The Joe Rogan Experience - #1477 - Tony Hawk

Episode Date: May 20, 2020

Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder, actor, stuntman, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse.

And we're rolling. How are you, Tony? Awesome. Thank you. My pleasure. Thanks for coming here, man. Yeah. Hey, thanks for inviting me.

It's an honor. It's interesting to see you even just fuck around with your skateboard, just the way you maneuver it. You're so adept. It's really weird, like the way you move your feet and just pick it up. Oh, thanks. I mean, it really is just at this point kind of extension of my body it seems like and uh it's i guess it's weird i don't think about how comfortable i am

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 it just, you know, I know I can get around people and sort of be indiscreet and stealthy. And wait, indiscreet? Tony Hawk on a skateboard is indiscreet? That's ridiculous. I do get weird looks for sure. For sure?

Yeah. I get a lot of do a kickflips out from car windows. Oh, really? Yeah. Oh, that's funny. Yeah. That's my curse 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. Oh yeah, that's a, 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, the board is actually a contraption, right? 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. It's very specialized though. I can't say that's a movement. It's just a few key people that are 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 yeah a forearm i well skating went through a different different waves of of disciplines basically and in the early 90s it

was all street right and so what what I did 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 when you, whenever you go like 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 I there, I think that it's a little deceiving because people do know how to fall relatively safely from, from stuff like that. But they get addicted, right? They're doing that probably every day.

Yeah, for sure. And there's all kinds of different styles. So there's tech styles where it's more people are skating ledges and benches and they're flipping their board, grinding, flipping out, stuff like that where it's low impact but super technical. where it's low impact but super technical. And then there's just the stuntmen who are doing the big rails, the big gaps, you know, jumping fences. How did this happen? Like what was – how did it go from just riding a skateboard? Like when I was a kid, you and I are 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. Like all my friends would just ride a skateboard on the street. Like what happened? Like how did it get to be like grinding across benches and railings? I think there's a, well, there's a pretty deep history there of how it got there. But skating was, yeah, just more like a transportation toy.

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 and they were just trying to emulate their surfing and so then skate parks started cropping up skating got popular in the late 70s early 80s and then it was all swimming pools and then uh maybe like four years later, the skateboarding kind of started falling in popularity. The skate parks couldn't get their insurance anymore because the liability was crazy. Oh, yeah. And so then the streets became the skate park because there was nowhere else to go. And there were a few key skaters that figured out how to use the urban landscape as a skate park.

And then that was it. All bets are off. Skating kind of took off in the underground as the street culture, street sport. And then people started doing handrails, ledges, benches, stairs, 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. I think what it did, I mean, especially in the last 10 years, even the playing field,

you didn't have to live in Southern California. You didn't have to live in New York or be near where the industry is. You can just be in your little town. As long as you're putting out content and it's progressive, you're going to get noticed and i think that's awesome oh yeah that is awesome yeah yeah that's one of the cool things about it like you said evened out the playing field yeah and and you know people are making careers as skaters now in the most unlikely places well you are the lance armstrong of skating and this is what i mean I don't mean that you got caught doing drugs. 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, um, there was that other guy, Greg Lamont. Yeah.

See, but I can't remember him real quick, but for you, it's, that's gotta be strange. Cause like you were the first and you're for sure the most prominent. How did you pull that off? 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. I was doing really well in competition, especially in the mid to late 80s. And then as skating kind of went underground, I never quit and started my own skate company in 1992. And then when the X Games came into play, I was still kind of on top of my game. I did really well there. 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. And they're like, oh, I remember that guy.

And their kids are watching me on the X Games. And then when our video game came out in 1999, that's when everything changed for sure. Well, you were famous for skating when you were like 17 or something, right? I turned pro when I was 14. Yeah. But I mean, when I say that, Yeah. And then, but I mean that, when I say that, it seems,

it might seem magical, but at the time, skating was this little tiny scene. 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 that said am. So I clicked, I checked the pro box and that was it. I was pro. No one was offering me a contract.

No one had champagne. You know what I mean? And like my coach was, I'll never forget, Stacy Peralta was looking over my shoulder and I checked it and he's like, okay. That's it. That was it. Yeah. Wow.

But you had a coach. 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 palparelta 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. And a lot of the guys that were established were like, this guy? Really? What is that, Jimmy? Oh, is that you?

That's me at age 17. Wow. Time flies. Does it freak you out looking at that? I think it's, I mean, I see that photo making the rounds. So it's, I mean, I see that photo making the rounds. So it's cool. I'm actually, so by the time I turned 17, I was kind of doing well in competition and making money.

So I'm literally sitting outside of my house that I bought while I was a senior in high school in that photo. Whoa. Which was a challenge trying to stay focused on schoolwork when you have the party house. That's crazy. You own a fucking house? Yeah. Wow.

Well, a duplex, but yeah, it was my own place. Still. But you know, like when you're a senior, oh, this so-and-so's parents are out of town. Party's at his house. Like my parents were never home. So everyone's going to my house. But what did your parents think about you buying a house? It was my dad's idea.

Really? Yeah, because he saw me really not understanding finances or how lucky I was. And I was just throwing money away on cars and trips and sharper image and just the most ridiculous things. And then he's like, I really think you should invest your money. Did you get a massage chair? Sharper image massage chair? Did you get one of those? No, but I bought between,

okay, this is a long story, but my sister and I went in on a tanning bed together. I was like, I used it once. She used it because it was helpful to her skin. I'm not going to say why, but she had a legitimate reason for it. But I was like, yeah, tanning bed. I'm never going to go tan, but you've got to have it. Where did you live at the time?

In North County, San Diego, Carlsbad. You don't need a tanning bed in San Diego. Exactly, yeah. That was it. The first time I went, I was like, why am I laying in there? I could just go outside. It's sunny 350 days a year. Yeah, that's hilarious.

But it almost, you know, when you're that age and you're doing well, you think that somehow that's 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 making noise and he'd have to get up at you know 7 a.m go to work he was doing he was doing uh line stripping like um back when you'd have to color separate for magazines and stuff like that. What a bummer for him. Such a bummer. Yeah. And he's still trying to make it as a pro skater,

but clearly he had to get a job. And must be exhausted, too. Yeah, he would leave these kind of nasty notes for us in the morning. So were you in high school? So you were a senior year in high school you had your own place did you do any school work at all i did yeah um but you must have been like well fuck this i can already buy a house i i don't know i i think it was more because my parents valued education my mom was an educator she was actually like taught in a college. Oh, wow. So I felt that I was going to be a disappointment if I didn't at least graduate high school.

And I was always pretty advanced. Like I was in the gifted program and, you know, I was a grade ahead in a lot of the subjects. So by the time I was a senior, I only needed four classes to graduate. So I went to school until lunchtime every day, and then I was out. Oh, wow. And then I got my diploma, and my dad strongly suggested I go look at colleges. And so just to humor him, I went looking at a city college in our area and looked around the campus.

I was like, oh, that's cool, I guess. Sure. And I just knew that it was my opportunity to really chase this and to embrace all these opportunities I was getting. I mean, I was literally out of high school onto a Hollywood movie set, Gleaming the Cube. Oh, that's right. So I was out, graduated high school,

and then moved to North Hollywood for two months. That was like what, 86? It was shot in 88, I think, 87. Wow. God, I'm remembering that now. Wow. What a crazy way to go from being a young kid to like right into your manhood. It's deceiving though.

I mean, especially when you have that much success at a young age, you think it's never going to end. Right. You think you're invincible. And I definitely sometimes treated it as such where I was just like, woo, you know, just throwing money away. And like I said, my dad was encouraging me to save it. throwing money away. And like I said, my dad was encouraging me to save it.

And then it all came crashing down in about like 1991, 92, where my paycheck was all based on royalties of skate products. And it started getting cut in half every month. Whoa. Just from lack of interest, lack of sales. Why did it drop?

