Jungle King from Tulum, Mexico, a wooden machete and hack from Jamaica, wing chun rattan ring and a portion of Castro’s record collection. Featuring Obsidian the Cat.
What intrigues you the most about Asian culture?
What intrigues me the most is the food. The food is so important because in Asian countries those who are, for example, 70 years old look 40-50 years old because of how clean they eat. They know how to mix certain spices with different meats. Depending on the climate of where that certain animal comes from whether it's a cow or a duck they know when to put ginger or a lime.
Pictured above: Castro pours hojicha tea on his tea table.
Pictured above: (left) Various Buddhist tools such as daggers and bells. As explained by Castro, these were often used in meditation to kill bad spirits and cleanse the space. The big and smaller daggers are called the phurba. On the top of the smaller phurba is a dorje, so this makes it a dorje phurba. The bigger one is covered in Vajrapani faces in all directions and on top is the Buddha. On top of the bells are also dorje. The stool is hand carved from Africa. (Right) books, chains, statues and eyewear. All from Castro’s collection.
As someone like yourself who has their hands involved in so many things, what are some tips for those who struggle with taking a chance and just following their dreams?
My tips are if it brings you nervousness then it’s definitely going to make you grow. Following your dreams sounds fun but it can be the opposite because the ones that are closest to you might not see the dream that you see for yourself. So you really have to be by yourself and believe in yourself more than anybody else because a person is not going to believe in your dreams especially if you don’t. You should have an IDGAF attitude at all times.
Keep up with Thomas here and Castro Canes here
Words: Mitchell Louis and Thomas Castro
Photo: Mitchell Louis
Direction: Mitchell Louis
Assist: Harvey Miguel
