How Did I Get Here (14 page)

August 27–29, 2004

MTV Video Music Awards, Miami, Florida

Amid the hip-hop decadence and VIP parties, I recall the following:

• Presenting the best new artist award with Ashlee Simpson, during which the stage was “transformed” into a skatepark and I joined in a live demo.
  
• Walking by all of the A-list celebs in the front row (including Puffy and Jay-Z), and realizing that I was still wearing my helmet.
  Whassup, cuz? I’m chillin’.
  
• While we sat in the audience during the televised ceremony, a production assistant came over and told me that I would be presenting the award for Best Video Game Soundtrack in the next segment. I said that there must be some mistake, that our game was nominated for that award and I’d yet to see a script for the presentation. She went away flustered and I sat there wondering what to do. She came back soon after and corrected herself: I was going to
  win
  that award in the next segment. Suddenly I found myself on stage with Good Charlotte and D12 making an acceptance speech with Bam Margera, for a
  music
  award. And you may ask yourself: “Well, how did I get here?”
  

October 2, 2004

Andre Agassi’s Grand Slam for Children, Las Vegas, Nevada

My friend Robert invited me to be his guest at Andre Agassi’s annual charity event, heralded as one of the most consistently successful live fundraisers. I thought it would be good to check it out, lend my support, and possibly learn a few things that could help with our first THF fundraiser (happening the very next day). All of the raised money goes toward Andre’s charity: a school for underprivileged children located in the outskirts of Vegas. I believe they have raised over $50 million so far, so the school is thriving. There are plans to expand it into a college and take the idea to other cities as well.

The main draw for the Agassi event is live entertainment, and this year was no exception. Robin Williams, Faith Hill, John Mayer, and Ray Romano were all scheduled to appear, making the $20,000-per-table cost seem like an extravagant ticket price as opposed to a straight donation. The auction items were of the same caliber: private tennis lessons with Andre and Steffi Graf; a trip on a private jet to meet the First Lady for lunch; and other one-of-a-kind offers.

Andre asked me to get up and offer an auction item of my choice, so I went on stage and came up with a private demo for five to be held at our new office (on the BBHJ ramp), with catering by McDonald’s. A bidding began between two high-roller philanthropists, so I ended up offering two such demos—which raised the total to six figures. I never imagined that a few McTwists and some Happy Meals would be worth that much.

October 3, 2004

Stand Up for Skateparks Fundraiser, Studio City, California

Today we held our first fundraiser for the Tony Hawk Foundation at the Pinz Bowling Alley in Studio City. We wanted to make sure that there was plenty for kids to do, but also a constant schedule of live entertainment. Having David Spade commit to doing a small routine was the catalyst for getting us going in full gear. Not long after we set the date, Blink-182 joined the roster, and things snowballed from there. The setting was Pinz Bowling Alley in Studio City, with skating and playthings in the parking lot and comedy and music inside. And if someone managed to get bored, they could always bowl.

Benecio del Toro and me.

Besides the multitude of kids’ activities (and food) outside, our plan was to have a skate and BMX demo, a live auction, comedy, and, finally, music. Todd Glass opened for Spade, and Tom Green introduced me when I got up to explain our foundation’s mission and to summarize the auction items. Our auction items were unique: a private surf lesson with Kelly Slater; a private skate demo with yours truly; a Hawaiian vacation in a private villa; and a guitar autographed by Blink. The last item was donated by Bobby Kotick (CEO of Activision), who bought it at another fundraiser, and was kind enough to re-gift it. Mat Hoffman donated the bike he had just ridden in our outdoor demo.

Spencer with Pamela Anderson.

The auction went relatively well, but it was hard for me to get excited about items going for $2,000 to $5,000 after seeing the extravagance of the Agassi event. In the end, we raised nearly $500,000, so I have no complaints. Pamela Anderson bought Mat Hoffman’s bike for $6,000, after which Mat suggested that she put brakes on it. She also paid $5,000 for a date with Spade. David said he looked forward to taking her to Sizzler. Ryan Sheckler bought the Blink guitar for $4,000.

The only sad face I saw the whole day was my son Spencer, after he ran out of quarters in the arcade—a tragedy quickly remedied by his aunt and grandma.

April 22–24, 2005

Black Pearl Skatepark Grand Opening, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

My invitation to the opening of the world’s biggest skatepark had been postponed many times due to construction delays and hurricane damage. We were invited to visit the 60,000-square-foot park more as a vacation than an obligation (translation: free travel, no pay). I invited an eclectic skate crew: me, Riley, Shaun Stulz, Steve Nesser, Mike Vallely, Kevin Staab, Alex Chalmers, and our respective wives, fiancées, and girlfriends.

The first thing we noticed was that Hurricane Ivan had hit this remote island like a big, bad bomb. Trees were uprooted, boats were still lying where they’d been pushed ashore, and the majority of dwellings were in the process of being rebuilt. Fortunately, most of our hotel was open and the beach water out front was bluer than I had ever seen anywhere.

Our first outing was a luxury boat tour. We went snorkeling on the outer reef and then on to one of Cayman’s landmark tourist spots, Stingray City. Hordes of stingrays flock and swim in, out, and around the legs of screeching landlubbers, who feed them nuggets of sliced squid. The only rules: don’t pet their backs and don’t step on them, which become increasingly difficult to follow once the rays start swarming. It’s almost overwhelming to have so many potentially dangerous animals boldly brushing up against your body. Even Riley got off the boat and mingled with the locals for a while, until one glided across his legs and he quickly jumped on my back.

