Skullcandy & Bose Release Affordable Earbud Collab With Help From Tony Hawk
The pro skater opens up about his favorites bands and his journey back from injury.
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It’s rare to see two huge consumer tech brands put down their swords and come out with a collaboration, but that’s just what Skullcandy and Bose have done.
The two speaker brands teamed up to release a $99 earbud that offers the incredible sound that Bose is known for, with the color-forward, board sports-infused style created by Skullcandy. The Method 360 ANC earbuds come with Skullcandy’s Pez dispenser-like charging case, and they’re available in five different colorways. To help announce this major industry collab, Skullcandy released a quirky, fun short film that starred none other than skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.
As for the earbuds, they not only punch above their weight class — they punch above the weight classes of much more expensive models. They offer the incredibly powerful, clear sound that Bose is known for, and they even have the loud bass that might come to mind when you think of Skullcandy. The noise-canceling capabilities are amazing, and they also manage to keep the noise from leaking out of your ears. If you typically struggle with fit when it comes to earbuds, they also really knocked it out of the park in this category — they’re comfortable and stay put better than any earbuds I’ve ever worn. With a 40-hour battery life that’s almost unheard of, these are a great option for anyone looking for earbuds that will stick with them through almost any activity.
After watching the video at the release party on April 15, Hawk spoke on a panel with executives from both brands, during which he explained that he’s been a longtime fan of the brand and loves how it has always shown its support of skate culture. After the panel, Hawk spoke with Billboard about the impact music has had on his life and his crazy journey back to health after breaking his femur.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater introduced an entire generation of kids to punk and ska. Do you have favorite songs or bands that were on those first games?
I think one of my proudest accomplishments was getting Dead Kennedys because bands like them — like Circle Jerks and Black Flag — were the soundtrack to my youth and skate skating in my youth.
And so to be able to do a game, and for them to ask me who I want — I wanted what I was listening to. It felt like, you know those bands were beloved in their era, but no one really knew about them, right? So, it wasn’t hard for them to get clearances. But the idea that if you really listen to their lyrics in “Police Truck,” it’s a punk rock song, you know? It’s against authority and the fact we got that on a mainstream platform was amazing.
Surely after the first game, you had to have bands trying so hard to get you to listen to their music.
Still to this day. I just got an email from — I won’t name them — but a pretty big band. The lead singer was like, ‘Hey, man, can we get in the game?’ And I was like, :I can’t believe I have to tell you no, because we’ve already locked it up.” But for the three and four, really, yeah. It’s been happening.
You’re kind of like the biggest agent in the music industry.
It’s all bands that I love and respect, so I’m excited.
Who are you most impressed or excited by in this new generation of skaters?
Well, I’m coming off the heels of this big premiere of Tom Schaar’s video. Tom Schaar is just on a different level of what we do on ramps. He’s kind of unlocked some new secret to going even higher and doing things that are ridiculously impossible, but easily. I would have said that at any point, but the fact I just saw his video drives him home.
I love that you’re so excited about the continuation of the sport. I interviewed Sky Brown soon after she fell, and I know there was all this coverage about you encouraging her to get back out there.
You know, that was an extreme case, but it takes a certain perseverance and willingness to overcome stuff like that, because at some point you are going to get hurt along the way. I don’t think it’s the most dangerous thing, but how you deal with that first injury sets the tone for how you’re going to keep skating.
Speaking of injuries, you just broke your femur. What has been the hardest thing to relearn?
Well, if you want to get into the weeds, the hardest thing to relearn that I still struggle with is my tuck knees, which means the way that I grab my board and that I can kind of tweak my body. I’ll think that I have it [the board] in my hand, and I’m not quite there yet most of the time. That was the hardest.
The hardest thing mentally to overcome was 540s because I broke it doing a 540. So, when I finally got my strength back, and with my wife’s tentative approval, I went and did a 540 again. And I made sure she was watching, because I can’t get hurt with her watching. More like I’m not allowed.
Do you have a favorite accomplishment?
Honestly, it’s doing this at my age. You know, I never imagined I get to be a pro skater into my 40s, and now I still do it in my 50s and like, it’s all just fun. There’s no pressure, and I just get to do it because I love it. Learning new tricks now overcoming challenges has way more meaning.
Who do you play as when you’re playing Pro Skater?
I’m not going to tell you that I play with myself, but I play as my character because I know all my special moves. Inevitably, if you have a game with your name on it, people are going to challenge you and you better actually be able to play your own game. So I play my own skater by default. If I’m not playing my skater, then my son Riley is in the game, so I play as him.
