#1477 - Tony Hawk

[0] And we're rolling.

[1] How are it, Tony?

[2] Awesome.

[3] Thank you.

[4] My pleasure.

[5] Thanks for coming here, man. Yeah, hey, thanks for inviting me. It's an honor.

[6] It's interesting to see you even just fuck around with your skateboard, just the way you maneuver it.

[7] You're so adept.

[8] It's really weird.

[9] Like, the way you move your feet and just pick it up and it's very impressive.

[10] I mean, it really is just at this point kind of makes attention to my body.

[11] It seems like.

[12] And it's, I guess it's weird.

[13] I don't think about how comfortable I am.

[14] and a lot of times we'll be in a city or something or just like now I didn't know where to park right so I just parked somewhere kind of close and just I go skate and I feel way better about doing that than like parking and then walking somewhere and it just you know I know I can get around people and sort of be indiscreet and stealthy indiscreet Tony Hawk on a skateboard is indiscreet that's ridiculous I do get weird looks for sure I get a lot of do -a -kick flips out from car windows oh really yeah oh that's funny yeah that's my curse that i that i that's my burden i carry i'm seeing these new skateboards that are they look like convertibles where as these guys flip the board the wheels flip up and go to the other side that's uh that's sort of a phenomenon sort of a social media thing going on ah like so you can see it in slow mo is that what it is no where the board is actually a contraption right yeah yeah i don't i don't really understand what that is There's a select few people doing that And I've seen a couple where they actually Have figured out how to make their board grind And then do a flip around a rail As they jump back on it Oh boy Yeah, it's very specialized though I can't say that's a movement It's just a few key people they're doing it How many bones do you have to break to perfect that But I see this dude sliding down rails I'm like, how many times do you fuck that up And snap a forearm?

[15] Well, skating went through different waves of disciplines basically and in the early 90s it was all street right and so what I did was was vert skating that was kind of dying out so I was skating street a lot too and I realized I was not fit to be a street skater the third time I rolled my ankle like both ankles twice then the third time the other one I was like I don't want to do handrails anymore this is not working for me this impact is I'm not going to be able to skate anymore if I keep doing this Yeah, I see these kids, like, whenever you go near, like, a large office building that has a lot of outdoor space and you see them using the rails and stuff, I'm like, how many breaks can you have before, like?

[16] I think that it's a little deceiving, because people do know how to fall relatively safely from stuff like that.

[17] But they get addicted, right?

[18] They're doing that probably every day.

[19] Yeah, for sure.

[20] And there's all kinds of different styles.

[21] So there's textiles where it's more people are skating ledges and bare.

[22] And they're, you know, flipping their board, grinding, flipping out, stuff like that, where it's low impact, but super technical.

[23] And then there's just the stuntman who are doing the big rails, the big gaps, you know, jumping fences.

[24] How did this happen?

[25] Like what was, like, how did it go from just riding a skateboard?

[26] Like when I was a kid, you and I were the same age, but when I was, I guess I was probably like 11 or 12, I had a skateboard, I was just riding it on the street.

[27] Like all my friends who just ride a skateboard on the street.

[28] Like, what happened?

[29] Like, how did it get to be, like, grinding across benches and railings?

[30] I think there's a, well, there's a pretty deep history there of how it got there.

[31] But skating was, yeah, just more like a transportation toy.

[32] And then it was really the Dogtown crew that took it to a new level where it was like, oh, you can use this to do aerials and skate swimming pools.

[33] And they were just trying to emulate their surfing.

[34] And so then skate parks started cropping up.

[35] Skating got popular in the late 70s, early 80s, and then it was all swimming pools.

[36] And then maybe like four years later, the skateboarding kind of started falling in popularity.

[37] The skate parks couldn't get their insurance anymore because the liability was crazy.

[38] Oh, yeah.

[39] And so then the streets became the skate park because there was nowhere else to go.

[40] And there were a few key skaters that figured out how to use like the urban landscape as a skate park and then that was it like it was all bets are off skating kind of took off in the underground as the street culture or street sport and then people started doing handrails ledges benches stares because they just didn't have parks how much of an impact did the internet have on it because it seems like once kids could see all these youtube videos of people doing all this crazy shit it must have really accelerated it uh i think what it did i mean especially in the last 10 years is it even the playing field you didn't have to live in some California.

[41] You didn't have to live in New York or be near where the industry is.

[42] You can just be in your little town.

[43] As long as you're putting out content and it's progressive, you're going to get noticed.

[44] And I think that's awesome.

[45] Oh, yeah, that is awesome.

[46] Yeah.

[47] Yeah, that's one of the cool things about it.

[48] Like you said, evened out the playing field.

[49] Yeah.

[50] And, you know, people are making careers as skaters now in the most unlikely places.

[51] Well, you are the Lance Armstrong of skating.

[52] And this is what I mean.

[53] I don't mean that you got caught doing drugs.

[54] What I mean is that you're the guy Like when people talk about professional skaters Tony Hawk Like I don't know a single fucking bike rider Other than Lance Armstrong I mean Greg, there was that other guy Greg Lamont Yeah see but I can't remember him real quick But for you it's That's got to be strange Because like you were the first And you're for sure the most prominent Like how did you pull that off?

[55] Well Mostly longevity by surviving the first wave of skating in the 80s, well, it was actually kind of the second wave of skating in the 80s, where I had a pretty good career.

[56] I was doing really well in competition, especially in the mid to late 80s.

[57] And then as skating kind of went underground, I never quit and started my own skate company in 1992.

[58] And then when the X games came into play, I was still kind of on top of my game.

[59] I did really well there.

[60] And I think a lot of people carried over my name from that first round, where they were skaters in the 80s, and now maybe their kids skate.

[61] And they're like, oh, I remember that guy?

[62] You know, and their kids are watching me on the X -Games.

[63] And then when our video game came out in 1999, that's when everything changed, for sure.

[64] Well, you were famous for skating when you were, like, 17 or something, right?

[65] I turned pro when I was 14.

[66] Yeah, and then...

[67] But, I mean, that...

[68] When I say that, it seems...

[69] It might seem magical, but at the time, skating was this little tiny scene.

[70] So, when I first, when I literally went pro, I was filling out an entry form to a competition and I had already reached the top of the amateur ranks and there was a little box that said pro and a little box said am.

[71] So I clicked, I checked the pro box and that was it.

[72] I was pro.

[73] No one was offering me a contract.

[74] No one had champagne, you know what I mean?

[75] And like my coach was, I'll never forget, Stacey Perlitt was looking over my shoulder.

[76] And I checked it and he's like, okay.

[77] That's it.

[78] was it yeah wow but you had a coach uh we had a we had a team manager um he he's the one who put me on what is now considered the bones brigade but the the company was pal prealta and that was sort of the elite crew of skaters in the in the early 80s um and i was the super young newbie on the team like super skinny dorky kid and a lot of the guys that were established were like this guy really what do you what is that jama Oh, is that you?

[79] That's me at age 17.

[80] Wow.

[81] Time flies.

[82] Does it freak you out looking at that?

[83] I think it's, I mean, I see that photo making the round, so it's cool.

[84] I'm actually, so by the time I turned 17, I was kind of doing well in competition and making money.

[85] So I'm literally sitting outside of my house that I bought while I was a senior in high school in that photo.

[86] Whoa.

[87] which was a challenge trying to stay focused on schoolwork when you have the party house.

[88] That's crazy.

[89] You own a fucking house?

[90] Yeah.

[91] A duplex, but yeah, it was my own place.

[92] But you know, like when you're a senior, oh, so -and -so's parents are out of town.

[93] Parties at his house.

[94] Like, my parents were never home.

[95] So everyone's going to my house.

[96] But what did your parents think about you buying a house?

[97] It was my dad's idea.

[98] Really?

[99] Yeah, because he saw me really not understanding finances or how lucky I was.

[100] And I was just throwing money away, you know, on cars and trips and sharper image and just the most ridiculous things.

[101] And then he's like, I really think you should invest your money.

[102] Did you get a massage chair, sharp image massage chair?

[103] Get one of those?

[104] No, but I bought between, okay, this is a long story, but my sister and I went in on a tanning bed together.

[105] I was like I used it once she used it because she it was helpful to her skin I'm not gonna say why but you know she had a legitimate reason for it but I was like yeah tanning bed I'm never gonna go tan but you gotta have it Where did you live at the time In North County San Diego Carlsbad You don't need a tanning bed Exactly yeah That was it The first time I went I was like why am I laying And I could just go to the I could just go outside 350 days a year Yeah that's hilarious but um i mean it's it almost you know when you're that age and and you're you're doing well you think that somehow that's some like a status symbol did you sleep in that house by yourself when you were 17 no i had three roommates oh god that's so crazy all of the same age one was a little bit older he was a good friend of mine pro skater and he was the only guy that actually had a job and he was tortured for like two years because we were up super late all the time and make a noise, and he'd have to get up at, you know, 7 a .m., go to work.

[106] He was doing, he was doing line stripping, like, back when you'd have to color separate for magazines and stuff like that.

[107] What a bummer for him.

[108] Such a bummer.

[109] Yeah.

[110] And still, like, he's still trying to make it as a pro skater, but clearly he had to get a job.

[111] And must be an exhausted, too.

[112] Yeah, he would leave these kind of nasty notes for us in the morning.

[113] So, when you, in high school, like, see?

[114] you're a senior year in high school.

[115] You had your own place.

[116] Did you do any schoolwork at all?

[117] I did, yeah.

[118] But you must have been like, well, fuck this.

[119] I can already buy a house.

[120] I don't know.

[121] I think it was more because my parents valued education.

[122] My mom was an educator.

[123] She was actually taught in a college.

[124] Oh, wow.

[125] So I felt that I was going to be a disappointment if I didn't at least graduate high school.

[126] And I was always pretty advanced.

[127] Like I was in the gifted program and, you know, I was a great ahead and a lot of the subjects.

[128] So by the time I was a senior, I only needed four classes to graduate.

[129] So I went to school until lunchtime every day and then I was out.

[130] Oh, wow.

[131] And then I got my diploma and my dad not strongly suggested I go look at colleges.

[132] And so just to humor him, I went looking at like a, you know, a city college in our area and looked around the campus.

[133] I was like, yeah, oh, that's cool, I guess, sure.

[134] And I just knew that it was my opportunity to really chase this and to embrace all these opportunities I was getting.

[135] I mean, I was literally out of high school onto a Hollywood movie set, Gleaming the Cube.

[136] Oh, that's right.

[137] So I was out, graduate high school, and then moved to North Hollywood for two months to shoot the movie.

[138] That was like, what, 86?

[139] It was shot in 88.

[140] I think, 87.

[141] Wow.

[142] God, I'm remembering that now.

[143] Wow.

[144] What a crazy way to go from being a young kid to like right into your manhood.

[145] It's deceiving, though.

[146] I mean, especially when you have that much success at a young age, you think it's never going to end.

[147] Right.

[148] You think you're invincible.

[149] And I definitely sometimes treated it as such where I was just like, woo, you know, just throwing money away.

[150] and like I said, my dad was encouraging me to save it.

[151] And then it all came crashing down in about like 1991, 92, where my paycheck was all based on royalties of skate products.

[152] And it started getting cut in half every month.

[153] Wow.

[154] Just from lack of interest, lack of sales.

[155] Was it just a liability thing?

[156] It was that.

[157] And just skating was considered a fad.

[158] And also my style of skating, I skated the ramps, right?