Was it just a liability thing? It was that. And just skating was considered a fad. And it was just like, and also my style of skating, I skated the ramps, right? So I'm a vert skater. Vert skating was just instantly not cool because street skating had taken over. So I was considered this dinosaur

and it was just like, you're out. Skating's not cool and you're not cool in skating. Wow. So it was just like, you're out. Skating's not cool, and you're not cool in skating. Wow. So it was rough. I would say sort of 92 to 95-ish were very lean. So you were trying to figure out, like, hey, what am I doing? I got really good at this. Were you thinking, I've got to find something else to do?

Yes and no. I knew I wouldn't quit skating because I just loved it. I never did it for the money. You know, I started, there were no, no one could be rich or famous from skating. So that was never the objective. It was just because I loved what it brought to me.

I love the self-confidence it brought to me. I love the creativity. I love the, the Misfit crew, the, the community of it. And so when things started to go south financially, I knew I wouldn't quit.

I just had to figure out how to make ends meet. And I actually had a video editing system and I learned how to do that very early, like right when nonlinear video started happening. I had a system. So I started doing freelance work for companies doing video editing, super random, some skate companies. And then I did exhibitions like we were doing uh exhibitions in uh amusement park parking lots we weren't even in the amusement park we're like in the parking lot as people walk in as entertainment you know and doing that for like 100 bucks a day wow um but it but it allowed me to skate and allowed me to pay the rent. And it was like, that was good enough for me. But were you thinking that this is going to

stop totally? Well, it was definitely felt like it was heading that way. Um, but I, like I said, I was trying to, I was just trying to do whatever I could. So I was trying to learn different skills. Um, and you know, maybe skating wasn't going to pay the bills, but I couldn't let it go for my life. Wow. That's a great story. It was in there and you brought it back. Yeah, I guess. I mean, a lot of ways, right?

It was it started to slowly come back. 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 eighties. And then they were seeing it.

It was just like, whoa, these guys are, this is for real. You know, this is for lack of a better word, this is a sport. These guys are doing acrobatic things and it takes discipline and it takes determination. And kids recognize that.

And I think that's really when skating started to spark again. And this is like 95-ish? Probably closer to 96, 97. The first XCM's was a little strange, a little scattered. Because it was like skateboarding and bungee jumping and rock climbing and sky surfing. They were just trying to figure it out. 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? I skateboard. Oh, you're into extreme sports. No, I skateboard. I don't know. Yeah, that's a. Oh, you're into extreme sports. No, I skateboard. I don't know. Yeah, that's a weird category, right? That extreme sports category. It was just anything.

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 in 95. They changed it to 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 exploded for them.

And what were like the early skateboarding events in the X Games? Like what did you – It was Street and Vert. So Vert came back? Yeah. Well, a lot of it for us. I think it was really because ESPN recognized that Vert is a spectator sport. Yeah, I was going to say, for us on the outside, we would watch it to see someone fall spectacularly.

Yeah, sure. 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 um yeah for sure and then once they got in you know once they evolved that into what they call the big air ramps the mega ramps then it was just like the the aerials and the risk factor was tenfold. Yeah, the risk factor. I mean, I've seen some wipeouts that are just, they're baffling. 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. You've probably seen him where he's just falling from like 30 feet up.

saw went viral you probably seen him where he's just falling from like 30 feet up um that's when they started to i don't want to say tone it down but 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 it was bad did he get hurt? They really refined it. I mean, surprisingly, I think he broke his hand, maybe his heel, and had internal bruising, but it was really unbelievably lucky. Yeah, I watched that,

and I was like, there's no way this guy's going to live. He's so hot. And then they didn't have the proper protocol in place. They just let him walk off the ramp it was nuts yeah it was uh but 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 let's just we're comfortable at this certain height let's just stick with that yeah 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 go to the moon right yeah it's just it was is there an issue with cte with skaters um well it's definitely a concern yeah um 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. You know Jason Ellis? Of course. Yeah, Ellis, I think he told me he's been knocked out like seven or eight times, like out cold. Yeah, definitely at least that for me. At least that, huh?

Yeah. Wow. I mean, I've had probably by all accounts over the years, at least like 30, you know, either semi concussions or heavy. I'd say like three or four heavy concussions. Like out cold. Yeah. Out cold just three or four times.

Woke up in the ambulance. Yeah. And I don't take that lightly. 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...

Did you get that gene checked? I did, yeah. What is it, APOE4? Is that what it is? Yes, I believe so. I do not have the gene that makes me susceptible. And I was even more concerned, I mean, because my mom, she passed away recently, but she had Alzheimer's dementia. And it makes you more susceptible to Alzheimer's dementia.

And not just CTE. I mean, I'm acting like a medical expert. 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. Well, I mean, I'm not doing those kind of moves that I was getting knocked out on. Have you done anything proactively to try to like? I take supplements, stuff like that.

Yeah. Do you ever heard of Neuroforce? No. No, Neuro One, right? Neuro One. There's Bill Romanowski, football player, created it. Specifically because he was dealing

with a lot of issues, memory issues and the like. Okay. Because of head trauma. And it's like the first nootropic I ever tried. It's really good. It's just like it's a bunch of nootropics combined into delicious drinks.

But you do feel like your mental capacity is growing. There's a bunch of stuff that I take that cranks me up. Alpha Brain, which is one that my company makes, Onnit makes. There's another one, Neuro Gum, I really like. It's just a gum that has nootropics in it. I'm willing to try. Yeah.

I mean, I would imagine any sort of supplement that would aid the function of your brain. Sure. Do you feel foggy or anything? 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 in San Diego. There's an area outside of San Diego that Kat Zingano went to. She's a UFC fighter, and she fought Amanda Nunes, who's the Panamá champion now currently, and she got a really bad concussion in that fight. It was really fucking her up to the point where her hormones were out of whack her cortisol levels were so fucked up she couldn't

she couldn't keep weight off her whole body was just a mess she was having a hard time with her coordination and she went to the center that um they do some sort of magnetic therapy for people with brain injuries and it re-stimulates growth in those areas of the brain that have been damaged and brought her back to normal. For how long did that take? It took a few months and she was going on a regular basis and it was quite a trek for her. I think it was more than an hour drive back and forth and she was doing it I think every day and I believe the center was developed because you know San Diego has so much military day. And I believe the center was developed because, you know, San Diego has so much military down there.

That's why I live there. My dad was in the Navy. I love San Diego. Oh, me too. I'm not leaving. And the mayor actually just asked to go into Stage 3. They made a request in San Diego to go into stage three of the recovery from coronavirus. Everything's great down here.

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 to the next level. I'm getting different views, different news, different guidelines. Different news, different guidelines. So I don't, you know, I'm just kind of like, I'm go out wearing a mask, doing, you know, trying to follow the guidelines as possible, as much as possible while still leading a relatively normal life. Yeah. It's a weird time, right?

It's yeah. And the strange part to me is the great divide in terms of, for instance um my daughter loves to get bagels in the morning before school 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 and the bagel shop says like face mask required 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 really, it's like they're making a stand by not. I'm like, okay, well, you know, it's the same theory as no shirt, no shoes, no shirt, no service. Except your stinky feet doesn't get someone sick. You know what I mean? 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. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. It's a strange time. And like I said, I'm just, you know know doing my best to follow the guidelines the experts and um and still try to maintain a semblance of normalcy for my family um so that you know we feel

like we there's light at the end of the tunnel yeah we all feel that way yeah it's um just california in particular is a very restrictive state when it comes to the recovery. And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe that's a bad thing. We really won't know for months, you know. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Until all the dust settles. I'm still like there are certain appearances and events and things that have been so-called postponed.

Some are still very optimistic where they think, okay, we're going to do it in July. You think so? I don't know. Or August. Well, we're going to push it back. And I just don't know what to believe. And I got a schedule for doing some promotional stuff for our video game coming out in September. And it's like, okay, August, going to Europe.

