Tony Hawk

Summary

Joy, a Podcast Episode Summary: Tony Hawk on Finding Joy Through Adversity and Skateboarding

Published on December 24, 2024 by iHeartPodcasts

In this captivating episode of Joy, a Podcast, hosted by Craig Ferguson, legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk joins the conversation to explore themes of resilience, passion, and the evolving landscape of skateboarding. The discussion delves deep into Tony's personal journey, the cultural shifts within skateboarding, and the pursuit of joy amidst challenges.

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1. Opening the Conversation

The episode begins with Craig Ferguson warmly introducing Tony Hawk, setting the stage for an intimate and insightful dialogue about Tony's life and career.

Quote:

Craig Ferguson [02:38]: "How are you feeling, by the way? You alright?"

2. Tony’s Recent Injury and Recovery

Tony opens up about a significant setback—breaking his leg approximately a year ago. He discusses the initial denial and the critical moment when he realized professional intervention was necessary.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [03:01]: "In hindsight, it's regrettable, it's embarrassing, but I also was in denial of it."

The conversation highlights the importance of patience and proper medical care in his recovery process.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [03:32]: "And that was the key. Just waited."

3. Pain Threshold and Endurance

Tony reflects on his high pain tolerance, a trait noted by friends and peers. He contrasts his attitude towards pain with that of his contemporaries, emphasizing acceptance and the drive for progression.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [04:17]: "It's more that there's an acceptance that comes with it... I need to endure this for the sake of progression."

4. The Evolution of Skateboarding

The discussion shifts to the transformation of skateboarding from a counterculture activity to a mainstream sport. Tony shares his experiences from the early days, including the influence of skate parks and the community they fostered.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [09:34]: "We've helped to fund over 700 over the last 20 years. And that's, I mean that's my proudest work."

Tony underscores the significance of providing skate parks as safe and supportive environments for youth.

5. Skateboarding as an Art Form and Lifestyle

Tony delves into skateboarding’s multifaceted identity—as a sport, lifestyle, and art form. He highlights how skateboarding has become a vehicle for self-expression and creativity.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [27:35]: "To me, it's my salvation."

6. The Iconic 900 Trick

A major highlight of the conversation is Tony's legendary 900 trick—a 900-degree spin in the air. He recounts the intense dedication and countless attempts required to successfully land this move.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [23:22]: "I was obsessed with this trick. It was all in on this trick."

Tony explains the mental and physical commitment needed, likening the execution to a precise, almost automatic motion.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [24:41]: "It's knowing that you have to commit to."

7. Skateboarding in the Modern Era

The dialogue explores skateboarding's inclusion in the Olympics and its broader acceptance in mainstream culture. Tony contrasts the competitive nature of his early career with today's diverse avenues for success, such as social media and influencer status.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [26:43]: "Skateboarding is just more of an accepted form of art or sport or activity."

8. Parenting and Balancing Passion

Tony shares his experiences as a parent, discussing how his approach to skateboarding and safety has evolved. He emphasizes the importance of nurturing his children’s individual passions while ensuring their well-being.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [21:08]: "I leaned more towards the other side of it in my early years of parenting because I was young."

9. Personal Reflections and Future Goals

Tony reflects on his legacy and future in skateboarding. He expresses a desire to continue contributing to the sport through personal goals rather than chasing the same competitive heights he once did.

Quote:

Tony Hawk [31:33]: "I've definitely gotten a better perspective on my limitations through this last injury."

He envisions a future where he remains a respected figure in skateboarding, focusing on personal milestones and mentoring the next generation.

10. Closing Thoughts

As the episode wraps up, Craig and Tony share light-hearted moments, reminiscing about Tony’s childhood and the enduring passion that skateboarding ignited in him. The conversation leaves listeners with a profound appreciation for Tony Hawk’s resilience and unwavering love for skateboarding.

Quote:

Craig Ferguson [38:29]: "Do you still feel that way? Is there still a moment in the day, like if you talk to me now, you're like, I'm fucking tired of this guy. I'd just really like to go get on theboard."

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Notable Takeaways

• Resilience in the Face of Adversity: Tony's experience with injury underscores the importance of resilience and proper recovery in pursuing one's passions.

• Evolution and Mainstream Acceptance: Skateboarding has transformed from a niche, countercultural activity into a widely accepted sport and art form, broadening opportunities for participation and expression.

• Community and Support Systems: The role of skate parks and community support has been pivotal in fostering a sense of belonging and providing safe spaces for young skaters.

• Legacy and Mentorship: Tony Hawk’s ongoing commitment to the skateboarding community highlights the significance of mentorship and giving back to ensure the sport's continued growth and evolution.

