TONY HAWK Was a San Diego Latchkey Kid

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers:

Episode: TONY HAWK Was a San Diego Latchkey Kid
Hosts: Seth Meyers & Josh Meyers
Guest: Tony Hawk
Date: October 28, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this lively and nostalgic episode, Seth and Josh Meyers are joined by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk. The trio dives into Tony’s unconventional Southern California upbringing, family trips from his childhood, navigating a “latchkey kid” life, his parents’ unique approaches to parenting, skateboarding’s early days, and parenting his own large family. Stories span from wild family adventures in Baja to the origins of Tony’s professional skate life, with plenty of laughs about generational contrasts, injuries, and more. As always, the tone is warm and playful, blending sincerity with the brothers’ signature banter.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Family Trips and Parenting Styles (00:00–06:40)

• Meyers’ Family Logistics: The hosts reminisce about planning family trips, creative ways to surprise kids (like letters from grandparents), and the chaos of coordinating schedules.
• Josh on party attendance:
  • “My kids go to no birthdays. Well, because we, you know, we get out of town on the weekends, and they're all in New York on the weekends.” (01:26)
• Kids’ quirks: Josh’s son Ash is “leader in yawning,” while Addie plans to grow up to “be a mom and solve crimes,” a notion the family decides must have originated from Peppa Pig.
• Favorite traditions: Seth fondly recalls the excitement of getting letters as a kid and muses about surprise trips.

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2. Introducing Tony Hawk: Childhood and Sibling Dynamics (07:34–17:00)

• Tony and the Meyers Bros Connection:
  • Josh: “People have told me over the years that I look a little bit like you... Have you ever gotten the other direction?” (07:38)
  • Tony: “We were wearing almost the same outfit, too, so that didn’t help.” (07:45)
• MADtv Sketch Memory: Seth describes a surreal sketch they shared during Tony’s Boom Boom Huck Jam tour featuring Anna Nicole Smith. Tony still owns the “skateboard with the pink fluff,” admitting, “...every time I see it, I'm like, oh, did I really do that?” (08:32)
• Growing Up the Youngest by Far: Tony explains that his three siblings were 13, 18, and 20 years older:
  • “I was not planned, let's put it that way.” (12:26)
• Parental Support:
  • Tony praises his father for being especially supportive—driving his brother to surf or acts for his sister:
  • “He... had a pretty rough upbringing, so he went the other way with his support for his kids.” (13:24)
  • Despite being an “emerging athlete in an emerging sport,” Tony’s dad grasped the value.
• Siblings as Cool Uncles/Aunts:
  • Brother bought him a National Lampoon subscription and took him to see Richard Pryor live at age 10.
  • “He took me to see Richard Pryor live on the Sunset Strip when I was, I don't know, 10 or 10.” (15:42)

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3. The Rise of a Skateboarding Legend (21:18–31:00)

• Early Signs of Greatness:
  • “...a couple years in when I started gaining the interest of sponsors. And I was only 12 at the time, so it just didn't seem like some burgeoning career.” (21:28)
  • Tony’s pro “promotion” was as simple as ticking the ‘pro’ box instead of ‘amateur’ on a contest entry form.
• On Style and Innovation:
  • Tony was openly ridiculed in skate magazines for his “lack of style.”
    • “The way that Stacey explains it, he says I look like I was a puppet being maneuvered by a puppeteer.” (24:07)
  • Invented an aerial technique by “ollieing at the top of the pool,” which was initially called “cheating” but became the standard.
• Transition from Amateur to Pro:
  • Early pro scene was tight-knit; traveling to Florida at 14 for pro contests felt “like a world away.”
• Support from Parents:
  • Stacy Peralta of Powell Peralta/Bones Brigade personally recruited Tony.
  • Tony’s dad saw a lack of organization in the skate world—so he organized contests, sometimes making it “super tricky” for Tony as a competitor (27:05).

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4. Life as a Latchkey Kid & San Diego Roots (31:10–37:10)

• Hawk Family Structure: Parents both worked, so Tony was “basically a latchkey kid.”
• Father’s Career: Dad sold musical instruments wholesale; mom was a community college educator who left temporarily to pursue a doctorate.
• San Diego Life: Tony grew up in Tierrasanta—predominantly military families.
• Skating as an Outlier:
  • “There was a minute where it was kind of a fad. ...but then one day I got invited...to the skate park in San Diego, and I think that’s when I really fell in love with it...” (34:00)
• The Skateboarding Landscape:
  • Describes the closure of skate parks due to insurance issues and the “do-it-yourself” era: stealing wood, building backyard ramps, and the rise of charitable efforts to build public parks.

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5. Injury, Resilience, and Parenting Philosophy (37:10–42:00)

• Early Injuries: Tony’s major concussion at age 10: “I knocked out my front teeth. ...I literally woke up in the ambulance.”
  • But his immediate thought was, “Wow, I gotta figure out how to do rock and rolls better.” (38:43)
• Resilience Lesson:
  • “I didn’t want to get hurt, but I didn’t mind getting hurt for the sake of trying to learn new things.” (38:43)
• Comparing Risks: Seth’s wife is an equestrian, and the “get back on the horse” philosophy resonates.

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6. Building the Backyard Ramp (42:01–43:30)

• Ramp Origins: Tony didn’t have a half pipe until he could afford a house big enough.
• Dad’s Engineering Genius:
  • “He figured out how we would actually cut the radiuses, the transitions, and he had to do all the math... He created all that stuff on the fly. It was really, really cool.” (43:01)

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7. Pop Culture Moments & International Adventures (43:40–48:49)

• Police Academy Stint: Tony was David Spade’s skate stunt double:
  • “And then they fired me. …I was too tall.” (44:08)
• Search for Animal Chin:
  • On the legendary Bones Brigade video: “The plot was just a vehicle so that we could be skating this ditch in Hawaii and this ramp in Bakersfield.” (45:39)
  • The acting? “On par with any porn acting, too.” (45:59)
• First International Skateboarding Trip:
  • At 16: to Japan for a kids’ “That’s Incredible!”-style show:
  • “Being 16, …Japan just seemed like. It seemed like I was living in a video game. It was crazy.” (47:22)
• Japan as a Family-Favorite Destination: Tony’s entire family is deeply attached to Japan, and every time he visits, “the conversation …is ‘we’re all going, right?’” (48:02)

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8. Family, Weddings, and Generational Travel (49:23–52:31)

• Wedding in Ireland: Chose location based on wife’s family roots; everyone invited actually came.
• Bringing Kids Back for Anniversary:
  • “We have five boys and one girl. My oldest son is 33.” (51:41)
  • The whole family joined for a return visit.
• On Being a Grandparent:
  • “That’s the most fun. That’s the coolest thing ever. I hope you guys get to experience it.” (52:14)
• Family Vacation Dynamics: Realizing he and his wife now serve as babysitters on family trips, and that’s fine by them.

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9. Generational Movie Memories & Changing Times (54:22–56:12)

• Kids, Movies, and Grandpa’s Lax Rules:
  • “My son will come home is like, grandpa just showed me National Lampoon’s vacation. I’m like, what? That’s 45 movies past the movie we’re talking about.” (54:24)
• Dated Films:
  • “Even Airplane. When you look at it from a parents perspective, it’s like, oh, oh, yeah.” (54:48)
  • Nostalgia for films like Bad News Bears, The Jerk, Slapshot, but noting their pacing/content is a tough sell for today’s kids.

