“Music was just a huge part of skating, especially in the formative years of the ‘70s and ‘80s”: Keanu Reeves and Tony Hawk talk about the skating/music crossover
Actor and Dogstar bassist is a guest on the skate legend’s podcast
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Keanu Reeves and Tony Hawk – note Keanu’s pizza peel bass (Image credit: Getty Images/Jim Bennett/Paul Harris/)
Keanu Reeves and Tony Hawk have been indulging in a bit of a mutual love-in, as well as talking about their favourite music.
Reeves was appearing in the skate icon’s Hawk Vs Wolf podcast and conversation touched upon music and video games. Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack turns 25 this year and the series played a not insignificant role in the wave of interest in nu-metal, skate punk and related genres in the early 2000s.
Dogstar: Keanu Reeves, Robert Mailhouse, and Bret Domrose | EP 156 | Hawk vs Wolf – YouTube
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“Music was just a huge part of skating, especially in the formative years of the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Hawk said. “So, when I got to do a game, I wanted to represent the culture, including music. So, I just was throwing bands in that I listened to growing up. They were easy to get.”
“So, that was my contribution to the game in terms of the old-school music,” he continued. “Then, they (the games company) had their own pretty robust music department to get newer bands at the time, the stuff that people associate with [the games] like Goldfinger, Powerman 5000, Fu Manchu, stuff like that.”
But interestingly, when asked about his all-time favourite band, Hawk namechecked politicised UK post-punkers Gang Of Four, not a group you’d ever link to skate culture in any shape or form. He also mentioned The Clash as “the ultimate favourite.”
Also in on the interview were Reeves’ fellow Dogstar members. Drummer Robert Mailhouse asked if he’d ever skate without listening to music. Hawk replied that music was a constant presence in skateparks back in the day: “They were mostly playing K-Rock [over the intercom of the skate parks],” he explained. “K-Rock was that sound. Rodney on the ROQ, that was one of the first vinyl I ever bought.”
Keanu Reeves Tells Tony Hawk About His Band – YouTube
The episode also contained much talk comparing the respective lives of a working rock band with that of a pro skater.
Dogstar originally formed in the early ’90s and released two albums – Our Little Visionary and Happy Endings in 1996 and 2000 respectively. For years they were assumed to have been little more than a footnote in Reeves’ more renowned career in Hollywood. But then post Covid the band reconvened, releasing their first album in 23 years last October – Somewhere Between The Power Lines and The Palm Trees. They recently lined up an extensive US tour for August and September.
News and features writer
Will Simpson is a freelance music expert whose work has appeared in Classic Rock, Classic Pop, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazine. He is the author of ‘Freedom Through Football: Inside Britain’s Most Intrepid Sports Club’ and his second book ‘An American Cricket Odyssey’ is due out in 2025
