Tony Hawk Has A Talk: American Birdman In Paris

Monday, 23 November 2009

Tony Hawk is in Paris, France at the moment for The Tony Hawk Show which coincides with Quiksilver’s 40th anniversary. He’s got a whole crew of vert maestros along with him who will be skating in Paris’ famed Grand Palais this evening along with live music, artists, and a pro street contest with a Bercy replica. We got a few private moments with Tony before a massive media blow out press conference, here’s what he had to say.

Interview & photos by Blair Alley

How did the group of guys that are skating this weekend come together?

A lot of them are kind of the crew we’ve had for Huck Jam in previous years, and we did a demo in France last year in Hossegor during one of the big surf contests, and it drew such attention that the Quiksilver guys took notice and wanted to do it on a larger scale. So we got the same guys back here and a few key A-list guys like Sandro Dias and Andy MacDonald as well. There were some other guys we wanted to get too, but it’s such a quick, heavy event, and they all have their endemic clothing sponsors, so I didn’t even ask, but I think the crew we have is insane.

How is this trip to Paris different from trips in the past, especially being able to skate in the Grand Palais which has never had skateboarding inside it before?

It’s a whole different perspective being invited here to skate and being welcomed in that way. It’s crazy, I’ve been coming here for a long time, and especially when skating wasn’t popular, kicked out of places and getting hasseled, and now it’s come so far, I can’t believe it. They believe in this project so much, that they put so much effort into it and put the ramp in here.

What does it mean to ride for a brand like Quiksilver that on its 40th anniversary has an event called The Tony Hawk Show, and support skateboarding as much as it does?...

Check out the full article here...
Compliments of Transworld Skateboards...

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