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10. Speed Round: Tony’s Vacation Preferences (57:01–59:49)

• Ideal Vacation:
  • “Relaxing with a side of adventure.” (57:10)
• Favorite Transportation:
  • “My car—that’s, like, the only time where I’m actually alone and I can listen to stuff and kind of just do my own thing.” (57:17)
• Vacation with Any Family:
  • “It would have to be the Griswolds, right?” (57:51)
• Desert Island Companion:
  • “It would have to be my wife.” (58:13)
• Pitching San Diego:
  • “We’re more than the zoo... And there are secluded beaches. You just gotta find it.” (59:04)
• Grand Canyon:
  • “It’s cool from the top. Let’s put it that way.” (59:45)

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Notable Quotes

• “I was not planned, let's put it that way.”
  — Tony Hawk on his place in the family (12:26)

• “The way that Stacey explains it, he says I look like I was a puppet being maneuvered by a puppeteer.”
  — Tony Hawk on his controversial skating style (24:07)

• “I didn’t want to get hurt, but I didn’t mind getting hurt for the sake of trying to learn new things.”
  — Tony Hawk on injuries and determination (38:43)

• “The plot was just a vehicle so that we could be skating this ditch in Hawaii and this ramp in Bakersfield.”
  — Tony Hawk on The Search for Animal Chin (45:39)

• “We're more than the zoo... And there are secluded beaches. You just gotta find it.”
  — Tony Hawk’s San Diego tourism pitch (59:04)

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Memorable & Funny Moments

• The Anna Nicole Smith Skateboard: Seth and Tony reminiscing about MADtv; Tony sheepishly admits, “It gives me weird feelings when I see it.” (08:32)
• Tony’s stint as David Spade’s Police Academy double—fired for being too tall after puberty hit. “I was on a plane home the next day.” (44:12)
• Comparing ‘Search for Animal Chin’ storytelling to “porn acting,” and vivid recollections of ‘bad’ movies from the past.
• “My son will come home is like, grandpa just showed me National Lampoon’s vacation. I'm like, what? That's 45 movies past the movie we're talking about.” (54:24)
• Grandparent babysitting duties on Hawaii trips: “We were only there as the role of babysitters. …there was no surf trips or…outings.” (52:41)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–06:40 — Meyers family trip banter, Josh’s kids, parent quirks
• 07:34–17:00 — Introducing Tony Hawk; childhood and family dynamics
• 21:18–31:00 — Tony’s early pro career, style controversies, and sponsorship
• 31:10–37:10 — Life as a San Diego latchkey kid, skateboarding’s rise and fall
• 37:10–42:00 — Injury, resilience, and lessons for kids
• 42:01–43:30 — Building the backyard half-pipe
• 43:40–48:49 — Movie stunts, ‘Animal Chin’, Japan stories
• 49:23–52:31 — Weddings, family rituals, grandparenting
• 54:22–56:12 — Movie nostalgia, generational shifts
• 57:01–59:49 — Tony’s speed round: vacations, family, San Diego

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Overall Tone

Warm, rambly, nostalgic, funny. Tony Hawk’s mix of modesty and openness fits perfectly with Seth and Josh’s blend of dry humor and genuine curiosity. The conversation effortlessly blends childhood memories, pop culture, skateboarding innovations, and generational insights, making for an episode that’s both entertaining and heartwarming.

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For anyone interested in family dynamics, California childhoods, or the journey from latchkey kid to global icon—this episode is a treat.

Transcript

[Tony Hawk]

Hey, bud.

[Josh]

Hey, Sufi. So we got a big family trip coming up. It's an annual trip.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

A little added spice. This year we're gonna go to a Steelers game, and I'm gonna bring the boys.

[Seth]

That's the spice.

[Josh]

But I haven't told the boys.

[Seth]

Okay. And what if they're busy that weekend?

[Josh]

Yeah, that would be a. That would be a huge problem. They're going to a different football team. Game. Football team's game. So. But mom just wrote and was like, does Ash know? So I guess maybe she doesn't know that I'm also bringing Axel.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Josh]

And she said because we were going to write him a letter. And I'm like, I need. Obviously need to call mom to do a follow up here.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

But I almost feel like, oh, maybe that'd be the coolest way for them to find out if mom and dad wrote a letter to the boys.

[Seth]

Yeah. Because they've been doing some corresponding. Yeah. By mail. And it's. As a kid, I remember it was always very exciting to get a letter.

[Josh]

If it's a letter that's like, hey, would you guys want to come to a Steelers game? If so, ask your dad if it's okay. Because then I can make it like that. They got invited by the Punkahs.

[Seth]

Yeah. That's good. But that phrasing, I feel like, leaves it open to them being like, no, that's true. Yeah. Do you want to. And they'll be like, no, we'd rather there's something else going on that weekend.

[Josh]

There's definitely not something else going on that weekend.

[Seth]

It's not like.

[Josh]

I think it's like, do you. I feel like if they're like, do you want to go to a Steelers game? By the way, my kids go to no birthdays.

[Seth]

Oh, how'd you manage that?

[Josh]

Well, because we, you know, we get out of town on the weekends, and they're all in New York on the weekends, and so we just. We. We punish our children because we. We don't want to do that.

[Seth]

Yeah. Did they. Do other kids come to their birthdays? Do they have birthday parties?

[Josh]

They do, and it's real sad. It's just like a tumbleweed. Because, you know, kids. Kids keep score, you know, they know. Yeah, they did. We had a. We did, like, a go Karty thing for Ashley's birthday. So, you know, we obviously have to have a pretty cool party for a kid that, you know, never goes anywhere.

[Seth]

Right.

[Josh]

But. Yeah, but I'm very excited. I. I don't know why I Haven't told the boys yet. I guess it's cuz I just don't want to answer a thousand questions about it.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Part of me was like, should I just like literally pick them up at school with some Steelers jerseys and be like, we're going. But they, they wouldn't be able to process that. So I'm going to have to give him a little warning.

[Seth]

But that's, you know, I mean, we have talked about. And we have friends who have done those kinds of trips.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

With their kids. I mean, I'm always thinking about like the Stanchfields being like Christmas morning, it's like we're going to Hawaii or whatever they. They do. Which is always. Sounds awesome.

[Josh]

It does sound awesome.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

I'm also like trying to decide. I feel like I'm going to keep them there Sunday night after the game. I don't want to run with these two boys to the airport. We've done before. It's very stressful.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Also like, what if it goes to overtime?

[Josh]

So I, I want to kind of bask in one more night.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And. But that does mean that we're gonna have to like wake up at the crack of dawn on Monday because they do have school.

[Seth]

Do you think they are going to be good students on that Monday?

[Josh]

Oh, no, they'll be fine. By the way, all Ash leads the league in yawning as it is. Okay. I mean, we can't believe it. Like you just the minute he wakes up, until we drop him off at the door of the school, he's basically just. It's like one long yawn.

[Seth]

Is he an audible yawner or is it just sort of?

[Josh]

No, Weirdly, Addie's the audible yawner, which is a problem I have. So Alexi. Nothing breaks Alexi's heart more than when one of the kids has clearly inherited one of the traits I have that irritates her. Yeah. So Addie was like.

[Seth]

Our dog Woody yawns all day and makes no noise. And in the morning though, he's so vocal that he really will like be on your chest and be like, it's time to get up. And then he yawns in your face. And it's just like.

[Josh]

Ash, who's just. Again, he's. I mean, it's a great reason, but it's not a great outcome. He stays up too late now reading. Like he's just obsessed with reading. And he's, you know, he's, he's into some books that he's just too excited to put down and. But then. So he gets up, he's top bunk. He comes down and then he just lays down on the floor. And so if you walk in, it looks like he fell out of his bunk. And he's just like. Because it's the craziest. He's lying down into the top bunk. He's like, it's time to go. And he, like, walks down and then just lies down in the same position on the ground.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Addy, this is exciting. Addie told us this morning, out of nowhere, when I grow up, I am going to be a mom and I am going to solve crimes.

[Seth]

Fantastic.