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This episode of Joy offers an inspiring narrative of overcoming setbacks, the enduring passion for skateboarding, and the joy found in personal and communal growth. Tony Hawk’s candid reflections provide valuable insights into the heart of a skateboarding legend and the vibrant culture he continues to shape.

Transcript

[Tony Hawk]

You wake up, put on your ray ban meta glasses. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee so you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Say hey Meta, how do I make.

A latte brew two shots of espresso.

[Tony Hawk]

After meta AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beats.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hey Meta Play hip hop music.

[Tony Hawk]

You head to meet some friends but can't remember the place.

Hey Meta Call Eva Ray banned meta.

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[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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[Craig Ferguson]

Total hello, my dears. The Joy podcast will be taking the holidays off. I hope you can too. And have a lovely time however you like to spend it and with whomever you like to spend it with. We'll be back on January 14th with the lovely Lisa Loeb. That's more alliteration than I thought I was going to have when I started talking today. But there you are, the lovely Lisa Loeb on the 14th of January. And have a lovely holiday time, my friends. Be careful, stay safe. See you soon. My name is Craig Ferguson. This podcast is called Joy. It's not rocket science. I talk to people I like about their pursuit of happiness. Here's Tony Hawk, a legend, an icon, maybe the icon of the skateboard world. Enjoy. How are you feeling, by the way? You all right? Like, thank you. That.

[Tony Hawk]

That seemed like a much more loaded question, but I. Yeah, I broke my leg about A year ago and had it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Can you skate?

[Tony Hawk]

Yes. Finally, I went through a false start the first time because I got back too soon and. And the impact forced my bone to.

[Craig Ferguson]

Never recon evil Knievel going on.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, in hindsight, it's regrettable, it's embarrassing, but I also was in denial of it. I thought that I was just going through a harder time. So about eight months into my recovery, I realized that it wasn't getting any better. I wasn't improving in terms of what I could do physically. And I went and got X rays and realized that the bone was actually further apart than it had been post surgery and went and got it realigned with a specialist and waited. And that was. That was the key. Just waited.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you have a different pain threshold to normal humans? Have you ever had it tested?

[Tony Hawk]

No, but it's definitely been noted by others and friends and things.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, it's funny, I watched Till the wheels come off last night. I was looking at the spills that you were taking or what do you got? I see. I don't know the right terminology because I'm not. Is it spill? Right?

[Tony Hawk]

Or spill? Yeah. Slams? Sure.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right. Or falls or maybe.

[Tony Hawk]

Yes, all those.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, I see some of the hurts.

[Tony Hawk]

You say baal. If you see baal, then that's more intentional.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And what you were seeing there was definitely no more. No one was intentional.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, they were like. But even from the footage when you were a little kid, like, everything just like slamming into this thing over and over and over again. Do you get immune to it? Is that what it is?

[Tony Hawk]

It's not immune. It's more that there's an acceptance that comes with it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

That I need to endure this for the sake of progression. And so that, that has always been my attitude. And so I didn't, I didn't mind it so much.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Sometimes it's worse than others, but not that often. I mean, there's. There's sort of this. I guess it's more like when you choose a life of skateboarding, there's sort of a level of pain that, you know there's always going to be low.

[Craig Ferguson]

Lying, like all the time. But see, I envy you very much. Not about the money and drugs and fame and shit. I've had enough of that. But that. But you knew your thing and you have your thing. It's not like was ever in any question because you said right there, you chose a life of skateboarding or you didn't say you chose it, but you used that expression, do you think you chose it or it chose you because, like. Like your dad at that point as well, because your dad was heavily involved in the.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, that's a good question. I would say that I chose the life of skateboarding early on, even when it was not. There was no path to success because no one had carved that path yet.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

But I loved what it provided me, so I just loved skating. But I would say later on, there was a sense of skateboarding chose me in that suddenly people were asking me to sort of be the spokesperson.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

And I was willing to do it, but it wasn't what I aspired to.

[Craig Ferguson]

What did you aspire to at the beginning?

[Tony Hawk]

Just keep learning new tricks. It was pretty simple.

[Craig Ferguson]

But it's a funny thing, though, because, I mean, like, you're one of these people that's really difficult to have a conversation with. It's recorded not because you're difficult, but because the people that are into your thing are so messianic about your thing, that if I say the wrong word, instead of spill, I say, or slam, I say spill. Or, like, people get fucking crazy about it. And it's kind of like I say.

[Tony Hawk]

Less now than before. But I understand what you're saying. Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

But it was funny watching because I thought that the documentary about you and a lot of your contemporaries. Till the Wheels Come Off. That's what it's called. Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Till the Wheels fall off.

[Craig Ferguson]

Till the wheels fall off. Right. See, I said come off. Fall off Now.

[Tony Hawk]

People are here.

