Hawk: Occupation Skateboarder by Tony Hawk
Author : Tony Hawk
Title : Hawk: Occupation Skateboarder
Published : 25/09/2009
Publisher :
Genre : Autobiography
The world's leading professional skateboarder and a hero to thousands of Generation Xers, Tony Hawk relives a lifetime of incredible highs and lows in the sport. Tony Hawk, aka The Birdman, has won more than 60 contests, invented close to 50 new maneuvers and made skateboarding history at the 1999 international championships by landing the first ever 900-degree turn. A millionaire at the age of 18 in the 1980s on the back of the boom in skateboarding, Tony fell into near destitution almost overnight when the fad died away. However he successfully reinvented himself as an extreme boarder in the 1990s and now owns two multi-million dollar companies In Hawk Tony goes behind the scenes of competitions, demos, and movies and shares the less glamorous demands of being a skateboarder. Tony Hawk's dedication has made him a god to generations of skateboarders and countless other Generation Xers.
Back in the day skateboarding meant everything to me, From being on a board to playing the many incarnations of tony hawks' games for a while it was my life. But I never had the true commitment to the sport that many I knew did. Somewhere along the line skating slipped away and other things took its place. A few weeks ago whilst searching for something to watch I came across a film called Slam, now don't go thinking this was some old school skate film or even particularly about skate culture. This is an Italian teen romance film, but what it does have is Tony Hawk kind of. The lead character is observed with him and in turn, is reading this book. I would give a nod to the man himself as he lends his voice in part narration of this book throughout the film. But it was enough to re-peak my interest and I then spent countless hours re-watching old skate videos. Anyway, to cut a story short it wasn't too long before I was hunting out a copy of this book and jumping feet first in.
This was a guy I looked up to back in the day, I must have spent hours watching his moves than trying to recreate them in both real life and in his games. But it wasn't till I started into this book that it occurred to me that I knew little of the man himself. I think for a lot of people outside the world of skating it seems like something people do in there spare time, a slackers sport for dropouts. But with this book, you really get to appreciate the time and effort that he has put into honing what he does. Much like any other person at the top of their chosen field, it takes all you have to get to the top. For me, it is his genuine passion for the sport that shines through. Even after all this time, he is still pushing for innovation in the sport. But above all this, I love that he still finds happiness and joy in what he does. This is a guy who skates for his own happiness, and how many people can say that of their chosen profession. I think it would also be worth giving a shout out to his family who has supported him throughout. When he tells you about everything his dad did to support him and give legitimacy to the skate world, I don't think he could have asked for more.
I fully appreciate that this book has a very specific audience, for those outside the world of skateboarding this book will proverbially not even come up on their radar. But for me it reminds me of all those things I use to love about it, It brings back memories of the person I use to be. With all the scraps and bruises that it entails. This is a man who writes with such passion about what he does. What you get is not only his story but also the rise and fall and then rise again of the skate world. He says so himself that many within the world don't really know its history and in some small way, he manages to give some of that back to the reader. learning about those that came before him but also the other greats of his era. For me at least I was able to learn from this book and see the bigger world beyond the man himself. This is a book that will make you laugh a lot as well, at times it feels like an episode of Jackass. With some of the things they got up to it feels like a wonder that he is still alive and relatively in one peace. But through it, all this is also the story of an outsider Both in life and within his Corrine of the world. A guy who did things his own way for better or worse. I think by the end I had grown to have more respect for him. Seeing all the hard work and drive he put in is a wonder to behold. I was left feeling that he could have picked any field to pursue in life and he would have become the top of that field.
This is a book that for me at least when beyond what I had first thought of picking it up. For most autobiography's people tend to try and show themselves in the best possible light. But with Hawk: Occupation Skateboarder he shows us the good and the bad, that at times he is not the easiest of people to be around. But I think this is true of anyone who is driven. They have a laser focus and a need to achieve their goals no matter what. When push comes to shove though this is a guy I would happily sit down and have a beer with. The stories he has a funny and painful and from his earliest day to the present he is a guy who loves what he does.
Back in the day skateboarding meant everything to me, From being on a board to playing the many incarnations of tony hawks' games for a while it was my life. But I never had the true commitment to the sport that many I knew did. Somewhere along the line skating slipped away and other things took its place. A few weeks ago whilst searching for something to watch I came across a film called Slam, now don't go thinking this was some old school skate film or even particularly about skate culture. This is an Italian teen romance film, but what it does have is Tony Hawk kind of. The lead character is observed with him and in turn, is reading this book. I would give a nod to the man himself as he lends his voice in part narration of this book throughout the film. But it was enough to re-peak my interest and I then spent countless hours re-watching old skate videos. Anyway, to cut a story short it wasn't too long before I was hunting out a copy of this book and jumping feet first in.
This was a guy I looked up to back in the day, I must have spent hours watching his moves than trying to recreate them in both real life and in his games. But it wasn't till I started into this book that it occurred to me that I knew little of the man himself. I think for a lot of people outside the world of skating it seems like something people do in there spare time, a slackers sport for dropouts. But with this book, you really get to appreciate the time and effort that he has put into honing what he does. Much like any other person at the top of their chosen field, it takes all you have to get to the top. For me, it is his genuine passion for the sport that shines through. Even after all this time, he is still pushing for innovation in the sport. But above all this, I love that he still finds happiness and joy in what he does. This is a guy who skates for his own happiness, and how many people can say that of their chosen profession. I think it would also be worth giving a shout out to his family who has supported him throughout. When he tells you about everything his dad did to support him and give legitimacy to the skate world, I don't think he could have asked for more.
I fully appreciate that this book has a very specific audience, for those outside the world of skateboarding this book will proverbially not even come up on their radar. But for me it reminds me of all those things I use to love about it, It brings back memories of the person I use to be. With all the scraps and bruises that it entails. This is a man who writes with such passion about what he does. What you get is not only his story but also the rise and fall and then rise again of the skate world. He says so himself that many within the world don't really know its history and in some small way, he manages to give some of that back to the reader. learning about those that came before him but also the other greats of his era. For me at least I was able to learn from this book and see the bigger world beyond the man himself. This is a book that will make you laugh a lot as well, at times it feels like an episode of Jackass. With some of the things they got up to it feels like a wonder that he is still alive and relatively in one peace. But through it, all this is also the story of an outsider Both in life and within his Corrine of the world. A guy who did things his own way for better or worse. I think by the end I had grown to have more respect for him. Seeing all the hard work and drive he put in is a wonder to behold. I was left feeling that he could have picked any field to pursue in life and he would have become the top of that field.
This is a book that for me at least when beyond what I had first thought of picking it up. For most autobiography's people tend to try and show themselves in the best possible light. But with Hawk: Occupation Skateboarder he shows us the good and the bad, that at times he is not the easiest of people to be around. But I think this is true of anyone who is driven. They have a laser focus and a need to achieve their goals no matter what. When push comes to shove though this is a guy I would happily sit down and have a beer with. The stories he has a funny and painful and from his earliest day to the present he is a guy who loves what he does.
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