[Josh]

And then we. Me and the boy. Me and the boys were like, huh? And I was like, where did you even learn that crimes or something could be solved? And. And she wouldn't tell us because she could tell we really wanted to know. And so she was just, like, grinning and we're like, please tell us. And Ash was like, I'll give you a bit of my oatmeal if you tell us. And then she'd say, yes. And then he would give her bite of oatmeal and she'd go, no, no, no. It was just, like, talk. But we think there might have been an episode of Peppa Pig where Peppa solved a crime. Okay. That's our best guess. But it was.

[Seth]

I like that right now it's. In a way, you guys are trying to solve a crime.

[Josh]

By the way, Ash even said that he goes, you know what? We have to solve it, dad. Yeah. I was like, yeah, yeah.

[Seth]

And maybe you're gonna be a bunch of bumblers. And then Addie will give you the.

[Josh]

Yeah, she'll. Sherlock Holmes, usually.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah. But I can't wait. I can't wait to tell everybody about it. Very, very excited. And, you know, we might go to the. The zoo in Pittsburgh, which is a zoo I remember being a big fan of.

[Seth]

Yeah. I mean, I remember it being huge. And maybe it's not a little.

[Josh]

I'm a little bit worried it's going to be cold.

[Seth]

Oh, well, yeah, it's going to be.

[Josh]

November, which is, you know, I mean, it'll be fine though, right?

[Seth]

Yeah. Bring jackets.

[Josh]

No can do. No can.

[Seth]

Just going to wear your too tight Steelers T shirt and that's it.

[Josh]

Yep. We got to pick them up. I'm going to pick them up at school with no luggage. I tell them, surprise, surprise.

[Seth]

Some Lycra this is.

[Josh]

We're talking to a guy that we were. We were a big fan of. Not quite my Boy's age, but pretty close.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Tony Hawk.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

I mean, if there's better spokesperson or practitioner of skateboarding, I don't know who it is.

[Seth]

Yeah, no, he's top. He's top of the Pops.

[Josh]

And we enjoy talking to him and we hope you enjoy listening. Thanks, everybody.

[Seth]

Family trips with the Maest Brothers.

[Tony Hawk]

Family chips with a M.

[Josh]

Yeah. Hello.

[Tony Hawk]

Hello, hello.

[Josh]

How's it going? Good.

[Tony Hawk]

How are you? Thank you.

[Josh]

Good. You know, we didn't talk about it when you were on the show, but people have told me over the years that I look a little bit like you. Have you ever gotten the other direction?

[Tony Hawk]

We were wearing almost the same outfit, too, so that didn't help.

[Josh]

It was. We definitely were. I certainly will say that nobody would ever say that if they saw me on a skateboard. I think that would.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, I'll take it as a compliment. I think you're younger than me, so.

[Josh]

I'm very happy anytime I get it.

[Seth]

And, Tony, I would forgive you if you don't remember this, but years ago, I was on MADtv and I pulled this up this morning. This is you and me in a sketch during the Boom Boom Huck Jam tour. It was an Anna Nicole Smith sketch. We came out there.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

I still have that skateboard. It's still kind of gives me. I don't know, it gives me weird feelings when I see it.

[Seth]

Is it the skateboard with the pink fluff around it?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. It's literally behind my ramp. And every time I see it, I'm like, oh, did I really do that? And I mean, like, she passed away not long after that.

[Seth]

And then I know it passed away. So did he. I was playing her son, who also passed away.

[Tony Hawk]

I actually met him after we did that and tried to apologize and however I could.

[Seth]

Yeah, it's not. I would say the sketch doesn't age well. No, I mean, but seeing you guys, like, being able to go and, you know, you had your whole sort of crew together and you.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, we were rehearsing in a hangar in Riverside.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And had a full setup with like an insane half pipe and like these ramps that like just a pure, like, launch ramp. And it was incredible to be so up close and personal.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, it was cool for us. Cause we could summon TV shows there, like you guys.

[Seth]

Yeah, I mean, we were excited to be there.

[Tony Hawk]

Jackass was there, too.

[Josh]

Now, my. I do have a question here, which is you said, oh, my God, that sketch is so traumatic. And when I think back, I have only bad feelings. And yet you can't bring yourself to throw that skateboard away.

[Tony Hawk]

It's just kind of like it's just sticking out and it's buried a bunch of stuff. And I would have to be like, okay, today's the day, but you know what? Maybe when I get home, it will be the day.

[Josh]

I wonder if you just had some, like, if you had some rule, which is like, you'll never throw away a skateboard.

[Tony Hawk]

No, no, no.

[Josh]

Yeah. Gotcha. Good.

[Tony Hawk]

It's more when I'm looking for other stuff, I see it.

[Seth]

Right. How many skateboards do you think you've gone through in your life?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, wow. I mean, I go through a board every couple of weeks right now, so.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, do the math. It's a lot.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And when a board hits its two week lifespan, is that because something breaks on it?

[Tony Hawk]

No, it'll start to get. We call it kind of gets soggy. Like it loses its soggy, but it loses its pop. Like, you can tell the timing is off. And I like riding newer setups and I have the luxury of being able to get new ones all the time, so.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

That's just. Not many people ride them as often as I do or get new ones as often as I do.

[Josh]

But like a professional skateboarder, if they're in a competition, they're not. They're never using a board that's more than two weeks old.

[Tony Hawk]

Probably not, but they keep their trucks and wheels. Got it through the years. I. I do everything all at once. It's all gone.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Complete setup. So I think I'm. I'm unique in that sense because I don't mind riding new trucks.

[Josh]

I'm always curious about, you know, you were, I mean, basically a professional athlete at an incredibly young age. And I'm wondering, like, how much that hamstrung you having of any sort of a typical childhood?

[Tony Hawk]

Very much so, yeah.

[Josh]

Like, I imagine you traveled all the time, but did you ever go on family trips or was it were? Yeah. Okay.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, yeah. My dad. I mean, my dad was. He was in World War II. He was very traditional. You know, a child of the depression. He was older when I was born, and so he liked to do these very cliche Clark Griswold outings, but he would get extreme with it. I mean, we would pile up in his VW van and drive to the tip of Baja with a collapsible tent behind us, like with no ac.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And you were. You grew up in San Diego?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I grew up in San Diego, yeah. Or we drive. We drive To Yosemite or Yellow.

[Josh]

So what's that drive?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, it's a Baja days.

[Josh]

Yes, I would imagine. And so two siblings.

[Tony Hawk]

I have three siblings.

[Josh]

Okay, and where, where do you. We're all older. Okay, how much older?

[Tony Hawk]

Well, my, my brother's 13 years. One of my sisters is 18 and the other one is 20 years older than me.

[Seth]

Oh, wow.

[Josh]

Gotcha. So you were really late. Breaking news.

[Tony Hawk]

I was, I was not planned, let's put it that way.

[Josh]

It's when I have three now. And it was, it's so funny to think of, like, if we. Because my youngest is four.

[Tony Hawk]

Oh.

[Josh]

To think that nine years from now I'd say to my wife, like, we should do this one more time.

[Tony Hawk]

Like, so funny to think. Yeah. There was no way they had that conversation, right? No. And my mom was 43, so in, in the 60s, 43 year old woman having a baby. Was. I, I wouldn't say that people were encouraging of it.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

But if it just happened then, then what are you gonna do?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Josh]

That you then became like an athlete in an emerging sport that probably was. Made very little sense to your father.

[Tony Hawk]

To be honest. He was, he was very supportive.

[Josh]

Oh, that's great.

[Tony Hawk]

Because my other siblings had grown up in the 70s. My brother was a hardcore surfer. My sister was a singer out of high school. And he was just, he had a pretty rough upbringing, so he went the other way with his support for his kids. And I mean, he was like my sister's roadie. He was driving my brother Steve to the beach at Sunrise to surf, going to all the events. And so when I found skateboarding, he just saw that I finally found a sense of purpose and he thought that was a good thing. I mean, I got, I got hurt quite a bit. And I actually got. One time I went to the doctor with. I think with my second concussion maybe. And he pulled me into another room to ask me if there was something happening at home that I wanted to talk about.

