Sometimes we just need that old-school nostalgia comfort in our lives and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 has become that slice of escapism for many millennials this year. And one of the biggest metaphors for comfort in the return of the familiar is the inclusion of Bam Margera.
All of us 30-somethings can easily remember the MTV days, back when Bam Margera was terrorizing his parents and breaking his bones doing Jackass stunts. It’s the kind of carefree chaos that seems like such a distant time now that we have to care about taxes and working while the world basically crumbles and burns around us. It may be time to steal that Gen X meme of the dog saying “this is fine” while his house burns to the ground. Well, some of us still have humor, but still.
But the world just isn’t the same. Who is going to purposefully break their tailbone in a bucket car when an ambulance ride will bankrupt you and the government is actively fighting for you to lose access to any medication you’d need after? Seems a bit foolish now.
Back in my day, we’d taser our nutsacks and prompt a scorpion to stab our taints just for the fun of it!
While 2025 is definitely a horrendous year for anyone with morals or financial goals, we can now play as Bam Margera in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 +4. And it means more than just a fun playthrough of a game to distract ourselves. It shows that your dreams are not dead. Hope is still alive. And it’s still worth pushing for your goals.
Bam Margera Can Still Do a Whirly Bird
Bam Margera was one of the most iconic skaters of the 1990s and 2000s. Sure, he was known for being a bit nuts, but he also had his signature moves and incredible talent, just like the rest of the crew. Like the rest of the crew, he made us all believe we could skate one day if we begged our parents for skateboards enough times.
Over the years, Margera has publicly struggled with alcohol and his health, even getting into some fallouts with former friends like Steve-O.
“I must say, in 2013, I was on such a rock and roll tour with this band that the doctor declared my legs as dry rot and rubber bands from alcohol abuse,” Margera told me at an event for the release of Pro Skater 3 + 4. “He told me to touch my toes, and I did, and my hamstring popped… I was out for a year.”
While some people may have pitied Margera for this fallout, he was using it as inspiration and motivation to turn everything around. He started stretching with a coach every day. He started skating again. He eventually reached out to Tony Hawk, and what was meant to be a quick catchup turned into repeat skate sessions. His passion’s back and “everything’s falling into place.”
What does that look like for a pro skater? “We ollied over each other. It was big news.”
But it gets even better. Back when Magera was 17, he grabbed the nose of his board, flipped it at a 360-degree angle, and then landed on it. This brand-new trick became known as the Whirly Bird, Margera’s signature move. You can perform this move in the game, but even crazier, Magera can do it again IRL.
“I did it three times when I first got back into skating!” he said excitedly.
Margera doing a Whirly Bird is like us Millennials getting a bonus at work, having the chance to take a hike outside, playing board games with friends, getting a tax refund, getting a medication without having to jump through hoops… It’s hope. A return to a time when things were simpler. When we could be silly and stupid and just go for it, whatever it was .
“It takes a lot of energy but it was worth it,” he said. “Everything’s worth it if you ride away from it. There’s a war with the trick. If you land a trick right away? There’s no reward. I like going through the war. Maybe not at the time. But when you land it, you’re like ‘Yes!'”
Exactly.
Being in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 +4 isn’t just about appearing in a game for Margera. His son will think he’s cool now. He got to do fun voiceover work. He reached a new goal. After everything he went through, he still peaked.
“It’s a real honor. It’s all those things that skaters dream of. To be in the game. It was a goal of mine and it got completed again. I’m happy to have my passion back,” Margera told me.
At one point, Margera never thought he’d skate again. Now he’s skating (in a game, too), going on road trips, selling his artwork, hanging out at Comic Con… And he’s smiling. If there’s one thing I remember from the interview, it was his continuous excitement and laughter. His pure joy.
The 2000s are back. Go out and do something fun. Chase your passions. Tase your nutsack.
Last Updated On: Sep 23, 2025 3:38 am CEST