Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade - Tony Hawk

Episode Date: August 23, 2023

Gnarly injuries, a life-changing video game, and Police Academy 4 with Tony Hawk. *Note: this interview was recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike took effect. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oh, by the way, I'm at the Venetian when Nikki Glazer if anyone's interested. I'm there again, uh, end of September and I'm there in November. So if you want to beat Bob over to that, click a few links and buy a few tickets. I will be at Lino Nardo's Pizza Place in Sherman Oaks next Friday. Okay. That's a new show. I'm going to go to Nott's Barri's Farm. Yeah, that'll be a new show. I'm going to be at Nott's Barri's Farm on Yeah, that'll be a new show. I'm gonna be at Nott's Barry's Farm

on the water slide, right? On August 19th. Letting people on the ride. August 19th. Well, do I do sometimes moonlight? Oh, that's the carnival stuff I do. It's another time. I will be doing the organizing

the Midget Tossine Exposition in Loughlin, Loughlin Nevada on the Riverboat Casino. Okay. in Loughlin, Loughlin Nevada on the Riverboat Casino. I would be face down in a pile of my own goose, early Sunday morning. Your own goo? Yeah, face down in a while, I own goo. That's what I tell people.

No, I'm not gonna drink that much. How was the drinking last night? Great, I woke up face down in a pile of my own goo. That doesn't sound good. You know what, David? Tony Hawk. Flash observation. Yes. No one is ever woken up and said, damn, I forgot to do shooters last night. A lesson for you hard drinkers. No one's ever woken up. I should have drank and more. Yeah. Drankin. David Tony Hawk to a friend of yours. That's all David.

Can I just say this before we start Tony Hawk? We'll cut this. We'll start it. We'll cut it. Whatever. David, because I was mentioned used to someone recently who'd seen police camera go like he was a national class skateboard. That's what they said or a really, really good. That I was. Yeah. That's what they said or a really, really good skateboard. That I was?

Yeah. That's what they said. I hope that's out there. It's taking longer. You were really good. But brings us to our person we wanted to do. Well Tony, is a freak of nature at skating. I was blessed to be in a movie with him

because I'm in Arizona like what they call it a beater. It's a guy that just pretends to be like a surfer or a skater. But I was kind of good medium, but Tony, they were so good. And I read about these guys. Suddenly, they're on the movie with me. And that was police academy four, stayed in touch with them. He did that video game.

He talks about that. That blew him up. He still skates. He still gets hurt. He still has neck trouble like I do. Taking those falls so many times, I don't know how he still does it, but unbelievable. hurt, he still has neck trouble like I do. Taking those falls so many times, I don't know how he still does it, but unbelievable. And he's still tough as shit.

It's a hard job to be a pro skater. He still gets in and gets dirty. He's competitive. I mean, he is driven. I think he sees the new guys and goes, fuck this, like I'm still good. He competes with himself. He just still wants to grab it.

But he will break down. This is one of my favorite parts of this podcast. What it's like to go up those giant ramps and you're going upside down and What you're thinking. What are you thinking? Where you have to grab? How do you not get killed by doing that? I admired daredevil's. I mean, I once jumped off a six foot thing into a lake and I never did it again. I never did it again. I never did it again. Let me tell you when When you do those ramps, when you're up there doing half pipes in the middle of the trick, it's about a second and away when you're doing your next trick. So once you realize you've completed it and you're starting to land, you have to think, where do I go for the next trick? And then how do I get my weight shifted?

Then you go up and then you go, oh, this one, this one, I have to land here because I have to go to the corner and jump the fucking gap. It's so crazy and they do eight 10 tricks in a row and I can't believe the thinking that goes on. You got to do it so many times. We're going to talk all about his career as a, and maybe is he the goat? Is he kind of the goat? He's the known goat all time of skateboard like it was. There's grats because there's something that are sort of, nobody argues. And that's his real name, I understand, because it is kind of the goat, use the known goat all time of skateboard. There's Tiger Woods, there's Gretzki, there's something that are sort of, nobody argues.

And that's his real name, I understand, because it is kind of the coolest name if you're trying to brand things for like, it's great kids. Tony Hawk. And he, incredibly nice guy, really, really smart about anything to do with flying around on a skateboard. And as an entrepreneur, he is a brand.

He's a global brand. And he had just done his first thing on SNS. Yes. Tied it all together. Needs on SNS for seven seconds. Therefore, he's part of our podcast. Sorry. Now, you're on. It's called Slim Connections episode. You fucked up.

You're on our show now. If you've heard of Lauren Michaels, you qualify as a guest. Apply now. If you've ever said the word Saturday and live in the same day, you can be on fire. If you know what these three words mean, you're gonna be a guest. Ha ha ha.

[♪ OUTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪ This is a bit off-subject, but because I'm a great guy and I'm a great guy, syndrome, I think for actresses, I don't think it's fair that every article, they're like, meme erudgers, 67. They always put their name and then their age. And I do not know what they fail to do that with men. They do it for men too, but I think it's mostly women and that's when I notice it and

I go, why does that matter? And that should be eradicated because it doesn't matter. You could look it up if you want to know, right? I think they'll eradicate it if we look at anything of this point. I mean, I can't want they're still doing that when they don't do anything else. It's like that one seems a little more odd to you.

David, let's put a put a billboard out there. Let's put it out there. And say, stop putting the ages of winning at the start of the dish. Let's start it. I got a lot of time in life, especially in the actual world. Like, if you're thinking of hiring someone that just in the back, your head, you go, oh, that's the right age.

Oh, no, that feel, whatever. It sends a weird message immediately. And it doesn't need to be an article. I know. Anyway, thank you for taking it easy. Thank you. You're free to look at my age. Tony Hawk, who turns 20.

I don't know. 27.20 for us. But he's, you know, I, I, the age thing one is always keeps a sense humor about it. And I have a dermatologist who's, I think he's like 85. I said, how old are you guys? I'm 106. That's a standard answer.

That's a good way to say it. Just to say it's high. He's a guy to check my skin and ever, and he had a one with a clip part and he kept going age related. He's got a micro-spelled age related. I have to say age related, can I have something to age related? Dude, I wouldn't see like, I've done that on this podcast before.

I'm writing on Dick Tony, we might not get to you, but that's fine. I listen to the show anyways, I'm just here fast. You know how it works. You know it's going to come to you. We have so many questions for you, it's going to be a two-parer. So I go to this high end restaurant, Koi. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no he goes, hey, this is my buddy. He's a plastic surgeon. He works in town and he's already looking at me. And I was, of course, a little buzzed naturally because it was nighttime.

So I had a loud mouse soup. So I'll go stand in there like a whir. I go, go, go, go, go, go, go. I get that little humming or feel. Go, go, go. So I get on there and I go, and I'm just standing at his table so I go, the worst question. What was you doing to me? And he like slowly looks at me like, like, go, the worst question. What was dude on me?

And he like slowly looks at me like, like, RoboCop, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, boo, and he goes, well, and he goes, listen, here's a lot of bull poise. If you want, just the top nine things that are like no brainers say. These are things that are not even going to go sh- What do you say, chin, tuck?

No, Dana, I'm not gonna say because I wanna go, oh yeah, yeah. Because we to school. No, Dana, I'm not gonna say because I want to go, oh yeah, yeah. Yeah. Because we would disagree. No, no. No, you can't, you have to just, you have to roll with it. You just get nice work, good work. That's the key, good work.

So people just don't know you got work. Well, Tony, let's get, let's get to it. I'm looking at you, Tony. Tony and I are about, when is that happening? Where about the same age? Can you, do you have that guy's number? No, this guy, honestly, he was like, listen, I'll do it on the house.

This has to be grand by noon tomorrow. Cutters what like to cut? I'll tell you that. Face guys don't go. You don't need anything. They go, we can get in there. They go, get in there. Give him a round a little bit.

This is all natural. I'm gonna hear since Eisenhower's first administration. I won't give my age, but I'm just saying, I was on this earth with these hands and these feet since the mid-50s. Foding for Calvin Coolidge. Look how good it looked now. Tony, let's talk about... Do all right. There's so many places to ask, but I want to know just because I was talking about

Viking and how I only get plastic surgery for Viking and I don't need it. I don't need it. I had crazy surgery. I took a bike and hated it. I like that. I feel much better. The monologue. Hey, Advil, if you're listening, I know. The icon of the doctor goes, so you broke your leg. You'll want to really pump the ad, the what? Yeah. I can do it. Funny to say that because I broke my leg in March a year ago, tomorrow. Yeah. This is actually a good story. Where's the celebration? No, no, can I get details on that? This is a good story, but I did.

I was laying there on my ramp with my leg. Was it the femur? The femur, yeah. What was the trick? McTwist. It's always a McTwist. McTwist, McTwist. Woman, were you by yourself?

I was not. But my friend, especially, my good friend Kevin came over about five minutes later with two Advil. Two Adv Jesus Christ. I'll never forget that. Well, that, all right, thanks. I might do an opioid at that point, you know.