I've seen actually in print. Yeah. Don't worry about that.

[Craig Ferguson]

But I was watching it and. Cause I'm not, like. I'm not in that world. I mean, I know of it, but I'm not inside it. And the athleticism and the grace and the style and the craziness of all of that. What you do is obvious to anyone, even a casual glance. But what I wasn't expecting to see is, first of all, the development of the world. I mean, that's like being around at the start of golf or something. Do you know what I mean?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, in a lot of ways, sure.

[Craig Ferguson]

And then you, and I think Mullins as well, get a very strong sense of. I don't really think it's about the board, and it hasn't been about the board for a long time. I feel like it's something else. It's like a search for grace. It's like the way guys climb mountains or something.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. I would agree with you there. I think that especially with Rodney and I, we were so hyper Focused on new moves, new tricks. And we didn't know what the goal of that was. It just fed us. So we would. We learn new trick and then move on to the next one. Move on to the next one. And we didn't really think about that. We were creating any sort of movement.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

We just had to do it. And then as we got older, that became. You know, there's an argument that became more of a curse than a blessing because we keep chasing it to our detriment. Where even Rodney, I mean, you see him now, like, let's put it this way, Rodney walks through an airport and people come up with courtesy carts. So do you need a ride, really? Yeah. That's the truth. Do you know what I mean?

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, because people do that to me too. But I can't even write a skateboard.

[Tony Hawk]

Because he walks with such pain. But he will skate for three to four hours every single night on his own.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's interesting. So he's more comfortable skating than walking then?

[Tony Hawk]

Absolutely.

[Craig Ferguson]

Are you that way, too, still?

[Tony Hawk]

I would say before I got hurt, yes. Now I definitely have a little more hesitation in my skating because I should. I'm still on the healing path.

[Craig Ferguson]

But, yeah, also like everybody else, you get older, you get older, sure.

[Tony Hawk]

But I feel like, I think what wasn't really talked about in that documentary, because it's nuanced and it's more. My personal thing is that my style has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years in that I'm more focused on low impact skating. And I know what you saw there was pretty crazy, and I did some crazy stuff and whatever, but. But really my focus, especially with tricks, has been more technical. And so it's more like board maneuvering and stuff that just is on the top of the ramp as opposed to 10ft above it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So it's funny because I don't. You can see the athleticism of it, but I don't understand how it's done. It's like if you. If I watch someone play golf or swim, even. You know what I mean? It's like, I know how it's done, but, like, I watch what you do and what Mullins does and what all these other guys do. I'm like, I. I don't even know where you start with that, you know, I mean, but you. You've created. I mean, you personally, as well, with the foundation, have moved into this idea of, like, expanded it. There's. How many parks have you put together now?

[Tony Hawk]

Well, we've helped to fund over 700 over the last 20 years. And that's, I mean that's my proudest work. And that stems from my experience at the skate park as a kid because I got very lucky in that One of the last parks in the US happened to be in San Diego, right. Pretty close to where I lived. And that was never lost on me that I had that place to go and I had that sense of community and I had that support group there. I mean, yes, it was my training ground, but it was also just this place of belonging.

[Craig Ferguson]

It was like where the kids went, right?

[Tony Hawk]

It was, I mean it was. I found me there at all hours until they close right when school was out. But when I had a sense of success and a way to sort of help, I don't know, the, the, the industry or the skaters. That was my first go to was I want to provide more skate parks because all these kids feel disenfranchised. They love skating and they're told not to do it because it's on public property or private property and it's a.

[Craig Ferguson]

Nuisance in it and it's whatever else.

[Tony Hawk]

But it's like, but they found something that speaks to them and that, that I think is a healthy outlet.

[Craig Ferguson]

What do you think it would have happened to you if you hadn't found skin or it hadn't found you?

[Tony Hawk]

I think I would have just been doing something really tech oriented because I was really fascinated with technology all through my teenage years and I mean still to this day. But I was an early adopter. Like I had one of the first nonlinear video editing systems and really I.

[Craig Ferguson]

Did because I thought, I guess the answer I was kind of expecting was that you would have been lost without it. But it doesn't seem like.

[Tony Hawk]

I probably wouldn't have felt as rich for sure that I wouldn't have felt as validated or, or felt like there was something that I could do that really fed what I needed in terms of creativity wise.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And so maybe doing video projects or something would have touched on that a bit, but I don't think it would have provided the same.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's an interesting form of creativity as well. Doing, you know, creating, trick on a board. I mean it's, it's like painting with something that nobody's painted with until, or 1970 or something.

[Tony Hawk]

Or did you. Do you think anyone will appreciate it?

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, I, yeah, I think people do.

