Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin Tony Hawk
179 snips
Sep 24, 2025 
Tony Hawk, a legendary skateboarder known for landing the 900 and founding the Tony Hawk Foundation, shares his fascinating journey through skating culture. He reflects on the early days of skate parks in the 70s and the punk movement's influence on skateboarding. From his first big injury that shaped his technique to the evolution of skate styles inspired by surfing, Hawk discusses the industry's cycles and the creation of his iconic video game. He emphasizes the importance of dedication over talent and the impact of skateboarding on personal identity.
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Learn How To Fall Safely
- Learn to fall deliberately: use a quick lead-foot step then drop to the knee to absorb impact.
- Tony explains knee slides as a technique to manage big-ramp bailouts safely.
Breaking My Leg And Relearning Skating
- Tony broke his femur doing a trick he’d done thousands of times and struggled through a non-union fracture.
- After surgery and careful recovery he regained most of his ability and now appreciates skating more.
Spotting The Video-Game Moment
- Activision approached Tony in the late 90s and his intuition that a skate game would work proved right.
- He immediately saw the game's potential when he played a prototype and believed skateboarders would buy consoles for it.