My friend Gary showed up at our book club wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors. Nothing unusual about that except that he's in his 70s and had no idea they were in style. He's been wearing Chucks since the 1950s—just the way they come out of the box.

But what about people who like customized gear? Here are 5 ways to hack your Chuck Taylors that go beyond painting them, drawing on them, or lacing them in an unusual manner.

Wah-Wah Pedal Chucks

This design allows guitarists to put the wah-wah pedal in their shoe instead of their shoe on the wah-wah pedal. About the video—anything that encourages people to play Jimi Hendrix is all right with me.

Charged Up Chucks

What do you get when you sew a bunch of diodes onto a shoe and control them with an app? An intense pair of shoes that light up like a Las Vegas casino sign.

Glowing Chucks

These hacked shoes of all use an electro-luminescent panel and an inverter to light up the star. They look good and might actually make it safer to bike or skateboard at night.

Chuck Sneaker Speakers

For when you'd rather listen to your sneakers than wear them. And once you've drilled a piece out of the bottom you won't we wearing them again.

Arduino-Controlled LED Chucks

These programmable Chucks are like the on steroids version of those kids shoes with soles that light up.