[Josh]

Oh, wow. Which is the right thing for a doctor to do.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, it was. Yeah. And I didn't know what he meant. I didn't. Like, I was so naive and I was so young and I was like, no, my brother just moved to college, if that's what you meant.

[Seth]

So when you would take a trip to Baja with this tent, how long would you be down there for?

[Tony Hawk]

I, I don't know. Time was a foreign concept. I think when I was, that I was like five or six.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Tony Hawk]

So it, the drives felt like they were a week long, but I Think that he stopped. I actually have some photos, so I know that we made some stops and did camp out a couple times along the way. I mean, it was. It was outhouses and empty beaches and, I mean, it was. It. I guess it was fun. I was really young. My brother got to surf. I know that.

[Josh]

Did they. Were your brothers. Were your siblings your brothers and sisters? Did they feel like. Did they feel like another set of parents with that age gap, or were they at the age where they just sort of didn't pay that much attention to you one way or the other?

[Tony Hawk]

I know they were like more like cool uncles and aunts.

[Josh]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

You know, my brother would, like. He took me to see. He took me to see what's his name, famous comedian live on Sunset Strip.

[Josh]

Oh, Pryor.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, he took me to see Richard Pryor live on the Sunset Strip when I was, I don't know, 10 or 10.

[Josh]

That is the most fun uncle move.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I mean, that's. He got me a subscription to National Lampoon. He took me to see the Cars. That was my first concert. You know, he was definitely like my cool uncle. And then my sisters were fun, supportive. My sister, like I said, she was a singer. She actually made a big career singing. So she lived in la, she lived in Westwood, and so whenever we go, we live in San Diego. Whenever I go visit her. I thought I was, like, living in glamour and glitz, even though she had three roommates and just trying to make it work.

[Josh]

Was that something you do a lot? Would you as well, you know, as somebody who had older siblings, would you visit them when they moved away?

[Tony Hawk]

I would, yeah. I would mostly visit my sister because most the only skate parks that were open at the time were in la. So I would go stay with her and go skate all the other parks in the area. Marina Del Rey, Upland, Pomona, Reseda, Whittier. And there was only one park in San Diego. And then my brother went to school in Santa Barbara, so I would go up there and stay with him. And that was the first time I ever smelled weed.

[Seth]

Did you know what it was, or do you just now?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. They weren't trying to hide it. It was. It was in the house. They were listening to Frank Zappa smoking weed. I knew what it was all about.

[Seth]

Sure.

[Josh]

Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. Support for family trips comes from Airbnb. Hey, Bhaji.

[Seth]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

I love staying in welcoming homes that I book on Airbnb, but it's got me Thinking my home. You've been there.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Could do the same for someone else. I already put love into all the details of my home.

[Seth]

Well, your wife.

[Josh]

Well, that's. Yeah, I know. I was gonna say I apologize. Everybody who's listening knows that's not true. Why not help someone feel comfortable and taken care of while they're traveling when I'm away from her home?

[Seth]

I mean, the extra income you make, you could put towards an upcoming trip, a splurge. You've been eyeing home improvement projects. Really, whatever you want. It's your money.

[Josh]

And also, you know, our home. That's probably the right way to say it is in a pretty cool place. Just like your home's in a pretty cool place where people are taking vacations anyway, and all of a sudden they're like, hey, look at this.

[Seth]

Yeah, I can.

[Josh]

I can book one of these on Airbnb.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Instead of. Instead of the other options.

[Seth]

Mackenzie and I were just over in Ireland for some time, and we stayed at our fair share of hotels. But when we got to Dingle, we stayed at this lovely apartment, which used to be a music store right in the heart of town. And it was so nice to get home every night, sort of have our charming little living room, our very cozy bedroom. Also, in the midst of a big trip, it was nice to be able to do some laundry, which you can't do at a hotel. And it was probably our favorite place that we stayed.

[Josh]

You know where I would book a house on Airbnb when I go to Ireland?

[Seth]

Where's that?

[Josh]

Wherever the other side of the rainbow is.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

So you left money, you left cash on the table, bud.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Your home could be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] a host support comes from. Cayman Jack, America's number one margarita. What's up, Baji?

[Seth]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

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[Seth]

You know what I like about cracking a Cayman Jack soup?

[Josh]

What's that?

[Seth]

It's a transformative experience. It transports you to your margarita state of mind. That beachy tropical paradise where your legendary flavor dreams come true.

[Josh]

Perfect for days you're by the pool, house parties, or just hanging with your crew. It's available in a variety of flavors. A variety, I tell you.

[Seth]

Yeah. You live in New York, I'm out in la, and we've already had some Pretty hot days and I've already had an occasion to be dipping in a buddy's pool. And I just love floating around in a pool with a Cayman Jack margarita. Sipping on that little music going. It feels like you're on vacation.

[Josh]

So crack into your margarita state of mind. Pick up Cayman Jack at your local store or visit caymanjack.com to find it near you. Please drink responsibly. Premium malt beverage with natural flavors. American Vintage Beverage Company, Chicago, Illinois. This episode is brought to you by.

[Tony Hawk]

Marshall's, where you never have to compromise.

[Josh]

Between quality and price.

[Tony Hawk]

The buyers at Marshall's hustle hard working.

[Josh]

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[Tony Hawk]

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[Josh]

Everyone deserves access to the good stuff.

[Tony Hawk]

Visit a Marshalls store near you or shop [e-mail] when did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom's 60th. And never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone. Learn [e-mail].

[Josh]

Here we go. Were they aware? Like, how soon was your family aware? Like, oh, Tony's like, exceptionally good at this.

[Tony Hawk]

I would say probably it was a couple years in when I started gaining the interest of sponsors. And I was only 12 at the time, so it just didn't seem like some burgeoning career. And skateboarding was very down in terms of popularity. So sponsorship means that I got some free skateboards sometimes. That was pretty much it. And then I, when I turned pro, I was just filling out an entry form to a competition that I was entering. And instead of the amateur box, I took the pro box. And then I was pro.

[Josh]

That's how it went.

[Tony Hawk]

There was no, there was no handshake, there was no champagne, there was no contract. It was like, well, now you're competing against the bigger kids.

[Josh]

When Pau Peralta, like, when they sponsor you, was it after you went pro or did they just have, like, scouts?

[Tony Hawk]

It was just before. So I got sponsored by Pal Peralta because my sponsor at the time, Dogtown, went out of business. Got it. And I found that out because Stacy Peralta called me one day long distance in San Diego and he said, hey, I heard Dogtown went out of business. And I said, maybe that's why I'm not getting skateboards from them. And then he Said, I'd like to talk to you about being on the. The Pal Perlta on the Bones Brigade team, which seemed insane at the time because the Bones Brigade was considered the most elite skate team. And I was. I was a little kid. I was pretty scrappy. I. My style was not well liked. In fact, I was openly ridiculed in the magazines, even though I was kind of moving up in the amateur ranks. And he saw something in me, and I think that because he saw that in me, that gave me the fire to prove myself worthy of him putting me on the team. So I was definitely thankful for that. And then I moved up to the top of the amateur ranks within the first year of being sponsored by them. And then when I was 14, that's when I turned pro. And then I kind of wavered in the pro category. I would get top five sometimes. Sometimes I wasn't in the finals, but I really learned how to be more diverse in my skillset and then finally kind of figured it out.

[Seth]

What was it about your style that people didn't like? What's a skate style? That sort of.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I think it was more the lack of style. You know, I just. The way that Stacey explains it, he says I look like I was a puppet being maneuvered by a puppeteer.

[Josh]

Well, that's.

[Seth]

I feel like that's all, like preteen kids in a way. It's like the younger you are, the more of a marionette you are.