[159] So I'm a vert skater.

[160] Vert skating was just instantly not cool because street skating had taken over.

[161] So I was considered this dinosaur and it was just like, you're out.

[162] Skating's not cool and you're not cool in skating.

[163] Wow.

[164] So it was rough.

[165] I would say sort of 92 to 95 -ish were very lean.

[166] So you were trying to figure out like, hey, what am I doing?

[167] I got really good at this.

[168] Were you thinking, I got to find something else to do?

[169] Yes and no, I knew I wouldn't quit skating because I just loved it.

[170] Like, I never did it from the money.

[171] You know, I started, there were no, no one could be rich or famous from skating.

[172] So that was never the objective.

[173] It was just because I loved what it brought to me. I loved the self -confidence it brought to me. I love the creativity.

[174] I love the misfit crew, the community of it.

[175] And so when things started to go south financially, I know it wouldn't quit.

[176] I just had to figure out how to make ends meet.

[177] And I actually had a video editing.

[178] system and I learned how to do that very early, like right when non -linear video started happening, I had a system.

[179] So I started doing freelance work for companies doing video editing, super random, some skate companies.

[180] And then I did exhibitions, like we were doing exhibitions in amusement park parking lots.

[181] We weren't even in the amusement park.

[182] We're like in the parking lot as people walk in as entertainment, you know, and doing that for like a hundred bucks a day.

[183] Wow.

[184] But it allowed me to skate and allowed me to pay the rent.

[185] And it was like, that was good enough for me. But were you thinking that this is going to stop totally?

[186] Well, it was definitely felt like it was heading that way.

[187] But like I said, I was trying to, I was just trying to do whatever I could.

[188] So I was trying to learn different skills.

[189] And, you know, maybe skating wasn't going to pay the bills, but I couldn't let it go for my life.

[190] Wow.

[191] that's a great story it was uh and you brought it back yeah I guess I mean a lot of ways right it was um it started to slowly come back really when the X games came into play um where suddenly we were we were on TV and kids could see how much skating had evolved well the whole public could see how much skating had evolved from the time that they last saw it in the late 80s and then they were seeing And it was just like, whoa, these guys are, this is for real.

[192] You know, this is, for lack of a better word, this is a sport.

[193] These guys are doing acrobatic things, and it takes discipline, and it takes, it takes determination, and kids recognize that.

[194] And I think that's really when skating started to spark again.

[195] And this is like 95 -ish?

[196] Probably more closer than 96, 97.

[197] The first X -EMs was a little strange, a little scattered, because it was like skateboarding and bungee jumping and rock climbing.

[198] and sky surfing and eco -channel they were just throwing everything and then it really rubbed us the wrong way because suddenly we were labeled as extreme and it was like what do you do?

[199] I skateboard oh you're into extreme sports no I skateboard I don't know what yeah that's a weird category right that extreme sports category yeah and that was I mean really it was coined by ESPN so that's why they changed it to X games so the first one was Extreme Games 95 they changed in X games in 96 I think they really found their niche a few years later when they really sort of weed out all the random stuff and it was more about skateboarding, BMX, motocross, like those became really the highlights and the reason people were tuning in and then that's when things really explode.

[200] And what were like the early skateboarding events in X games?

[201] Like what did you?

[202] It was street and vert and...

[203] So Virt came back?

[204] Yeah Yeah A lot of it I think it was really Because ESPN recognized That Avert is a spectator sport Yeah that I was going to say For us on the outside We would watch it to see someone Fall spectacularly Yeah Because you guys would go You would hit those ramps And you would watch people Just fuck up And you're like Oh my God Look how far he's falling Right Yeah for sure And then once they got You know Once they evolved that into what they call the big air ramps, the mega ramps.

[205] Then it was just like the aerials and the risk factor was tenfold.

[206] Yeah, the risk factor, I mean, I've seen some wipeouts that are just, they're baffling.

[207] I think when things started to really explode with that, with the big air thing, and then Jake Brown had his big accident, the one that kind of everyone saw, went viral.

[208] You've probably seen him where he's just falling from like 30 feet up.

[209] that's when they started to I don't want to say tone it down but really they started to figure out how to do it in a way that is still progressive but not just throwing caution to the wind and not just trying to break all the heights and spin records they really refined it I mean surprisingly I think he broke his hand maybe his heel and had like internal bruising but it was I mean it was really unbelievably lucky yeah I watched that and I was like there's no way this guy's gonna live and then yeah and then you know they didn't have the proper protocol in place they just let him walk off the ramp it was nuts yeah it was but it was definitely a shock to the system and like I said they started to refine that event where it's just like all right you guys you know we're comfortable at this certain height let's just stick with that even all the those skaters said it themselves They're like, well, we can really work on new tricks at this height instead of trying to go to the moon.

[210] Go to the moon, right.

[211] Yeah.

[212] It's just, is there an issue with CTE with skaters?

[213] Well, it's definitely a concern.

[214] Yeah.

[215] I haven't, I can't say that I know many examples of it, but I'm not following people past their careers necessarily, you know, except for close friends.

[216] You know Jason Ellis?

[217] Of course.

[218] Yeah, Ellis, I think he told me he's been knocked out like seven or eight times, like out cold.

[219] Yeah, I definitely at least that for me. At least that, huh?

[220] Yeah.

[221] Wow.

[222] I mean, I've had probably by all accounts over the years at least like 30, you know, either semi -concussions or heavy concussions.

[223] I'd say like three or four heavy concussions.

[224] Like out cold?

[225] Yeah.

[226] Out cold just three or four times?

[227] Woke up in the ambulance, yeah.

[228] And I don't take that lightly.

[229] Like I don't, and especially with all the information that we have now and with all the research, I went and proactively tried to figure out if I'm susceptible because.

[230] Did you get that gene check?

[231] I did, yeah.

[232] What is it APOE for?

[233] Is that what it is?

[234] Yes, I believe so.

[235] I do not have the gene that makes me susceptible.

[236] And I was even more concerned, I mean, because my mom, she passed away recently, but she had Alzheimer's dementia.

[237] and it makes you more susceptible to Alzheimer's dementia and not just CTE.

[238] Right.

[239] I mean, I'm acting like a medical expert.

[240] I just, you know, I researched it enough to know that, okay, I'm not more at risk for that, but I don't, you know, I'm not putting myself out there to be, to have concussions anymore, I'll tell you that.

[241] I mean, I'm not doing those kind of moves that I was getting knocked out on.

[242] Have you done anything proactively to try to, like?

[243] I take supplements, stuff like that, yeah.

[244] Mm -hmm.

[245] Do you ever heard of neuro force?

[246] No. No, neuro -1, right?

[247] Neuro -1.

[248] Bill Romanowski, football player, created it.

[249] Specifically because he was dealing with a lot of issues, memory issues and the like.

[250] Okay.

[251] Because of head trauma.

[252] And it's like the first neutropic I ever tried.

[253] It's really good.

[254] It's just like it's a bunch of neutropics combined into delicious.

[255] But you do feel like your mental capacity is growing up.

[256] There's a bunch of stuff that I take that cranks me up.

[257] Alpha Brain, which is one that my company makes, On It Makes.

[258] There's another one, NeuroGum, I really like.

[259] It's just a gum that has neutral picks in it.

[260] I'm willing to try.

[261] Yeah.

[262] I mean, I would imagine any sort of supplement that would aid the function of your brain.

[263] Do you feel foggy or anything?

[264] No, I only had a couple of concussions that affected me for a longer period of time, like for a week, where I couldn't focus or I had other physical issues and I don't feel any of those effects like that no. You're down at San Diego.

[265] There's an area outside of San Diego that Katzangano went to.

[266] She's a UFC fighter and she fought Amanda Nunes who's the Panama champion now currently and she got a really bad concussion in that fight.

[267] It was really fucking her up to the point where her hormones were out of whack, her cortisol levels were so fucked up.

[268] couldn't keep weight off.

[269] Her whole body was just a mess.

[270] She was having a hard time with her coordination.

[271] And she went to the center that they do some sort of magnetic therapy for people with brain injuries.

[272] And it restimulates growth in those areas of the brain that have been damaged and brought her back to normal.

[273] How for how long did that take?

[274] It took a few months.

[275] She was going on a regular basis and it was quite a trek for her.

[276] I think it was more an hour drive back and forth and she was doing it i think every day and uh i believe the center was developed because you know san diego has so much military down there i believe that's why i live there my dad was in the navy ah and uh i love san diego oh me too i'm not leaving and um the mayor actually just asked to go into stage three they made a request in san diego to go into stage three of the recovery from coronavirus.

[277] Everything's great down here.

[278] I know the rest of the city or the rest of the state is having issues in some spots, particularly Los Angeles, but he feels ready to rock and roll and push it to the next level.

[279] I keep getting different views, different news, different guidelines.

[280] So I don't, you know, I'm just kind of like, I'm going out, wearing a mask, you know, trying to follow the guidelines as possible as much as possible.

[281] while still leading a relatively normal life.

[282] Yeah, it's a weird time, right?

[283] Yeah, and the strange part to me is the great divide in terms of, for instance, my daughter loves to get bagels in the morning before school.

[284] So I still try to do that with her sometimes so she can feel like we're doing a normal school day, even before she goes online.

[285] And the bagel shop says, like, face mask required.

[286] And people just walk in without them and give you dirty, looks for wearing the mask and it's just like I'm just following the rules of the place yeah I'm just like this isn't some war of politics here I'm just following what they're asking me to do that's so weird yeah it's it's really it's like they're making a stand why not I'm like okay well you know it's the same theory as no shirt no shoes no shirt no service like except your stinky feet doesn't get someone sick you know what I mean it's it's a little different it's a fucking weird time and it's a weird time politically it seems like the coronavirus is a line in the sand politically.

[287] Absolutely, yeah.

[288] Yeah, it's such a strange time.

[289] And like I said, I'm just, you know, doing my best to follow the guidelines, the experts, and still try to maintain a semblance of normalcy for my family so that, you know, we feel like we, there's light at the end of the tunnel.

[290] Yeah, we all feel that way.

[291] Yeah, it's just California in particular is a very restrictive state.

[292] when it comes to the recovery.

[293] And maybe that's a good thing.

[294] Maybe that's a bad thing.

[295] We really won't know for months, you know.

[296] Yeah, yeah, exactly.

[297] Until all the dust settles.

[298] I'm still, like, there are certain appearances and events and things that have been so -called postponed.

[299] Some are still very optimistic where they think, well, okay, we're going to do it in July.

[300] Like, you think so?

[301] I don't know.

[302] Or August.

[303] Well, we're going to push it back.

[304] And it's just, I just don't know what to believe.

[305] event.

[306] And, you know, I got a, I got a schedule for doing some promotional stuff for our video game coming out in September.

[307] And it's like, okay, August, going to Europe.

[308] Like, are you sure?

[309] I don't know.

[310] Are we going to be let in?

[311] Am I going to have to wait in quarantine for two weeks when I land?

[312] Like, I don't know.

[313] Yeah.

[314] I have a bunch of dates.

[315] I've got one in July in Vegas.

[316] And then I've got a bunch in New Orleans.

[317] I got one in New Orleans, one in Nashville, with Chappelle, and we're just like, hopefully it happens.

[318] Yeah.

[319] But it's like September 4th and 5th.

[320] Like, really?

[321] I mean, who, I mean, maybe.

[322] I never thought this was going to happen.

[323] I never thought we'd be sitting around in May going, there's no way we're going to be open in August.