[Tony Hawk]

But I just say with, back then, with the creation, like with, with Rodney and I when we were doing all these tricks, right, it was kind of considered a circus act.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, it, it's got a bit of that in it. You know, I mean, when you guys was doing the, the tours with the, you know, setting up in the arena with the, you know, the ramps and the motorbikes, it's a little bit of a traveling circus. Isn. A little bit of a.

[Tony Hawk]

For sure. Yeah, absolutely. But, but what I'm saying is, is in our world, skating was a pretty small community.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

We were the outcasts of that community because all we cared about was tricks everyone else cared about, right?

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Style and, and how much air they get. And, and so Rodney and I were these outcasts. Like we were outcasts in an outcast activity. And so we didn't think there was any sort of, there would be any accolades in, in that. We just love doing it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you know, for a while I worked with Mick Jagger on writing a screenplay. That never happened, but because I was doing it, I was on tour with the Rolling Stones for a while and I got to see up close how the Rolling Stones work. And I was watching Keith Richards, who you remind me of a little bit. Cause he would be quite happy if he was playing that guitar in a shitty blues band in a pub in London. Fine. Doesn't matter. Or if he's playing the Enormo Dome in San Diego. Doesn't fucking matter. It's playing the guitar that counts. And is that the same for you on the board?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

So even when you were doing the, when things were nutty, when you have your own plane and the crowds are crazy and the money's nuts and stuff like that, was it all still focused on the board? Is that what kept you out of the druggie drinky world?

[Tony Hawk]

I believe so, yeah. I mean, I definitely had my own vices and distractions through the crazy years, but always the priority was skating. And I think that even in my youth when, in the 80s, when we thought we were having unparalleled success and we were doing all, you know, we were doing some TV stuff and movie stuff. I was always really focused on the skating because I saw my peers, some of them get distracted and get caught up in the hype and, and get hooked on drugs.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And then they lost their abilities. And it was like, that was my very first example. Like, don't, don't go.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's, that's what I thought. I mean, it's not something you can do when you're high, is get on a board and, or, or is it. I don't know.

[Tony Hawk]

Can you maybe for a certain amount of time Right, but did you ever.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like, do you ever give demonstrations? Do you ever, you know, get on the board and do crazy shit when you were messed up?

[Tony Hawk]

No, no. I think my. It's funny, I remember the skate park I grew up at. People would smoke weed in the parking lot. Not everyone, but some.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, come on, everybody. It's California. The whole state smells of weed.

[Tony Hawk]

No, well, I was pretty young too, so I remember one day I was like, all right, I'm gonna go join the crew. And then I came back to skate and I just couldn't get it together. I couldn't, you know, everything was. My timing was off. I kept almost, almost we call hanging up, which means like locking up on the coping where your board sticks.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And I just thought, okay, I can't, can't do that. That doesn't work for me. And drinking is just out of the question, right, when you're skating. So I think that was.

[Craig Ferguson]

I think I'm beginning to figure out why I never get in a skateboard. But it's kind of interesting though, because it is. That is a real kind of positive thing. If you're talking about all these skate parks for kids. If you can't do it properly when you're twisted on booze and alcohol or in drugs.

[Tony Hawk]

Right.

[Craig Ferguson]

You're kind of helping people stay away from it a little bit too.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, for sure there is the contingent that they equate partying with, of course, skateboarding. And they do it. And honestly, it's probably more of a short lived thing, but that's their life. I can't, I'm not trying to have some just say no campaign. No, no, I know you were. That. It's more that we want to provide them the outlet. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

Because when you started it was, it was basically, it was just dried out swimming pools. Right, That's. That was at the beginning.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I got in at the tail end of that. So the Dogtown and Z Boys, I knew of that crew as I started, but they were already, as far as I was concerned, much older.

[Craig Ferguson]

What is the evolution of it? If you can take me through it a little bit. So the Dogtown, was that the very beginning?

[Tony Hawk]

The beginning has, has there's consciousness how it began. But basically the first skateboard, it is said, was a roller skate that was dismantled. The trucks and wheels were. Were nailed onto a two by four.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And that was a skateboard. And then a lot of the Southern California people took that as, oh, that's surfing on a sidewalk.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

So then they started developing actually Shaped boards out of fiberglass and wood like surfboards were made. And then they were trying to emulate surfing. Once the, the big drought hit in the 70s in Southern California, all these swimming pools were dry and the surfers saw that. Oh, that looks like a wave. And that's how we.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's how. Do you surf? Do you do?

[Tony Hawk]

I do, yeah. But. But not as actively. And the reason I got into skateboarding is because my older brother was a hardcore surfer. And so he got into skateboarding by default because that was. If you lived in southern California, you surfed in the 70s, you started skating. And that's how I got my first skateboard was his hand me down.