Are you sure? I don't know. Are we going to be let in? Am I going to have to wait in quarantine for two weeks when I land? Like, I don't know. Yeah. I have a bunch of dates. I've got one in July in Vegas, and then I've got a bunch in New Orleans.

I got one in New Orleans and one in Nashville with Chappelle. And we're just like, hopefully it happens. But it's like September 4th and 5th. Like, really? I mean, maybe. I never thought this was going to happen. I never thought we'd be sitting around in May going, there's no way we're going to be open in August. I thought it was just going to be, we close down for a month. We take this financial hit, but, uh, you know, the, the virus settles down. Everybody can get back to where we get testing or whatever, whatever takes place, some sort of therapeutic, you know, relief, something where that comes along, some sort of a treatment.

No, no, not yet. No. Yeah. Yeah. I don't. Yeah weird it's a weird time yeah I remember when when a couple of my events got canceled and I was in shock then right and now I'm more in shock that they're trying to reschedule yeah

yeah yeah it's it's interesting how quickly you get used to this new normal too right like now when I watch movies people are hugging

and handshaking I'm like oh yeah yeah I had I was i'm gonna be in this commercial i mean i don't know if they want me to say what it is or whatever but but they had to delay it because they're just like yeah it's not the right time to put that one out but that's we know we didn't shoot it right like right right yeah it doesn't matter we didn't shoot it yesterday that's so so weird, like perception.

Like just the appearance of releasing it now. Yeah, I mean, I understand. Everyone's got to be careful and whatever. I was just super excited to be in it. So I was like, no! But they're going to put it out there. Statistically, at least, San Diego seems to have taken it much better than Los Angeles did in terms of like fatalities.

And one of the superintendents was a supervisor, a superintendent said that there's only six deaths that can be directly attributed to nothing but coronavirus. And everything else had people with underlying causes, which is pretty extraordinary. Oh, wow. Yeah. I don't know if he's right, though. Yeah. I mean.

Yeah. He's a conservative. It's so hard to know what to believe, too. That's the problem, right? Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if he's right, though. Yeah. I mean. Yeah. He's a conservative fellow. It's so hard to know what to believe, too. That's the problem, right? Yeah. Yeah. That's the problem.

Like, San Diego is a really healthy place. Like, every time I'm down there, like Pacific Beach Way, like people are always running and biking. It's like. Yeah. Especially North County. It's very outdoorsy. Yeah.

I would imagine just that alone would lend itself to people having stronger immune systems i would hope so um but like i said it's still it still feels like a great divide even there really yeah where people you know when they open the beaches and then there was only one beach in our area open and it was like spring break. Just nuts. And then, you know, people are frustrated with each other. What are you doing? You're putting everyone at risk, and it just was a mess. And then they're like, alright, now it's closed down for good.

And then everyone just goes up to Newport, or wherever they can. And then it got more crowded there, and it's just it was a mess. The beaches are pretty open now, right? Isn't that the new thing? You can go surfing, but you can't park on the beach. That's so stupid. Which is very challenging, but hey, at least we're surfing.

But that's so dumb. Why can't you park there if you're allowed to surf? What's happening to people when they park? It's like some of these rules are so arbitrary. Yeah, and you never know what is the rule now. It changes day by day. But it does feel like there's definitely a slow opening happening.

So when we're talking about San Diego being a very fit place, do you do any sort of strength and conditioning or anything for skateboarding? Is that something that people do? Some people do it. I never found it to help my skating. And I always felt like skating kept me fit.

So I never really did it. I mean, outside of swimming and surfing, which is more upper body than skating, obviously. But I do feel like that would have benefited me later in life. I just got stuck in my mode and then just skating was it. And you stay there. You're in your mode now. You don't do anything. I don't do anything else. I do. I do make an effort to like swim some laps. Um, cause my mom lived, uh, till her nineties and she swore by swimming. Oh, swimming is amazing. Yeah. Yeah. Um, she would go, you know, through, I mean, I remember all as a kid, she would definitely,

she had to get her 20 laps in every day. And we are, where I live, the residential area had a community swimming pool that was like Olympic size. Oh, nice. Yeah. We were talking before about surfing. 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. And then you're telling me about getting towed in by Laird Hamilton 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 was 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.

come home from college and take me to the park. And then I just got hooked. Like that was, that was my home away from home from that point on. Um, and so I surf pretty regularly, I would say less now, but, um, but it was hard not to with my brother's influence. And we were in Hawaii. My brother actually used to be the, uh, editor of surfer magazine. So he knows all the surfers. Wow. Um, cause he's. Because he's a journalist. Really good writer. Teaches at Stanford now, actually. And so we went to Hawaii, we went to Maui,

and he said, hey, Laird said he'd take us out toe-in surfing if you want to go. I'm like, we're going to go toe-in surfing with Laird Hamilton? I don't think his level of what is mellow is something that is

what we would consider. And I go, but we gotta go. It's once in a lifetime. Right. So they took us out to Spreckles, which is near Jaws,

which is their big spot. This is like early 2000s. So Toen serving was just starting to come into play. I'll never forget, Dave Kalama, who's one of the surfers, one of his homies.

He was trying out the first foil board there. Oh, wow. And he had, he was wearing ski boots attached to the foil board. That's how he was riding it. I was like, these guys are out of their minds. And, uh, and so, uh, Does it detach like a ski boot if you fall i never saw it detach oh my god yeah so you have to recover and and swim to the surface while you're

permanently i was too focused on trying to survive myself to worry about what he was doing but um yeah so uh rush randall who 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 some 10 or 12 foot sets. And I know what 10 or 12 foot in Hawaiian measurement means. And I was like, just don't tow me into one of those, okay? And then I'll never forget looking out't tell me into one of those. Okay. And,

uh, and then I'll never forget looking out and, and Rush said, here comes one. I'm like, where, where? Cause you're so far out. Right.

And he's like, get ready. Okay. And so then I got ready and I'm getting towed. And all of a sudden this, this thing, this mountain just swells up underneath me. And before I know it,

I'm just in the pit of this move, this way. That was like double overhead biggest way I've ever ridden for sure and for me it's backside so when you're going backside you're just sort of looking down the line you're not looking back at the at the barrel what does that mean by backside so the wave is breaking this way and my back is to the face of the wave oh okay right and it backsides a little more challenging just because the the turning and my back is to the face of the wave. Oh, okay. Right?

And backside's a little more challenging just because of the turning and the way you're facing. So when you're going frontside, you're facing the wave. You can really see down the line. You can get back easily. So I'm going backside, and I remember looking at the wall thinking, like, I've ridden 20-foot skate ramps. And I'm like, that looks like about a 20-foot skate ramp. So I was going and I was cruising and then I did a little cut back so I started going

to back towards the barrel and I looked at the barrel and it was like the most frightening thing I've ever seen in my life 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. And I'm like, I can't, I'm not getting near that thing. And I immediately just turned back and went down the line even further and just get ahead of it. 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 i'll never forget like i felt myself going down one shelf and you know trying to swim up to the top and then i felt to go down another shelf and i was like oh this is bad um and then finally made it up to the surface and rush is like three feet from me oh wow because he's just been chasing those guys are they're the masters experts and yeah recovering people that get clobbered. Yeah. Fuck. And I was just like,

how long were you down for? I, you know, it wasn't, it wasn't like a crazy hold down, but in my inexperience and, and not conditioned body, it felt like a long time.

Um, and I, and I told Rush, I was like, Oh, that was, that was scary. I was never been held down that much.

He's like, yeah, I've had my worst hold downs out here. Cool. Thanks. I was telling you, I get in the sauna every day, and I said something to Laird. He sent me a picture of his sauna. I'm going to pull it up here.