[324] I thought it was just going to be, we closed down for a month.

[325] You know, we take this financial hit, but, you know, the virus settles down.

[326] Everybody can get back to where we get testing.

[327] or whatever, whatever takes place, some sort of therapeutic, you know, relief, something where it comes along, some sort of a treatment.

[328] No. No, not yet.

[329] No, yeah.

[330] Yeah, I don't, yeah.

[331] It's weird.

[332] Yeah, I remember when a couple of my events got canceled and I was in shock then.

[333] Right.

[334] And now I'm more in shock that they're trying to reschedule.

[335] Yeah, yeah.

[336] Yeah, it's interesting how quickly you get used to this new normal too.

[337] Right.

[338] Like now when I watch movies, people are hugging and handshake and I'm like, Oh, yeah.

[339] Yeah, I was going to be in this commercial.

[340] I mean, I don't know if they want me to say what it is or whatever, but they had to delay it because they were just like, yeah, it's not the right time to put that one out.

[341] But we know we didn't shoot it.

[342] Right, right, yeah.

[343] It doesn't matter.

[344] We didn't shoot it yesterday.

[345] That's so weird, like perception, like just the appearance of releasing it now.

[346] I understand.

[347] Everyone's got to be careful and whatever.

[348] I was just super excited to be in it.

[349] So I was like, no, but they're going to put it out there.

[350] Statistically, at least San Diego seems to have taken it much better than Los Angeles in terms of fatalities.

[351] And one of the superintendents was a supervisor or superintendent said that there's only six deaths that can be directly attributed to nothing but coronavirus.

[352] And everything else had people with underlying causes, which is pretty extraordinary.

[353] Oh, wow.

[354] Yeah.

[355] I don't know if he's right, though.

[356] Yeah, I mean, it's so hard to know what to believe to.

[357] That's the problem, right?

[358] Yeah, that's the problem.

[359] Like, San Diego is a really healthy place.

[360] Like, every time I'm down there, like Pacific Beachway, like, people are always running and biking.

[361] It's like, it's very outdoorsy.

[362] Yeah.

[363] I would imagine just that alone would lend itself to people having stronger immune systems.

[364] I would hope so.

[365] But like I said, it still feels like a great divide.

[366] even there.

[367] Really?

[368] Where people, you know, when they opened the beaches and then there was only one beach in our area open, and it was like spring break, just nuts.

[369] Yeah.

[370] And then, you know, people are frustrated with each other.

[371] What are you doing?

[372] You're putting everyone at risk, and it just was a mess.

[373] And then they're like, all right, now it's closed down for good.

[374] And then everyone just goes up to Newport or wherever they can.

[375] And then it got more crowded there.

[376] And it's just, it was a mess.

[377] ass.

[378] Well, the beaches are pretty open now, right?

[379] Isn't that the new thing?

[380] You can go surfing, but you can't park on the beach.

[381] That's so stupid.

[382] Which is very challenging, but hey, at least we're surfing.

[383] But that's so dumb.

[384] Why can't you park there if you're allowed to surf?

[385] Like, what's happening to people when they park?

[386] It's like some of these rules are so arbitrary.

[387] Yeah, and like, and you never know what is the rule now.

[388] It changes day by day.

[389] But it does feel like there's definitely a slow opening happening.

[390] So when we're talking about San Diego being a very fit place, do you do any sort of strength in conditioning or anything for skateboarding?

[391] Is that something that people do?

[392] Some people do it.

[393] I never found it to help my skating.

[394] And I always felt like skating kept me fit.

[395] So I never really did it.

[396] I mean, outside of swimming and surfing, which is more upper body than, and skating, obviously, but I do feel like that would have benefited me later in life.

[397] I just got stuck in my mode.

[398] And then just skating was it.

[399] And you stay there.

[400] You're in your mode now.

[401] You don't do anything else.

[402] I do make an effort to, like, swim some laps.

[403] Because my mom lived until her 90s, and she swore by swimming.

[404] Oh, swimming's amazing.

[405] Yeah.

[406] She would go, you know, through, I mean, I remember all as a kid, she would definitely, she had to get her 20.

[407] lapse in every day.

[408] And we are, where I live, the residential area had a community swimming pool that was like Olympic size of that kind of thing, yeah.

[409] We were talking before about surfing.

[410] And I was saying that I think that surfing, at least partially, would kind of mimic some of the muscles that you use in skateboarding.

[411] And then you were telling me about getting towed in by Laird Hamilton.

[412] while you drink his coffee Wow Yeah so well my brother My older brother was a surfer And he got me into skating Because he skated in the 70s When that was the thing They were trying to emulate surfing with the skateboards And so he actually gave me one of his old boards That was my first skateboard And then he would drive me to the skate park once a week Like come home from college and take me to the park And then I just got hooked Like that was that was my home way from home From that point on And so I surf pretty regularly, I would say less now, but it was hard not to with my brother's influence.

[413] And we were in Hawaii.

[414] My brother actually used to be the editor of Surfer Magazine.

[415] So he knows all the surfers.

[416] Because he's a journalist, really good writer.

[417] He teaches at Stanford now, actually.

[418] And so we went to Hawaii, we went to Maui, and he said, hey, Laird said he'd take us out Toen surfing, if you want to go.

[419] I'm like, we're going to go Toen server with Laird Hamilton.

[420] I don't think his level of what is mellow is something that is what we would consider.

[421] And I go, but, you know, we got to go.

[422] Like, it's once in a lifetime.

[423] Right.

[424] So they took us out to Spreckles, which is near Jaws, which is their big spot.

[425] This is like early 2000s.

[426] So Toen serving was just starting to come into play.

[427] I'll never forget.

[428] Dave Kalama, who's one of the surfers, one of his homies, he was trying out the first foil board there.

[429] Oh, wow.

[430] And he had, he was wearing ski boots attached to the foil board.

[431] That's how he was riding it.

[432] I was like, these guys are out of their minds.

[433] And so...

[434] Does it detach like a ski boot if you fall?

[435] I never saw it detach.

[436] Oh, my God.

[437] Yeah.

[438] So you have to recover and swim to the surface while you're...

[439] I was too focused on trying to survive myself to worry about what he was doing.

[440] But yeah, so Rush Randall, who's another windsurfer there, he was towing me and Laird is towing my brother and I'll never forget them being outside and then they're saying it's a small day and they're like, oh, I think there might be like some 10 or 12 foot sets and I know what 10 or 12 foot in Hawaiian measurement means.

[441] And I was like, just don't tell me into one of those.

[442] Okay.

[443] And then I'll never forget looking out, and Rush said, here comes one.

[444] I'm like, where?

[445] Where?

[446] Because you're so far out.

[447] Right.

[448] And he's like, get ready.

[449] Okay.

[450] And so then I got ready and I'm getting towed.

[451] And all of a sudden, this thing, this mountain just swells up underneath me. And before I know it, I'm just in the pit of this way that was like double overhead.

[452] Biggest way I've ever ridden for sure.

[453] And for me, it's backside.

[454] So when you're going backside, you're just sort of looking down the line.

[455] You're not looking.

[456] looking back at the barrel.

[457] What does that mean by backside?

[458] So the wave is breaking this way, and my back is to the face of the wave.

[459] Oh, okay.

[460] Right?

[461] And backside's a little more challenging just because of the turning and the way you're facing.

[462] So when you go on front side, you're facing the wave.

[463] You can really see down the line.

[464] You can get back easily.

[465] So I'm going backside, and I remember looking at the wall thinking, like, I've ridden 20 -foot skate ramps.

[466] And I'm like, that looks like about a 20 -foot skate ramp.

[467] So I was going and I was cruising.

[468] And then I did a little cutback.

[469] So I started going back towards the barrel.

[470] And I looked at the barrel and it was like the most frightening thing I've ever seen in my life.

[471] Because it was, you know, it was like a massive hollow wave that you see in movies that you see Laird just dancing around in.

[472] And I'm like, I can't, I'm not getting near that thing.

[473] And I immediately just turned back and went down the line even further and just get ahead of it.

[474] Um, and then I did find myself after a few waves getting cocky and I tried to pull into the barrel and it just clobbered me in the head and then I, you know, you're wearing a life vest and then I went down.

[475] I'll never forget like I felt myself going down one shelf and, you know, trying to swim up to the top.

[476] And then I felt to go down another shelf and I was like, oh, this is bad.

[477] Um, and then finally made it up to the surface and rush is like three feet from me. Oh, wow.

[478] Because he's just been chasing.

[479] And these guys are, they're the masters.

[480] experts in recovering people that get clobbered.

[481] Yeah.

[482] And I was just like, how long were you down for?

[483] I, you know, it wasn't like a crazy holddown, but in my inexperience and not conditioned body, it felt like a long time.

[484] And I, and I told Rush, I was like, oh, that was so scary.

[485] I never been, you know, held down that much.

[486] He's like, yeah, I've had my worst hold downs out here.

[487] Cool.

[488] Thanks.

[489] I was telling you, I was, you know, I get in the sauna every day.

[490] I said something to Laird, he sent me a picture of his sauna.

[491] I'll pull it up here.

[492] He's at 250 fucking degrees in his sauna.

[493] I mean, I don't even understand why he would do that, but he's like, I'm pissed that this thing doesn't go any hotter.

[494] Yeah, he lives on a different plane.

[495] He gets in there with oven mitts at 250 degrees.

[496] Oh, here it is.

[497] Look at this crazy motherfucker.

[498] Look at that.

[499] So does he wear oven it so his skin won't melt off?

[500] Yeah, because he rides his fucking Airdine bike.

[501] Oh, my God.

[502] So the metal of the Airdine bike would literally cook him.

[503] I mean, I cook a steak at 250 degrees and the smoker.

[504] This is crazy.

[505] And it's 200, it's actually like probably, it's pinned at 250 because that's as hot as this thermostat gets.

[506] Oh, yeah, right.

[507] Like, it's probably hotter than 250.

[508] He's out of his fucking mind.

[509] Yeah, he's nuts.

[510] He's fascinating.

[511] More is always better, is his quote to me. I just, there's got to be a point.

[512] I did it once here.

[513] I was trying to, after he came on the podcast, I was trying to copy him.

[514] So I was doing it like 210, and I did once at 220.

[515] I was burning, like, the inside of my throat from breathing in the air.

[516] I was like, I felt like I'm cooking myself because I was in there for like 20 minutes.

[517] I was like, and then I'd get out.

[518] And it was as tired as I've ever been in my life.

[519] I would just collapse on the mats.

[520] After I got out of the song, I was like, I got to stop doing this.

[521] and then I'd come in and do podcasts, and I was having a hard time talking.

[522] I was like, my throat was cooked.

[523] It was basically getting cooked.

[524] Yeah, I never did well with that stuff.

[525] We got one, actually.

[526] We got one of the infrared ones.

[527] Those are different.

[528] He doesn't like the infrared ones.

[529] Laird said that they gave him a real bad skin condition and that, like, there's something about particularly the temperatures that he's putting them at.

[530] Yeah.

[531] Well, I've got to start somewhere.

[532] I'm not going to.

[533] Well, I think the dry.