[Craig Ferguson]

Oh, wow. He must be very happy for you. But you don't look younger than me.

[Tony Hawk]

He's very happy that he. He can school me in surfing still. That's what he's happy about.

[Craig Ferguson]

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Well, it's funny that you're a lot younger than your nearest sibling, right?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, he's 13 years older than me.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. My son, my youngest son is nine and a half years younger than his older brother. And when I was watching the energy of you as a young kid, it reminded me very much like my own son. It's very like that, like kind of 60 pound psychopath, really. I mean, just like.

[Tony Hawk]

And I had one of those too.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, they're kind of amazing. I think it's something to do with being light as well. See, that was a. I was a husky little kid.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

So if I fell, it really hurt.

[Tony Hawk]

Right.

[Craig Ferguson]

If you were £60 and you fall, I think it hurts less.

[Tony Hawk]

Maybe. But, but I think the light and fearless is, is a scary combination. Yeah, that's definitely. I had, I had one of the, we have several children between my wife and I, but there was one that was, we called him a pixie.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

But he would try anything. Yeah. But almost to the point where he had no sense of mortality.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Well, kids are kind of like that a little bit.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. But He. He was off. He was on a different charge a little bit.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you think that you were more cautious, like, as a parent, because you had gone through all of those injuries and that the creation of that world as that world is forming?

[Tony Hawk]

I would say that I probably leaned more towards the other side of it in my early years of parenting because I was young. I was. I was 24 when my son was born.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's young.

[Tony Hawk]

And I was just joining him, doing stuff and getting him into skateboarding. And, you know, he's going down big ramps and I'm pushing him into waves. And it was just more like, oh, I have this friend to do this stuff with. And it wasn't. I don't. I was trying to keep him safe as well. But I did think that he had a pretty good sense of his limitations.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And I was thankful for that. It wasn't until I had other kids that I realized, oh, they don't all have that preservation gene.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. It's funny that when you become a parent and just as you get older as well, because I was different motor boy than I was with the younger one. But they are different, too.

[Tony Hawk]

They are. Yes. There's a lot of nurture and nature.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. What do you think? Like, because your dad was very supportive to you, at least I took that from the documentary that you and your dad were close, and he was very supportive. But the world was forming. The competitive. Is it competitive? I guess it's competitive, yeah. Competitive skateboarding. But when I looked at that, the thing when you first got to do the 900. Right. Or when you finally cracked the 900, how many times did you do that that day, that X Games to get to that?

[Tony Hawk]

Oh, that. I think that day was 11 or 12 or something. But it's funny that people focused in on that because there were plenty of other days where I tried it dozens of times.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, but did you get it, though?

[Tony Hawk]

Didn't get it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, that's why. That's why they focus. Because the day you get it is that's the day.

[Tony Hawk]

Right, Right. But, you know, I mean, like, that was a relatively short duration of attempts for as far as I was concerned.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

So when people say you tried 11 times, like, yeah, that was nothing. I tried it hundreds of times before that, like thousands of times.

[Craig Ferguson]

But something like the 900, which. I'm not quite sure why it's. In fact, I don't know why it's called the 900. Why is it called the 900?

[Tony Hawk]

That's degrees of spin.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So it goes around two and a half. Two and a half. Right. So two and a half times in the air and then land. And you envisage that in your head first. And you go through it in your head and you create it like a painter does or a movie director does.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, eventually I did that. Yes. When I first started trying it, it was almost 10 years prior to that event. And I really didn't know how to spin around that far, how to balance my body so that I could be in the position to get back down on the ramp. So I didn't have quite have the vision then. It wasn't until a few years later when I actively started trying it and started figuring out that I could possibly get close, that's when I started visualizing it and that's when the chase got accelerated. Cause I was just all in on this trick.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right, so you understood that it was possible for you.

[Tony Hawk]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

And the idea of as you're falling, as a human being is falling through space, and you're still having a twist and you're gonna. You have an appointment to make with the board that you're gonna have to. You're gonna have to meet that appointment or it's gonna hurt or you're gonna be embarrassed or you're just gonna. Not gonna make the trek. Does the time slow down? Can you slow it down and think your way through it, or is it not possible to consciously go through the trick? Does it have to be, you know, like automatic? Does it have to be there?

[Tony Hawk]

That's a really good question. I don't say that time slows down. It's more that there's a bunch of elements that have to come together. And you know it as soon as you take off, that this one has all those pieces.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So the there as you take off.

[Tony Hawk]

As you take off. But I'm going to make more often than not, right? You don't have all those pieces right. So you take off immediately knowing this one's not going to work, but you have to go through the motion of it. Because to take off in that position with that much speed and not spin all the way through is the most dangerous thing you can do.

[Craig Ferguson]

So you just have to commit.