He's at 250 fucking degrees in his sauna. 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. Yeah, he lives on a different plane. He gets in there with oven mitts at 250 degrees. Oh, here it is. Look at this crazy motherfucker. Look at that.

So does he wear oven mitts so his skin won't melt off? Yeah, because he rides his fucking airdyne bike. Oh my God. So the metal of the airdyne bike would literally cook him. I mean, I cook a steak at 250 degrees in the smoker. This is crazy. And it's 200, it's actually like probably, it's pinned at 250,

because that's as hot as this thermostat gets. Oh, yeah, right. Like it's probably hotter than 250. He's out of his fucking mind. Yeah, he's nuts. He's fascinating. More is always better is his quote to me. I just – there's got to be a point.

I did it once here. I was trying to – after he came on the podcast, I was trying to copy him. So I was doing it at like 2.10 and I did once at 2.20. I was burning like the inside of my throat from breathing in the air. I felt like I'm cooking myself because I was in there for like 20 minutes. I was like, and then I'd get out and it was as tired as I've ever been in my life. I would just collapse on the mats. After I got out of the sauna, I was like, I got to stop doing this.

And then I'd come in and do podcasts and I was having a hard time talking. I was like, my throat was cooked. It was basically getting cooked. Yeah, I never did well with that stuff. We got one, actually. We got one of the infrared ones. Those are different. He doesn't

like the infrared ones. Laird said that they gave him a real bad skin condition. There's something about, particularly the temperatures that he's putting them at. Yeah. Well, I got to start somewhere. I'm not going to. Well, I think the dry 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 them. And then they just text me afterwards. What the fuck?

Yeah. of friends that have gone up there and trained 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 yeah there's only two speeds i was telling you about his ankle people he came in here and showed me his ankle he has an ankle that broke that he never did anything to he never bothered getting a cast he never bothered bothered getting 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 respect him and admire him, but I don't want him to train me. Well, his workouts are so crazy. 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. I'm like, oh, okay.

Yeah. Whatever. Yeah. So not my conditioning. But I like that there's a guy like that out there. Oh, for sure. I think it's important. Leading the charge.

Yeah, just some fucking maniac at the front of the line. Yeah, exactly. Who's just so, he's so psycho about everything. The guy sends you a 250 degree sauna that he's mad that doesn't get any higher. Just so interesting. 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. And I would imagine the same thing, at least in some way, has to transfer over to skating and kind of to everything, right? I think so. I think that there's a, well, there's one, there's an adventurous spirit, but also 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. Like you want to see how much further you can take it. You want to test the limits. And I identify with that for sure. That's always been my drive, just to come up with new tricks. Like I knew the first time I ever did a trick,, 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. The idea that I created something new just on my own with my own thoughts and creativity,

and that 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 like you could show me a picture of two people doing the same trick silhouette it and i could tell you who it is oh you know what i mean because everyone has their own style and they put their own flavor on it and and that's what i love like i love that it's it's subjective like that you know people think of it like they don't like skaters themselves especially the more hardcore purists don't like to be called a sport. They're like, we're not a sport. I'm like, well, there's legitimate competition, so there is a sporting element to it.

But I agree. It is more of an art form and a lifestyle because how can you – you're comparing apples to oranges always. That's real similar in a lot of ways to martial arts in that uh 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 man par like you could tell by the way someone moves like right away yeah just because you put your stamp on it yeah and that's what i love about it because it's so diverse yeah when you come up with a move like what's your process you just skate fuck around have some fun and then go no i just try this it's always different uh a lot of times it's like how do we combine how can i combine these two things that

i know i have dialed in like can i make them work together sometimes it's a happy accident like you go try something your board spins the other way and it's like well wait if i caught it there that would have worked out I literally created a new trick yesterday yesterday? yeah because we are doing this when will this air? tomorrow well we're doing sort of a

we call it an NBD best trick event at my ramp NBD means never been done and so my idea was that and this will all come so my idea was that, and this will all come out, but my idea was that while we're all stuck 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.

So you get one hour to get a trick on video. So it's literally just one dude or one skater and one filmer at the ramp at a time. And I was the Guinea pig. 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 gonna make this happen this is it and uh 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 of um 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. And I knew if I got it once I'd make it, but like, I'm never gonna do that trick again. That's how technical it is now. Oh, wow. Where I just know that, okay, I got that one,

done it, got it on video. I don't want to go through that again. Now, how much – I don't know shit about skating. So, like, forgive me if this is an ignorant question. But how much improvement has there been in the wheels, in the boards, in the components, and all the different things? Like, are there things you can do now today that just really weren't possible when you first started skating? Only in the, well, when I first started skating, skateboards were all over the place.

So they were made of different materials. They were different with all different shapes. 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 skate 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 carbon fiber, anything synthetic? That's the big question and something that I would like to pursue. But we really need a sea change in skateboarding with materials. I believe that. Yeah.

And we haven't found anything that responds the same. anything that responds the same. 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 think outside the box and whatnot, if you try to sell them a deck that's, you know, 200 bucks, that's going to be hard. Even if you can convince them that it's going to last

three times long, four times long. So is it just a money thing or are they married? We just haven't really found, like there's some, some people have done a different construction where they add a different ply in and that has worked a little bit. But like I said, there just hasn't been 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, didn't have that reflex. Does it have to have a certain amount of weight to it too? 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. But we don't know. It just you know it takes R&D for sure. And you would have to get someone really good to fuck with it too right? Yeah and to believe in it yeah and get behind it yeah

when i was a kid there was no 50 year old rock stars you know like we thought you know i'm saying like 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 boys everybody felt sad about the beach boys when i was a kid but not anymore anymore. You know, now Mick Jagger's like fucking almost 80 years old and he's rocking after heart surgery and shit. And the same is kind of true with

skaters, right? Because when we were kids, when you became famous, you were like the first wave, right? Or one of the first waves. And certainly the most famous, you're 52, and you're still, like, is that a weird thing that you're a... It is weird.

It's, well, it's fun. 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. It's like, you just happen to. You're accepted. You're a skater. You just happen to be 52. You know what I mean? 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. You can't skate for a living. No one can. So your skating career is over by then. And then as I turned 18, things started to sort of ramp up with skating. Forgive the pun. And things started to kind of explode.

And I remember around that time there was a photo in Thrasher of this guy, Mark Lake, who was an older skater at the time. And it was a picture of him doing one of those hand plant, 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. And then as things progress,

like we realized that we're all sort of, 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, when I did the 900, the X Games, I was 31. Wow. And so then it was just like, well, what is the limit? I don't know.

I guess I'm sort of the guinea pig now or leading the charge of how far you can take it. And I've definitely refined my style. So I'm not doing big impact stuff. I'm not doing the big spins, the big errors and stuff. I've learned to get more technical with my skating, and that has allowed me to stay creative but maintain my health. Yeah, that's why I was asking you about strength and conditioning because if you're an older athlete, it's a mandatory thing in almost every sport.

Yeah, it's just I skate for a couple hours a day, I'd say four times a week, and that's pretty much my exercise. But definitely I could use some help with endurance these days. Have you thought about doing something? What would you do? I don't know. exercise, but definitely I could use some help with endurance these days. Well, have you thought about doing something? Like, what would you do? I don't know. I guess I would listen to the experts.

I would tap you. But you haven't done anything yet, which is amazing. I haven't, yeah. But like I said, it's just because that's worked for me pretty much my whole life. Yeah. My only really ailment is my neck. What's wrong with your neck? I've had so many whiplashes. We call them chicken necks because you shoot out.

And I've had so many different ways that whenever 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? That happens to me every day. And I say like, what's wrong with your neck? Oh. That happens to me every day. And I'm like, what's wrong with my neck? I don't know, 40 years of whiplash? Have you got an MRI? Yeah, and I do.