But so, was it, was it particularly scary? It seems like a lot of times people get hurt when it's like perfunctory, but they're just not as owned in as much or Dude, you're fucking thigh. It was a trick that I have done tens of thousands of times. Okay. And I didn't have enough speed going into it and I knew that full well,

but I was always able to figure that out, adjust for it in the air. And I guess at age 54, that's the time when you can no longer adjust for it so easily. And next thing I know, I'm just sliding through the flat part of my ramp with my leg. I can feel it just dangling. And I looked up at another friend of mine, I go, I broke my leg. And he's like, what?

And then I grabbed it and I put it back in place instinctually. I can't believe what I'm hearing. But then in that moment, I knew like, oh, I'm so fucked. I can't believe what I'm hearing. But then in that moment, I knew like, oh, I'm so fucked. I can't, I can't move. I can't do anything. I want to rewind this whole moment in time. But did you hear it as well? Or did it pop?

It was all very chaotic. The fall. So that's not really how it happened. But I don't remember hearing a pop. I just felt a disconnect. Wow. I'm what do they do with that? Do you have a metal rod down here?

I do. Yeah, okay. How much of that cost? I know it's funny. I did the look. I looked at the hard cost of it because I thankfully have insurance. It's more than a house.

Really? Yeah, but who's insuring you? Really? I've had the whole demyery anyway. No, no, where you guys live? Who do you get your insurance from? I mean, my God, it was like Bobby's healing and band-aids right on Ventura.

No, where did you, I mean, Zach. Zach. Oh, Zach. Blue Cross. So, Anthem. That, how long, how is it now? Well, I went through, I went through eight months of recovery and got my,

got back on my skateboard much too soon. I watched this whole thing in Instagram playoff. And it never connected, my bone never connected because I was so active on it. So you rushed it a little bit and it never grew together. Yeah, and I kept thinking it's going to happen. It's going to happen. And then at some point I realized that I'm just in pain all the time. I mean, like I would, I would have to to take a pain killer to get through an airport. And I go,

admit, this doesn't feel right for eight months in. I went and got X-rays and realized the bone had moved further away from where it was when it got to. Because you were too active. I was too active. So I came up here to a specialist and he's the specialist in non-union fractures, which means it would never form the union. And he put it straight and sent me on my way and I've been taking it slow and finally back on my skateboard the way I used to. When you're born and wouldn't cross union lines.

One year later. What's that? I wouldn't cross. I'm supposed to get a hip replacement at some point. I heard those are very effective and quick healing. I'm going to get a hip replacement at some point. Let's do it. Let's do it. I heard those are very effective and quick healing. 55 minutes open to close. Yeah.

I've been avoiding it for seven years, Tony, because they take a saw. Yes, I heard it's noisy. I'm going to be more interested. I heard it's awesome. But people would rather go through that than my femur issue. No, no, you must be much worse. People would do it always say, I should have done this. Yeah. I like to wait and kind of suffer. It's part of my personality. David's like that too. But I'm inspired by your healing, you know, because you're at 24, you know, things

heal faster. Yes. But yeah, I learned that. You're full core. You're full, fully around now. Um, I'm, I'm on my way. I full fully around now. I'm I'm on my way I'm not I can't say I'm fully not gonna worry. What are you? Doesn't your wife say don't push it anymore because you're gonna break it again She is concerned that I that I am getting a little too ambitious and confident with it. So I have been taking it as slow as I can. Let's put that way. So I'm much more aware of it this time. You're like, you're still kind of the old gunslinger in a way.

I mean, you're the guy who invented the sport basically. In some ways, I mean, thank you, Blue Rise, that I, everything I read, it's Tony Hawk and you're an icon. I mean, right? I'm not everyone's sick of it. No, I appreciate it. Thank you. You're attached to the sport. It's sick of it. You, I appreciate it. Thank you. You're attached to the point.

I was sick of it, you got it right there. There's a lot of people on our podcast. My wife, why is he just gonna go away? Why is this podcast? And she'll know enough about you just through our sons that did that. And I just for a second, before we get into all the questions I have, so the beginning, because I was reading you,

you know, about your high IQ and you were sort of a difficult like, because I'm interested in what kind of brain, not even your physical gifts, becomes brilliant at something at age 12, 9, 12. Um, yeah, it was, honestly, it was just being obsessive and determined to a point, like, to a fault. Because when I was a kid, I just was so I wanted to do certain things and I didn't have the the body for it or whatever. But I always fired up. Couldn't do football. I couldn't do football.

Well, I didn't play football, but baseball about football. I'm saying I could do a little bit of that. Like I was thinking what other sports you good at because I couldn't do everything and I went to skateboarding because in Arizona it was that. Yeah. Well, skateboarding is a culture too, which we'll talk about. I mean, it's more than a sport.

Sure, and then once I started doing it, I kind of fell in love with the misfit aspect because I never really felt like I fit in with my schoolmates. So are you saying to me that, are you saying, Tony, that you may not have absolute physical gifts like someone who could just, Larry Bird got a basketball and just said,

I can't even run away. Eddie Van Halen got his son, his son, his brother's guitar. Sat on the bed at 8 a.m. and played till midnight. Right. It just spoke to him. So when you got on the board, it just spoke to you. And he spoke to me, but in no way was I a natural. A natural. You would do that far.

I would just do it, but I would just do it endlessly. Like, I would go, I would go from school to the skate part, stay there until my mom got off work at the, she worked at community college at eight or nine p.m. and then she'd definitely drag me away until they turned the lights off. Did you ever annoy them because bad skateboarding kids are really loud. Like they're constantly falling and banging. It's not a very relaxing thing as a parent watching

bad skateboarders. You didn't have to steal wheels. You weren't that far back where you. Not that far back. Did you have a yellow freeform with a split toe? No, but she's what's going on, man. Or a board. He's flexing.

I did have a, Bane was my first board. Okay. Okay. You like that, Dane? What? You like that, too? A band? Okay, let me go back to this. This guy's legit. Let me go back to more Larry King type stuff.

Yeah, I do. So, you know, we want to get into the weeds of your thing and clay wheels. We have a psychoactive question for him. My son had, when I was just talking on the way over here, he had, you just had a comment. He wanted you to comment on, this is jumping ahead a little bit,

the turf war at a skate park between the BMXers, the rollerbladers and the skaters, even though it's called a skate park. So, what do you comment, please, on that Mr. Hawk? I say rollerbladers lose. I got lucky in that I was a sort of a generation before that was happening. And at some point, I got very lucky that I was still skating when rollerblading started to be on the rise

because I was struggling to make a living at skateboarding. And I got to be the special guest at rollerblade shows. This is a rollerblade show, but we got special guests. Oh Tony Hawk shows. This is a Rollerblade show, but we got special guests. Oh, Tony Hawk here. You're staying in, thank God. That was paying my mortgage, literally. So I never had the beef.

I saw it, I saw it playing out and people were whatever, having bad stereotypes with everything. But I love everyone. You're like, I think a lot farther though. So if they see you, do you win because you're a skater and they're like, oh, the fucking king is. I don't, is more that I grew up, I grew up to not that grew up, but but eventually I was

in all the ice games and doing all that. And then we were all sort of brethren, the BMXers, even the inliners. And the skateboarders because we rode the same terrain and we were all sort of coming up together. So I didn't feel that turf war, like you said. I will say that it's tricky when you have a lot of BMXers and a lot of skateboarders at the skateboard, because BMXers are silent.

And you can't come in, you get hit. You don't hear them coming. Right, because the rubber tires and everything. Yeah, yeah. So that can be an issue. And so I think that there's a good, some skate parks assign certain days for bikes and certain days for skateboards.

I think that helps. It seems to me as a layman that the rollerblader has the device attached to his feet. The BMXer is hanging onto the device. Right. And the skateboard guy has to stand on the fucking thing. And it's like, seem much harder. Yeah, there's some Apple store engines there.

I got to say. I guess. I mean, I would, I was such a baby. That was when there were steel wheels back in the 60s. A really steep hill. Yeah. I'd sometimes just sit on the fucking thing. Same for any other guy.

Yeah. We used to CAD brand down some hills at the wedge in Arizona. And big white bouts at the end when you CAD brand or your friend and then it's almost fun. We would do a down really steep grass hills just so that we knew, because we knew we were going to wipe out. Yeah. And then we just come up and live.

Yeah, exactly. I actually wiped out a high roller. I'll tell you that in a second. High roller skate park. It just finished off this'll tell you that in a second. High roller skate park. It just finished off this young, young Tony for a second. Just your, you're just a quirky kid. You weren't natural athlete. You got ahold of a skateboard from someone in the neighborhood or you're a nine-year-old brother. Older brother. Yeah. And then it just spoke to you. You became possessed. Yes. And then with a zest to you. You became possessed. Yes.

And then with a zest as good. Yes. Within three years of that, you were world classer. Where were 12? It was something that were 14. You were such a quantum leap. I started skating around age 10 and then got really into it. As I dove into it completely, it took a downturn in popularity.

So really, sort of like at the time when I was really starting to come into my own and fall in love with it, it was all, the world was crumbling away around me. And so I got sponsored at age 12 by Dogtown skateboard, which didn't really mean a whole lot. It just meant that sometimes they would send me free skateboards, that was pretty much it, and then I moved up to... So no money. No money.

