Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk has long been associated with alternative music via the soundtracks to his video game series. Tony Hawk Pro Skater. For many young players in the 1990s and 2000s, these licensed soundtracks were a precursor to rock, metal, and punk that were sometimes too extreme or underground for radio.
In his later career, Hawk has embraced his status as a rock hero, hosting big bands at the Weekend Jam skate show, and most recently joining Goldfinger on stage at Pro skater The staple “Superman”. Now, Tony has teamed up with an all-star backing band to cover “Nine Inch Nails” featuring current and former members of The Dillinger Escape Plan (Ben Weinman), The Bronx (Brad Magers), Every Time I Die (Ryan Light), and more.
Curated via Mikey and His Yuke’s YouTube channel, the cover is in the vein of the “Two Minutes to Midnight” Bedroom Covers series, in which each musician contributes their role remotely along with Zoom-style webcam footage.
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Standing on his skateboard for the song’s video, Hook cruises around Los Angeles and Venice Beach giving an undeniably powerful vocal rendition of the industrial classic. He may have been practicing since covering Goldfinger, because taking Trent Reznor’s vocals isn’t easy.
Speaking of Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind makes a hilarious cameo in a YouTube clip when he nearly explodes while crossing the street as Hawkeye beams past – prompting a horrified gesture from Trent.
“When I started this series, I knew I wanted to cover this particular song,” YouTuber Mikey wrote in the description of the video. “I also knew that if we did that, the lineup had to be just right. I couldn’t be happier with the passion and energy this crew brought and delivered. So much love to everyone involved.”
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Watch Tony Hawk and company cover “Nine Inch Nails” below.
