OLIVER TREE: I'm Done With Music | X GAMES PODCAST

Overview

Oliver Tree sits down on the X Games podcast as both a chart-topping musician and a hardcore action-sports competitor, spotlighting his transition into boogie boarding alongside his scooter career. He talks about the “life” of riding—ramps, electric scooters—and jokes about how people misunderstand his “Tony Hawk of scooters” comparisons.

During the pandemic, Tree pivots from music touring into screenwriting and boogie boarding. He shares that he’s officially sponsored on the boogie board circuit, then jokes he’s on the Arizona Iced Tea team—before arguing boogie boarders are unfairly looked down on by surfers, comparing it to the skatepark hierarchy where scooters (and rollerbladers) get pushed to the bottom.

Rivalry Break: R/Willy (Ryan Williams)

A major story break centers on Tree’s rivalry with fellow scooter star R/Willy (Ryan Williams). Tree claims that during a trip to Australia—after what he describes as 14–17 hours of travel and intense jetlag—he was forced to use a nonstandard setup.

He alleges sabotage, including:

• Someone messing with the scooter’s bearings
• Crew sabotage in R/Willy’s “home territory”

Tree says he’s vowed a rematch in his own environment—Santa Cruz—where he believes things will be fair. The tone is competitive but also petty-funny, as he insists he’s training daily while calling out details like “not a decent shot,” while the host tries to steer away from the most intense specifics.

X Games Ambitions & Crossovers

Tree then shifts to his ambitions for X Games representation. He argues scooters deserve a place on the big stage—potentially in freestyle and maybe even downhill/dual slalom. He also pushes back on the idea that traditional BMX athletes “get” scooter-style rotations.

He claims his scooter perspective makes him uniquely adaptable and hints that he could cross over to BMX later.

Injuries, Recovery, and Training

Tree discusses injuries and recovery candidly, listing a steady pile of crashes—particularly including:

• Wrist issues
• Multiple fractures

He jokes that he can do push-ups again only because his body has finally reset.

The “World’s Biggest Razor Scooter” Obsession

One of the centerpiece stories is his long-running project: “World’s Biggest Razor Scooter.” He describes it as a 10-year endeavor that began with a dream in 2001, then included years of funding battles, 18 engineers, 27 months of construction, and brutal training.

Key details he shares include:

• Building stability into the scooter (extra wheels)
• Using prosthetic stilt systems
• Engineering a bathroom-access “funnel” to fit his extreme setup

He recounts a Guinness World Records attempt in the desert, which ends with a gust of wind flipping him—followed by him being strapped in as he falls—resulting in further injuries and months of recovery.

Film, Marketing, and Music Video Creative Approach

Tree connects his action-sports creativity to film and marketing. He writes and directs his own music videos, describing the process like a “film school.”

He talks specifically about his “Cash Machine” video, emphasizing that the key differences versus ramps are timing and wake dynamics. He also points to major influences like:

• GTA: Vice City
• Wave Race-era video game fantasy
• Monster trucks
• Cinematic “dream realizations”

Music Industry Critique & Touring Exit

In the music-business portion, Tree suggests his debut album Ugly Is Beautiful might be his final true “Oliver Tree” album, while still working on future projects. He also claims labels might try to recycle unused songs against his wishes.

He criticizes modern industry logic, including:

• A&R being driven less by talent and more by social-media numbers
• Labels preferring “sure bets”
• Releases being stalled until follower thresholds are hit

He reveals he toured and then quit touring because it became unsustainable, preferring to focus on directing and other creative work.

Music-Gaming Ambitions & Connections

Tree discusses ambitions for a music-driven video game experience:

• He’s working on a scooter game
• He wants it to feel authentic
• He wants his “own music” as the soundtrack (evoking nostalgia from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater era)

He also describes a “magical” connection/collaboration with blink-182 as a full-circle moment, saying Mark and Travis were hands-on with the track production and that the work pulls from pop-punk inspiration.

Closing Philosophy: Handling Trolls

In the finale, Tree turns philosophical about dealing with online trolls:

• He doesn’t take criticism personally because it targets an idea/persona, not him
• He warns that both hate and praise can spiral into unhealthy self-doubt
• He ends with a blunt reminder that audiences will never truly know the real person behind the character

Main Highlights / Jokes / Standout Reactions

• “Tony Hawk of scooters” misunderstanding: Tree jokes about the comparison being wrongly attributed to him and plays it for laughs.
• Boogie boarding pivot: Sponsored by Arizona Iced Tea; he frames boogie boarders as underestimated “bottom of the totem pole,” similar to how scooters get treated at skateparks.
• R/Willy rivalry: Tree alleges jetlag + forced swap + crew sabotage, then vows a fair rematch in Santa Cruz.
• World’s Biggest Razor Scooter: A massive engineering and construction detail dump, plus a Guinness attempt ruined by a gust of wind.
• Music video brag humor: He frames stunt-heavy videos as fulfilling long-time dreams and emphasizes that he’s the writer/director who engineers reasons to do extreme stunts.
• Industry critique: A&R reduces to internet metrics; labels demand follower thresholds and “million plays” readiness before releasing.
• Troll-handling philosophy: Criticism isn’t personal, and both praise and hate can be damaging.

Personalities Mentioned / Appearing

• Oliver Tree
• Podcast host (Jimmy / “Jimmy” referenced by name)
• R/Willy (Ryan Williams) (via discussion/video references)
• “Alex Pittman” (mentioned as an Atlantic Records contact)
• Little Ricky ZR3 (mentioned as a featured artist/collaboration)