[534] heat it's like that's where the studies have been done on them and I'm sure there's some benefits to the infrared one but according to him he's not into it yeah well I don't like I said I don't really do it anyway my wife my kids they like going in there but I usually go in for a little bit and like we'll watch one episode of something and I'm like okay I'm done have you done his crazy water workouts no no way no I would never survive that not at this no I have a bunch of friends that have gone up there and train with him and then they just text me afterwards what the fuck yeah because he's just not no one no one can can go easy no he's not there's no easy with Larry Hamilton yeah there's only two speeds I was telling you about his ankle he came in here and showed me his ankle he was an ankle that broke that he never did anything to he never bothered getting a cast he never bothered getting it surgery and it's like the root of a tree it's this fucked up thick ass knee of an ankle it's so weird and like wow that's next level he's just a next level human yeah yeah absolutely i mean i i respect him and admire him but i don't want him to train me well his workouts are so crazy like they take a 75 pound dumbbell and they swim with it like the whole 75 pound dumbbell and then you're swimming across the pool with one arm while holding the 75 pound dumbbell while trying to pop your head up and breathe.

[535] I'm like, oh, okay.

[536] Yeah, whatever.

[537] Yeah, so not my conditioning.

[538] But I'd like that there's a guy like that out there.

[539] Oh, for sure.

[540] I think it's important.

[541] Leading the charge.

[542] Yeah, just some fucking maniac at the front of the line who's just so, he's so psycho about everything.

[543] The guy sends you a 250 degree sauna that he's mad that doesn't get any higher.

[544] It's just so interesting.

[545] But I think, like, in terms of a guy like that who's like a world famous big wave surfer guy, you almost have to have that kind of mentality.

[546] And I would imagine the same thing, at least in some way, has to transfer over to skating and kind of to everything, right?

[547] I think so.

[548] I think that there's a, well, there's one, there's an adventurous spirit, but also there's a sense of self -confidence that you gain and that you explore.

[549] Like you want to see how much further you can take it.

[550] You want to test the limits.

[551] And I identify with that for sure.

[552] That's always been my drive just to come up with new tricks.

[553] Like I knew the first time I ever did a trick, like a new trick and one that hadn't been done before, the buzz that I got from it was what I've been chasing my whole life.

[554] You know, the idea that I created something new, like just on my own with my own thoughts and creativity and that like I did it my own way and you know skateboarding was like that it was like this art form to me where there's this blank canvas and it's just like go make it your own oh that's an interesting way to look at it I never thought of it that way yeah I mean it really is cool to look at so it is an art form sure and it's like you could show me a picture of two people doing the same trick silhouette it and I could tell you who it Really?

[555] Oh, okay.

[556] You know what I mean?

[557] Because everyone has their own style and they put their own flavor on it.

[558] And that's what I love.

[559] Like, I love that it's subjective like that.

[560] You know, people think of it like they don't like skaters themselves, especially the more hardcore purists don't like to call it a sport.

[561] They're like, we're not a sport.

[562] Like, well, there's legitimate competitions.

[563] So there is a sporting element to it.

[564] But I agree, it is more of an art form and a lifestyle because how can you, you're comparing apples and oranges always.

[565] That's real similar in a lot of ways to martial arts in that, like if I saw a silhouette of certain people, I'd say, oh, that's, you know, that's John Jones or that's John Main Par.

[566] Like, you could tell, by the way, someone moves, like, right away.

[567] Yeah, you just put, because you put your stamp on it.

[568] That's what I love about it, because it's so diverse.

[569] Yeah.

[570] When you come up with a move, like, what's your process?

[571] You just skate and fuck around, have some fun, and then go, no, I just try this.

[572] It's always different.

[573] A lot of times it's like, how do we combine?

[574] How can I combine these two things that I know I have dialed in?

[575] Like, can I make them work together?

[576] Sometimes it's a happy accident.

[577] Like, you go try something.

[578] Your board spins the other way.

[579] And it's like, well, wait, if I caught it there, that would have worked out.

[580] I literally created a new trick yesterday.

[581] Yesterday?

[582] Yeah, because we are doing this.

[583] When will this air?

[584] Tomorrow.

[585] We're doing sort of a, we call it an NBD best trick event at my rink.

[586] ramp, NBD means never been done.

[587] And so my idea was that, and this is all, this will all come out, but my idea was that while we're all stuck, you know, doing this social distancing and whatnot, let's do a best trick event where everyone gets one hour on my ramp, all the best vert skaters.

[588] So you get one hour to do a, get a trick on video.

[589] So it's literally just one dude and one, one skater and one filmer at the ramp at a time.

[590] And I was the guinea pig.

[591] so yesterday morning was like all right you're the first hour go and uh and i had to come up with this trick and i started trying one that i had been working on and it just kept slipping away like getting worse every attempt and so i went i went and sort of switched gears into a trick that i had tried a couple months ago and was like if you're ever going to make this happen this is it and finally one just clicked and i made it and it was like it was it was the combination of two tricks that I have pretty dialed, but putting them together added this element of just so much to miss. Like they all, you know, everything had to come together at the exact moment and land on my feet on the coping in the right position.

[592] And, and I knew if I got it once, I'd make it, but like, I'm never going to do that trick again.

[593] That's how technical it is now where I just know that, okay, I got that one, done it, got it on video.

[594] I don't want to go through that again.

[595] Now, how much, I don't know shit about skating, so like, forgive me if there's an ignorant question, but how much improvement has there been in the wheels, in the boards, in the components, and all the different things?

[596] Like, are there things you can do now today that just really weren't possible when you first started skating?

[597] Only in the, well, when I first started skating, skateboards were all over the place.

[598] So they were made of different materials.

[599] They were different with, like, all different shapes.

[600] the urethane had just come into play but I would say for the last 30 years it's pretty much the same construction seven ply wood maple skateboards trucks have not changed wheels have changed in size and hardness but it's still the same urethane for the most part so there hasn't been a lot of huge advancements the big changes are the shapes of the boards now why have they stuck with plywood What about, like, carbon fiber, anything synthetic?

[601] That is, that's the big question and something that I would like to pursue.

[602] But we really need a sea change in skateboarding with materials.

[603] I believe that.

[604] Yeah.

[605] And we haven't found anything that responds the same.

[606] Or, you know, the other thing is, skaters, as much as they are very progressive and, you know, they like to do different things and go out to think outside the box and whatnot.

[607] If you try to sell them a deck that's, you know, $200, that's going to be hard.

[608] Even if you can convince them that it's going to last three times long, four times long.

[609] So is it just a money thing or are they married to them?

[610] We just haven't really found, like there's some people have done different construction where they add a different ply in and that has worked a little bit.

[611] but like I said there just hasn't been that that one seed planted where it's like all right this is it I would imagine carbon fiber I tried something along those lines and it just like I said it didn't have that reflex does it have to have a certain amount of weight to it too because that well that's the other thing we're kind of stuck where this is this is how skateboard should weigh right And so if you bring in something that's way lighter, maybe that's not the answer.

[612] But we don't know.

[613] It just, you know, it takes R &D for sure.

[614] And you would have to get someone really good to fuck with it, too, right?

[615] Yeah, and to believe in it.

[616] Yeah.

[617] And get behind it.

[618] Yeah.

[619] When I was a kid, there was no 50 -year -old rock stars, you know?

[620] Like, we thought, you know what I'm saying?

[621] Yes.

[622] We thought of rock stars as they were in their 20s and 30s, and then they just kind of like, we thought they faded away, like the beach bowl.

[623] Everybody felt sad about the beach boys when I was a kid.

[624] But not anymore.

[625] You know, now Mick Jagger is like fucking almost 80 years old and he's rocking after heart surgery and shit.

[626] And the same is kind of true with skaters, right?

[627] Because when we were kids, when you became famous, you were like the first wave, right?

[628] Or one of the first waves and certainly the most famous.

[629] You're 52 and you're still considered, like, is that a first wave?

[630] a weird thing that you're a...

[631] It is weird.

[632] It's, it's well, it's fun.

[633] It's great that you can still do it and then you're still you know, I mean, you're also, it's not like you're a dinosaur, you're accepted, like you're a skater.

[634] It's like just you just happen to be 52.

[635] You know what I mean?

[636] Yeah, well, it went through the years so when I first started skating the sort of unspoken rule was once you're at an age of responsibility, you're 18, you got to get a job.

[637] you can't skate for living no one can so you know your skating career is over by then and then as I turn 18 things started to sort of ramp up with skating forgive the pun but and things started to kind of explode and I remember around that time there was a photo and thrasher of this guy Mark Lake who was an older skater at the time and he was a picture of him doing one of those handplant like upside down on a ramp and it was like Mark Lake 30 and still going for it and I remember I was like in my early 20s thinking that's crazy he's 30 right and then as things progress like we realize that that we're all sort of if we're if we're able to do this for a living and we can really pursue it and we have support we are we're getting better into our 30s I mean you know when I did the 900 the X games I was 31 wow and so then it was just like well what is the limit.

[638] I don't know.

[639] I guess I'm sort of the guinea pig now or leading the charge of how far you can take it.

[640] And I've definitely refined my style.

[641] So I'm not doing big impact stuff.

[642] I'm not doing the more, you know, the big spins, the big airs and stuff.

[643] I've learned to get more technical with my skating and that has allowed me to stay creative, but maintain my health.

[644] Yeah, that's why I was asking you about strength and conditioning, because if you're an older athlete, it's a mandatory.

[645] thing in almost every sport yeah it's just um i i skate for a couple hours a day i'd say four times a week um and that's pretty much my exercise but uh definitely i could use some help with endurance these days well have you thought about doing something like what would you do uh i don't know i guess i would listen to the experts i would tap you but you haven't done anything yeah which is amazing i haven't yeah but like i said it's just because that's worked from me me pretty much my whole life.

[646] My only, um, really, uh, ailment is my neck.

[647] What's wrong on your neck?

[648] Just, I've had so many whiplashes, like just, you know, we call them chicken necks.

[649] Uh -huh.

[650] Because you shoot out and, and I've had so many, like, different ways that whenever I'm, like, if I'm sitting here and someone were to call me over there, when I go to turn to look at them, they'll definitely say, like, what's wrong with your neck?

[651] Oh.

[652] That happens to me every day.

[653] And I'm like, what happens?

[654] What's wrong with my neck?

[655] I don't know, 40 years of whiplash.

[656] Have you got an MRI?

[657] Yeah, and I do.

[658] That's the only thing that I get worked on.

[659] So there's a guy near where I live who does chiropractic, but also does a lot of body work, and he just works on my neck once a week.

[660] Just massages it.

[661] Yeah.

[662] Just tries to get loose.

[663] A thing called an iron neck.

[664] Yes.

[665] Yeah, have you ever used that?

[666] I did try, but it was just awkward.

[667] Yeah, it's awkward, but it's really good.

[668] Yeah.

[669] Yeah, it's a must -have thing for grapplers.

[670] You should really try it.

[671] Okay.

[672] I did it when we, I did sort of this racing training with Cadillac a couple of years ago, and their racers do that.

[673] Okay, that makes sense.

[674] Turning their head, you know, checking their mirrors.

[675] Yeah.

[676] Well, it's great for fighters, too.

[677] Strong neck will keep your head from snapping around.

[678] I imagine the same thing would happen with skaters.

[679] Yeah.

[680] I've got one out here.

[681] You should try it after we're done here.

[682] I swear about the thing.

[683] It's the best, and it's also, it doesn't fuck with your neck in a way that's unnatural in terms of putting weight on your head and flexing your, your discs.

[684] It actually keeps your neck stiff as well as, you know, when you're turning it, it doesn't bend it in unnatural angles and it still strengthens it.

[685] I'm a giant fan of it.

[686] Okay.

[687] Well, I'm open to ideas.

[688] Yeah.