No sponsor, I never knew what that meant, but I thought that was a coolest one. Free gear. Free gear. And then that moved me up to the sponsor division, and that kind of lit a fire because suddenly I was skating with people who were much more advanced, and I had to figure out how to navigate that.

And then I rose to the top of the amateur ranks within two years and then I actually turned pro at age 14. But when you turn pro, like what that means is I was filling out an entry form to the competition and there's an, there's your name and address and then there's a box that says amateur and box says pro. So I checked the pro box. That was the only difference. That was it.

And now it was competing. You made money or sorry, girl. That was competing for $100 first place. Okay. 75 second, 50 for third. I got fourth. So no money. No money.

Do you remember your first check for doing this? Or my first check was 50 bucks when I got third place. 50 bucks. I got paid $3 for my first set. Ooh. Yeah, mine if you're first set. That's pretty rare. I think it was $10.

I think he took seven. I took three. Or 70. Oh, seven dollars. Do you want to be famous? I asked him, oh, just want to play for the people. Never forgot that. Oh, you're playing pretty well.

I got a rest of salt. Good friend. Anyway, Tony, that's remarkable. How are your parents reacting to this? And your brother, are you, is there a sibling thing like Tony's a superstar? Well, he was, he was, he is 13 years older than me. So, he was in college and just kind of watched it. He was there sometimes, but my parents, I think they saw what it provided me,

just in terms of my sense of self and self-confidence, and finally, kind of focusing all of my energy and frustrations onto that instead of them. So they were thankful, and they were supportive, and they were very few parents were supportive. Because of the danger of it. Or supportive because of the danger of it or just because the culture of it like culture and the dude you weren't going to go to school. Yeah, even though there's a room where you're smart, but we have no proof. It says here your IQ is 144. 144. I mean, maybe at one point, you got at least half as high as that.

I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm incredibly smart. He's a chess champion. That was his thing. That's what I got off of that to go in a skateboarding, which was a mistake. So did you? Some of us didn't go pro, Tony,

and didn't get for it. So you got paid $50. Yeah, and then eventually got my own skateboard model. And that's when I started receiving royalty checks for between $4 and $5 a month. I'm more than half a month, that's not too bad. $4.85 was it? Was it? Or how did you get your own mind? checks for between four and five dollars a month. I'm going to have a month, that's not too bad. Four dollars a day, five cents. You designed it or you, well how did you get your own mind?

I designed the shape of it and then my sponsor, Palperelta, they designed the graphics of it. Oh. But then, okay, something happened in the mid-80s where suddenly skateboarding kind of came around again and I found myself in high school making six figures from royalties on those skateboards. So you're already an entrepreneur, you're a businessman already as your superstar athlete.

I didn't see it that way, but it would just or we're other kids doing it as well. Did you have other dudes or women in the school that were just? No, no. No, that was the weird thing is that there was this resurgence of skateboarding is popular, but not a mainstream or widespread popularity. So I was still at the outcast at school. I literally would hide my skateboard in the bushes when I go to school,

because people would hassle me if I carried around. They would yell skater fact. Yeah, it's okay. And I was pro, I was pro, and I was traveling to places like Florida, to places like Phoenix, to go to these big events and sign autographs and come to school and I was growing, I was traveling to places like Florida, to places like Phoenix, to go to these big events and sign autographs and come to school and I was ghost. Can I ask you just a technical question? Yes.

Because it would seem to me, the one I watched, Jimness and stuff, that you growing to six foot three is that an advantage or neutral in terms of doing upside down flips, you have to have a bigger reign. The math of that, when did you get to 6'3?" Not till I was in my late teens. So you're becoming a brilliant skateboard and you're growing and so you're adapting your revolutions to that height.

Yeah, and I was still very flexible when I got tall so he was to an advantage because I finally was able to get speed and get more height. And because I could ball up, I could still do those spins and things, but at greater heights. So your height, it helped me. It helped me. Yeah, I can't say it. It's helped me into my older age, but it definitely helped me. Interesting.

Okay. David. Okay. Mike's psychological question. I'm the layman. He's a skateboard is now when you grew up in San Diego and what was the park in Carls? But it was a big old. What's not? So there was always a skate park in Diego and then that closed and then Delmar skate ranch was the last to cool on park in that area. Yeah. Okay. So let's say.

Tell me. Do you remember vans? Do you remember vans? Yeah, that's much later for one of my kids birthdays. I Bought the place which one Ontario or orange It was like milpidas or something. It's so sad. Oh, yeah. Yeah. That was vans. Yeah, they made in the coolest kids school That was a good part. Yeah Now let's say, because I did get to golf at Tiger Woods, let's say he's the best in golf, that's sort of generally known. And you are, let's say,

generally known as the best skater. Is it something in you that makes you not wanna give up, number one, because you still skate, you don't really have to skate, you could stop. And you can't work it stop. Yeah, but well, I never did it for Famer Fortune. You still like it. But those things weren't even dreams.

No, I, the same, I asked my wife, did I ever talk about being richer famous? Never. I was in the club and I just wanted to be the best guy in that club. So I totally relate to that. But in skateboarding, no one was richer famous when I started.

That wasn't, that wasn't, there was no one could aspire to. What do you aspire to? I don't that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was,

that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was,

that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was, that you want to push it that far. You're the first superstar. I think I've turned a corner on that. To be honest, I mean, you prove in everything. But I guess it's still fun to be like you're still as good as everyone.

We go to comedy clubs, you still want to do as good as these guys. You know, it's the same thing. Yeah, I can't, that's the thing though. I can't phone it in. And everyone's watching you. Yeah, and so if I were to feel like I'm not really of a professional level, I wouldn't do it in public or on camera. Yeah.

Um, but I'm still I'm still walk the walk. I don't believe it relate to what you're saying, you know, when I go to do it, I can't help it. I just want to dominate, but it's not in an unfair way. Like you have your peers just to do, but to do your personal best. Yeah, yeah. And not because you want to destroy everyone else. No, no, but it's, it becomes a de facto comedy competition

sometime. And there's a lot of subjectivity to it when 10 guys go on and we're supposed to be just hanging out with the comedy sort of doing our sets, but I was like, yeah, the best set or he couldn't follow you. It's a gunslinger thing. Right. But yeah, it's not as much with David and I.

We don't. Well, I did enjoy you guys after Chris rock oh you saw that I saw that did you sense the awkwardness because we were Caucasians I know I think you guys handled very well I didn't want to even when to figure that out but they did right away well they were yeah I was it was good we were there to facilitate but um you know I can't join in on those conversations and no but but I thought you guys did a good job. Well, we wanted to joke. First of all, we liked everybody there. All the panel was cool. We hung with them all day. I thought JB's funny. He came out of his shell that night.

You know, wait a minute, for the first time, he was in a smoking and prodding. Yeah. He lit his cigar backstage. He'd held it for a while. That went so good. I'm gonna light this up. I said, JB, you are smooth. Was that my name? My name is smooth, he was nice.

No, we know, and we've known Chris, David's especially close with Chris, but knowing him since 1990. Yeah, and that was sort of how it came about. We had a podcast, we're always together anyway, SNL, it's Chris, we're all buddies. Let's put a panel together. It gets, they want to make the event bigger.

So why not? We'll talk about it. But there's some stuff in there. If I had some heavy controversial opinions, I would say them. But I didn't really, I just watched jokes like them, said a few funny things, but when it got really heavy things, I don't want to comment.

I mean, I want to let them talk. And that was why we were all that was I had the same thesis But it happened to Chris and he owned it and expanded it, but I Thought it was always about something else that anger right now with the wife I mean, it was pretty obvious it but he laid it out perfectly and what was fascinating to me is that Very rarely does the world watch Quote unquote the world and we all know the story. We all saw the slap and all the reaction.

And then a year later, we have a guy who got connected to it in such a way, because Chris doesn't flood lines. But I think the emotion was so strong at that moment, which made it better, because it's live, real. That this was more than a mic drop. He was working some stuff out. And it, you know, I just wanted to casually,

is this over now or? I mean, me, Nate, another special next year. We've all been bullied. Me and Chris, when he used to talk about it, I was pushed from Arizona, I was always a Pipsqueak. And I hated it and Chris hated it. And I'm sure Dana got a little bit of it.

Well, no, no, no way more. I gotta bullied by a grown man. Family knocked out. Yeah. Yeah. And so when you get like that, I can see when things like that set you off road rage shit because people try to fuck with me. They'll hit on a date right in front of me.

They'll go on sky-gun to say anything or they'll say that. You're not going to shit. And that anger builds up over your whole life. And so Chris getting that on stage at the Oscars, in my head I was like, I don't know if I could continue life. It just be, it's so humiliating and then you don't fight back. Should I have you? So you go on and on and will, I thought got off pretty easy

because Banny from the Oscars, one thing, but Banny from getting an Oscar is I thought should be stronger. For a couple of years. He doesn't have to go to the silly show or show. He'll get us. Go to the Banny Fair Party. He's waiting to watch me walk in. No stronger. For a couple years. He doesn't have to go the silly show or show. Who cares? Go to the Vandy Fair Party. Just wait and watch for the one thing. And they'll bring it in on a flattery. Yeah, I saw him there after the Vandy Fair Party. And then I saw Chris and Gio's.

