For a couple of years, Mikey Hawdon, leader of Toronto punks Fairmounts, has been putting together all-star covers on his Mike And His Uke YouTube channel. For his latest selection, he’s got a very famous man singing a very famous song. Skate legend Tony Hawk changed millions of kids musical tastes via the medium of video-game soundtrack. He also got Cold Cave to cover the Cure at his wedding and jumped onstage to sing for Goldfinger earlier this year. Now, Hawk is singing the Nine Inch Nails classic “Wish.”
Tony Hawk and Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor go way back. In 2017, Hawk took over Depeche Mode’s Facebook, and Reznor sent him an email to post. The new Mikey And His Uke “Wish” cover features barely any ukulele. Instead, it’s got former Dillinger Escape Plan member Ben Weinman on bass, the Bronx’s Brad Magers on bass, stormylovechild’s Kat Lucas on keyboard, and ex-Every Time I Die member Brad Leger on drums. And it’s got motherfucking Tony Hawk singing about “54 years on my way to hell.”
The video for the “Wish” cover cuts the different remote musicians together, and it shows Tony Hawk lip-syncing his perfectly adequate vocal while skating through public places. What a life that guy has — just skating around, hi-fiving randos, singing a great song. The video also has a cameo from the actual Trent Reznor that got an actual guffaw out of me. Below, check out the Mikey And His Uke cover and Nine Inch Nails’ still-amazing original 1992 video.
Check out the Mikey And His Uke Patreon here.
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