[Tony Hawk]

Knowing that you have to commit to. So what I'm saying is a few times I've done it where it didn't happen that day at X Games, but it happened. It's happened to be before. And after that, if I don't get a hold of my board, I have to commit my body to that full spin because of what I've. The position I put it in upon the takeoff. And I learned that the hard way because a couple times I didn't get My board got away from me and I just stopped. And all of a sudden I was like, oh, shit, I'm in space. I have no idea where the ramp is and where is it? And then I hit it on my back. Yeah. And then that's the worst case scenario. So I learned that even if it's not gonna work, just go through the motion of it and.

[Craig Ferguson]

Does it feel like. Does it feel like there's anything you can do? Like if you go off and you go. Not everything is here. But if I just.

[Tony Hawk]

Dudes, you. Definitely. Yeah. I mean, there's plenty. There's plenty of that in our cavalier attitude towards tricks. But also in that moment, if you're in competition, you're going to try to make it no matter what, right? So that's another we. We call them, well, Hail Marys. It's like, right, right, you're going to just throw it down. This is the time it has to happen, right? And if you're going to crash, it should be now. Do you know what I mean? Like, yeah, if you're ever going to get destroyed on this trick because you committed to it, it should be in this format.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So at least stay within the bounds of the track.

[Tony Hawk]

Sure, right.

[Craig Ferguson]

I get it. If you had been involved in the sport now, like, if you were like, Tony Hawk is 12 years old today and you're getting involved in it, does the sport now say to you, you have to wear this. You have to wear this protective outfit? It's still the same as it was?

[Tony Hawk]

No, it's so. When I was growing up, the only way you could have any sense of success in skateboarding was to compete.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right?

[Tony Hawk]

That's it. There was no YouTube, there's no social media. The magazines were not going to cover you unless you went to this big event and probably did well.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Even if you were doing new tricks and not placing, they don't care about that right now. Skating is of age. It's way more diverse. You can enter skateboarding and never have to compete and still be one of the most successful skaters that's ever been.

[Craig Ferguson]

Because you can do videos and you.

[Tony Hawk]

Could have your way. You could have your, your, you know, you could have your big sw. You could be an influencer and a skater, and it's just a totally different. It is because of how much it permeated mainstream culture in that skateboarding is just more of an accepted form of art or sport or activity, whatever you want to call it.

[Craig Ferguson]

What is it to you?

[Tony Hawk]

To me, it's. Yeah, it's. It's. It's a lifestyle, it's a sport, it's an art form. But to me, it's. It's my salvation.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's what I was going to say. It's. It's almost like. I got a sense of that from you. If I.

[Tony Hawk]

What you were saying is, is like, would you have to conform to some sort of team sport or uniform or something like that?

[Craig Ferguson]

Well. Or equipment or.

[Tony Hawk]

If your goal is to be in the Olympics.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Yes. That's your path and that's what you're going to have to adhere to. But you can just do it in your own voice and your own style and still make a go of it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. What about the idea of if it was an Olympic sport when you were a kid, do you think you would have gone that way? Do you think you would have.

[Tony Hawk]

Sure, because that was the only.

[Craig Ferguson]

But doesn't that say, I don't know how it's graded in the Olympics? Can you bring a new trick to an Olympic display? So it's kind of like gymnastics. You go, here's something nobody's ever done before.

[Tony Hawk]

Absolutely, yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

And people go, okay. Wow. And you get your tens out of tens.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, well. And also the judges are all well versed in skateboarding, obviously, and for them to see something new is going to probably. They're probably going to overscore you for it because they just didn't expect it.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. Does it form like a routine? Like if you. I don't know how the sport's graded in the Olympics.

[Tony Hawk]

The format of the Olympics is not any different really than what you probably saw in the documentary or in other skate events. You have a timed run and you are judged on your difficulty factor. The speed you kept, how you use the course and your consistency, the basic elements of it are all the same.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's funny, though, that talking about it as a sport, I mean, there are guys who were interviewed during the documentary. When I watched it, I thought, this guy's with the neck tattoos is never going to go to the Olympics. He doesn't. He's not even interested in watching the Olympics.

[Tony Hawk]

And that was. In my day, skating was so counterculture that it was. It was akin to punk rock music. It was like, we're not going to fit in. We're doing it our own way.

[Craig Ferguson]

Well, that's why I always associated with it, that it was a kind of like A punk thing.

