This one comes from my legal counsel, Mr Streeter esquire, informed me on Facebook (how very modern) that Tony Hawk has a new book.

Am I interested?

It appears Tony is not interested in Newtons Nation a festival based around a skateboard event. He is in Australia at the same time as Newtons, to collect 50k a day for skating at the Homebush Super V8, but he has declined our invitation to come out and be ASRA’s honored guest at Newtons. We’ll going to pimp him out, get him the luxurious suite with the spa, and not ask him to skate. Just hang out, enjoy the weekend, meet the bands and see a bit of downhill racing. Maybe he is scared we’d ask him to get on a longboard and go down the mountain. I’m not saying Tony is a sell out, the dude has done so much for skateboarding.

I understand. Business is business. If you can soak the man for 50 large a day, why would you want to hang out with smelly longboarders. Honestly, I think it is brilliant. A skateboarder can earn that much, gives us all hope. We all know Tony gives back to the sport by building skateparks. Who I am mad with is the NSW Government. It is our tax money that is paying for Tony Hawk to skate at Homebush. Talk about excess. Why pay to have the best skateboarder of all time at a motor race? Is it just because they have the funding, and can buy what ever they want? Maybe they dont have much cash? That is why an event that has an attendance of over 200,000 people needs $30 million dollars from the government.

No surprise this government is going to sink at the next election. Judgment day is coming. It is 26th March 2011. Dont forget to tell every voter you know, to vote anyone but Labor, lets kick this NSW government all the way to irrelevant. Rant over.

Back to the book news,
How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO

When we got the Tony Hawke Theeve trucks in the skateshop, we had a lot of young longboarders ask, who the fuck is Tony Hawk? (see Tony, there is a good reason to come to Newtons…introduce your self to a new generation) My reply was, you’re a longboarder, why are you looking at street trucks?

I suppose we are all skaters, we should be skating everything: longboard and skateboard.

So, who the fuck is Tony Hawk?

(disclaimer, I ripped this off the publishers website)

Tony Hawk is a 42 year-old American male, a professional skateboarder who has been specializing in ramp or “vert” skating since his early teens. He is a father of four, a video game character (on 79 different gaming platforms), an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a spokesman, a Sirius satellite radio-show host, a frequent television personality (The Simpsons, CBS’s I Get That A Lot, CSI: Miami, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Yo Gabba Gabba!, the Stand Up To Cancer telethon, and so on), an ESPN X Games commentator, an infrequent film actor (xXx, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Gleaming the Cube, Thrashin’), and a multiple X Games gold medalist. His non-profit organization, The Tony Hawk Foundation, has raised millions of dollars to build municipal skateparks around the country, many in low-income communities. He owns Birdhouse Skateboards and a production company, 900 Films. In 1999, he became the first skateboarder to land the elusive 900 (two and a half aerial rotations on a halfpipe). In 2009, he famously tweeted a photo of himself skateboarding (technically he was doing a Manual) inside the Grand Foyer of the White House.

This is his second co-authored book How Did I Get Here: The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO.

Is Tony a sell out, is he still relevant?

A real extract on the subject:

Dear Tony Hawk,
If I offered you a million dollars, would you endorse my new dildo?* I bet you would.

(*If one were so inclined, one could subject the letter to an analytical close reading. For example, why write “… my new dildo” instead of, say, “… my new line of dildos?” Or, “my new dildo company?” Doesn’t the current phrasing suggest that the dildo in question is for the writer’s personal use? And doesn’t it beg the question of what happened to the previous dildo that necessitated the acquisition of the “new” one?)

I imagine Tony is offended by the sell out insults that skaters throw at him. Maybe this book goes some way to explain the business side of his skateboarding. The intensity and frequency of Tony’s skating must prove he is still committed and has not sold out. If anyone has seen the video of Tony’s day off in Sydney and the sneak skate at Riverwood skatepark, we have seen a glimpse at the real Tony Hawk.

If you want to see how Tony manages both personalities, Business vs Skater. Buy the book.

Hey Tony, invitation to Newtons is still there.

Today’s blog post is a special one. If you are waiting to see the video and photos of the Salute The Masters skate comp, you will have to wait another day, I’ll post them up tommorrow.

Today I have a call to action.

Pittwater Council are proposing a major upgrade to Mona Vale Skatepark in 2009/2010. The local skateshops and skaters have been asking council for a new skatepark for years. The plans are in, the council just need a little bit of encouragement to get this one over the line. This park will benefit everyone. No matter where you are in Australia, you know you’ll travel to skate here, be part of a competition or travel to see some pros tearing it up on a demo. So time for everyone to show there support. Tell the council this park will be popular and get used.

Email: jenny_cronan@pittwater.nsw.gov.au
In the subject: Mona Vale Skate Park
In the content: Tell her you have seen the plans and want a new skatepark!!

Here is what the new park is all about

The design sits between the existing Kitchener park sports fields and the boundary of the creek. The proposal is for a national level skateboarders, BMX, scooters, inline skate facility catering for all levels of experience (beginner to expert). Incorporating one of the largest bowls in Australia, plaza area and other passive and active spaces. The facility will also feature lighting for night time usage.

Council information on skatepark

PDF proposal on the park