And Chris was pretty cool. So I saw Chris the next morning. Where were you? I was staying up here and I saw him at breakfast. Oh, you did? Yeah, he was alone at a table at the beach. And he's always a little bit. Well, tell us what you said to him. I just said, I thought that you

handle that like a nice throw. He said, yeah, I don't feel a heart. I didn't do it with me, but he, but he already had a clear piece. Yeah, you know, I was, yeah, he has his own history with, with, uh, it's smart to family sit on it for a year. It's, it's got to drive him crazy. But at least he let it all out. It was great. I feel like he's, I think that was a literal mic drop. I don't think he got it all out. I don't think he has anything else to say.

But I hope it continues. People have said to David and I, if we had a real feud, this podcast would blow up. And we're trying. So I'm trying to find a way to get mad at everybody. It's pretty mellow. You want to be part of this? I'm a wedge here. Let's see, it's pretty mellow. How do I a way to get mad at you. I can't. You know, I'm going to be far with this. I'm wedge here.

Let's see. You know, I'm trying to work up anger, but I just can't. I want to have credit for that. No, but what you say about bullying, I mean, and in our day, you got picked on. Yeah. I just, they're always picking on me. They, you know, we pick on him. That was totally accepted.

Yeah. And there were no resources. And a lot of it is not grandiose. Like a lot of it is just the guy in the locker room just takes the back of your neck and just just quickly just pushes you down to the floor. There's a lot of you're gonna do nothing. Because I was so small they would pick me up on the hallway and spin me around once. By the way, nothing more humiliating. Now that's why you were so great doing three six. You got to thank the guys. Let's go wait. Now that's why you were so great doing three six times. You gotta thank the guys.

Let's go, wait, let's go two and a half. This time, yeah. I was more gonna do a nine-hundred. Tony Hawk became brilliant because of bullies who would flip them from the air, throw them across the room, roll them down the hill, but tell you on skateboard, you go no one's trying to hit me. I don't know, you get picked up like I do.

When people pick me up at a party, I fuckin flip out. And to this day, it happens. If you pick me up at a party. I fucking flip out into this day It happens I go if you pick me up. We're dead for life for not friends. I forget. Oh my god. It's like the most humiliating I would get picked up to yeah, and they throw you against the locker. I had a girl And that was my mom. That's it. That's it After I came my pants and said this is over Surprise handing Surprise, ending. Happy surprise.

So Tony. Well, Tony, Tony, um, you know, let's ask him about the movie we did. We have to talk about that. Oh, yeah. Okay. Well, I just, so you got some else. I'm still so fascinated how well, just to make one, one opposite, one of the casual observation. The sport is went follow for a while.

Yeah. You come up, you're emerging right as the sport is going. And so you're the first that I don't know if there's a second or there are these after superstars, but to the casual observer, you are skating. You're who? How many people their name is a brand? It's funny because I don't know. I know skating. I know some names, but it's synonymous. Tony with Tony is at that level.

Yeah. Well, I can tell you, I credit a lot of that for a successful video game. Oh, that's right. The cause your name is our game and huge letters had had huge success. It was gigantic. Yeah. That was where you made the most money, right? Oh, yeah.

And so people would see my name synonymous with a successful video game So that kind of added to the recognition factor Well, that's the cool thing is that you're the video game guy and then you're still actually the best guy Oh, thank you. Yeah, I do it. It doesn't always happen. So that that's that's so much So how did the video game quickly how did I come about they approached you? You got to a certain level a company approached you and were you in on the design of it? And so on. So I was actually working with a PC programmer who came to me and said, Hey, I have an idea for a skateboard game nerd. What's that?

Nerd nerd. Dude, we were two nerds. Nerd alert. Literally knocking on doors. We were going to console manufacturers, we were going to software companies and saying, how would we do? So this was like around 97, 96, 97. So you're huge at that point, right? Yeah.

Well, there was, there's sort of a gap in skating's popularity in the early 90s. So it went underground very much so and that's kind of when street skating emerged. Okay. So this game they don't come to you fully formed. They say good. Well, though it was this he and I went to meetings and we just got shut down everywhere we went. They said skateboarding is not popular classic. Why would anyone want to play a skateboarding game? Okay. And at the time there weren't that many home consoles. There were there were some but

not it wasn't. Did you go to an intense or a car? No, so he gave up. He got frustrated. Okay. And he actually told me, he said, look, I got to find a job, but I feel like we've made some some headway in terms of putting your name out there that you're interested in doing this.

And then maybe something will come of that. I remember thinking, yeah, okay, buddy, sure. And then almost a year later, Activision called me and said, hey, we heard you wanna do a video game. That's what, yes. I remember saying this. We are doing a video game.

What about you? I'm about to see if you want to get involved. So I went up to Activision and they were working on this game that was based on an engine that they had already made for a game called Apocalypse starring Bruce Willis. Okay. It was the first game that had a celebrity look alike. Oh, you know, they're avatar I guess they have a tarot. Sure. Not the movie, but not that literal and his voice and but it didn't do very well But the engine was perfect for skateboarding the The engine means the motion in the game. So the first time I ever played what became Tony Hawk's

Pro Skater was was Bruce Willis on a skateboard with a gun on his back, doing kickflips. Okay. Like through a dozen. It was Bruce Willis. That's a star. Yeah. That was it. Where was there a breakthrough moment or an epiphany like how,

how to make a skateboard thing as exciting as a war? It was. Well when I played the game, I knew then like this is the way it should because you're feeling it. I'm feeling it and it was intuitive. Suddenly I was doing tricks right away. So I thought with my resources, we could probably make something that is legitimate.

I wasn't thinking it was going to go gangbusters because I still heard those voices saying who would want to play a skateboard game. Right. And when I told them I had an Nintendo 64 at the time and I said, oh, we're going to make this for Nintendo 64 and they go, no, we're making this for PlayStation. There's a million PlayStation out there. There are a million Nintendo 64s. And so I went along with that obviously. Another smart idea. Not long after when it had success in the beginning, they called me and said, you get your wish, we're gonna do Nintendo 64. It was like cool and then we ended up doing all the systems.

And then after the first guy, you wet the beak on him a little bit or not. He's go away for good. Show business term, wet the beak. Give me a little taste. Yeah, a little taste. No, I felt bad for that guy. He's totally. Give me a little taste. A little taste. No, I felt bad for that guy.

Oh, he is totally. So you had gross points. I mean, I don't know whatever, but you're an owner. You're an owner. And so being an owner is king. Oh, yeah, I mean, it changed my life. So it just starts rolling in. And then it gets bigger.

Did you evade techs? By the time the fourth game, no. I remember my first, I already had the first. I already had the first, I already was writing my first check to the IRS and thinking, this is more, this is more than the money I'd ever think I'd made in my lifetime. It's getting to the IRS. So the rich man, the rich pay the fair share. They're only dead. There's Tony Hawk. Tony Hawk. I'm this. Yeah. I could've gotten the loopholes. That was Joe Biden. Sorry. I got he gets anyway. Well, everything seems to be going well at this point in your existence. The game is

kicked ass. You've won so many X games world champion. Um, done a lot of commercials. You land a 900 at some point. How long to take you when I saw, how big a deal was that for you? That was, well, that was, for me, that was my best exit from competition. So you were thinking, I'm gonna land this. And there was no plan. Oh, it was all spontaneous that night, honestly. So you just thought, so just because I was trying to explain it to my wife

and my son, you're going up in just because I was trying to explain it to my wife and my sons, you're going up in the air really, really high. You're going a full revolution here, buddy. Another full revolution. And then a half a revolution, which, you know, 360, 360, 180, and then hit it. And that was a little Mount Everest kind of thing. For me at that time, yeah, because it's something that I had been trying off and on for 10 years. I did the first 720 in 1985.

And that was huge at the time. Yeah, for sure. I mean, in the skateboard world, but the skateboard world wasn't huge. There were no X games, there was no social media. Oh, good, so no one really had. Does it have to be filmed, or do they take your word for it?

I got a sequence of it. I mean, back then there was, it was, it was, it was, it was more about did, did, did, did it get in the magazine. So I got a small sequence in the,

all those photos like that. Yeah, yeah. I got a small sequence in the trash are doing a 720. Oh, yeah, I probably saw. I think on a backyard ramp in Sweden. So when you landed the 900, what kind of, what competition were you?

That was at the X Games. That was global television. What? I said, what kind of positive did you get? I thought that's what you were saying. I thought you were going to go from a true audience to Zonely, is that on the video game? I thought you were headed.

Quite. No, so you do, I get all serious. So what? So you do the number of chances. You're so What Dance your Famous he's out there It's a question I was trying it off and on I couldn't figure it out I got hurt a couple times doing it and then when that event happened in 99 it was the best trick event

And I had one trick planned for that event which was not the 900 It was a variation of a 720 and I made that early on so I had 10 minutes to kill in this event and The announcer the live announcer for the audience that was there said what we see when those 900s And I was like great. Oh now I'm on the spot crowd. Okay, so I watched this. Yeah, I watched this last This isn't the one where you kept trying it. Is that the one? Yeah, that's one where you go over and over. And like a tenth one. And then they all popped in. And everyone almost gave up.