[Tony Hawk]

Sure. And. And in that respect, there's extreme versions of that where it's like, we don't want to do anything that is considered mainstream.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

Or whatnot. But then if you. I was so young, I didn't really understand all of that narrative, maybe.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And I just loved what skateboarding was, even though it was different and it made me an outcast at school and, you know, it was. It was just not coolest thing to do. I just love doing it. But also I love the idea that I got to compete with all these people that were. That, like the same thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. And it does seem quite supportive in an odd way that people are, you know, they're competitive, but not competitive in a way that you want to bring the other guy down. It's just like, I can't believe he.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. And I think. And I also think that shines through in the Olympic coverage.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

I saw. I. I mean, if you're talking about, like, I. I got to go to Tokyo. And a good example was the women's park event. There was one. One girl that was absolutely the favorite to win. You know, without question, if she would have made her whole routine, she's gonna win this thing. And she just kept missing this one trick, and she finally almost got it at the end, but still missed it. She ended up getting third. And when the whole. When the competition was over and they gave out the awards, all of the other girls lifted her up on their shoulders and carried her out of the venue.

[Craig Ferguson]

That's beautiful.

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, that.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

What other sport could you think of? Olympics where they're. Yeah, they're all celebrating the third place person because they thought she was going.

[Craig Ferguson]

To be the best and that she tried. Do you get an amount of attempts in the line, I guess, just with.

[Tony Hawk]

No, not with that. That's. That one. It's a. I believe it's a 40 second routine.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

That 40 seconds. That's it. If you fall in the middle of it, you're out.

[Craig Ferguson]

So the idea of doing 11 attempts at a 900 is not going to exist. And you're never going to see that in the Olympics.

[Tony Hawk]

No, no, not at all.

[Craig Ferguson]

But you are going to see the X game still, right?

[Tony Hawk]

Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

I hope so.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

I think that format continues.

[Craig Ferguson]

Are you going to keep skating until the wheels come off of you?

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, that wasn't my quote, by the way. That was. Yeah, in a sense, I think that I've definitely gotten a better perspective on my limitations through this last injury I had. And that I don't expect to come back fully 100% and get back to the exact same type of skating I was doing before this happened. But I can find some happy medium there, and I can find something that. Where I'm still considered a professional. I could still probably put out content or whatever it is of some sort of progress in skating. But I'm not moving the needle necessarily. It's just more that there's more personal goals.

[Craig Ferguson]

Can you envision a time like, you know, they do the Senior PGA turn.

[Tony Hawk]

Sure. That's all right. That already exists.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. So you get, like, a yellow jacket. It's funny color and tie.

[Tony Hawk]

And it's funny because there have been a few events in recent years. In fact, there was one in particular called Bowlerama in Bondi in Australia.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And they had this. This big bowl event every year. They had the Pro division, then they had the Masters division, which is basically older pros. And then they had the Legends division, super old pros like me.

[Craig Ferguson]

But Legend is better than senior is.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, Legends. Yeah. I feel like I'd rather be considered legend than a master.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

But at the same time. And also the Masters division, like, those guys are still pretty much pro skaters, so I wouldn't have wanted to be in that division anyway. It's like.

[Craig Ferguson]

Like those guys who are younger and faster than you, and here they go.

[Tony Hawk]

It's more like. I would say it would be more like the pros are sort of 30 and under.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

The masters were like 30 to 45ish.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right.

[Tony Hawk]

And then all of us old guys. Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

I mean, I. I love the idea. Is there any generational kind of get off my lawn part of it? Like, do you look at kids who are coming up now and the. The boards are better and the helmets are better and the.

[Tony Hawk]

No. I would say there's a sense of jealousy that they have the resources to, let's say, try their first 900 into a foam pit. I would have loved that option. I didn't have that.

[Craig Ferguson]

But would you have got to be a legend if you. If you landed foam? You're never a legend.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, but I would have maybe cut my front teeth.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Did you think you've spent a lot of money on dental bills over the years?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, I did. Yeah. Let's see. I knocked my front teeth out when I was 10 or 11. That was my first big injury. And then knocked them out about five times. Since is there's the.

[Craig Ferguson]

No kind of mouth guard you can wear or something like that.

[Tony Hawk]

You could. I mean, I've I think I've passed that time in my life.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

But also the cool thing, and I, and I say this a lot, but the cool thing about getting new teeth is you get to pick the size and the color.

[Craig Ferguson]

So where are you losing the swings?

[Tony Hawk]

You got silver lining.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah. Yeah. So where do you think it goes? No. Then the sport is a sport. I don't even know if I buy that it's a sport.

[Tony Hawk]

Well, I think it's more than just the definition. Sure. If that's. If you're looking at the competitive side of it. But also there's just this whole counterculture art form to skateboarding that has no interest in competing. So I feel like it's a big umbrella.

[Craig Ferguson]

It is, I suppose, the closest thing. I mean, it's nothing like this physically, but it is kind of like golf in the sense that some people play it and it's really important to them to win. And some people play it and they play against themselves and they play.

[Tony Hawk]

Or they, or just to be social.