[Tony Hawk]

Sure, yeah. But there were other. You're right. But there were a couple of other kids my age that had style. And so it was like, oh, that. That guy looks amazing, and he looks like he's surfing, and. And I'm there just trying to get in the air, however, you know, by any means possible. And I kind of had to develop my own technique of getting airborne, which was not something that was tried and true or even even experimented with at the time where when people would. Would do aerials, they would reach down and grab their board before they get to the top and sort of leap with all their might to. To jump in the air. And when you do that, you kind of kill your momentum going up the. The wall of a pool. I didn't have much momentum to begin with, so as soon as I reached down, like, all my speed's gone. And so what I learned to do was what I learned how to ollie at the top of the pool and actually grab my board and at the peak, which was way more efficient just for me, and ended up becoming sort of the de facto Way to do it. But at the time, the. All the competitors and even the magazine said I was cheating. I was like, I can't win. I don't know what to say. This is how I do it.

[Josh]

Also, that is a tough.

[Tony Hawk]

How is it a cheat? I'm not like, my. My shoes aren't glued to my board, but I remember one time they said in the magazine, well, Tony Hawk, Ollie's into his airs, so it doesn't really matter how he grabs his board. And I was like, yeah, but it allows me to grab all the ways. So I thought that was a good thing.

[Josh]

Would you travel a lot for the pro competition? Was it sort of at the time, isolated in Southern California, or did you go everywhere?

[Tony Hawk]

Eventually, I would say within my second year being probably then, we started to travel. I would say the first big event that I went to out of state was in Florida, in Jacksonville. And when I was 14, that seemed like a world away.

[Josh]

And did your parents come for that?

[Tony Hawk]

They didn't. They trusted Stacy to be my chaperone. And I remember getting freaked out. Cause a big thunderstorm came through, and I'd never seen lightning and thunder like that. But eventually.

[Josh]

It's so funny when you think, like, it's so terrifying to me to, like, watch people, like, skateboard at the level that you skateboard. It's so funny to think that you're like, I'm not going out in the rain.

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, yeah?

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

I called my dad. I was like, there's a lot of thunder. He had lived there and he's like, oh, yeah, thunderstorms? Yep.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Guess you've never actually experienced one.

[Josh]

Did they not come because they were, like. Just had to be parents to the other kids and were working, do you.

[Tony Hawk]

Think, like, looking back, eventually they did start coming, which was weird because then it became there was. It was in the years where I was a little more autonomous. I could drive and I could handle going on my own. But my dad saw in those years that there was no organization, there was no sanctioning body to these events. And he saw that there was still a thriving scene, even though it was kind of underground. And so he actually got some of the skate companies together and helped to put on events. So he was the organizer of some of the events through the years, which made it super tricky for me.

[Seth]

Yeah, I imagine, you know, it's different than, like, a band touring, but, you know, band culture has, like. There's a real sort of party aspect to it. I would imagine there's a similar thing in the Skate culture. And then if your dad's around, was there a sort of push and pull of like, well, I'm in this hotel room with my dad, but also all my buddies?

[Josh]

Well, no.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, I definitely. I made a. I made a pretty clean separation from him through those years where. Look, I'm. I'm traveling with the Bones Brigade. I'm on their program. You know, I'll say hi to my dad or hi to my mom if she comes along when they're, you know, trying to tally scores or whatever. But. But I tried to keep it. I mean, that's how I kept my sanity.

[Josh]

It's so funny to think of you saying to the Bowens Brigade, like, good news, My dad's coming. He's super old, and he was in World War II. He's going to be a perfect fit.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. There was not a lot of positive reinforcement about my dad being there, but. Yeah, but to answer your question, it was more on the tour. On the tours. We were on our own.

[Seth]

Gotcha.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, they would send one older pro. And when I say older pro, I'm talking about someone that was maybe in their 20s to be the den father of that group. But it was chaos. And we're all 15, 16, and suddenly we're skating for crowds. And so to answer your question, that was, like, the band aspect. It was just more that I think I was lucky or. I don't know how you so obsessed that I never really let those distractions interfere with my performances because all I wanted to do was skate good. I always felt like I had to prove something. I always wanted to do my best. And I saw my peers starting to kind of fall off because they got stuck in that cycle and they were distracted. And it was. For me, it was like, I gotta skate.

[Josh]

I get it. I mean, it's such a even. I mean, like, most bands aren't even that young. So to think about the age you guys were at when you were getting all that attention and what was very likely, as Josh said, like, a party atmosphere, like, I'm impressed that you managed to keep it together.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, you know, I definitely. I indulged a bit, but. But it was more that. It was more that I. I knew, like, oh, we don't have to skate tomorrow. It was something like that.

[Seth]

Right?

[Josh]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Okay, now we can go crazy. But other. Other skaters my age were just going off and skating hungover constantly. And I wasn't on that program.

[Josh]

Could you tell when a competition started? Could you tell, like, yes.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Who?

[Tony Hawk]

Party.

[Josh]

Yeah. Who Party.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I think I remember someone actually. You know, it was. It was a half pipe vert competition. I remember someone asleep on the deck and then they called his name for his run and he got up and did a routine and then laid back down.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Tough days.

[Josh]

It was the 80s.

[Tony Hawk]

It was the 80s.

[Seth]

Back to when you were going up to Yosemite in the van or whatnot. Like, were there a lot of camping trips growing up? It seems like if you went to Baja and I forget what the other park you mentioned, maybe Sequoia, but like, was that a regular?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, Yellowstone.

[Seth]

Oh, Yellowstone. Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. I only remember it a couple times. My dad was. He liked to do the. If it wasn't that road trip type of vibe, then he liked to do the sort of all inclusive packages to Hawaii. So you're just with a bunch of bunch. Random families all packing in on the shuttle bus from the airport and all going to the same hotel and all going to the same luau and all that stuff. And he loved that stuff.

[Seth]

Did you enjoy that stuff or.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, I didn't. I had no. I didn't have anything to compare it to, so. Sure.

[Seth]

Yeah. Okay.

[Josh]

I was going to say, like, I think for most kids who are like the late fourth or even the late third. Right. There's that moment where like your older siblings go away and then you have like this long stretch of time where it's just you and your parents, but probably based on your career that like never happened.

[Tony Hawk]

It was for a bit. Yeah. I mean, when we were home, it was kind of like. I lived with grandparents.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

But they were still working too. So I was home. I was like a latchkey kid, basically.

[Josh]

What did your parents do?

[Tony Hawk]

My dad sold musical instruments at Wholesale because of my sister and her involvement with music. He just kind of started a business based on that. And my mom was an educator. She worked at a community college and eventually went to Flagstaff to get a doctorate. So she just kind of bailed at some point when I was about 16. I mean, she came back, don't get me wrong, she didn't abandon us. But it was weird because then I was living with my dad and my dad was, you know, he wasn't the most warm creature.

[Josh]

That's interesting. Cause, like, so he was supportive, but not warm.

[Tony Hawk]

Like I said, it's more. He was a child of the Depression and he just. It was more like. Well, he doesn't say it, but he shows it.

[Josh]

Right. That's pretty good though. I mean.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. Or, you know, but he Shows it through his actions.

[Seth]

But yeah, different love languages, if we're using modern parlance.

[Tony Hawk]

Very much so, yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Were you San Diego proper?

[Tony Hawk]

San Diego? Yeah, a place called Tirasana Portofino, where my dad was in the Navy. And so when he finally was decommissioned, he ended up in San Diego and he moved to this. This neighborhood that was almost all military families.

[Seth]

Gotcha.

[Josh]

So where that. So basically most of your friend group were all had military parents?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, yeah. Or their. Their dad was in the military at some point and then had split up. So they were living with their mom in the same neighborhood.

[Josh]

And was. Was skating a huge part of that culture of those kids or were you sort of an outlier?