That's the only thing that I get worked on. 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. Just massages it? Yeah. Yeah. Just tries to get it loose. Have you to get loose a thing called an iron neck you know yes yeah have you ever used that i did try but um it was just awkward yeah it's awkward but it's really good yeah yeah it's a it's a must-have thing for grapplers you should really try it okay i did it when um we i did sort of this racing training with Cadillac a couple years ago And their racers do that hmm, okay?

That makes turning the head yeah checking the checking their mirrors. Yeah, well. It's great for fighters, too Strong neck will keep your head from snapping around and imagine the same thing would happen with skaters. Yeah, I've got one out here You should try it after we're okay done here. It's I swear by the thing It's it's the bet and it's also it doesn't fuck with your neck in a way. That's an I've got one out here. You should try it after we're done here. I swear by the thing. 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 discs. It actually keeps your neck stiff as well as when you're turning it, it doesn't bend at unnatural angles and it still strengthens it. I'm a giant fan of it. Okay.

Well, I'm open to ideas. Because I would think that like the whiplash thing, that's got to be real similar to what happens with fighters, you know? Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. It's weird though. A lot of my peers, they have more knee problems than ankle problems. And I've just realized that all mine's on my neck.

You never had any knee problems or ankle problems at all? I've had, I had surgery. I tore my meniscus and both knees actually got it cut out. Tore my PCL, but always came back from it. That's amazing. Yeah. I mean, I feel, I feel pretty lucky. I was always 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 nineties, 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 they were trying to keep these kids out of the skate park. Yeah. So they filled it with sand. I know. Did you 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 very strange. How are you going to get that sand out of there now? Yeah, good question. No, well, you know what if they say skate parks are open the skaters will do it. They're very yeah they're all very DIY resourceful. It's just like what fucking bureaucrat?

I did see 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, and they're like, well, how do we stop these skateboarders? Yeah. 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. It did seem like a very big effort. Yeah. Fucking giant effort. The irony is that they're trying to keep skaters out of public areas and school yards and stuff and give them a place to go.

And now you're just forcing them back to those days. Yeah. It's not like they're going to stop going to staircases and railings. No, they're going to do it more now. Yeah. It's so dumb. But all of this, it sort of exposes some of the flaws and governance. It's very scattered.

Well, skateboarding, it's it's almost like some people would think of it as a frivolous activity you know it's like yeah glorious results of a misspent youth if you know how to oh absolutely around a skateboard yeah it's funny the um when i first started i have a foundation for public skate parks um we've been going 20 years actually how does that work really well we, 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. Oh, that's amazing.

Um, and you know, designed help and things like that. So, uh, it's been great. We've, we've, um, helped to fund over 900 skate parks. Now all 50 States, uh, we've given away almost $10 million. That's incredible. Yeah. I mean, it's definitely my proudest work, but, but when, when I started it, there was a point where I was, we were trying to get funding and trying to raise awareness. I was we're trying to get funding and trying to raise awareness and you know I'm 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 hospital 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 that day. And I was like, it's so weird to be with you. You're, you're doing so much for, for cancer and cancer victims. And I'm just trying to build playgrounds. Yeah or number, you know, number two cause of 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, you know, for, for people to like-minded people to, to hang out, like to develop a community. I mean, when I was a kid, like I felt like an outcast. I felt like, like I didn't belong in, in sports. I didn't belong in my school. 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 hairdos from all walks of life, I was like, this is it. This is my crew. And, uh, 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. Yeah. And it is a loved pursuit. 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. And nowadays, I mean, it's way different now. The, the, the sort of perspective on skating or the attitude towards skating is that parents are doing with their kids, like, you know, and little girls are encouraged to try it. And that just wasn't the case when I was a kid.

Well, I think it's because of you in a lot of ways. Oh, well, thank you. 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. You're too focused on the hairdos and the music and stuff. You've got to really look at what it provides someone's mentality. Yeah. But that's always been the case with things that kids do that their parents didn't do.

Sure. Like how many parents told their kids to stop playing video games and now kids are literally making millions of dollars playing video games and parents have to kind of make this adjustment like, okay. Yeah. Okay. I didn't know. So I think the generation of parents now grew up at a time when skating was starting to be cool. Yeah. Okay. I didn't know. So I think the generation of parents now grew up at a time when skating was starting to be cool. Yeah. Okay.

And so either they're encouraging of their kids skating or they're actually skating with them. Oh, that's awesome. That's got to make you feel good. It is very cool. Real impact on the thing that you love. Yeah. I mean, the coolest part is for me is that I still get to participate and I get to bear witness to all this. Who's the oldest skater?

Is there a really old dude out there shredded? Sure. I mean, even some of the Z-Boy guys, like Tony Alva still skates. I just saw a photo of him grinding a pool. He's 60-something. Holy shit. But when you fall at 60 something yeah that's rugged yeah well like that's real i'm i'm like i said i've kind of uh 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 I'm like, ooh, okay. But do you lift weights? Because you should. Really, just get a fucking trainer, man. Just keep your bone density. That's what's really a real problem when people get older.

Their shit breaks so easy. Things that normally you just bounce off of and be fine, and then all of a sudden you're like, hey, there's some clicking in my arm. Like, oh, shit, I'm clicking in my arm. Like, gosh, shit, I got to go to a hospital. And then,

you know, a normal fall causes you to have a cast. Yeah. I learned that. Well, I broke my pelvis. Oh, I was,

uh, almost 40. Ah, that was, uh, uh, I was doing a loop ramp, um,

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

that's gotta affect you Jamie broke his butt bone out here with a hoverboard, and he was fucked up. You were fucked up for like a year, right? Yeah, it came and went. I thought I got fixed. Couldn't get fixed. No one I went to knew what was going on.

He had to self-identify what the injury was. And then who was it that had a similar injury? Zach Bitter came in and said he had the same thing. He went and got MRIs. The doctor told him he was okay, and then he re-looked at it was like hey by the way you have a small fracture and like yeah and it just like your whole body freezes up yeah i could walk for like 25 yards i had to stop and sit yeah loosen up i had the same thing you know those hoverboard things that can't scooter well my kids have them out here and they go bananas out here in

the warehouse and yeah 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 um and we didn't really figure out what what it was until zach bitter explained it and then we thought about the i mean you're 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 that's a lot of weight like butt first do you know who zach bitter is i don't he's the world record holder for uh a hundred mile race he ran a hundred miles in 11 hours in like 40 minutes he's a savage savage. I mean, just bananas. And then he kept running afterwards. He just did a new one, too.

Oh, Jesus. He ran like 100 miles, or the fastest to run 100 miles on a treadmill, because he was doing it while he was in quarantine, I think. Oh, my God. Wow. And he eats mostly meat. Really? Yeah.

His diet is almost all ribeye steaks. Wow. He supplements it with some glucose supplements and things like that while he's doing it. He did it again. Zach Bitter shatters 100-mile treadmill world record. Oh, my God. He averaged a 7-minute mile, 7-minute 18-mile for fucking 100 miles. That's so insane.

That's so insane. He's an animal. How old is he? He's in his 30s, right, Jamie? Yeah, 34. Yeah. But he was still running while he had the problem, too. Oh, yeah.

That's kind of crazy. 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, front leg side. And I ended up- Injuring something else. I actually got KO'd once 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 KO.

Oh shit. And then, uh, another time I was putting so much weight, like, cause when you, when you skate, you put one foot on the tail of the board.

Um, 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. Like going through the flat bottom of the ramp, my tail just was left behind me with my foot doing the splits. That's so crazy. 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.