[Craig Ferguson]

Right. Or that's who they hang out with.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah. I mean there is, there is a, a whole population of skaters that are like my age that they love to go skate curbs. Sunday morning, 8am that's their crew. They go and skate the grocery store curbs because they're painted red and they can grind and, and it's low impact. And do you ever go and do that? Yeah, but my style is so steeped in what we call transition.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

That I'm pretty clunky on curves. Like I'm. It's probably more dangerous for me to skate a curb, honestly, than the 14 foot ramp.

[Craig Ferguson]

And do you still have a ramp at home?

[Tony Hawk]

I have that. The ramp that you saw in documentary. That's. I was riding that yesterday.

[Craig Ferguson]

Really?

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah.

[Craig Ferguson]

So you are back on.

[Tony Hawk]

That's my happy place. Oh, yeah, absolutely.

[Craig Ferguson]

So if you have. You've arrived with your wife or something, you're like, you go out there and you.

[Tony Hawk]

I would say it's definitely my way to center myself. Yes.

[Craig Ferguson]

What happens if you can't get on the ramp? You can go on the board.

[Tony Hawk]

I'll let you know when I get there.

[Craig Ferguson]

It's never going to happen.

[Tony Hawk]

I'm sure it'll happen. Maybe. Maybe I'll just get a smaller ramp.

[Craig Ferguson]

Get a smaller ramp. Or maybe just start wearing more foam. Like wearing a foam suit.

[Tony Hawk]

That might be a good look.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you think that, like the journey that skateboarding has made, do you think it's good? Do you think it's good for It. Do you think it's healthier now than it was then?

[Tony Hawk]

It's much healthier now than it was then. I mean, there's definitely the naysay that say like, oh, all this corporate.

[Craig Ferguson]

Because there is a lot of corporate involvement.

[Tony Hawk]

Yeah, all this corporate involvement and we don't belong in the Olympics and sell out and blah, blah. But I still think the core of skateboarding is what it always has been and that is a self expression and something that is very creative, very innovative, but also so diverse that you can't define it as just one thing.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah, it beats me. I don't know how to define it, but I am shocked by the. Not shocked. I'm impressed and delighted at how different the mindset is from one border to the next as a very individual thing.

[Tony Hawk]

And I think that it's even more diverse and inclusive now than it used to be. I mean, the mindset to be a skater in the days that I started, you had to be very committed to it and almost like obsessed with it to the point where you didn't do anything else or know anything else because it just wasn't accepted. And so you had to be stubborn and, and very resilient to all the, all the criticism you get from the outside people.

[Craig Ferguson]

The stubborn thing is quite, it's quite interesting, the obsession that you kind of need. I have a friend who became a very, very, very successful guitarist and he started when he was very young, obviously, and he said you have to be obsessed enough. The expression he used was to achieve escape velocity that you have to be so obsessive. You have to like go to it four hours a day when you're like 12 years old in order to get that, to make it become something else.

[Tony Hawk]

So, you know a guy playing guitar, the 10,000 hours.

[Craig Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Tony Hawk]

Idea.

[Craig Ferguson]

Is that what they say? 10,000 hours on the board? Is that right?

[Tony Hawk]

I mean, that's what they say about anything that you become an expert, you need to put it in 10,000 hours. But I think that I never thought of it that way. It was just. I was obsessed with it. It was as soon as, as soon as the school bell rang, I had to figure out how to get to the skate park. And I would be there until either it closed or my mom got off work. She worked at a, at a community college as a night teacher. So I had that going for me that it wasn't so.

[Craig Ferguson]

Do you still feel that way? Is there still a moment in the day, like if you talk to me now, you're like, I'm fucking tired of this guy. I'd just really like to go get on the boat.

[Tony Hawk]

No, but it. But it's definitely. Let's just put it this way, it's much more scheduled right for me now where I know that I have this window of the day and I better get there or I'm gonna. It's gonna pass me by, right?

[Craig Ferguson]

So you get there and then you get to the early bird special at the legends of skateboarding restaurant.

[Tony Hawk]

You're onto something there.

[Craig Ferguson]

All right, Tony, it's a joy to talk to you, man. Just.

[Tony Hawk]

I appreciate the invite.

[Craig Ferguson]

Thanks very much.

[Tony Hawk]

You wake up, put on your Ray ban meta glasses. You're living all in. You realize you need coffee so you.

[Craig Ferguson]

Say, hey meta, how do I make.

A latte brew two shots of espresso?

[Tony Hawk]

After meta AI gets you caffeinated, you're ready for some beats.

[Craig Ferguson]

Hey meta play hip hop music.

[Tony Hawk]

You head to meet some friends but can't remember the place.

Hey meta, call Eva Ray Ban meta glasses.

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