Elton John, his longtime lyricist Bernie Taupin and members of The Clash are among the music stars who have personalized skateboard decks that will be auctioned online starting Thursday to benefit a charity founded by famous skateboarder Tony Hawk.
The second annual Boards + Bands sale features boards donated by pro skaters that have been decorated with the lyrics of their favorite song written by the artist or artists who recorded the tune. John and Taupin embellished a deck contributed by skater Chris Cole, with Bernie writing some of the lyrics to "Candle in the Wind" and Elton simply adding his signature.
The Clash's Mick Jones and Paul Simonon, meanwhile, put their marks on a board that Hawk himself donated and that features lyrics to "London Calling." Other musicians who have contributed signed skateboards to the auction include French dance duo Daft Punk, Panda Bear of the indie-rock groupAnimal Collective and singer/songwriter Ben Harper. Harper came up with the concept of the Bands + Boards auction.
Bidding on the skateboards will start at 8 p.m. ET at BoardsAndBands.org. Proceeds from the sale go to the Tony Hawk Foundation's initiative to create and maintain skate parks in low-income areas around the U.S.