[689] Because I would think that, like, the whiplash thing, that's got to be real similar to what happens with fighters.

[690] you know oh yeah for sure yeah yeah um it's weird though a lot of like a lot of my peers they have more knee problems and ankle problems and i've just realized all mine's all in my neck you never had any knee problems or ankle problems i've had uh i had surgery um i tore my meniscus and both knees actually got it cut out um tore my PCL but uh always came back from it that's amazing yeah i mean i feel i feel pretty lucky i was always very very flexible as a kid so I know that that was to my advantage for sure oh for sure um and like I said when I went through the sort of street era of the early 90s I was rolling my ankles left and right so um I never actually broke an ankle but uh but they're loose they've got some play yeah yeah I was really bummed out man because I was seeing that uh they were trying to keep these kids out of the skate park yeah so they filled it with sand I know see that shit yeah what the fuck man I mean how much of an effort did it take to do that and why that was a that was very strange but I mean how are you gonna get that sand out of there now yeah good question no well you know what if if they say skate parks are open the skaters will do it they're very yeah they're all very DIY resourceful I did see some fun some helicopter footage on a news feed where there were some guys that actually dug a sort of a path so that they could skate through the park so they cleared out one area and they kept trying like this guy was trying to get a trick on video so he kept trying the same trick and the helicopters just shoot him I was like what world are we living in so strange but imagine like being in an office somewhere whatever you know government office they're like well how do we stop these skateboarders we're going to have to truck in some sand so they use our money they use tax money probably a lot of it too if you think about how much sand that must have got, that's a lot of sand.

[691] It didn't seem like a very big effort, yeah.

[692] Fucking giant effort.

[693] How about just letting the irony is that they're trying to keep skaters out of public areas and schoolyards and stuff and give them a place to go.

[694] And now you're just forcing them back to those days.

[695] Yeah, it's not like they're going to stop going to staircases and railings.

[696] No, they're going to do it more now.

[697] Yeah, it's so dumb.

[698] But all of this, it sort of exposes some of the flaws and governance, you know, just.

[699] It's very scattered.

[700] Well, skateboarding, too, it's almost like some people would think of it as a frivolous activity you know it's like glorious results of a misspent youth if you know how to oh absolutely slip around a skateboard yeah it's funny the when I first started I have a foundation for public skate parks we've been going 20 years actually how does that work really well we basically give communities the resources to get a park going like if they if someone in their community has started a petition or fundraising or just raising awareness that they need a park, we sort of give them the roadmap to do that and funding to do it.

[701] Oh, that's amazing.

[702] And, you know, designed help and things like that.

[703] So it's been great.

[704] We've helped to fund over 900 skate parks now, all 50 states.

[705] We've given away almost $10 million.

[706] That's incredible.

[707] Yeah, I mean, it's definitely my proudest work.

[708] That's so cool.

[709] When I started it, there was a point where we were trying to get funding and trying to raise it awareness and you know I'm doing um I'm doing visits to children's cancer wards and stuff like that and at some point I was like I'm trying to build skate parks and I remember um this conversation I had very vividly actually with Lance Armstrong when and this is when he was the face of cancer research you know what I mean like say what you will about his competitive career but he did so much for cancer awareness and research and I'm visiting children's hospitals with Lance Armstrong and when Lance Armstrong walks into a cancer ward back then like the C's part you know what I mean it was just like this it was like oh he's here and I remember having lunch with him with that day and I was like it's so weird to be with you you're doing so much for cancer and cancer victims and I'm just trying to build playgrounds yeah like you know concrete waves and he said he said look the the number one cause of cancer or number two cause the cancer in the U .S. is obesity and by building those skate parks you are preventing cancer you're preventing obesity wow and that was heavy for me that is heavy and and it really gave me a lot of inspiration you know and a lot more motivation well you're creating a potential place for joy right and and for people to like minded people to hang out like to develop a community.

[710] I mean, when I was a kid, like, I felt like an outcast.

[711] I felt like I didn't belong in sports.

[712] I didn't belong in my school.

[713] And when I went to the skate park and there was just this band of misfits listening to punk music and look, you know, weird herodews from all walks of life, I was like, this is it.

[714] This is my crew.

[715] And I want the same sense of community for, you know, we're not trying to build training grounds for Olympians, we're just trying to build a place for them to feel like they belong and feel like their community actually cares about them.

[716] Yeah, and it is a loved pursuit.

[717] I mean, even though it's had these weird views, like, or people have had weird views about it, if you think about how many people love it and how it requires this sort of a place, like what you're creating, to really do it right.

[718] And nowadays, I mean, it's way different now.

[719] The, the, the the sort of perspective on skating or the attitude towards skating is that parents are doing it with their kids.

[720] Like, you know, and little girls are encouraged to try it and that just wasn't the case when I was a kid.

[721] Well, I think it's because of you in a lot of ways.

[722] Oh, well, thank you.

[723] I mean, I was always happy to at least advocate for skating and try to explain to people like, this has a real positive impact on kids.

[724] You're too focused on the hairdoes and the music and stuff.

[725] You've got to really look at, what it provides someone's mentality.

[726] But that's always been the case with things that kids do that their parents didn't do.

[727] Sure.

[728] Like how many parents told their kids to stop playing video games?

[729] And now kids are literally making millions of dollars playing video games.

[730] And parents have to kind of make this adjustment.

[731] Like, okay.

[732] Yeah.

[733] Okay.

[734] I didn't know.

[735] So I think the generation of parents now grew up at a time when skating was starting to be cool.

[736] Yeah.

[737] Okay.

[738] And so either they're encouraging.

[739] encouraging of their kids skating or they're actually skating with them.

[740] Oh, that's awesome.

[741] That's got to make you feel good.

[742] It is very cool.

[743] Real impact on the thing that you love.

[744] Yeah.

[745] I mean, the coolest part is, for me, is that I still get to participate and I get to bear witness to all this.

[746] Who's the oldest skater?

[747] Is there a really old dude out there shredded?

[748] Sure.

[749] I mean, the name, like, even some of the Z -boy guys, like Tony Alva still skates.

[750] I just saw him grinding a pool.

[751] I he's 60 something holy shit but when you fall at 60 something yeah that's rugged yeah well like you know I'm like I said I've kind of narrowed down my discipline to the ramp because I know how to fall on a ramp and I wear the pads and that's what's kept me going but even that that's why I'm encouraging strength and conditioning like when I see people in their 50s that are doing things I'm like oh okay but do you lift weights because you should you know really like just get a fucking trainer, man. Just keep your bone density.

[752] That's what's really a real problem when people get older.

[753] Their shit breaks so easy.

[754] Things that normally you just bounce off of and be fine.

[755] And then all of a sudden you're like, hey, this is some clicking in my arm.

[756] Like, oh, shit.

[757] I got to go to a hospital.

[758] And then, you know, a normal fall causes you to have a cast.

[759] Yeah, I learned that.

[760] Well, I broke my pelvis.

[761] Oh.

[762] I was almost 40.

[763] Ah.

[764] How did you break your pelvis?

[765] I was doing a loop ramp, which is something that I had done many times before that, and the loop that we were skating was kind of weathered and kind of slow, and I tried to adjust for that, and I just overshot it, like, I shot out at the top and then just fell straight to the bottom.

[766] That's got to affect you.

[767] Jamie broke his butt bone out here with a hoverboard, and he was fucked up.

[768] You were fucked up for like a year, right?

[769] Yeah, it came and went.

[770] I thought I got fixed.

[771] Couldn't get fixed.

[772] No one, I went to, knew what was going on.

[773] He had a self -identify what the injury was.

[774] And then who was it that had a similar injury?

[775] Zach Bitter came and said he had the same thing.

[776] He got MRI as a doctor told him he was okay.

[777] And then he re -looked at it and was like, hey, by the way, you have a small fracture and like...

[778] Yeah, and it just, like, your whole body freezes up.

[779] Yeah, I couldn't walk for like 25 yards.

[780] I had to stop and sit and let it loosen up.

[781] I had the same thing.

[782] You know those hoverboard things?

[783] When my kids have them out here And they go bananas out here in the warehouse And Jamie was fucking around on it While not totally paying attention I was trying to practice and see if I could film and stuff And like it, you know, be Yeah And we didn't really figure out what it was Until Zach Bitter explained it And then we thought about the I mean you're a 200 pound man Or whatever you weigh somewhere around there And you fall Like on polished concrete on your asshole Like that's a lot of ways Wait, but first.

[784] Do you know who Zach Bitter is?

[785] I don't.

[786] He's the world record holder for a 100 -mile race.

[787] He ran 100 miles in 11 hours in, like, 40 minutes.

[788] He's a savage.

[789] I mean, just bananas.

[790] And then he kept running afterwards.

[791] He just did a new one, too.

[792] He ran like 100 miles, the fastest to run 100 miles on a treadmill, because he was doing it while he's in quarantine, I think.

[793] Oh, my God.

[794] Wow.

[795] And he eats mostly meat.

[796] Really?

[797] Yeah.

[798] His diet is almost.

[799] almost all rib -eye steaks.

[800] Wow.

[801] He supplements it with like some glucose supplements and things like that.

[802] While he's doing it, he did it again.

[803] Zach Bitter shatters 100 -mile treadmill world record.

[804] Oh my God.

[805] He average a seven -minute mile, seven -minute 18 -mile for fucking 100 miles.

[806] That's so insane.

[807] That's so insane.

[808] He's an animal.

[809] How old is he?

[810] He's in his 30s, right?

[811] Jamie.

[812] Yeah, 34, yeah.

[813] Yeah.

[814] But just like he was still running while he had the problem, too.

[815] Oh, yeah.

[816] That's kind of crazy.

[817] Yeah.

[818] So when I went through that, the thing that I had to adjust mostly was that I didn't realize I was favoring my back foot when I would skate because the fracture of my pelvis was on my front leg or front leg side.

[819] And I ended up.

[820] Injuring something else.

[821] I actually got a ca -oed once.

[822] because I was leaning back more than I should have been and I thought I was balanced and then found myself just on my back like, chaotic.

[823] Oh, shit.

[824] And then another time I was putting so much weight because when you skate, you put one foot on the tail of the board.

[825] And I was trying to get speed for something going on the big ramp and I had so much force on my tail that I broke it off.

[826] Like going through the flat bottom of the ramp, My tail just was left behind me with my foot doing the splits.

[827] That's so crazy.

[828] And I realized that that's when I realized that I needed to readjust my weight distribution because of my pelvis and try to figure out how to skate properly again.

[829] Wow.

[830] Now, how do you recover from that?

[831] Did you have to go through rehabilitation?

[832] I basically laid around, sat around for almost two months, and then slowly started to walk and then was skating about.

[833] about like six weeks after not walking.

[834] So you didn't do any rehab?

[835] I did some stuff in the pool.

[836] I did have a trainer that was helping me, a guy that I knew that used to work on skate stuff.

[837] So he did help me for a few weeks.

[838] And then I started skating.

[839] It was actually I was working towards a goal.

[840] We had a big exhibition in Orlando that was already booked.

[841] And I was like, all right, that's the timeline.

[842] How many weeks out was that?

[843] I want to say it was it was about 12 weeks from when I got hurt oh wow that's not a lot of time yeah to recover from a bone break yeah I mean the I you know I didn't wasn't my best performance not my best work but I got through it and then really had to figure out how to rebuild my confidence that's the thing I lost the most because I started to question everything I can only imagine so mostly just laid around let it heal up and then you had to do something to build your muscle mass. I was doing a lot of stuff in the pool with resistance with my leg and stuff like that.