And then you kept doing it. Well, I was, I think after my third or fourth attempt, I realized that this is the closest I've ever gotten. So there's no way I'm going to give up. It's either, I'm going to make this or they're going to take me away. Or you're going to get hurt or something? Are you thinking right as you take off like to get height, right?

To get as high as there's there's there's a bunch of elements, but speed for sure you've got to be a certain height to get that much spin rotation. The snap is when the pop the spin leave the ramp the ramp, yeah, you got to have a snap where you, you hit your tail and you grab the board at the exact same time. And if that doesn't happen, your board just flies away immediately and you're stuck kind of spinning space. Oh, I write as you're about to go airborne, you got to grab your boards or attach to it. And so if you get a good snap, then somewhere in the middle of the spin, you have to shift your weight towards the front foot.

That was the part that I couldn't figure out all those years. Whoa. Oh, interesting. And so I mean, sorry, not towards the back foot. So you spinning, if you just spin the way that you take off and try to land, you're too top heavy. So I had to figure out how to sort of shift my weight to the back foot, midspin, and that's what you see me working out at this. You mean when you land, you'll go face first, you won't.

I did go face first the first time I ever tried to make it. So that's why you go, I gotta be, I gotta be. With the weight on the back foot, it seemed like when you did do it, you did sort of a squat and you, you, you, you, you, Yeah, well that was me overcompensating. Right, but you didn't leave the board. You set the record, but that was like, yeah, interesting. No.

Yeah, you, you like, interesting. No. Yeah, you, you know, because I do, when I used to skate, it's fun to watch once I quit, because you sort of know a little bit about it enough to know which tricks are hard. So when I see Instagram and I'm like, God damn, like it got so beyond what I could ever do. I was, I was, it's video games now.

Like the tricks that you see, I can't imagine. On Instagram or the, or the pros that you see out there, especially street skaters, it's the kind of thing that we did on our video game in combos as a joke. Because you know, you can never do it. Yeah, no one will ever do this. And now they're doing it.

Is the equipment gotten better than it? Or is there equipment hasn't changed that much? It hasn't changed. It seems about the city. I think they have plates on track shoes, people running four minute miles in high schoolers. Yeah, no, it's just skating late. It's just harder.

Okay, so they're all about the same weight. They're all about the same. But it's also like when you think about the generations that have come before, the generation coming in now establishes that, oh, a 900 is possible. Or these tricks, these combos are reality. So that's the baseline of which to start.

You could even go crazy. Yeah, you know, they used to have these things named Skyhooks. So if that was cream up, dual-team bars, but it is, I was like, it was hard for me to, when I got to doing aerials at the old high roller skate park in Arizona. And so when you have to leave the top of the old high roller skate park in Arizona.

And so when you have to leave the top of the pool, that's being a colossal pussy. This is a doctor telling me this. That's three pussy's on this. Yeah. No, that's just saying I am not tough. So all with different connotations. It's a fear. Yeah, totally different meanings every time.

It's a fear thing, Dan. It once you leave the top on the ramp or maybe I'll be my dad first. It's too scary. And then so I wiped out a high roller trying to do an aerial axle stall I think I've told Tony this before and so I which whip to his credit is pretty gnarly. It's a hard trick It's hard and it's dangerous and so you go up land. I think David and Drake someone did you get speed you go up off David you go up on a pool It was a it was a pool at the skate park and you go up and you land on your axles and then you drop back in

It was a pool at the skate park and you go up and you land on your axles and then you drop back in. Lanny is the hard part, dropping and I can probably do, but I miss it and I wiped out and I fell backwards into the pool and broke both of us. Now, everyone, all the concern skaters go, get the fuck out of the pool. Yes. Because I was laying there. And so I broken risk and dragged my board out. And it's hard to walk up from the deep end of the shallow end.

It's like slippery. So I get out and I'm laying on my brothers. We had the Lee car and Andy got mad because we just got to the skate park. We had two hours. And so I'm laying on the car on the windshield and Andy, they go get Andy my brother because he saw me, he goes,

I'll just go on the car. We're outta here in two hours. And so, my, the skate park person saw me kind of shaking. I think, I didn't say anything. I knew I was in trouble. And then they went and got Andy and he comes and throws his helmet and he goes, what the fuck? You're fine, right?

And I go, yeah. And they go, no, you got to take him home. You can't stay. And he goes, fuck. So he throws me in the car and he goes, I'm going back. So he dropped me to my stepdad. And he went back to see me. And then I sat there and then my stepdad was buzzed because of the night he was just

drinking. And he took me to his clinic and X-rayed him and I saw a crack down both of them. I look around the corner and I go, hmm, I didn't even go to med school. I see something going on. He goes, let's sit on this. He was drunk. I go something going on. Did they suck the looks off? He goes, let's sit on this. He was drunk. I go, what are we waiting for?

So I lay down and I don't, we don't have a bike in his back. No, we don't have anything. So I'm just lying there. Sorry, I went bring. I was went bring. And then the next day my mom was, you're just taking a man and do something.

So he just gave me splints. So then the first day of school, I went as a freshman. I had two splints, but I looked like a badass at my quick silvers. I have my no-peacher carrying We got injured in different ways like my brother

Popped the wheelie. That's we do on pop the wheelie the wheel comes off chips is The forks go down you go. Oh, it's just a way. So he's like got thanks for a while They finally got him, you know Caps on him and then he's doing a Duncanangs for a while. They finally got him, you know, caps on him. And then he's doing a Duncan Imperial going with the yo-yo. Boom, broke him again. That's twice. You guys were daredevil.

Then he got a slinky and he lost an ear. Look, I don't want to go into the car V. We were rough and tumble six kids. It wasn't a was nothing was safe Trust me. I knocked my teeth out my front teeth five times God dang are you you see really yeah, but the cool thing about that is every time you knock them out You can choose the size and the color You have a positive value

That's that's a thing. All right, how many bones do you have broken in your body? Everyone wants to know. Everybody. Four officially. Four officially. Yeah, my pelvis, my elbow, my femur. And well, I broke my thumb, basically. Concussions.

How many bruises, roughly? Concussions? I have many. Why is Sun, does to do ramp rats? Ramp rats would be a max bike. Oh, you know, you find out later, but he was out cold for three minutes once. Yeah, well, concussions weren't talked about a lot in the old days. No, no, you just said your head hard.

They didn't know bell wrong. Yeah, you got his bell wrong. But they say multiple hard hits is the hardest thing on your brain. Well, or in the hundreds in succession. Yeah. Yeah. Where it's one after the other. They're in a short time. Yes. Absolutely. And I've been proactive in that. And I've had the tests and to see if I'm at risk for Alzheimer's and it seems that I'm doing all right. I see a lot of dudes in these Instagram with no helmets doing some gnarly stuff. Yes. It's kind of a skateboard or a cool thing to do,

but it is not the smartest thing. They were trying to, when they put skateboarding the Olympics, there was a movement, which I found odd to not have helmets in the park event. Yeah, you can see the park event where people are flying. Yeah, you're doing real sight. That's when it's flat, you're saying, when it's just street stuff. When it's street, they're not,

but what they were saying in the parkman, we shouldn't have to wear pads. And I was like, you guys are, I was not in the conversation, but see, guys are flying 10 feet above 10 foot pools. That's, I don't think it's gonna go well for the general audience. Yeah, I mean, it's not like it's supposed to be kind of a fun game.

Yeah, I'm the type, picture parents going, yeah, you're never gonna do that. was surfing in a way or is that a bad vibe that it also, it's not necessarily a cannabis culture. It was kind of, oh, I'm sorry. I'd say skateboarding is so diverse now that I wouldn't just zero on something like that. I feel like this definitely has been associated with skating. But they had the phrase surfer bum. Do they have skater bum? Skate rat? I think skateboard is more like to someone who lives. But I think on the outside, especially in the in those days when skating wasn't very popular There was a there was a sort of view of skating that was oh their slackers They're gonna wake up late their stoners, right and I guess you could view it like that

But I feel like skating requires so much discipline that that was sort of being ignored. It's very technical. That's true. We were sort of outliers because you didn't fit in anyway at our school. So my brother and I, we took my kids to Europe and they, because we were middle class kids, got some money. We're in Italy. But all they wanted, all they talked about was statues and monuments.

I could catch so much air off that. Oh, yeah. Everything was about what they could skate off of. Yeah, kind of any angle. I remember when one of the palatars went to the Vatican, and I tailed dropped off one of the sculptures and I actually loved that. You really liked that.

Yeah. Wait a minute, you were in the Vatican? It's in the Vatican city. I mean, the Vatican city in that. Oh, that area. Yeah, yeah. We were just, that was the thing in those days. All we cared about was skating. So it was. Anything, yeah. We were just, that was the thing. And those days, all we cared about was skating.