Wow. Now, how do you recover from that? Did you have to go through rehabilitation? I basically laid around, sat around for almost two months, and then slowly started to walk, and then was skating about six weeks after not walking. So you didn't do any rehab? I did some stuff in the pool i did have i did have a trainer that was helping me um a guy that that i knew that used to work on skate stuff so

he did help me for a few weeks and then i started skating it was actually i was i was working towards a goal we had a big exhibition in orlando that was already booked and i was like all right that's that's the time How many weeks out was that? 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, 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 in my leg and stuff like that. That was pretty much it. It was just more I just felt stiff and like he said like when you have an injury like

that you can't cough like you know what I mean you can't like sneezing if you feel a sneeze coming on it's it's traumatic right cuz everything hurts yeah it's about to be shot yeah and then like just going to the bathroom is a trauma. Oh, God. Right. Just sitting. Right. On the bowl. Oh, my Christ.

Oh, damn, dude. Wow. That's amazing, though, that you got through that with pool work. But you could do some great shit in the pool. George St. Pierre is like one of the best UFC fighters of all time. Does the majority of his workouts in the pool now. He has these things that he wears on his hands, these resistance things,

and he does all these crazy workouts in the pool. He does them on his legs, and he does these jumps inside the pool. He does it all to preserve his joints while still building up muscle. So he's mostly focused on the pool? Yeah, see if you can find them. They're pretty cool, the George St. Pierre pool workouts.

Yeah, he has, I mean, he's a fascinating guy, a 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. At one point in time, he really embraced gymnastics, and he got really into gymnastics. But now, most of what he does, he goes to the pool

and see these things he's wearing? Oh, wow, yeah. He's got these barbell-looking things and a bunch of different apparatus that he uses. And see these things he puts on his legs? And he develops his kicking power and his jumping power and all these different things with those. That's up my alley right there. 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 hurting himself because of weight. Yeah. Yeah. All right. I'm going to leave here with a whole new attitude. Yeah. Well,

it seems like a good thing to try, especially for someone. It was funny. That was the, 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,

I was like, I'm sure. And they go, but you don't work out I go I know fucking kids man they never let you take a break

they ride you if they find this one thing oh yeah of course yeah what about your diet are you healthy do you eat healthy or I think so yeah

that's iffy what's that I said that's iffy I think so well I let's put it this way i i i don't eat to excess like i used to i think that's really what i've learned getting older is just like don't go crazy with everything you know drinking eating like just eat till you're not overly full just eat enough and and watch what I eat. Like for sure, when I was a kid,

it was just all, it was all junk food. Everything. It was sugar cereals, McDonald's, Jack in the Box. I mean, our big going out night with my dad was Bob's Big Boy. That was like, we were living large. In Burbank? No, in San Diego.

Oh, okay. Yeah, that was it. I mean, I never went to nice places. The extent of his nice place was like, hey, this place has prime rib for five bucks. Okay. So I didn't really grow up with health conscious diet. And then as I got older, I discovered, well, mostly just so much great food and then realizing that I've got to get more greens and really watch it. And so I've managed to be able to do that, I'd say, over the last 20 years.

Do you take supplements at all? I do, yeah. What do you take? Yeah, I take – I have a whole bevy of stuff that this nutritionist gave me. I wish I could name them all, but I just know which bottles they are, but it's good and makes you feel better. Definitely. I can tell when I'm, when I've missed a day or two on them. I mean, just in terms of how I feel. Well, people are so much more conscious of that now. I mean, it's, it's, it's something that pretty much in every athletic

pursuit, anything where people are doing things,. So much more really conscious of supplements and diet. But I do have to admit that I do love barbecue. Of course. Who doesn't? My wife. Not much of a fan. Really? Yeah.

What's wrong with her? She eats much more healthy than I do. She's more Mediterranean. Oh, okay. In terms of her diet. Have you ever gone to Dr. Hogley Wog She's more Mediterranean. Oh, okay. In terms of her diet. Have you ever gone to Dr. Hogley Wogley's in Van Nuys? No. There's a joint in Van Nuys that's been around fucking forever.

You go in there, it's like wood panel walls. They've done zero for the decor, and no one gives a fuck. There's always a line. It's Spectrum when it's open. Can't even get there now. But it's some of the best barbecue I've ever had anywhere. And it's in Van Nuys in this semi-sketchy neighborhood. Oh, perfect.

Yeah. Yeah. It's phenomenal. There's a place in San Diego that I've been going called Abby's that I think is pretty spectacular. San Diego's got great food. My daughter loves barbecue, too, so that's our big lunch outing. San Diego's got some great food, man. I've been going to San Diego's got some great food, man.

I've been going to San Diego forever. I started going to the La Jolla Comedy Store. Yeah, of course. Way back in the 90s. It's a great spot, man. I might have actually seen you there. That's crazy. San Diego's never gotten too big.

You know what I mean? It's still a great size. I try to tell people it's one of the last small beach towns. But it's a city. Right. You don't feel like you're missing stuff. Well, but if you fan out, especially if you go north, 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. Yeah. Because it's like the right size. It's like you get traffic there, but it's – stop complaining. It's not shit. Come up here. Yeah. This is ridiculous.

And even now with the quarantine, it's still – you get on the road. You're like, well, I thought everybody was supposed to be home. Right. Stay safe indoors. It's fucking 5 o'clock traffic. You get real traffic out. I was telling you guys, actually, I was on a Zoom call just on audio on the way up here. And 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. You guys got to see this. I am driving. Look, there's the 105.

There's LAX. I'm still moving. Yeah. It, uh, the, whenever I've done gigs in San Diego and I have like an eight o'clock show, I'll leave here at 11 in the morning.

I'm like, there's no way. Oh yeah. Yeah. I'm not taking any chances. It could easily take five hours easily. Oh my God. We sound like that SNL skit,

the Californians. Wow. I don't know that skit, but it's pretty easy to write. All they do is talk about traffic. Well, it's fucking ridiculous out here. Have you ever thought about living anywhere else? Not really. My wife and I sometimes sort of muse about

we'd love to live in New York once all of our kids are out, but probably for a brief time. New York's gonna be real weird now yeah apparently there's a mass exodus out of there

right now I was there right before everything turned upside down oh wow and it was already feeling shaky

I don't know we went out we went out to dinner we saw our friends band perform this little club and there was

this sense of unease what year what there was this sense of unease. What year? What month was this? That was in early March. Oh yeah. So it was just starting to get there. Or no. No no it was in February. Sorry. Oh. Yeah. But it was like late February. It was just there was something

in the air where you knew something was going to change. A buddy of mine caught it there in New York. Yeah a buddy of mine too. A skater my age and he went through hell yeah yeah it seems like the new york strain what they got on the east coast they were saying is coming from europe it's a stronger strain than the strain that they got here in california that's coming from china yeah um my uh my oldest son and i were extremely sick in february both like as sick as we've ever been.

We were convinced that we had gone through it once everything— And so I managed to get a test. I had to pay through the nose. The tests are not available. But I lucked into one, and we both didn't have it. Interesting. Yeah, we've been testing pretty much everybody. I didn't test you, but we've been testing everybody that comes here.

We just have a concierge service comes here, concierge MDLA or whatever. Oh, wow. Yeah, it's nice. How did I luck in, luck out? I don't know. I just didn't test you. Didn't ask. I fucked up.

It's my mistake. Okay. Well, I was negative as of a month ago. As of a month ago. That's good. As long as we don't make out, I think we're okay. Okay, up. It's my mistake. Okay. Well, I was negative as of a month ago. As of a month ago. That's good. As long as we don't make out, I think we're okay. Okay, cool. I've been tested.

I got tested last weekend. I took the swab because I flew to Florida for the UFC event. So I had the swab before that. I had the antibody test, and then I got it again when I came back, all negative. We did have one fighter test positive, though. He was asymptomatic, and his two cornermen were asymptomatic, too, which is one of the weirdest things about this disease. And he discovered it here? 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 than the people that he was with the entire time. And then they found out before the fight that he was positive. Wow. Yeah. But all the other fighters, they did 1,100 tests, and only three people were positive, and they kind of knew that they had a potential for being positive even though they were exhibiting no symptoms. It's just wild right now. It's weird.