[844] That was pretty much it.

[845] It was just more I just felt stiff.

[846] And like he said, like when you have an injury like that, you can't cough.

[847] Like, you know what I mean?

[848] You can't like sneezing.

[849] If you feel a sneeze coming on, it's traumatic.

[850] Right.

[851] Because everything hurts.

[852] Yeah.

[853] It's about to get shot.

[854] Yeah.

[855] And then like just going to the bathroom is a trauma.

[856] Oh, God.

[857] Right.

[858] just sitting, right?

[859] Yeah.

[860] Oh, on the bowl.

[861] Oh, my Christ.

[862] Oh, damn, dude.

[863] Wow.

[864] That's amazing, though, that you got through that with pool work, but you could do some great shit in the pool.

[865] George St. Pierre is, like, one of the best UFC fighters of all time, does the majority of his workouts in the pool now.

[866] He has these things that he wears on his hands, these resistance things, and he does, like, all these crazy workouts in the pool, and he does them on his legs and, and, and, and, and, and, and, you, And he does these jumps inside the pool.

[867] And he does it all to preserve his joints while still, you know, building up muscle.

[868] So he's mostly focused on the pool?

[869] Yeah, see you even find them.

[870] They're pretty cool to George St. Pierre pool workouts.

[871] Yeah, he has, I mean, he's a fascinating guy, really intelligent guy, and he's gone through a bunch of different kinds of strength and conditioning routines and attitudes about it over his career.

[872] And at one point in time, he really embraced gymnastics.

[873] And he got really into gymnastics.

[874] But now most of what he does, he goes to the pool and see these things he's wearing?

[875] Oh, wow, yeah.

[876] He's got these, like, barbell -looking things and a bunch of different apparatus that he uses.

[877] And see these things he puts on his legs?

[878] And he develops his kicking power and his jumping power and all these different things with those.

[879] Oh, yeah, that's up my alley right there.

[880] It's really interesting because you're really not concerned about getting injured this way, but he gets this ferocious muscle workout and he doesn't have to worry about tearing things or, you know, hurting himself because of weight.

[881] Yeah.

[882] All right, well, you...

[883] I'm going to leave here with a whole new attitude.

[884] Yeah, well, it seems like a good thing to try, especially for someone who...

[885] It was funny.

[886] That was, though, that was one of the things that when I told my kids I was coming here, they're like, he's going to talk to you about working out, you know?

[887] I was like, I'm sure.

[888] I go, but you don't work out.

[889] I know.

[890] Fucking kids, man. They never let you take a break.

[891] They ride you.

[892] If they find this one thing.

[893] Oh, yeah, of course.

[894] Yeah.

[895] What about your diet?

[896] Are you healthy?

[897] Do you eat healthy?

[898] I think so, yeah.

[899] That's iffy.

[900] What's that?

[901] I said, that's iffy.

[902] Well, let's put this way.

[903] I don't eat to excess like I used to.

[904] I think that's really what I've learned getting older is just like, don't.

[905] go crazy with everything, you know, drinking, eating, like, just eat until you're not overly full.

[906] Just eat enough.

[907] And watch what I eat.

[908] Like, for sure, when I was a kid, it was just all, it was all junk food, everything.

[909] It was sugar cereals, McDonald's, jack in the box.

[910] I mean, our big going out night with my dad was Bob's big boy.

[911] That was like, we were living large.

[912] In Burbank?

[913] No, in San Diego.

[914] Oh, okay.

[915] Yeah.

[916] That was it.

[917] I mean, like, I don't, I never went to nice places.

[918] The, the extent of his nice place was like, hey, this guy, this place has a prime rib for five bucks.

[919] Okay.

[920] So I didn't like, I didn't really grow up with health conscious diet.

[921] And then as I got older, I discovered, well, mostly just so much great food and then realizing that, you know, I got to get more greens and really watch it.

[922] And so I've managed to be able to do that, I'd say over the last 20 years.

[923] Do you take supplements at all?

[924] I do, yeah.

[925] What do you take?

[926] Yeah, I have a whole Bavie of stuff that this nutritionist gave me. I wish I could name them all, but I just know which bottles they are.

[927] But it's good and makes you feel better.

[928] Definitely.

[929] I can tell when I've missed a day or two on them.

[930] I mean, just in terms of how I feel.

[931] Well, people are so much more conscious of that now.

[932] I mean, it's something that pretty much in every athletic pursuit, anything where people are doing things physically, It's so much more really conscious of supplements and diet.

[933] But I do have to admit that I do love, like, barbecue.

[934] Of course.

[935] You know.

[936] Who does it?

[937] My wife, not much of a fan.

[938] Really?

[939] Yeah.

[940] What's wrong with her?

[941] She eats much more healthy than I do.

[942] She's more Mediterranean.

[943] Oh, okay.

[944] In terms of her diet.

[945] Have you ever gone to Dr. Hogley -Wagley's in Van Nuys?

[946] No. There's a joint in Van Nuis that's been around.

[947] fucking forever.

[948] You go in there, it's like wood panel walls.

[949] They've done zero for the decor.

[950] And no one gives a fuck.

[951] There's always a line.

[952] It's spectrum when it's open.

[953] Can't even get it right now.

[954] But it's some of the best barbecue I've ever had anywhere.

[955] And it's in Van Nuys.

[956] And this semi -sketchy neighborhood.

[957] Oh, perfect.

[958] Yeah.

[959] It's phenomenal.

[960] There's a place in San Diego that I've been going called Abbees that I think is pretty spectacular.

[961] My daughter loves barbecue, too.

[962] So that's our big line.

[963] launch outing.

[964] San Diego's got some great food, man. I've been going to San Diego forever.

[965] I started going to the La Jolla Comedy Store.

[966] Yeah, of course.

[967] Way back in the 90s.

[968] It's a great spot, man. I might have actually seen you there.

[969] That's crazy.

[970] San Diego's never gotten too big.

[971] You know what I'm still a great size.

[972] I try to tell people it's one of the last small beach towns.

[973] But it's a city.

[974] Right.

[975] Well, but if you fan out, especially if you go north.

[976] Yeah.

[977] It's more like no one can really build on the coastline anymore so the homes that are there are there and it's not going to get any more crowded okay that makes sense yeah well that's smart because they've preserved a really nice spot it's like the right size it's like you get traffic there but it's stop complaining it's not shit you know come up here yeah this is ridiculous this place and even now with the quarantine it's still you get on the road like I thought everybody's supposed to be home right stay safe indoors it's fucking five o 'clock traffic you get like real traffic i was telling you guys actually i was i was on a i was on a zoom call just on audio on the way up here and uh i was passing lax on 405 and usually it's just dead stop right and finally i was just like oh man so i turned the camera on and faced it out but you guys got to see this i'm dry look at there's the 105 there's l a x i'm still moving yeah it uh whenever i've done gigs in san diego and i have like 8 o 'clock show, I'll leave here at 11 in the morning.

[978] I'm like, there's no way.

[979] Oh, yeah, yeah.

[980] I'm not taking any chances.

[981] It could easily take five hours.

[982] Easily.

[983] Oh, my God, we sound like that S &L skit, the Californians.

[984] Wow.

[985] I don't know that skit, but it's pretty easy to write.

[986] All they do is talk about traffic.

[987] Well, it's fucking ridiculous out here.

[988] Have you ever thought about living anywhere else?

[989] Not really.

[990] My wife and I sometimes sort of muse about we'd love to live in New York once all of our kids are out.

[991] but probably for a brief time.

[992] New York's going to be real weird now.

[993] Yeah.

[994] Apparently is a mass exodus out of there right now, too.

[995] I was there right before everything turned upside down.

[996] Oh, wow.

[997] And it was already feeling shaky.

[998] I don't know.

[999] We went out, we went out to dinner.

[1000] We saw our friends band perform this little club, and there was a sense of unease.

[1001] What month was this?

[1002] That was in early March.

[1003] Oh, yeah.

[1004] So it was just starting to get.

[1005] get there or no no no it was in February sorry oh yeah but it was like late it was just there was something in the air where you knew something was going to change the buddy mine caught it there in New York yeah my buddy mine too skater my age and he went through hell yeah yeah it seems like the New York strain what they got in the East Coast they were saying is coming from Europe it's a stronger strain than the strain that they got here in California it's coming from China yeah um my My oldest son and I were extremely sick in February, both, like, as sick as we've ever been.

[1006] We were convinced that we had gone through it once everything, like, and so I managed to, I managed to get a test, I had to pay through the nose.

[1007] It wasn't, you know, the tests are not available.

[1008] But I lucked into one, and we both didn't have it.

[1009] Interesting.

[1010] Yeah, we've been testing pretty much everybody.

[1011] I didn't test you, but we've been testing everybody that comes here.

[1012] We just have a concierge service comes here, concierge MDLA or whatever.

[1013] Oh, wow.

[1014] Yeah, it's nice.

[1015] How did I luck in, luck out?

[1016] I don't know.

[1017] I just didn't test you, didn't ask.

[1018] I fucked up.

[1019] It's my mistake.

[1020] Okay, well, I was negative as a month ago, as of a month ago.

[1021] That's good.

[1022] As long as we don't make out, I think we're okay.

[1023] Okay, cool.

[1024] I've been tested.

[1025] I got tested last weekend.

[1026] I took the swab because I flew to Florida for the UFC event.

[1027] So I had the swab before that.

[1028] I had the antibody test, and then I got it again when I came back, all negative.

[1029] We did have one fighter test positive, though.

[1030] He was asymptomatic, and his two cornermen were asymptomatic, too, which is one of the weirdest things about this disease.

[1031] And he discovered it here?

[1032] They found out in, oh, he's from Florida, but they found out when he arrived that he knew that someone in his family had had it, and so he was cautious and wore gloves and mask and the whole deal and didn't make contact with anybody other.

[1033] than the people that he was with ever you know the entire time and then uh they found out before the fight that he was positive wow yeah but ever all the other fighters they did 1100 tests and only three people uh were positive and they kind of knew that they had a potential for being positive even though they were exhibiting no symptoms yeah it's just wild right now it's weird and we uh called the event that was what was really wild calling the event with no audience at all i saw Strange, man. Just fucking strange.

[1034] I'm just happy to...

[1035] Well, I can tell you watching it at home with my kids, they had the same excitement level.

[1036] Oh, me too.

[1037] I mean, it was great.

[1038] The fights were amazing.

[1039] The judging was fucking terrible.

[1040] There was some really bad decisions, but the fights were incredible.

[1041] It was just great just to do something, to be...

[1042] I was curious about that, though.

[1043] Do you think the fighters had a different sense of energy or motivation because they didn't have the crowd?

[1044] I don't think the motivation's any different.

[1045] It might be a little bit less stressful, slightly.

[1046] Obviously, it's a fucking cage fight.

[1047] It's going to be stressful.

[1048] But maybe a little less stressful because you don't get the roar of the crowd.

[1049] It's not the energy in the place.

[1050] Maybe you could focus a little bit better.

[1051] But, you know, they're in the UFC.

[1052] So they're fighting the best fighters in the world.

[1053] So it's no matter what.

[1054] It's a certain mindset you're getting into regardless.

[1055] Yeah.

[1056] But it was just interesting because they could clearly hear.

[1057] their corner.

[1058] So when their corners were yelling at instruction and when the opposition corner was yelling at instructions, they could hear all that.