So it was anything. Yeah, the sightseeing was just more incidental to us getting to skate that day. Stairs. What was that? What would you get most excited about just in sort of urban environment? Back in those days, anything that resembled a ramp or a bank, like a reservoir. Even Katner school here, I used to see in skateboard magazines, so when I came here, I had to go find it, and it was kind of lame.

It was just slight banks on asphalt, but it was something. That was the early days of it. Yeah, I do some Bertleman's. Yeah. You know, Bertleman's. Bertleman's. Bertleman's. Oh yeah, just a little bit.

That's a tough term. I do little tail blockers because there's really no dangers in this turn around. I have a photo in the first in the audience at home. In the first Bones Brigade newsletter. Yeah, I had a photo doing a Bertleman at Cancer Banks. Oh, for real. Yeah.

You want to go to Bertleman's jelly for good thing is if Tony's a photographer across me, if you go up to him and there's a camera low and you do a tail block, put your hand out and then that's a good picture. That's a hero angle. Yeah, that's a good one. That's a hero angle. Yeah, that's a good one. Let's talk about the movie.

You were in Jackass too before you get to police academy. All of them. You were in all of them. Yeah. And did you do, Dane, have you seen when you were in full-sumkin-a-blown-up suit? Full pipe. Yeah. Did you do a full pipe in a chicken suit or something?

I did. Yes. I was about to say, it sounds like a possible. I know. Yes. That's what I was saying. It sounds like a potsoil. I know. That's right. Johnny Knoxville. I did that for Jackass with Matt Hoffman. The TV show.

The TV show. Okay. He and I worked. Oh, he was a BMX, right? Yeah. And we did a loop in Orlando, and then after the loop, we jumped into this lake. Oh, that's fun, yeah. And then I was on wild boys

and we were skating in gorilla costumes. Then it's never easy. We were also skating with an orangutan. So that was the whole vibe. There was an orangutan that skated and then Bob Burkowitz and I dressed up in gorilla at Bob Burkowitz. Did the orangutan think you were a gorilla?

So I didn't know you were a puppy. But it did not like if we got ahead of him. So, he's in it to win it and we're just standing behind. Because you don't want him coming after you. And you're, we end up skating. Picture your face off I heard. Yeah, yeah. We end up skating.

Side note. Just to fill the content. And then we went and did Bob had his own loop. And we did Bob's loop and Bob's loop was very slow and weathered. And I didn't take that into consideration as I went down to it. And then I ended up paying the price. Did you not get around the whole thing? You're saying I fell from what happens?

I fell just around 10 o'clock going up. And that makes you go all the way to the top and then fall. So I fell 16 feet. That's when I broke my pelvis. And were you in the arena tank suit at that point? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Was the arena tank suit. That was for well boys. Was it padded? Not worth it. No, that was extra. We don't got any budget. And I was wearing the mask so I wasn't wearing my helmet.

Oh, okay. Problem. I got a con that. And I was wearing the mask, so I wasn't wearing my helmet. So I had a problem. I got a concussion, but I'll rush my skull. For people at home, you just go straight down fast like hot wheels and then you do a whole loop. A whole loop. And you lose all your momentum at the top and you want to bail, I'm sure. But if you just hang on your fully lightweight,

I'm sure you're full. If you have the right amount of speed, you just hold steady and it works. And it will stay on. Yeah, but the problem with bobs is that it was so weathered, you couldn't get that around amount of speed. I like it so I try to compensate by using my legs. And if you use your legs, then you end up completely straight leg with nowhere to go.

Have you ever studied geometry or physics? Because it sounds like you're really, you got to know speed. It's wind. It's like, well, the first time I ever did it, I did go, I it sounds like you're really, you got to know speed, it's wind, it's like. Well, the first time I ever dated, I did go, I actually did a hot wheels and tried to measure that and do the ratios of how that would work. And it worked the first time,

but this time it didn't work. It seems that there's a lot of thinking that goes into these tricks that maybe not usually I put it in here. It's usually it usually just intuitive. No, it's just try. I don't like the Gaby's shitty ring. If I get here, I'm gonna fall there.

I gotta get speed to get this velocity in this angle, I don't know, sounds interesting. Yeah, we're just kinda going off of feeling. We didn't have foam pits or training grounds. Right, so it's like David, like he tried air to access to all and came down hard, brothers and- Yeah, well, by the way, we did this movie in the old days I I was trying to jump the simple thing of stairs. I just see if you risk as a bump

No, I actually I actually broke my wrist again after that skating. Yeah, and my mom goes you shouldn't skate anymore I go because it's too dangerous. You guys know you're horrible We have to keep you in school. You keep He goes, no, you're horrible at it. We have to keep you in school. You keep getting more good gene in the house. Yeah, I just, I think it was, it got too hard. It was too, you know, I could do the desert pipes. We did those. I could do, you know, and just go to vert and come.

I couldn't really do that much. Those are, those are famous. Could you do, uh, what is the pineapple reverse squat? Do you remember that one? The old dipsy Doodle. Now I can do front side grinders. I can do stuff, but it gets scary Dana. And it was just when it gets too hard

and what they were doing, it's, it's seven. I had hard time looking at it. My kids coming down and steep hills. Yeah. Didn't want to wear helmets, but I put the helmet on, put the helmet on, and I, because of childhood trauma, I had to look away.

My wife could just watch them, but I would to look away. My wife could just watch him, but I would just look away. Oh, they made it. You know, we had 23 ER visits between the two sons. Oh, wow. Yeah. Yeah, I actually have the cell number of the head of the ER. My down there by you.

Can you see? They have a special lane. Tony, he's coming in on Tony Drive. Okay. Put him in. And we have several children and they all went through their share of injuries. You got to be all skated. So that too. And is Riley a pro?

Riley, my oldest son is pro. Yes. Yeah. Cool. Cool. So do you think when you see him becoming that good, do you see yourself in him intellectually or I see I see his determination and his drive to keep trying to outdo himself. Yeah. Very much so.

He's more of a street skater, so that is not my wheelhouse, but I do see the same sort of motivation that he has that I have. How can you prove all successful people? It's hard that he's that good because he's got this guy's dad. And, and it's hard to be good anyway. He kind of, he kind of shied away from skating when he started getting good because of that. It's weird.

It's definitely weird. And, but, but came back to it because he had so many close friends that were just hardcore skaters and kind of found his own path after that. Well, once you're making a living at something that's a passion, it's kind of a, it's a very nice thing. So he is professional.

He is. And I always wanted to make the same amount of money I could as a waiter, like maybe 1,500 a month. And once I got to 600 a month, I was able to put 9 apron. I made 600. We made 600 on this. But it's time to finish that sentence. I'm done on this five. It's time to finish that sentence. Yeah, I'm telling you jokes.

No, it's their life's been good. But to your point, it's for everybody who excels at things, the passion has to come first and just wanting to get better at it. Yeah, wanting to get better. I do see, I have seen skaters come and go because their motivation is fame and fortune. And if they get a taste of it, then they don't want to skate anymore or they don't want

to push themselves. And also if that's your monocard, it's like Lauren Michaels wanted his, the miniature hot, you feel yourself getting less hot. It's hard to stay. To another one's if you're a fame whore, you're just like, I, you know, I don't like to stay home. I don't want to go anywhere. Dave's a man about town, but we're different.

We're different. That's why we have a chemistry. But yeah, I much rather watch Friday night lights at home. I have to extract Dana out to dinner once a week. Oh, yeah, I feel you. But he has a stunning dinner. And mashed potatoes waiting for him when he sits down. And then he'll have a small cocktail.

I go, are you feeling anything with that two pounds of time? Tebow and your glasses was getting night. Dana, why aren't you asking him about the movie you don't care about? It's police academy four, it's what we missed. Well, this is for the first listeners. No, well, I have some questions after this,

but this is the access of connection between these two, the movie, police academy, four, the good ones. David's in it, Tony's in it, go, guys. I said, I got hired just doing improv. I wasn't a good actor. The way I locked into that Tony is I went in, I was very new, I was 21, and I just

started to inset the improv and there's casting people, peppered around, you just don't know. And then when they called me in and they said, we got a script, can you come in and audition, I didn't know what I was doing. I would have literally, because my next audition, I just read it off the page. They go, we want you to read, I go, oh, I can read. And then I just read the script to them and they were like, you don't know what you're doing and I go, nope.

So the only reason I got that is because they go, can you skate? And I said, yeah, because I auditioned for North Shore a movie and I said I could surf and I could not. And then I was like, discover that. Yeah, discover that. I didn't get it. So I got down to meet Matt Adler, a buddy of mine got it and he could surf. So it's about a guy from Arizona and I go, I have all the components.

I can't surf that good. So I do dodge the blow up Arizona and I go, I have all the components I can't surf that good. So I do dodge the blow up without one. Yeah, I would have fucking drowned. Surfing is... No, no, but I'm just saying that is the one of the most quoted ridiculous surf movies. Oh yeah, it was kind of goop. Was it kind of goopie?

Is that your saying? Yeah, I mean, there's some one liners in there that didn't do it. That it'll live on. It'll be because it was... Which one was it? It's called North Shore. North Shore, yeah, who was in it?