And we called the event. That was what was really wild. Calling the event with no audience at all. I saw it. Strange, man. Yeah. Just fucking strange. I'm just happy that they did it.

Well, I can tell you watching it at home with my kids, they had the same excitement level. Oh, me too. I mean, it was great. The fights were amazing. The judging was fucking terrible. There were some really bad decisions, but the fights were incredible.

It was just great just to do something, to be somewhere. I was curious about that, though. Do you think the fighters had a different sense of energy or motivation because they didn't have the crowd? I don't think the motivation's any different. It might be a little bit less stressful, slightly.

Obviously, it's a fucking cage fight. It's going to be stressful. But maybe a little less stressful because you don't get the roar of the crowd. There's not the energy in the place. Maybe you could focus a little bit better. But they're in the UFC, so they're fighting the best fighters in the world. So no matter a little bit better but you know they're in the ufc so they're fighting the best fighters in the world so that's no matter what certain mindset you're getting into regardless yeah but it was just interesting because they could clearly hear

their corner so when their corners were yelling out instruction and when the opposition corner was yelling all right yeah they could heal hear all that and we could hear that too like crystal clear not a sound in the room and you could hear the breathing and the the the impact of the shots way better it was a lot that's a new element it was a lot different it was really strange yeah wow are they gonna have skating competitions with no audience as well oh that remains to be seen. I assume that's probably where it's going to go. I'm not part of the whole 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. happen in June in Salt Lake City, Big Vert Skate Contest. And it has been pushed to August. And I don't know if we can do it with the audience or not.

Well, Utah is opening up. I mean, they're doing comedy shows there now. Restaurants are opening up now. They're opening up some things. They're cautiously opening up some things. Yeah. Ultimately, I'm not the one that will 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 vert skating, is sort of a lost art. That's not going to be in the Olympics, by the way. So is this the first year that skating is going to be in the Olympics? Yes.

Well, next year. Next year. Is it 2021? 2021, yeah. Interesting. So skateboarding, the disciplines are street, which is sort of the handrails and stairs, ledges and stuff like that you see, and then what they call park. And park is sort of a mishmash of pool skating, but also some other skate park elements like banks and and curves

and things like that so um it's more because that type of skating is more accessible especially internationally than what we call vert skating um but it's kind of a to me it's a disservice to skating because uh vert, 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 or, you know,

and, and that type of stuff, you see a very muted version of that in park skating. Hmm. And why do the Olympics choose those events? I think that's it because the accessibility, and then I have to, I have to respect that.

For instance, 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 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 embrace skateboarding I'm pretty cool see that yeah and then the O's have got you've been there yeah see here it is Jamie's already got it the best in the business young Jamie look at this Wow that's fucking cool well that's not what I picture when I think of Ethiopia right I mean that looks like that could be Atlanta. That could be anywhere.

Yeah, absolutely. It could be any city. And I mean, that kind of thing is happening all over the world. There's a, I don't know if you've 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. Whoa. In fact, there was a documentary on them that won an Academy Award at the last Oscars. Really? Yeah. Do you got anything on that? That was my in for, it's called Learning to Skate.

That's Skate to Stand. It's called Learning to Skate in a War Zone if You're a Girl. That's the name of the documentary. That's got to be very dangerous for them though, right? Because the fundamentalists don't want them doing anything. Well, so that's the thing is that they see it, the culture sees skateboards as a toy, not a sport, and allows girls to do it. Oh, wow.

So they don't see it as this co-ed sport at all. 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. Not Kabul, but... Look at that picture. That is so wild.

The mountains of Afghanistan, the background, the girls catching air. Their program's insane. 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 in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, all over the world. That's wild. It is wild. Yeah, it's really every day is like a new surprise. Now, when they do it in the Olympics, what is the scoring criteria? Like, how do they judge? Well, I don't think they're going to reinvent the wheel in terms of how they judge. 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 skater ripped and went higher and looked cooler. And we gave him first. And now it's got to be much more. But it's more about technical aspects, like the difficulty factor, how you flow, like how you link tricks together, how much speed you have, how high you go. I mean, all those factors.

But at the end of the day, when you go to a skate contest, you can tell the top skaters. It's just obvious that they were ripping. They used the course better. They went higher. They spun more. They flipped their board hard in more difficult ways, and they were the winners

and now do you have former pros or current pros, the judges I'm not really sure how they're picking judges for a standard competition a lot of them are ex-pros, yeah and so there's pretty

universal acceptance of what's good and what's bad or what scores. Yeah, I mean, it's always up for debate. Yeah. Who should have won that event or this or how did they score higher? At the level that these guys are at, there's probably quite a few guys that are comparable, right? Sure, yeah. So it's basically how good your run was.

How good your run was, yeah. And who had a better day. Similar to surfing in that regard? Absolutely, yeah. Yeah. So that's what's interesting for someone like me watching. Like, I'm not exactly sure what I'm seeing. I know what looks cool, but I don't know what won, you know?

Sure, yeah. And I think that, well, I'm hoping that that will be my job to explain to the audience oh right I was supposed to be there in Tokyo doing some commentary not the play by play but more sort of you know coming in and out

of there and doing whatever shows they need me to do but so did they postpone the Olympics for a year for a year yeah so you would like to I would like to? I would like to be there to try to bridge that gap of the non-skating viewer who is interested and explain to them why this nuance is going to score way higher than this other, even though they look the same to you.

Yeah. And I've done it I've done like they had the 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 the commentary for the events and that was kind of where that's where my strengths are, is being able to explain those things to non-skaters. Well, that's got to be fun for you too,

because it's an opportunity to sort of, you know, proselytize. Let everybody know, like show them how cool this is. Yeah, for sure. Put words to your passion, this thing. I mean, that's got to really spark up the interests of new skaters. I think that's the silver lining with the Olympics.

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. We've always done this to be anti that type of thing anyway. And then it's just like, well, you guys, all those things that you love about skating will still exist. Right.

You can still go hop fences and skate the handrail. Like that's not taken away from you. If anything, it's going to bring it to a bigger audience that, that is going to be interested. Yeah. And I believe a more international audience. I think that's the really cool part about it. That's a thing though, man. When people, 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 entered my first contest at age 10. That is the only way you got recognized when I was a kid. Like this is not something new to skateboarding. 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. And so because that exists, people are just like, oh, Olympics, that's a sport competition. I'm like, yeah, but we already have Street League.

We already have the Dew Tour. We already have X Games. Those things all exist. So we're going to have this other big event once every four years. People always want to shit on something that's different than what they're doing, though. Oh, sure. It seems like. I mean, hey, I've lived with so much ridicule my whole life that I just like, yeah, sure. Whatever you say.

Well, for you, I mean, you've crossed over to the other side that's what's interesting I mean you don't even need a thick skin anymore yeah I mean there's obviously still haters like you're a sellout and what not but it's like do you read those comments I just don't read twitter or anything

do you I if someone's making enough noise I'll see it and you know every once in a while I see what the general vibe Twitter or anything, do you? If someone's making enough noise, I'll see it. And every once in a while, I like to see what the general vibe is on something. But when I grew up, I think my journey allowed me to really be prepared for that. Because when I was a kid, I was doing this outcast activity, right? So I was already not cool in school. 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 hand plants and aerial tricks and things where it just wasn't that wasn't the normal and it wasn't really considered the cool way to skate. And so they just, they were like, they call me a 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 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. The physical bulk. 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 grab your board and sort of muscle it into the air and above the coping and i learned how to launch into the air without grabbing my board and then grabbing it at the peak and that allowed me to get the height when I was still really scrawny and weak and they said that technique was cheating like they literally wrote that in thrasher magazine it's just like well Tony Hawk cheats because he always into his airs 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 so they would judge you on that's so crazy here's this invented

thing right this art form and then you're doing it your way and they're saying you're cheating yeah I don't it was just like this old guard in skating and they didn't like to see anything new or sort of

fringe and then I started doing that and then in skating and they just, they didn't like to see anything new or, or sort of fringe. And then I started doing that. And then, and then a lot of my peers who were my age, they all figured that same technique out. And then we just kind of took over, you know, that became the way to skate. And, um, but, but then through the years, like in those days, you know, skating was still very much a novelty. And like in those days, you know, skating was still very much a novelty.