[Tony Hawk]

I was an outlier. There was a minute where it was kind of a fad. It was roller skating and then skateboarding was kind of a craze in the mid-70s. And that's when I got my first skateboard. It was a hand me down for my brother and I just used this transportation. But a bunch of my friends were doing the same thing. And then one day I got invited to go to with a friend to go check out the skate park in San Diego. And I think that's when I really fell in love with it because I saw people flying around and it was like, how do I want to do that? However, what is that? Show me the way to that.

[Seth]

Yeah, I mean, I'm like, we grew up on top of. On a cul de sac on a hill in New Hampshire. And I like in the magazine drive, I started getting thrasher. I was just like, let me this magazine and bought a skateboard. But it was our hill was so steep that I could never get down the hill. So I just was on an island on top of this hill and never learned how to do anything. And I see like little skate parks that are good for kids and I'm just like, oh, what I wouldn't have given to have one of these sort of locally because it does look so fun. It still looks so fun to me. And I know it is a ticket to, you know, a broken arm or whatever. If I try to. If I try to start now, it's way too late. People would accuse me of being in the midst of a midlife crisis and they wouldn't be wrong. But yeah, to have a skate park to go to is just seems like it would be the best.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, so when I was growing up, I didn't realize it, but I was really getting into it at a time when it was just dying as an Industry and. And the skate parks were losing all their insurance. So the skate parks were just closing one by one. In fact, the one that I started at, that one closed not long after. I got lucky that my parents moved to a different part of San Diego when I was in high school, and there was one skate park left there in that area, but then all those other ones in LA closed, and eventually the one I skated at closed. And then people had to just buy. Well, not buy. They had to build backyard ramps, steal wood from construction sites. Guilty as charged. And build half pipes. That's kind of how it was in that era. And the idea that there were any skate parks was rare and seemed just completely untouchable. And so when you say that there are skate parks now, I mean, that's pretty much what I devoted all of my charitable work, too, is trying to provide more skate parks, because I feel like they give kids a sense of self and a sense of confidence and validity that they can't find other places. And, I mean, I'm in New York right now. I just skated the Brooklyn Banks. It only took me five minutes to get there. And that is now a designated skate space. It's wild.

[Josh]

It's amazing. I made the error of bringing my boys to. There was a little skate park, and this was when they were little, and they were on scooters and they were wearing helmets, and my son, like, they were, like, just going down these little ramps and having the time of their life. And then the second time they did it. My oldest is such a clumsy dude, and he just, like, wobbled. And I watched him, like, I'm like, oh, he's gonna eat it. And he ate it, like, scrapped. You know, he scratched up his face. He's obviously fine. But I was like, nope, that's the end of that.

[Seth]

You know what I mean?

[Josh]

Like, I let him go out. I forced this before he was ready, and now that's the end of that.

[Tony Hawk]

But did he want to do it again?

[Josh]

No. That's the thing. I don't know if he'll ever want to do it. And his younger brother was there, and it was traumatic for him. I do think our daughter, who is the only one with balance, I'd be very happy if she found her way into it.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I guess I think I learned early on that after my first big injury, when I was about 10, I got a concussion. I knocked out my front teeth. I was scraped up, and I literally woke up in the ambulance. I mean, you know, I don't know if you Had a concussion. But you are awake, but not really there completely. And when I finally got lucid, my first thought wasn't, oh, what have I done? Like, I'm never gonna skate again. My dad's gonna kill me. My first thought was, wow, I gotta figure out how to do rock and rolls better. And I feel like that was a pretty defining moment in my life. Cause I didn't want to get hurt, but I didn't mind getting hurt for the sake of trying to learn new things.

[Seth]

Yeah, well, my wife's an equestrian. And, like, if you want to be an equestrian, you're gonna fall off a horse.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

[Seth]

Right. And then it's, do you. Are you gonna get back on that horse? Which we were recently in a conversation and I was like, oh, yeah. My wife, she says, like, you just have to get right back on. And my wife was like, well, not always. Like, not if you have a broken wrist or a concussion. I was like, oh, okay, sure.

[Tony Hawk]

But I know plenty of people at that same age, they got hurt, like, one time and they' that, yeah.

[Josh]

Josh has had a terrible luck as a skier.

[Seth]

Oh, yeah.

[Josh]

Injury wise. And you keep skiing.

[Seth]

Yeah, I love it.

[Josh]

I love it.

[Seth]

But, yeah. Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[Josh]

Support comes from Fabric by Gerber Life. Hey, Bashi.

[Seth]

Hey, Sufi.

[Josh]

You know, running household can be a lot. It's a lot for you. It's a lot for me. Because, you know, there's kids and you need a plan. Not just in how to get your kids out the door every day, but you know, how to plan for the future. And that's something Fabric can help with. They have life term insurance you can get done today. Made for busy parents like you, like me. All online on your schedule, right from your couch, you can be covered in under 10 minutes with no health exam required. We think it is so important to protect your children's financial future by signing up with Fabric.

[Seth]

Hey, Suf.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I mean, it seems like right now, when you're young and healthy, this would be the time to lock in low rates and. Yeah, I just called you young.

[Josh]

Yeah. Thanks, bud.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah. The last thing you want to do is wait until you're like mid to high 90s.

[Seth]

Yeah. If you got healthy kids, you're young and healthy. Just get in there. What are you waiting for?

[Josh]

Fabric has flexible, high quality policies that fit your family and your budget. Like a million dollars in coverage for less than a dollar a day. Join the thousand of parents who trust fabric to help protect their family. Apply today in just [e-mail] trips that's meetfabric.com tripsmeet fabric.com trips policies issued by Western Southern Life Assurance Company not available in certain states. Prices subject to underwriting and health questions. What I bought a new Blink Mini 2K smart security camera. What? I got 2K clarity sharp enough to see every detail of home when I'm away. Plus audio like I'm in the room, not with my bestie traveling to another city. Plus easy plugins set up to install faster than skipping through podcast ads. But you'd never Skip ads, right? Plus I got all of this for just $49.99. Blink Mini 2K Mini Camera Max Performance Shop [e-mail] Blink Upgrade your laundry routine.

[Seth]

With a durable and reliable Maytag laundry pair at Lowes.

[Josh]

Like the new Maytag washer and dryer with performance enhanced stain fight power designed.

[Tony Hawk]

To cut through serious dirt and grime. And what's great is this laundry pair is in stock and ready for delivery.

[Josh]

When you need it the most.

[Seth]

Don't miss out.

[Josh]

Shop Maytag in store or online today at Lowe's.

[Seth]

Did you have a half pipe in your backyard?

[Tony Hawk]

Well, not until I was pretty successful as a skater and I had the means to get a property that had room for one.

[Seth]

So it wasn't your parents house that you built something in the backyard?

[Tony Hawk]

No. No.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

I was just wondering what that conversation's like because I know certainly so many kids in your era must have had to talk to mom and dad about it and I wonder what that's.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, luckily I didn't have to go through that. In fact, when I did buy a place and I bought it with the. With the intention of building ramp on the property and I designed the ramp. My dad loved the idea of the challenges that I put forth with it in terms of how to build corners out of wood because he was a bit of a bit of a woodworker foreman type of vibe. So he used to go to Home Depot every other day.

[Josh]

Oh, and he was it a family, a project?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, he definitely, I mean he was the one who figured out how to do. Because no one had done a bowl made out of wood at that time. And he figured out how we would actually cut the radiuses, the transitions and he had to do all the math. And then when you put a surface down plywood and it comes around like when you have to do a Radius like that. You have to actually cut these notches in. He. He created all that stuff on the fly. It was really, really cool.

[Josh]

Yeah, there you go.

[Seth]

That's amazing.

[Josh]

I realize you when you're saying they shut down all the skate parks. That's where there was this. I feel like at the time there was this stereotype and like you would see signs of like, don't. Places where. Public place spaces where they didn't want kids to skateboard.