[1059] And we could hear that too, like crystal clear, not a sound in the room.

[1060] And you could hear the breathing and the impact of the shots way better.

[1061] It was a lot different.

[1062] That's a new element.

[1063] It was a lot different.

[1064] It was really strange.

[1065] Yeah.

[1066] Wow.

[1067] Are they going to have skating competitions with no audience as well?

[1068] That remains to be seen.

[1069] I assume that's probably where it's going to go um i'm not part of the whole um olympic qualifying thing going on so i don't know what they're going to do or how they're going to continue to qualify people going into next year yeah um we had an event planned that was supposed to happen in june in salt lake city um big vert skate contest and it has been pushed to august um and i don't know if we can do it with the audience or not Well, Utah's opening up.

[1070] I mean, they're doing comedy shows there now.

[1071] Restaurants are opening up now.

[1072] They're opening up some things.

[1073] They're cautiously opening up some things.

[1074] Yeah, I'm not, ultimately, I'm not the one that we'll decide if it happens or not, but I hope that we can get it done with the necessary guidelines and whatnot, because I do feel like our type of skating, which is the Verde skating, is sort of a lost art. That's not going to be in the Olympics, by the way.

[1075] So is this the first year that skating is going to be?

[1076] going to be in the Olympics?

[1077] Yeah, well, next year, but yes.

[1078] Next year.

[1079] Is it 2021?

[1080] 2021, yeah.

[1081] So, skateboarding, the disciplines are street, which is sort of the handrails and stairs, ledges and stuff like that you see.

[1082] And then what they call park.

[1083] And park is sort of a mishmash of pool skating, but also some other skate park elements like banks and curves and things like that.

[1084] So it's more because that type of skating is more accessible.

[1085] especially internationally than what we call vert skating but it's kind of to me it's a disservice to skating because vert skating like you said it's the thing you can understand if you're not a skater people are flying around they're doing gymnastics they're doing somersaults and that type of stuff you see a very muted version of that in park skating and why do the Olympics choose those events I think that's it because of the accessibility and then I have to I have to respect that that's just nice for instance you know there's like a strong skate I mean there is a skate scene in places like Ethiopia and Ethiopia has parks they don't have vert ramps obviously so I understand on that level you're going to have a much more well -rounded competitive field that's cool that Ethiopia is embraced skateboarding I would like to see that Yeah, I've been there.

[1086] You've been there.

[1087] See, here it is.

[1088] Jamie's already got it, the best in the business.

[1089] Young Jamie.

[1090] Look at this.

[1091] Wow, that's fucking cool.

[1092] Wow, that's not what I have a picture when I think of Ethiopia.

[1093] Right.

[1094] I mean, that looks like that could be Atlanta.

[1095] That could be anywhere.

[1096] Yeah, absolutely.

[1097] Chicago.

[1098] It could be any city.

[1099] And, I mean, that kind of thing is happening all over the world.

[1100] There's a, I don't know if you ever heard of Skatistan, but Skatistan is a skate, for lack of a better word, camp facility and educational facility in Afghanistan in Kabul and they teach girls they teach girls they give them educations and they learn how to skate in fact there was a documentary on them that won an Academy Award at the last Oscars really?

[1101] Yeah do you got anything on that?

[1102] That was my inn for it's called Learning to skate.

[1103] That's Skated Stan.

[1104] It's called Learning to Skate in a War Zone if you're a girl.

[1105] That's the name of the documentary.

[1106] That's got to be very dangerous for them though, right?

[1107] Because the fundamentalists don't want them doing...

[1108] Well, so that's the thing is that they see it.

[1109] The culture sees skateboards as a toy, not a sport, and allows girls to do it.

[1110] Oh, wow.

[1111] So they don't see it as this co -ed sport at all.

[1112] And so it's really interesting that the ratio of boys to girls are equal skating in Afghanistan and the same goes for they have another program in Cambodia and they have one in South Africa I've been to all of them are not Kabul but look at that picture that is so wild the mountains of Afghanistan the background oh yeah girls catching air their programs insane they're they're one of the best wow that's wild that's crazy skating is that's crazy that during your lifetime skating has just blossomed and gone from this sort of misfit thing to something that's in the Olympics, and Ethiopia, Afghanistan, all over the world.

[1113] That's wild, man. It is wild.

[1114] Yeah, it's really, every day is like a new surprise.

[1115] Now, when they do it in the Olympics, what is the scoring criteria?

[1116] Like, how do they judge?

[1117] Well, I don't think they're going to reinvent the wheel in terms of how they judge.

[1118] I think that they have to be very concise with their criteria now in terms of writing it down, because before it was just sort of loose and that guy, you know, that skater ripped and went higher and looked cooler and we gave him first and now it's got to be much more.

[1119] But it's more about technical aspects, like how the difficulty factor, how you flow, like how you link tricks together, how much speed you have, how high you go.

[1120] I mean, all those factors.

[1121] But at the end of the day, when you go to a skate contact, you can tell the top skaters.

[1122] It's just obvious that they were ripping.

[1123] They used the course better.

[1124] You know, they went higher.

[1125] They spun more.

[1126] They flipped their board hard in more difficult ways, and they were the winners.

[1127] And now, do you have former pros or current pros, the judges?

[1128] I'm not really sure how they're picking judges.

[1129] I'm not like I said.

[1130] For a standard competition, how would they?

[1131] A lot of them are ex -pros, yeah.

[1132] And so there's pretty, like, universal acceptance of, like, what's good and what's bad or what scores.

[1133] Yeah, I mean, it's always up for a debate.

[1134] Yeah.

[1135] Who should have won that event or this or how to the score higher.

[1136] At the level that these guys are at, there's probably quite a few guys that are comparable, right?

[1137] Sure, yeah.

[1138] So it's basically how good your run was.

[1139] How good your run was, yeah.

[1140] And who had a better day?

[1141] Similar to surfing in that regard?

[1142] Absolutely, yeah.

[1143] Yeah.

[1144] So that's what's interesting for someone like me watching.

[1145] Like, I'm not exactly sure what I'm seeing.

[1146] I know what looks cool, but I don't know what won, you know?

[1147] Sure.

[1148] And I think that, well, I'm hoping that that will be my job to explain to the audience.

[1149] Oh, right.

[1150] I was supposed to be there in Tokyo doing some commentary.

[1151] Not the play -by -play, but more sort of, you know, coming in and out of there and doing whatever shows they need.

[1152] to do but um so i would like to postpone the olympics for a year is that for a year yeah so you would like to i would like to to be there to try to try to bridge that gap right of the the the non -skating viewer who is interested and explain to them why you know why this this nuance is going to score way higher than this other but even though they look the same to you yeah um and i've done it i've done like they had the uh vans park series all last year where we went to all over the world, went to China, Brazil, Canada, France, and they built these parks that they left there, but I was doing all the commentary for the events.

[1153] And that was kind of where, that's where my strengths are, is being able to explain those things to non -skaters.

[1154] Well, that's kind of be fun for you too, because it's an opportunity to sort of, you know, proselytize, let everybody know.

[1155] Like, show them how cool this is.

[1156] Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[1157] Put words to your passion, this thing.

[1158] I mean, that's got to really spark up the interests of new skaters.

[1159] I think that's the silver lining with the Olympics.

[1160] I mean, there is a lot of controversy in the hardcore skate scene where it's just like, we're not, we don't belong in the Olympics.

[1161] We've always done this to be anti -that type of thing anyway.

[1162] Yeah.

[1163] And then it's just like, well, you guys, all those things that you love about skating will still exist.

[1164] Right.

[1165] You can still go hop fences and skate the hand.

[1166] or like that's not taken away from you if anything it's going to bring it to a bigger audience that is going to be interested and I believe a more international audience I think that's the really cool part about it that's a thing though man when things start going mainstream people always panic right but that's the other thing is this like if you think that the competition element is what is somehow sanitizing skating we've had I grew up skating competitions I literally enter my first contest at age 10.

[1167] That is the only way you got recognized when I was a kid.

[1168] This is not something new to skateboarding.

[1169] It's just that now there are different opportunities in skating, and there is a way to make a living even if you don't compete.

[1170] And so because that exists, people are just like, Olympics are a, you know, that's a sport competition.

[1171] I'm like, yeah, but we already have Street League, we already have the due tour, we already have X games.

[1172] Those things all exist.

[1173] So we're going to have this other big event once every four years.

[1174] People always want a shit on something that's different than what they're doing, though.

[1175] Oh, sure.

[1176] It seems like...

[1177] I mean, hey, I've lived with so much ridicule my whole life that I just...

[1178] It's like, yeah, sure.

[1179] Whatever you say.

[1180] Well, for you, I mean, you've crossed over to the other side.

[1181] That's what's interesting.

[1182] I mean, you don't even need a thick skin anymore.

[1183] Yeah, I mean, there's obviously still haters.

[1184] Like, you're a sell -out.

[1185] what not, but it's like...

[1186] Do you read those comments?

[1187] You don't read Twitter or anything, do you?

[1188] I, like, if someone's making enough noise, I'll see it.

[1189] And, you know, every once in a while I like to see what the general vibe is on something.

[1190] But when I grew up, like, I think my journey allowed me to really be prepared for that.

[1191] Because when I was a kid, I was doing this outcast activity, right?

[1192] So I was already not cool in school.

[1193] And then I started skating, and I was like a scrawny, little kid with a really sort of what they call robotic style because I was focusing on tricks so I was getting made fun of in the skate world so I was like an outcast in this outcast activity and it was really isolating and at some point I was like I love this too much to listen to these people and not do it like explain to me what you were getting shit on for like you had a robotic style so basically what in when I first started getting into skating especially pool skating to be a pool skater you had to be super cool look like you're surfing it was all about your style right and it was all about like how you flow and if you're doing aerials it's got to look cool and and i was super scrawny super short kid and so all i really knew how to do was to maneuver my board and so i was doing these tricks where i'd like spin my board under my feet and do these weird sort of handplants and aerial tricks and and things where it just wasn't that wasn't the normal and it wasn't really really considered the cool way to skate and so they just they were like there's they call me a circus circus skater they're like oh there's Tony with the circus tricks oh wow and then at some point I just like I loved what I was doing and I didn't really listen to it and then I got I got more confident and I got stronger and then I started doing this stuff like way up high in the air and then it was sort of undeniable that it was like oh well that is something so was there pressure for you to change your style and sort of blend in I just didn't have the bulk to be able to do it anyway.

[1194] The physical bulk.

[1195] Yeah, like I just didn't have that weight behind me. And so what I did was when back then, in order to do aerials out of pools, you had to like reach down and grab your board and sort of muscle it into the air and above the coping.

[1196] And I learned how to launch into the air without grabbing my board and then grabbing it at the peak.

[1197] And that allowed me to get the height when I was still.

[1198] really scrawny and weak and they said that technique was cheating like they literally wrote that and thrash your magazine it's just like well Tony Hawk cheats because he all he's into his air is and that way he can just grab it wherever and I was just like yes that's exactly it that's what I'm trying to do that's so weird that's so weird so weird so they would judge you on that's so crazy here's this invented thing right right this art form and then you're doing it your way and they're saying you're cheating.

[1199] Yeah, yeah.

[1200] I don't...

[1201] It was just like this old guard in skating and they just didn't like to see anything new or sort of fringe.

[1202] And then I started doing that.

[1203] And then a lot of my peers who were my age, they all figured that same technique out.

[1204] And then we just kind of took over.