And then in the 90s, like X Games came into play. And then all of a sudden my name was being well, was well known, not mainstream, 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 seller. I was like, when I turned pro at age 14,

if McDonald's had asked me to be in a commercial, I would have jumped on it. Are you kidding me? Like I was eating McDonald's my whole life. I still do. So it was more like they thought somehow I changed my values and was just like, I haven't changed my value system. It's just that I'm getting these opportunities, finally. And I've been doing this for most of my life. For the most part, it's you're getting opportunities that they're not.

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. That's so short-sighted. Sure. But so what I'm saying is that just sort of, you're a sellout because you're on a video game. Like that's so short sighted. Sure. But, but you know, but, 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 were talking shit online, I was like, you're not getting to me through this, you know, through this media. People used to say this to my face. I used to write about this,

this right about me in magazines. Like you're hiding behind your Twitter username. I don't care. People used to say this to my face. Used to write about me in magazines. You're hiding behind your Twitter username. I don't care. When you first saw someone say that you were cheating by using that technique, that must have sucked. Yeah, and it was from a skater that I really respected, too. He was quoted in the magazine, and 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 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 or 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 just 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. That's just humans. Especially when you're doing something different. Especially if you're getting attention doing something different, they're going to find some way. Yeah. That's just humans. Yeah. Especially when you're doing something different. Especially if you're getting attention and doing something different.

They're going to find some way to diminish you. Yeah. It was harder for me because all I wanted to be was accepted as a skater. Mm-hmm. You know,

I'd kind of given up on my peers and 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 look you hung in there and came out on the other end yeah and i don't i don't harbor any ill will you know i mean a lot of people are like oh you should go back to school like you go to your reunion and i'm just 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. Like this is seriously living the dream. Like I get to do this for a living. I get to come on your show because I'm a skateboarder.

Like the stuff that I've gotten to do over my life is beyond any dream I could have ever written or imagined. And it's all because I just kept skating. That is the American dream to me. For sure. Or the worldwide dream, The human dream. Absolutely. To be able to do what you want for a living and to continue doing

it. Yeah. And to support your family and to, you know. It's crazy. It's amazing. The kind of stuff that we've gotten to do, especially as a family, the kind of trips we've taken and people we've met. For skating. Yeah, for skating. It's crazy. That's amazing. Do you still talk to that guy who shit on you back then?

Do you know who that guy is? I do. I think he fell on some hard times. Oh, well. That's how it usually goes with haters. Yeah. I'm sorry. It's interesting, though, that there's been these waves of change inside of it during your lifetime.

been these waves of change inside of it during your lifetime you know that it's such a 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 still yeah i mean at its core the the feeling i get when i'm on a skateboard is the same 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. 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. Yeah, I never imagined. I never imagined skating into my 30s.

Do you have friends that are your age that also still skate as well? I do, yeah. Yeah, I have a couple friends that are a couple years older than me, and they're sort of my gauge. So do you have a crazy setup in your backyard? I have a small concrete setup that's not huge, but it's fun. And then I have a small concrete setup that's not huge but you know it's fun and then I have a proper sized big vert ramp in my office

and I mean in the last two months that's the only place I'm at is it an indoor thing the vert ramp? it's indoor yeah how high is it? it is 13 and a half 14 feet wow so you just go there and fuck around

and have fun and practice? Yeah. We've done a couple of live streams from there just to provide entertainment for people. Oh, that's cool. Yeah. And we did one with DJ Z Trip. He was mixing up on the deck and we were doing tricks up on his table. That was pretty cool.

And then we are working on this Best Trick NBD thing. I actually got some money from a sponsor. So, you know, just trying to make content, make entertainment as best we can. What other content do you make online? Do you do a podcast or anything or a video? I used to be on SiriusXM. Actually, that was the first time I reached out to you because I had a SiriusXM show for 10 years. Oh.

because I had a SiriusXM show for 10 years. Oh. 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. It was only once a week, but for me it was like, I got to book studio time in LA, drive up here,

beg someone, I didn't have anyone running the show, it was just more like hey does anyone know seth rogan can you think but i had a good run i mean i definitely like my last two guests were pharrell and seth rogan oh that's so i felt like all right that's the sports guy no pharrell oh the music pharrell the sports guy? No, Pharrell. Oh, the musician. Pharrell Williams, yeah. Oh, wow. Yeah. Oh, wow. That's a big get. It was, yeah. So I felt like if I'm not, I can't really go further with this idea and let's just end it here. So it was fun though.

Do you do anything with it now? Do you do anything like that now? No, not really. I mean, I'm happy to, but I just- Because it's so easy to do some sort of a podcast now. It is, yeah. I just don't, I guess I just don't want to be that guy that's like, hey man, do my podcast. Yeah.

Because that's how I felt when I sent you the first message on Twitter. I was like, hey, you want to come on my SiriusXM show? And that was right when your show started blowing up. And I saw you all, and I was like, oh, he doesn't have time for my show. But I did. I mean, I'm happy you came to do this i think what you've done in your life is uh 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

you know that's that's the roadmap oh for sure i i try to tell people too you don't have to you don't have to be the best in your field to to enjoy and make a living at it 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 or the industry 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 and and i feel like that's what's lost on kids they just want to be the best they want all the stardom and it's just like no think of something that is that you would 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. 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 skateboarding 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 just enjoying it, in their end, the competition is the end goal. And then once they hit that competition. Yeah, it was just a means to an end. And then there's no more inspiration. That's a fun thing. That's a funny thing, rather, for a lot of people in any art form or any sport.

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 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. It was like, if you follow that road, your skating is going to suffer. And my focus was

always getting better at skating. That's interesting. That happens with comedy. A lot of times guys get really famous and then their specials, they start to fall apart. They're like, when they're on the come up, their specials are edgy and they're really into it. They're poor. They're all into it.

And then they become famous. And like, that was the thing with Kinison. Like he's partying with rock stars and hanging out. I saw him during those days. Did you really? Yeah, in San Diego. Oh, wow. Yeah, it was awesome.

Yeah, I got to see him a couple of times. But you could tell that he could just come out and scream and everyone's like, Yeah. Also, this must have been like 86, 87-ish. Yeah, he did a thing where he called people from the audience to come up and then call... Their ex-girlfriend? Their ex-girlfriend, yeah. Yeah, I saw that set.

Yeah, that was a thing he was doing. Yeah, I saw him do that in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Yeah. But in his day, man, he was a genius. Oh, he was the best. For a couple years, he was probably the best ever. But then the the trappings of fame yeah just got to him he stopped writing his brother wrote about it is

there's a book called brother sam his brother bill wrote this whole book about this sort of meteoric rise and one of the things that he said was that you know once he became famous he was like just doing coke and partying all night and he really wasn't writing anymore and wasn't out there trying to put together sets and he really wasn't writing anymore and wasn't out there trying to put together sets and he definitely wasn't keeping a secret that he was doing it no no he was partying well listen man uh appreciate you coming in here it was really cool to meet you oh it was it was my pleasure thank you it's an honor to be here i think your story is fucking amazing it's really cool i love hearing stories like that where someone finds something they love and they just just follow their dream and they become

Famous and successful at it. It's just it's so cool. Yeah, I'm still still chasing that carrot chase that care baby Thank you. Thanks brother. Appreciate you man. Tony Hawk ladies and gentlemen. Goodbye. Thanks, Joe.