[Tony Hawk]

But still.

[Josh]

Because they were. Yeah, yeah, but like still parking lots.

[Seth]

Yeah, still see it.

[Josh]

But it's funny because then I, I realized and getting ready for this, I was like, oh, I remember that from that Police Academy movie. And then I had forgotten that you were in that Police Academy movie.

[Tony Hawk]

I was, I was David's stunt double.

[Josh]

You were David's favorite.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, for a week.

[Josh]

That's unbelievable.

[Tony Hawk]

And then they fired me.

[Josh]

What for?

[Tony Hawk]

Cuz I was too tall.

[Josh]

Oh, well, that is, I will say, like I. I met both you and David Spade. That's a huge problem.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, it was funny because when they hired me, they, you know, they were doing the casting way in advance. And when they hired me, I wasn't as tall as I was when the movie started shooting. I just went through this crazy growth spurt when I was about 17. And then when I got there, I'll never forget, the director is going, that guy is a terrible double. Like he said it so that he was pretending like he was saying it in a voice that I wouldn't hear, but definitely wanted me to hear. Like it was your fault. Like we were. So we're there watching the dailies after the first couple days and I remember him saying, that guy's a great skateboarder but a terrible double. Yeah. And then I was on a plane home the next day.

[Josh]

That's really.

[Seth]

I mean, it certainly seems like in a movie like that that could be part of the joke. But yeah, too late, Too late to make that argument now.

[Tony Hawk]

I don't know, I feel like Police Academy was kind of Shakespeare of his time.

[Josh]

It was a Shakespeare of his time. It was all about the accuracy. The other movie that we used to watch, which is, I mean, talk about cinema. The Search for Animal Chin.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I'm surprised that didn't win any awards.

[Josh]

Yeah, this was, I mean, it was basically just like a skateboard highlight video. But there was, it was just the loosest plot cobbled together.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, it was. The plot was just a vehicle so that we could be skating this ditch in Hawaii and this ramp in Bakersfield you know, that was the whole point.

[Seth]

It was not dissimilar to a lot of pornography of the era. Yeah, definitely. There needs to be a story.

[Tony Hawk]

And the acting. The acting was on par with any porn acting, too.

[Josh]

When you watched the acting, you were like, trust me, a lady's about to show up. If I know anything about this level of acting, a hot lady's gonna be here any minute. Yeah.

[Seth]

Turns out it's a swimming pool.

[Tony Hawk]

What can I say? We put our trust into Stacy. And so when he fed us lines, we're like, are you sure about that?

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

And we said.

[Josh]

I mean, we watched a lot. It served his purpose.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

When was the first time. Did you travel internationally for the sport? And when was the first time you did that?

[Tony Hawk]

I got to go to Japan for a TV show that was basically the equivalent of. That's incredible. But only featuring kids.

[Josh]

Yep.

[Tony Hawk]

And I was. Let me get. If I got this right, I think I was 16 at the time. It was. All the featured kids were supposed to be 16 and under or under 16. So they told me to lie about my age and say I was 15 on the show. And I. They put up a ramp on a stage, and I skated a half pipe for this show in Japan, and then they had a chaperone for me. And, I mean, at the time, being 16, not having traveled. I mean, I traveled to maybe Mexico, but, you know, Japan just seemed like. It seemed like I was living in a video game. It was crazy.

[Josh]

I mean, I've still never been. It's a bucket list for me. Yeah. But to know now that you had been thrown off by a thunderstorm, I can only imagine the culture of Japan.

[Tony Hawk]

I got a little bit more used to traveling at that point in my life.

[Josh]

Did you. Do you. Do you remember it being a trip that you loved, or was it too overwhelming?

[Tony Hawk]

I loved it. I loved it. I fell in love with the culture, with the technology. Everything just looked cool, and it was. You know, it just had that. I don't know, it was just. There was something there that I. And I love the food. I mean, I've always loved Japanese food, but to go actually there and eat it legitimately, natively, it's amazing.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

And I still, like. That's one of our favorite things to do as a family. In fact, if anything comes up with Japan, I know that I can't present it to any of my kids. That, oh, I'm going to Japan next week. That's. That's not the conversation that happens. The conversation that happens Is we're all going, right? What. What day do we leave?

[Seth]

What? I mean, do you guys sort of stick in Tokyo or do you go out into the mountains?

[Josh]

Both.

[Seth]

Do you explore? Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. The last time we went with all the kids, we went to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara. Have you guys heard of Nara? Where they have all these wild deer that you can just kind of feed in a park, but then they'll start biting you?

[Josh]

Oh, well, it sounds like they started fighting.

[Tony Hawk]

My daughter started biting my. I think she was about 8 at the time, or 9. And she started screaming, hiding behind me. And that was the end of the Inara trip.

[Seth]

Gotcha. We used to go to a park that we always called the duck park, and we would bring a loaf of bread to feed the ducks. But then once ducks know you get aggressive, they just. Yeah, they just keep coming at you, and it very quickly turns terrifying.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, deer are convinced that it's in every pocket you have, so they just start biting. Every pocket.

[Josh]

Yeah. Ducks and deer not known for their gratitude or patience. Did you. You married your wife in Ireland? Is that. And what was. Why Ireland?

[Tony Hawk]

She had a family lineage to this one manor called Adair Manor. And she and I just went there one time to stay and visit. I had to do something in Dublin, and. And we fell in love with the place. And so we just decided when we get married, we get married there. And a couple years later, invited all of. Well, not all, but, you know, a very specific list of friends and family. It was funny. It's funny when you. When you do a wedding like that, you think it's a destination wedding. So you're not. Not everyone's going to come, so you can kind of make the list big. But everyone came.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Yeah. I was just at a wedding and the exact same in Ireland, and the exact same thing happened. It was like a second wedding for this couple. And they were like, we're just gonna, like, go big because everyone's not gonna come. And then I feel like every invite they sent was like, oh, yeah, we're in, we're coming. And they thought everyone would stay at this one manor, but it was like, no, we have to. A lot of you same don't even have the option to stay at the manor. Yeah, but it was fantastic.

[Josh]

I think, you know, especially, you know, when there's like that first wave of weddings in your life where everybody's, you know, young and stuff, and when you get, like a late wave wedding where, like, people are like, ah, we can't miss this.

[Tony Hawk]

Right?

[Josh]

You know, we don't have any weddings left, you know.

[Tony Hawk]

I certainly don't.

[Josh]

You're done? Yeah. Was it awesome?

[Tony Hawk]

It was awesome. Yeah. And then we went back for our 10th anniversary just last year and brought our kids, and it was. It was a blast. Actually. That was this year, but. Geez, time flies. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Josh]

That's. What do your kids. Our kids are finally. I feel like they're maybe. Mine are like 9, 7, and 4, and they're starting to get fascinated with the lore of our wedding, I would imagine. Were your kids, like, excited to see the place that it happened?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, well, they were there, so.

[Josh]

Okay, gotcha.

[Tony Hawk]

We already had kids and we got married, so. But.

[Josh]

But they were there.

[Tony Hawk]

They were very young.

[Josh]

Yeah. Okay.

[Tony Hawk]

They're. They're so. We have five boys and one girl. Wow. My oldest son is 33. And then.

[Josh]

Did everybody come back for the anniversary?

[Tony Hawk]

Came back, yeah.

[Josh]

Oh, my God.

[Seth]

Wow.

[Josh]

It's very. I mean, the fact that you. It just speaks to the job you're doing as parents that all six want.

[Tony Hawk]

To come, I hope.

[Josh]

Or. That's it.

[Tony Hawk]

Those are the perks. That's all they care about.

[Josh]

Right, right. They're like, well, we're gonna do the travel, but, like the rest of it maybe.

[Tony Hawk]

And now. And we have a grandchild now, but he chose to leave. Leave him with his other grandma. And so he didn't come. But we get to see him a lot. He's. It's so. That's the most fun. That's the coolest thing ever. I hope you guys get to experience it.