The next day, we checked out the skatepark, which is monstrous in every way. It appears to go on forever, and every visible wall looks to be at least 10 feet high. The place offers an amazing mass of transitions, but it would be better explored over a week instead of one day.

Demo day: It was crowded, but not nearly the thousands we’d been warned about. It was hard doing a demo in such an expansive park. I’d love to go back and explore all of it without the pressure of a crowd watching.

After the demo, we headed back to our hotel for stereotypical Cayman activities: lying on the beach, riding Jet Skis, and ordering drinks. We even caught a glimpse of Iggy Pop doing the same thing by the pool, smashing every misconception I had about this place. It’s not lawyers and Mafiosos hiding money and living in excess. It’s more about families, pro skaters, and rockers getting away for some sun and relaxation.

June 10–12, 2005

Disneyland, Vegas, Arkansas, Home, Spokane, Various Events

My life is weird. In the past few days, I’ve introduced Arnold Schwarzenegger at an event, taken my kids to Disneyland, been Punk’d, played in a high-roller poker tournament in Vegas, helped design a backyard skatepark for the TV show
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
, and spent exactly eight hours at home getting ready for this summer’s Boom Boom HuckJam tour. Some highlights:

• Governor Schwarzenegger’s office prepared my speech for an event at Disneyland where I was supposed to introduce him so he could announce the formation of something called the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. I put it in my own words and sent it back. They said I wasn’t allowed to make changes to my own speech. So I said, “No thanks, I’d rather not do it.” They said they’d look at it and get back to me. They approved my words.
  
• I skated up to the podium and introduced the Governator while standing next to Michelle Kwan and Jack LaLanne, fellow members of the new fitness council.
  
• Riley Punk’d me. That’s all I’m allowed to say until MTV airs the show.
  
• Met the following people at the Wynn hotel in Vegas: Wayne Gretzky, Matt Damon, and Steve Wynn. I also met multibillionaire Warren Buffett as we sat down to a lavish dinner. There was lobster, caviar, fancy French dishes, and Dom Perignon. Warren had chicken fingers and a Coke.
  
• Lost miserably in the Netjets Poker tournament. Nobody fell for my bluffs. I officially suck at poker. The guy who placed third won a Maserati. A Maserati! For third!
  
• Got some redemption at the blackjack table with my lucky Lhotse sitting anchor.
  
• Flew from Vegas to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to help Ty of
  Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
  design a backyard mini-ramp for a lucky family there. Lhotse and I were in Arkansas for a total of three hours.
  
• Got home in time to pack two giant bags for the BBHJ tour and sleep for four hours.
  
• Arrived in Spokane for the first BBHJ show and immediately went to test our new Bigass Ramp: a 44-foot drop to a 40-foot gap to a 20-foot quarterpipe. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.
  
• After six flights and three hotels in three days, we’re finally settled in Spokane. Daily rehearsals until our first show on 6/17. It’s good to be back somewhere familiar: on tour.
  

July 8–31, 2005

Boom Boom HuckJam Tour, Home, DC, MO, IA, MN, WI, MI, OH, NJ, PA, Toronto, NY, MA

I am officially over sleeping on a bus and waking up in a different city and checking into hotels only to shower and change clothes. The shows were a blast, though. Some high- and lowlights from our whirlwind adventures:

• I made a surprise visit to the GreenSkateLab skatepark in DC—one of the parks that received a grant from the TH Foundation. I did an invert on the only vert wall in the deep end and managed to hang up on the way in, sending me straight to the flat on my hip and shoulder. It hurt a lot, and the next four shows were a lesson in pain tolerance.
  
• Mat Hoffman took the worst slam I have ever seen live. He locked up on his sprocket coming in from a 10-foot air and took the handlebars to his chest before going straight to his head on the flat. I was convinced he had a concussion and internal damage and was done for the tour. But backstage during intermission he took the oxygen mask off and asked if his bike was okay, and then went back out to ride, despite newly bruised ribs and giant, fresh contusions on his knees. Mat Hoffman is the toughest and most dedicated athlete in the world.
  
• Riley came out for some shows and learned the art of design-bleaching shirts from Drake. He smelled like ammonia for days.
  
• Went home for one night between Milwaukee and Detroit. Had a birthday party for Keegan, washed some clothes, recorded a radio show, and headed back to the airport. Our flight was canceled, so we had to wait around LAX for nearly eight hours and catch a red-eye to Detroit to make our show there the next day. This jet-set lifestyle is not so glamorous sometimes.
  
• Just when my hip was feeling better, I fell on it in the exact same place, right at the beginning of a four-show stretch. But I still don’t hold a candle to what Mat must go through all the time.
  
• Jon Bon Jovi came to our NJ show with his family. As a tribute, we played “Bad Medicine” during the jam.
  
• Rune Glifberg started pulling 360s over the jump near the end of the tour, but over-rotated during practice in Philly and went down hard. He bruised his lung, ribs, shoulder, hip, elbow, and probably other spots he didn’t mention. He didn’t skate the rest of the shows but stayed on tour to keep our spirits high.
  
• Kevin Robinson and I visited wounded troops in DC. These guys have heart-wrenching stories of losing limbs (and buddies) in battle, mostly during their time in Iraq. They are profiles in courage and make my injuries (and even Mat’s) look like minor scratches in comparison.