[1205] You know, that became the way to skate.

[1206] But then through the years, like in those days, you know, skating was still very much novelty and then in the 90s like X games came into play and then all of a sudden my name was was well known not mainstream but but getting there and then our video game came out and then it was just like oh you're just a sellout wow and it was like because of the video game because the video game the endorsements that followed from that you know I was doing stuff for Jeep for McDonald's for Doritos and they were just like oh you're just a sell out I was like when I turn pro at age 14, if McDonald's had asked me to be in a commercial, I would have jumped on it.

[1207] Are you kidding me?

[1208] Like, I was eating McDonald's my whole life.

[1209] I still do.

[1210] So it was more like they thought someone I changed my values and was just like, I haven't changed my value system.

[1211] It's just that I'm getting these opportunities, finally.

[1212] And I've been doing this for most of my life.

[1213] For the most part, it's you're getting opportunities that they're not.

[1214] So the best way to dismiss that or diminish it is to say that you're a sellout because you're on a video game.

[1215] Like, that's so short -sighted.

[1216] Sure.

[1217] But, but, you know, but so what I'm saying is that just sort of, that sort of steeled my resolve where, so once social media came into play and people are talking shit online, I was like, you're not getting to me through this, you know, through this media.

[1218] People used to say this to my face.

[1219] He used to write about this, this, write about me in magazines.

[1220] Like, you're hiding behind your Twitter username.

[1221] I don't care.

[1222] When you first saw someone say that you were cheating.

[1223] by using that technique how bad that must have sucked up yeah and it was from a it was from a skater that I really respected too like he was quoted in the magazine and that was it was crushing wow that's such a bitch -ass approach you know cheating like that that's so weird to me because I never would have I guess it makes sense because there's always factions in any discipline or any art form or anything where some people respect some things and other people shit on it and but the idea that you doing it your way would somehow another be cheating to me it seems so strange that doesn't make any sense like I said it was just weird because skating was there's a small community at the time and it was like why are you like why are we fighting in our little tiny world it's always going to be that way yeah that's just humans yeah especially when you're doing something different especially if you're getting attention doing something different they're going to find some way to diminish you yeah it was just it was it was harder for me because all I wanted to be was accepted as a skater you know I kind of given up on my peers on my schoolmates I knew I wasn't going to fit in there and so I was like I found this thing and then just like you guys don't like me the way I do it rough but look you hung in there and came out on the other end yeah and I don't I don't harbor any ill -ball you know what I mean a lot of people are like oh you should go back to school like you go to your reunion and I was like I don't It's not some revenge for me. I just loved, I'm just so thankful that I still get to do this for a living.

[1224] Like, this is seriously living the dream.

[1225] Like, I get to do this for a living.

[1226] I get to come on your show because I'm a skateboarder.

[1227] Like, the stuff that I've gotten to do over my life is beyond any dream I could have ever written or imagined.

[1228] And it's all because I just kept skating.

[1229] That is the American dream to me. For sure.

[1230] Or the worldwide dream, the human dream.

[1231] Absolutely.

[1232] To be able to do what you want for a living and to continue.

[1233] doing it?

[1234] Yeah.

[1235] And to support your family and to, you know.

[1236] It's crazy.

[1237] The kind of stuff that, yeah, that we've gotten to do, especially as a family, like the kind of trips we've taken and people we've met.

[1238] For skating.

[1239] Yeah, for skating.

[1240] That's crazy.

[1241] That's amazing.

[1242] Do you still talk to that guy who shit on you back then?

[1243] Do you know who that guy?

[1244] I mean, do you know him?

[1245] I think he fell on some hard times.

[1246] I don't know.

[1247] Yeah.

[1248] That's how it usually goes with haters.

[1249] Yeah.

[1250] I'm sorry.

[1251] But it's, it's interesting, though, that there's, There's been these waves of change inside of it during your lifetime, you know, that it's such an evolving, sort of growing thing that from the time you were a kid to now, it's almost just a totally different thing, but yet still skating.

[1252] Yeah, I mean, at its core, the feeling I get when I'm on a skateboard is the same.

[1253] Like when I just go out, just practicing on my ramp or in our backyard or whatever, I can just feel that happiness, that sort of peace.

[1254] and like it's the one thing in my life that I'm fully in control of and I just like that's my escape that's so cool that you still enjoy it like that that yeah I never imagine that I never imagine skating into my 30s do you have friends that are your age that also I do yeah yeah still yeah I have a couple friends um that are a couple years older than me and they're sort of my you know they're my gauge so do you have like a crazy setup in your back yard?

[1255] I have a small concrete setup that's not huge but but you know it's fun and then I have a proper size big vert ramp in my office and I mean in the last two months those are the one place I'm at.

[1256] Is it an indoor thing the vert ramp?

[1257] It's indoor yeah.

[1258] How high is it?

[1259] It is for 13 and a half 14 feet.

[1260] Wow.

[1261] So you just go there and fuck around and have fun and practice?

[1262] Yeah we've done a couple live streams from there just to provide entertainment for people oh that's cool yeah and uh we did one with the DJ Z trip he was doing the like mixing up on the deck and we were doing tricks up on his up on his table that was pretty cool and then uh we are working on this best trick NBD thing um actually got some some money from a sponsor so um you know just trying to make content make entertainment as best we can what are the content do you make online do you do a podcast for anything or a video I used to be on Serious X -NM.

[1263] Actually, that was the first time I reached out to you because I had a Serious XM show for 10 years.

[1264] And I stopped doing it just because it was, I kind of went as far as I could with getting guests and I just wasn't really moving up the ladder and it was really hard to maintain that schedule.

[1265] It was only once a week, but for me it was like, I got to book studio time in L .A., drive up here, begs something.

[1266] I didn't have, like, I didn't have anyone running the show, So it was just more like, hey, does anyone know Seth Rogen?

[1267] But I had a good run.

[1268] I mean, my last two guests were Farrell and Seth Rogen.

[1269] Oh, that's great.

[1270] So I felt like, all right, that's about far.

[1271] Ferell the sports guy?

[1272] No, Ferell.

[1273] Oh, the musician.

[1274] Oh, wow.

[1275] Yeah.

[1276] Oh, wow.

[1277] That's a big get.

[1278] He was, yeah.

[1279] So I felt like if I'm not, I can't really go further with this idea.

[1280] And let's just end it here.

[1281] So it was fun, though.

[1282] Do you do anything with it now?

[1283] Do you do anything like that now?

[1284] No, not really.

[1285] I mean, I'm happy to.

[1286] Because it's so easy to do some sort of a podcast now.

[1287] It is.

[1288] Yeah, I just don't.

[1289] I guess I just don't want to be that guy that's like, hey, man, do my podcast.

[1290] Yeah.

[1291] Because that's how I felt when I sent you the first message on Twitter.

[1292] I was like, hey, you want to call my Serious XM show?

[1293] And that was right when your show started blowing up.

[1294] And I saw you all.

[1295] And I was like, oh, he doesn't have time for my show.

[1296] But I did.

[1297] I mean, I'm looking at it.

[1298] came to do this.

[1299] I think what you've done in your life is it's like a great roadmap for young kids that are sitting out there trying to figure out if they can make a living doing something that they love.

[1300] You know, that's the roadmap.

[1301] Oh, for sure.

[1302] I try to tell people too, you don't have to, you don't have to be the best in your field too to enjoy it and make a living at it.

[1303] Like you can maybe find some angle on it that maybe isn't even the thing, but you get, it gets you in the door and you get to be part of the community or the industry.

[1304] And you can live like that, whether it's doing video or art or, you know, behind the scenes, you're still part of that scene and it's still super cool.

[1305] And I feel like that's what's lost on kids.

[1306] They just want to be the best.

[1307] They want all the stardom.

[1308] And it's just like, no, think of something that is that you would have.

[1309] enjoy and make that your job because that's for me that's what success is that's such an american mindset that the mindset of i need to be the best i need to be number one right yeah yeah and that that's just the thing that sucks about that mindset is that if you do reach any sense of that a lot of times that's when it all falls apart how so i feel like a lot of people get a taste of it and they're no longer motivated do you know what i mean okay i think in a lot of cases i've seen in scape boarding especially where they just want to be they want to get in the magazine they want to be or win the contest and then they finally do and they're not motivated to keep it going that's interesting or to to progress their own skating so instead of just enjoying it they they in their end the competition is the end the end goal and then once they hit that competition yeah it was just a means to an end and then and then there's no more inspiration that's a fun thing that's a fun thing that's funny thing rather for a lot of people in any art form or any sport they you know once they reach a pinnacle it's very difficult to keep momentum up that's what happens with a lot of fighters oh yeah they reach the top and then they they don't have the same enthusiasm they had when they were younger and then of course the trappings of fame oh and that's yeah another distraction another you know and some people that's what they revel in yeah and you can lose sight of i mean i think that's what I was lucky that I was young enough and had success, and I saw some of my peers kind of fall into that, and I saw how it affected their skating, and that was my signal.

[1310] It was like, if you follow that road, your skating is going to suffer, and my focus was always getting better at skating.

[1311] That's interesting.

[1312] That happens with comedy.

[1313] A lot of times, guys get really famous, and then they're specials.

[1314] They start to fall apart.

[1315] They're like when they're on the come -up, their specials are edgy and they're really into it.

[1316] They're poor.

[1317] They're all into it.

[1318] And then they become famous.

[1319] And like, that was the thing with Kinnison.

[1320] Like, he's partying with rock stars and hanging out.

[1321] I saw him in it during those days.

[1322] Did you really?

[1323] Yeah, in San Diego.

[1324] Oh, wow.

[1325] Yeah, it was awesome.

[1326] Yeah, I got to see him a couple of times.

[1327] But you could tell that he could just come out and scream and everyone's like, ooh -ah!

[1328] Yeah.

[1329] Oh, so this must have been like 86, 87 -ish.

[1330] Yeah, he did a thing where he called people from the audience to come up and then call...

[1331] Their ex -girlfriend?

[1332] Their ex -girlfriend.

[1333] Yeah, I saw that set.

[1334] Yeah, that was the thing he was doing.

[1335] Yeah, I saw him do that in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

[1336] Yeah.

[1337] But in his day, man, he was a genius.

[1338] Oh, he was the best.

[1339] For a couple years, it's probably the best ever.

[1340] But then the trappings of fame just got to him.

[1341] We stopped writing.

[1342] His brother wrote about it.

[1343] There's a book called Brother Sam.

[1344] his brother Bill wrote this whole book about this sort of meteoric rise.

[1345] And one of the things that he said was that, you know, once he became famous, he was like, just doing Coke and parted it all night.

[1346] And he really wasn't writing anymore and wasn't out there trying to put together sets.

[1347] And he definitely wasn't keeping his secret that he was doing it.

[1348] No, no, he was partying.

[1349] Well, listen, man, I appreciate you coming in here.

[1350] It was really cool to meet you.

[1351] Oh, it was my pleasure.

[1352] Thank you.

[1353] It was an honor to be here.

[1354] I think your story is fucking amazing.

[1355] It's really cool.

[1356] I love hearing stories like that.

[1357] where someone find something they love and they just follow their dream and they become famous and successful at it.

[1358] It's just, it's so cool.

[1359] Yeah, I'm still chasing that carrot.

[1360] Chase that carrot, baby.

[1361] Thank you.

[1362] Thanks, brother.

[1363] Appreciate you, man. Tony Hawk, ladies and gentlemen, goodbye.

[1364] Thanks, Joe.