Matt Adler is a buddy of mine. Okay. Lared plays the name of this. Oh, he does. There's Hamilton. He got the poses leash. He would have traveled. Oh, Lared Hamilton.

Yeah, he's a trip. He's the bad guy. If you knew I was not good. So anyway, so I audition for Police Academy. But when I get there, they go, we're getting a new script and it's not here yet. And I go, oh, and they go, shit, you're here. Do you want to just,

oh, perfect. You want to just add, live stuff, well, you're just a smart-ass kid, and there weren't lines, you're so stiff anyway. I would have bombed. So I just started making up stuff. That's good. And it was so lucky because they go,

oh, he's not bad, because I was just free-forming. That's so much. So I get tired. I go there, I'm making so much fucking money I think I think in twenty five hundred dollars a week as a movie I was in a movie in Toronto and they go on a Part of the skate gang of misfits and they go oh we're gonna get and of course I knew the bones per game I knew everything from Arizona and then they go this guy Tony Hawk I think is Guerrero and Cavalero and Mike McGill and Lance. Lance Mountain. And so they all came out and I was so excited

because they were awesome. Do you remember what your first impressions of David's bid? I was super funny. Yeah. So it was one of those things where I got where you go, oh, you're really funny. You should be a comedian.

That was lovely because Tony, the one problem we had was Tony, he was taller than me and he was a, were you goofy or regular? I'm goofy with it. And so we had Chris Miller. Well, no, I can, can I interject? Yeah, go ahead. So. Yes.

So we all read for the, that part. Oh, is that right? We all read for the part you got. Oh, that's right. Okay. Or the, or the, you and the, the, who's the guy in fast times? Yeah. And backer.

So we all read for those parts as the bones brigade and they're like, yeah, you guys are not actors, but you know, we'll consider you in the gang or whatever. Okay. And then they, I didn't know that. They singled out when they hired you guys to sing it out, Lance and me as the doubles. Yeah. I went through a go, grow spurt from the time we tried out to the time we got there. Really?

And so for the first week, they were like, I think that guys you tall. And I remember the director saying like, you know, he's a pretty good skater, but he's a bad stunt double. And so then Stacey kept telling me like, Jimmy Drake. Well, crouching.

Stay low. Stacey Pro. Yeah, and I go, I don't know. I was trying, I was trying. And then they just quietly sent me home. Basically, I got fired. Oh. And then they sent in Chris Miller,

who looks like he looks a little more. And is the same stance as, well, you're, you're, I'm goofy, but he was closer. It was a tough decision because you're goofy and he's regular. Sorry, what is goofy, but I'm goofy. Oh, that means he stands,

he stands with his right foot forward. So do I. And that's called goofy. Yeah, and left foot is called regular regular okay, and so when I get higher, I remember that was that was part of the thing was like oh your goofy footed to that's what David is So I went so in long story short they sent in Chris Miller who looks more like him, but is regular footed Okay, so in the in the skate sequence his stance keeps changing. It's so crazy. Wow, I'm gonna watch this so professional. But you had a legit skate part, like going through the mall.

I could skate, I could skate, and then when I go, one time I go, Brian Backer could not skate. He was, he was very much against it. Yeah. To the point where he's making us very uncomfortable. As part of the movie, he just didn't want to even pretend and they needed establishing shots of him skating Okay, even if they had to pull him on something. Oh, okay He didn't want to be yeah, but at one point they did try to get him on a skateboard

And he was very upset about it. He was kind of complaining to us and we're like we just work here. Yeah We can help you Stacy Pralta was a great skater and a great director. And one of his bosses, because he's from Pal Peralta, bones were great all the time. Yeah, I mean, he's the one who put us together and he was the one who got us the audition. And he did second unit. Yeah. So he directed us in a lot of those skate scenes, or if not all of them.

And one time I go, Stacy, he goes, you can scale a bit, right? I go, yeah, I go listen on this one. I'm right up pink bones, you're the night. Yeah. And I go, uh, we're just, we're just rolling through the city at night. So I go, yeah, yeah. I go, listen on this one, I'm right up pink bones, you're doing that? Yeah. And I go, we're just rolling through the city at night, so I go, I'm going to ask him. And then I go, you go over these steps, and I go, what is it? Five steps? I go, I can do that.

And he goes, okay. So I could do five steps, seven out of ten times. So, but when the pressure, so they're all behind me. I don't know if you remember this. Anyway, I'm in front, woo woohoo, making noises we loop later. And then we go in and I do the first steps and I fucking wipe out. And then everyone has to wipe out on top of me

because they're all like two feet behind me. Oh yeah, there was no, there was no camera rolling. There's no camera rolling. That's like slapstick. And they use that. No, I think they just go Tony, just do it. And then you get one right. As a stunt double. Yeah, a stunt double. Five Tony, just do it. And then you need to get one right as a stunt double. Yeah, that's not a five, five steps.

Was it nothing for you? That's not nothing, but it was, yeah, it seemed to be a lot for David. So we learned very difficult. Yeah, but what we learned in that shoot is we learned about stunt pumps. And we didn't know anything about that. So if we pretended like something was really hard, you didn't get a such money. You did jump the police car.

You're talking about two stairs. Are you nuts boy? I've got a fee for that one. Yeah, I got to. It was the, when we jumped the fountain. Okay. I don't think you were there for that one, but we jumped the fountain.

They set up this big ramp and it just was so janky. The whole thing. And landing zone was terrible. And we were just sitting there sweating it and they're like, we'll give you each 500 bucks to do this. We're like, what? Oh, yeah. Oh, oh, the ramp got a lot better. Every time I did it. We're going to wear a back wits. That's when we learned that we. Interesting. Yeah, stunt doubles. I've been next to guys that were about to take a car hit on my behalf talking to him.

How you doing? Are you good? And they never say they won't go again. Because they get more money. I guess they get more money. Junk, yeah. Yeah. So every take, they do it, they get a bump.

Right, right, yeah. So only one time I had a stuntman tap out and I took over. You took over? What was it? Well, it was going inside this big, bad of goo. Big wooden thing, and Anthony Hopkins was the dad, and he was there. It's supposed to go under it, and then it's the goo fills everything. I guess it looked claustrophobia. The guy was a great stuntman, but just got him shook up, so I did it. You did it?

Yeah, I got underneath the thing. It's terrible. Oh, fuck, I'm a little guy. I can't skate. I can't do anything, but I'll stay down on this fucking goo. I come up from the goo and there's Anthony Hopkins or Tony as I call him or Hoppy.

We were close. Anyway, he's playing my dad. Oh, he's under. So anyway, I have questions. Yeah, I give him the questions. I just do this sometimes for fun. Let's see what I got here. I do want to say that and that I get asked about that all the time.

I do too all the time. Oh yeah, he's got me for it. It's kind of, but it's only one of those comedies of the 80s. Everybody knows. From then on we stayed friends. He would always give me a board. He would always, if I asked for some, we went and skated McGill's ramp once, which I was not good at. I'm so brittle that I can't believe you still will risk falling because every time I fall,

it really rocks me. I think I got accustomed to the slight pain of skating, but now as I grow older, things linger more. But I do find that if I stay active, it's easier. Because when I did the day and when I did the thing with Tiger, I was comparing them because they're both like the number one in their field. Tiger is so driven. So we played golf that night and he was visibly hurt from his back operations.

He wasn't, he's super cool, he's great, he's reading pots, he was having fun, but I could tell he's in pain. I even asked him, would you, do you think he'll ever play golf again? Cause he just got an operation. And I thought maybe this is it. Why ask him, I don't know.

That, that, next morning he gets in the car record, right? So he crushes his feet, everything. He may never play again. And he starts to swing and within a year, he, he was better than me, minutes. I go, there was a while there where I was better than him because he couldn't pick up a comb, and then he goes, I can kinda, I'm better than me for the minutes. I go, there was a while there where I was better than him because he couldn't pick up a comb though. And then he goes, I can kinda, I'm better than you.

And I'm like, what? How was it that I thought it was a years. Yeah. And he's so good at it that once he can just stand up on two feet, he's like, he's playing on one leg down and he was also made the cut and was doing bad stuff like a week ago. It's infuriating, go.

You know, have you ever been like upside down on your skateboard and had the thought in your head like, this can't be good? Or this isn't gonna end well? The first time I tried 900. Yes. In your brain it went, this isn't gonna end well. I was like, I don't know where I am.

When am I going to hit the wall? Oh, there it is. It's gonna explode. Did you ever been upside down your skateboard and thought, why did I ever really? Did I ever really like this? I think when the first came back to the ramp after raking my leg, there was a moment of that. I've never been upside down. It was kind of a thought popped in your head. David Spay was really funny and please scan me for it. He said almost every day.

Have you ever been upside down and you just gave warning on my IQ is 144. What the fuck am I doing? Raming my style. I had a BMX guy who was pro for a while. Chris Duncan say that to me that he was upside down once and he said This can't end well like he just knew he was out of swords Well, and also you and you just anticipate that hit You're like I'm not I know that I can't prepare for it this time

So when is it coming and please make it soon? Do you ever gotten kind of at an and an and orphan high like distance runners do from skateboarding like a real buzz? Oh, yeah, all the time when you land something great. Yeah, just like anything that I land new to me Okay, it's like new jokes for us. No joke. It's like if you do a new joke at this stage of the game New joke Have you ever been on your skateboard going fast? Had somebody else push a skateboard five feet away next to you and tried to jump on that skateboard?