[Josh]

Yeah. That's really awesome. I can only imagine.

[Seth]

Yeah. Our parents certainly love spending time with Seth's kids.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Yeah. It's a highlight for sure.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. Yeah. Actually, we just went to Hawaii and quickly realized that my wife and I were only there as a. Roles. As the role of babysitters.

[Josh]

Oh, right. Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

It's funny. Fine with us. But, you know, there was. There was no surf trips or, you know, surf outings or anything like that.

[Josh]

It's also not. It's funny you say, like, you came to the realization. Cause I don't think it's a thing that we ask our parents either. We just kind of are like. Like, we just hope it slowly dawns on them before it's too late for them to bail.

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, no, no, we're not. Yeah, we're not. This isn't our first rodeo in terms of knowing what is going to be asked.

[Josh]

We. I remember a couple summers ago, my parents were visiting my wife and I and we were going to a party and I just remember us being like, I just think Ash would love to play Uno with you. And like as they're getting dressed for a party and they're like, okay, yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Or, or we're watching him late in the day and it's like, hey, he could just stay with you guys if you want. Yep, that can happen.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Josh]

It is also like, I mean, we, you know, you know, certainly my wife's parents are, are in charge of our kids more and like, we've given them that like, you know, it's like diplomat diplomatic immunity where like our want to go hang out with them for the night because they're going to like play by slightly different rules. I mean, they don't go crazy, but you know.

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, no, there. There is a look. There is a look that Ronan gets when he walks through our doorway that is very much like, oh, it's fun time.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

This is game on.

[Tony Hawk]

This is my space.

[Josh]

It's. We. It's. The worst is we have these long conversations, my wife and I, about like, what age, what movies are appropriate. We're like, I'd love to show them big, but there's like that weird scene where like he sleeps with a woman and you know, and I'm just, I don't want to have that conversation. And then like, my son will come home is like, grandpa just showed me National Lampoon's vacation. I'm like, what? That's 45 movies past the movie we're talking about.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. I mean even, even Airplane. When you look at it from a parents perspective, it's like, oh, oh, yeah.

[Josh]

But, well, the 70s in general we were talking about, I want like a radio edit of Bad News Bears. Oh, yeah, they love it. But I think I'm like, I think there might be like nine real bad moments. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

They go and buy porn.

[Seth]

Yep, Porn.

[Josh]

There's some.

[Seth]

I feel like there's some racist.

[Josh]

Yeah. Yes.

[Tony Hawk]

You feel like it.

[Seth]

There is. Yeah, yeah. I haven't seen it in a good long time, but that's.

[Josh]

You haven't seen a good long time and your memory serves.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, but it's all that, you know, I guess that was just our era, Caddyshack too, where. Yeah, but. But it's funny. So I'd say, you know, our kids are old enough now, but when they were a little younger, we showed them the jerk. And it's not even that it's inappropriate. It's just slow paced.

[Josh]

Yes, it is.

[Tony Hawk]

And at some point, 20 minutes in, they're like, can we go do something else? Like what?

[Seth]

Yeah, you don't want to watch the jerk.

[Tony Hawk]

What are you talking about?

[Josh]

You realize it. And again, it's a classic. And it. I stand by it. But it is like, it. Its pace is no longer a pace of anything for kids.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong. If it's on. If it's on, I'm watching it.

[Josh]

But yeah, no kidding. They're also all, like, a little bit long. Like bad News Bears, I think might be like two plus hours. Like, they were just like, we're gonna tell the story. I think, like, like Slapshot's another one that, like, you rewatch it. I think it's like two and a half hours, the best. But it's also a lot about, like, the deindustrialization of, like, blue collar towns. You're like, oh, I forgot about all this part.

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, the. Those brothers are on cameo.

[Josh]

Oh, the Hanson brothers.

[Seth]

Oh, really?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. Great.

[Seth]

Yeah. That's a good one. That's a good one to send. There's a few people that might be getting those for Christmas this year.

[Tony Hawk]

You're welcome.

[Josh]

This is. It is. It is so delightful to talk to you, Tony. Thank you so much for making time for us.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Josh]

Before you go, though, Josh has speed round questions.

[Seth]

Uh. Oh, here we go. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous, or educational?

[Tony Hawk]

Relaxing with the side of adventure.

[Seth]

Sure.

[Tony Hawk]

Great.

[Seth]

What is your favorite means of transportation?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, my car.

[Josh]

Great.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Tony Hawk]

That's, like, the only time I'm kind of.

[Seth]

I'm surprised you didn't say skateboard.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, my car is the only time where I'm actually alone and I can listen to stuff and kind of just do my own thing. And no one is asking that I have to do something at that moment. I mean, yes, I love skateboarding too, but usually when I'm skateboarding, I feel compelled to perform.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

If you could take a vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional, other than your own family, what family would you like to take a vacation with?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, my God. Wow. That is. That's just impossible. I mean, it would have to be the Griswolds, right?

[Seth]

Yeah, Yeah. I mean, they're a classic, classic answer.

[Josh]

They come up a lot.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, I would get in so much trouble for this. Well, I would. It would have to be my wife.

[Josh]

Yeah. That's a good answer.

[Seth]

That's the one that you don't get in trouble for.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Some people make a mistake. Can I tell you a mistake too many people make is they make it seem like if they didn't get in, if they weren't gonna get in trouble, they'd pick someone else. You know what I mean? Too many people are like, oh, well.

[Tony Hawk]

No, but I gotta say this. You're getting into Sophie's Choice.

[Josh]

Yeah. Right, right, right.

[Tony Hawk]

That's just way bigger problem. And I mean, I would default to Ronan, our grandchild, because he is. He's our favorite grandchild. Because he's our only grandchild.

[Josh]

He's our only grandchild. Yeah.

[Seth]

There you go. Good call. You are from San Diego. If you were the head of the San Diego Board of Tourism and needed to get more people to come visit the city, how would you pitch it?

[Josh]

Wow.

[Tony Hawk]

We're more than the zoo.

[Josh]

Great.

[Seth]

All right. Very good.

[Tony Hawk]

And there are secluded beaches. You just gotta find it.

[Josh]

Okay, that's good. All right, great.

[Seth]

Seth has our final question.

[Josh]

Have you been to the Grand Canyon?

[Tony Hawk]

Yes.

[Josh]

Would you want to skateboard in it? No. My question was, is it worth it?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Okay, good.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. I think it depends on what trail or hike you might choose. Because one of those might not be worth it when you find yourself stuck out in the wild for five hours and ran out of water or whatever else.

[Josh]

Yeah, that seems, like, decidedly not worth it.

[Tony Hawk]

It's cool from the top. Let's put it that way.

[Josh]

All right, perfect answer.

[Tony Hawk]

Definitely.

[Seth]

Cool from the top.

[Josh]

Thank you, Tony. So great talking to you.

[Seth]

Thank you so much.

[Josh]

Great to see you.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, you too. Thanks, you guys. All right, I'm gonna send you that. That Anna Nicole Smith board Anonymous.

[Josh]

Josh would love it. You could tell he wanted it.

[Seth]

All right. Thanks so much. Tony went to Baja hours driving south his brother, he went surfing Tony went in in an outhouse Had a VW van and his berth wasn't planned Tony was with Dogtown until Dogtown went bus Found out when Stacy called him and said, come skate with us Tony was.

[Josh]

Pro.

[Seth]

Was getting paid and he had joined the bones brigade the youngest kid around coolest in the pack till he heard a thunder crack Bought himself his own house Things were going good dad stepped up to help him make a bowl out of wood Was a bad David Spade twin Never found animal chin Travels with his children especially to Japan. Be careful out on Nara. Those deer will bite your hand. Those deer will bite your hand. Those deer will bite your hand.