Yeah, that's not as amazing as you. Oh wow, I thought you were gonna go, no one could do that. Jesus. Dana, I saw a guy on Instagram the other day, he hits like a bump in the skateboard and he said he does a flip in there. I've seen that.

That's pretty. Yeah, that's pretty wild. There's so many ways I can go wrong. Okay, go. Has anyone ever used the pun to you? You're just skating by. Has anyone ever said that to you? You're skating through life.

Hey, Tony. Skating by, yeah. Okay, I just curious. Skating by. What makes a prodigy? Uh, I guess it's determination. I think a lot of determination, discipline, um, and it's just, I, it's, it's, it's determination. I think a lot of determination, discipline. And it's just, you know when you see it.

Mozart, right? Jamané, yeah, all the big ones. The biggest mistake beginning skateboarders make, Tony Hawk. The biggest mistake beginner skateboarders make. Getting ahead of themselves skill wise, where they think that because they can ride a skateboard that suddenly they can do some big stunt, a big set of stairs, a big handrail, and they do not have all the required elements to that, and it goes horribly good. Because it looks good on his face. It looks easy on Instagram, man. Yeah. When you see someone make a trick,

you don't realize they fell 30 times. Fill in the blank. Tony Hawk is, you don't have to answer that. Yeah. That's a nice, like a skateboarder, a husband, a father, and a philanthropist. Okay. David Spade is, you can say all those same ones. A funny, is. He could sell the same one.

A funny, funny skateboard. Funny skateboard. Not so good at skateboard, but incredibly funny. No. Let's see. Do you think evil, con evil could have made some noise in the skateboarding world? Noise. He was a daredevil. To me, so by proxy, yes. So you'd watch on TV, going over cars with his car. Yeah, I had the wind up. I had the SSP. Yeah.

Which one? Oh, okay. I know you've landed the 900. And I'm just throwing this out. It's going on records. It's going out all over the world. 1200. 100 and I'm just throwing this out. It's going on records. It's going out all over the world 1200 Michi brusco a current prosecutor has done a 1260

Was he young? Is he really young? Tom Sharpe. You think of Tom Sharpe? He did Tom Sharpe to the first 1080 He was very young. Oh, yeah, this is on a bigger ramp. So more airtime people somehow think that's easier I don't think that's easier. Cheater. Pastress. But no, it's hard. Michigan risk go to 1260, so he did three and a half. God dang it.

I can't put that in my head. It's hard. It's amazing. The humans just won't keep. Yeah, it's amazing. If you look that up, find the clip. It's worth watching. Because in track and field and sprints, it's like a hundredth of a second. World record by point.

Oh, oh, one. Yeah. No, this is a full spin. Yeah. That is extraordinary. These are just random ones. Like fear, where does fear come into it? And how do you deal with it?

Right before you go on off, you wanna be in an attack mode? Or... I treat fear in more that I feel confident that I have the skills to do this. The preparation. Hope this works. Hopefully, it can land it. Yeah. I don't know what's going to happen. It's more like I have all the pieces to this. Let's put them together and I approach it with more confidence than that's it. Fear. Have you ever done a rope swing into a lake and you were the kid who would do like all kinds of triple summer salts? I would, no, but I was little.

I would go off the high dive. Oh, did you have vertigo at all? Did you look down and go? Um, yeah, but I think I just knowing that other people have done it gave me some sort of thing. Seems like you would have been a good high school diver probably with this sort of. I don't think I'd be that accurate. You would just be interesting.

You know what I mean? I'm down to do flips, but I don't want to pencil in and. Yeah, yeah, you'd hit the water room. Maybe it's a little in and I'm going to make it look like a high enough. I just ask people this anyway. Did you, as a kid, movie or television show blow your mind, make you happy. Shoot. For Ben Stiller, it was the Poseidon adventure.

Yeah, I was giving that a good one. That's a good one. For me, it was Jason the Argonauts. Oh, for a TV show? Or those are movies. Mine is quite animal-housing. TV show would have been a little house in the prairie. That stays favorite.

I love that one. Yeah, I did like it. I like it. He's a huge Michael Landon fan has this one. Once Mary got blind, I was like, she couldn't realize I'm a six. Yeah. That's a good question. That's alright.

You can pass. I think I really, I enjoyed greatest American hero. The movie. Oh, it was kind of okay. So more regular dude that had superhero qualities and it was fine. And he would run into the walls and stuff like that. Okay, that makes sense. Well, my favorite movie in the back of the day was Fast Times.

Fast Times of Rich Monk. Yeah, because it summed up high school. Well, that says it all. Very cool. You were right at the age to hit that. And Sean Penn's probably 82 or something. That was great. Yeah.

It's tasty waves. Yeah, that was, that was a big comedy. I got to actually clarify a line from fast times with Sean Penn. So that was big. You did? Well, it's coming of age. What was it? People think he says all I need are tasty. Is it cool buzz and tasty waves? He said cool buds. Yes. Yeah. And that's how I heard it.

Yeah. I got to clarify with him. And that he thought he said buzz. No, he said buds. He had to think both. He says, but because they don't know what buds mean. Yeah. I remember that line. And it was buds. Yeah. Well, Tony, Tony, thank you for talking about SNL for an hour with us. Well, no, that's part B. We'll talk Tony's audition for SNL. He skates onto eight H, Lawrence, like, what do you have? It's got 14 million. I gotta say, it was a dream come true. And it only happened recently.

And I was so thankful. And you came out and did a cameo. What did you do? So I was, I was here in LA doing podcast, hot versus wolf. Hot versus, hot versus wolf. Hawk was Hawk versus whole wherever you can find podcast and it's also on YouTube. Yes. Hawk versus one. And so I was I was staying here doing this for a couple days in the studio in Santa Monica.

Mm-hmm. Driving back to my hotel. It's like 6 p.m. And I get a call and they said, Hey, can you make it to New York by tomorrow night, they wrote you into a skid on SNL. It's Thursday. And I'm, fuck yeah. Yes, I can do that. I'm just unsure. Went, stayed there, went, did my podcast with Seth Rogan and went straight to LAX.

I live in San Diego. I'm not even prepared to travel at all. Right. And went there, put a jacket upon landing, and they had written me into a script. Literally all I was going to do was say my name, not scared at all. And you can handle that. Sure. Whatever it takes, it was a skit about the, you know, that whole thing went viral with

the Miss Universe. France. Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's right. I was going to be one of the judges of that pageant with the Miss Universe France. Yeah. Oh, we were in that. Yeah, that's right. I was gonna be one of the judges of that pageant with the property brothers. And when it came to me to ask who won, I just say my name.

And honestly, when I saw the script, I thought, this is it. I'm flying out here. It's so long-waited. But also, like, this is my big break, Tess and L. It's that I get to, and then they loved it in the rehearsal so much that they added a line for me. Ooh. This is my big break test, and then they loved it. The rehearsal so much, they added a line for me.

Oh, yeah. We're adding a line for you, Tony. It'll be on the cards. Did you say Lauren, so do I have the it quality? Should I stay and be a cast? I did get to, at the after party, I got to actually sit with him for a few minutes. He's quite a brilliant character. He just says really interesting stuff all the time.

So they alarm the Tony's like, I know who you are. Ah, yeah. He would be that. Yes. He would be very, very, yeah. I know success when I see it. David, Dana didn't know how to monetize, but Tony did.

Oh, thank you, Tony. Tony's a very cool guy. Tony, just to sum up, yeah, your podcast is great. Thank you. And all your business endeavors, and I think this will be an inspiring episode. And it doesn't matter what your passion is, you just have to apply yourself and focus. I always say to people, look at your feet. Don't look at the fame of the money.

Just look at your feet. Don't look at the fame of the money. Just look at your feet, literally with skaters. But just like, am I better today than I was yesterday? And what can I do to get better? No matter what you're trying to do. That's what I take away. David, your takeaway is same thing. Hey, I already said. All right, Tony Hawk.

Tony and Scudys, Philanthropist is a skate park, Belgium and I got all the great. You have a foundation here at a skate park build them and I think that's all great. You have a foundation here at the Skate Park project. Oh that's right. I hope that parks. Safe skate parks are that we help the park's in underserved areas. Yes.

Yes that's great. Going for 20 years now. Wow. So you're taking out parks that's sick. You make them better. I don't understand. For us. All right.

Thanks Tony. Thanks Tony. Safe, Tony. Tony Hawk, everybody. This has been a podcast presentation of Cadence 13. Please listen, then rate, review, and follow all episodes. Available now for free, wherever you get your podcast. No joke, folks. Flying the Wall has been a presentation of Cadence XIII, executive produced by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Chris Corqurin of Cadence XIII and Charlie Feinen of Brillstein Entertainment.

The show's lead producers Greg Holtman with production and engineering support from Serena Regan and Chris Beasel of Cadence XIII. you