A personal favorite back in the day before dude decided to leave our universe entirely.
Another one of skateboarding's hip-hop casualties... the Crazy Monk, 90's Steve Olson.
Forgot how he used to dismantle Hubba Hideout. So sick.
Nowadays we just use this guy and non-oneISM Josh Beagle to confuse the shit out of anybody under the age of 25. Teenage kryptonite.
Big up to Ned Hadden and Andy Howell.
27 comments:
so ahead of his time-got super tech and real gnar too.
where is he now?
Tentacles part was truly ahead of the rest of what was going on in 1993. People always say "so and so fizzled out or sucks now ..." Klein said it best in his cbi interview, " I got older" Steve held his own for over a decade in the "professional" skate world...that's for being unique and so damn versatile
Long time reader, first time poster. I can't help but say something about Olson.
I remember watching Tentacles and being in literal awe of the man. He would be a great interview wherever he exists currently. Brought some balance to the Shorty's roster. Can't forget the roof top board slide.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4OE2LlxxWrc/TKjzG5U_PQI/AAAAAAAAK4g/xAKW3HKcOms/s1600/olsonroofchrome.jpg
I remember skating with him and the TSA team on their way up to Slam City Jam in 96. Impromptu stop in Mt. Vernon, WA. Only about 6 of us skating with Olson, Muska, & Tony Bresino.
so, so underrated. and he did 'indie rock weirdo' WAY before it was acceptable or cool. i'm not saying that there's gonna be a big crazy monk trend anytime soon, but he damned well earned the right to do as he sees fit.
He kinda always seemed in a different universe, in a good way.
You missed out his best ad/sequence. Dropping in on the roof to boardslide that wooden rail. Still one of the gnarlier things I've seen on a board. Someone post it up!
I know he had a problem with taxes, huge, he was hiding a lot of time. Probably still doing it.
I mumbled at Olson for a bit at a contest in 1997, he was rad. Skateboarding needs more dudes like this
Steve Ingvar Olson. So does anyone really know what happened to this dude or any of the other dudes from Foundation's past? I know that Leigh Peterson is now an artist and now goes by another name.
Real talk, I think that Shorty's was cursed. I think someone put a hex on that company. Nothing good ever came of it, the videos were overhyped, they launched a million awful trends and misfortune has fallen upon nearly every rider on the team. Remember Brandon Turner falling off a bridge and breaking both legs, and later going in & outta jail? Smolik getting dropped for reppin Sk8mafia too much?
Hey K, what about the wild Will Taylor from the F? Pretty sure he is in the pen.
To the anonymous poster up top:
If you're gonna call out Chops for missing something, you could at least have the decency to check the 700+ posts that came before this one.
Life does not stop and start at your convenience, you miserable piece of shit.
The blunt slide on the rail is a great shot. Look at the razor edge on the nose. Which company did that Akira graphic?
The dude was definitely doing some crazy tricks back in the day. Always impressed with the fs flip fakie 5-0 he did. I think he was living in some tangential reality.
This dude was so sick! Why no photos in the one color sweatsuit outfits, chops?! I'd love to see the Shorty's team photo as well.
i'm giving myself away here but chops didn't miss the roofdrop to boardslide, it was in the last steve olson post:
http://chromeballincident.blogspot.com/2010/10/chrome-ball-incident-538-mass-mind.html
shorty's and osiris catch a lot of shit these days, but as an impressionable middle school kid in new jersey i thought they were the shit. i'd still take them over the tight black jeans rocker shit that came after.
Circa 2003, when I lived in SD I would see him driving around town. It was crazy for me to see my favorite skater as a kid. Later, he gave my friend Mary Jane an autographed Creation board which some Washington street trolls focused for some reason. It was a sick board though. Is their any footage of him skating for creation I wonder?
Was just watching his part from Fulfill the Dream this morning and trippin' on this guy. Saw him skate a while ago and it was like he was about to fall off his board when just pushing then he would throw out something super gnarly. Great post!
THANK YOU CHOPS. Been waiting for that nollie heel back lip sequence of Olson, you really delivered! Definitely felt a strong moment of stoke when I saw that. Thanks again.
K and other Anon,
Wild Will is still in the pen and may be for a long time still. He is unfortunately hung up by things that he and others can not seem to let go. We miss you Will!
Steve lives in Washington state, manages a skate shop, and makes music in his spare time. He's doing well.
Hey! I'm 23 and I sure as hell know who this guy is! Shorty's was huge when I started skating!
When we were young he used to come to our local contests (not too far from Tacoma, where he grew up), and win them. He skated in one wearing kneepads around his ankles (mandatory pads), with the velcro connected, which happened accidentally in the middle of his run. He won that one too.
I realized how brilliant he was from an old interview in a now-dead magazine, circa 1994. I remember he was asked what the most over-rated thing in the country was. He answered, "security."
That kickflip over the pile of burning bibles remains one of the best covers to grace anything.
tentacles, foundation.
i used to skate in a nappy fro wig with huge pants and tight shirts to pay homage to steve.
love the guy.
Steve Crazy Monk Olson has just released the debut full length album 27th letter of the alphabet.
http://crazymonk.bandcamp.com/
He will have a published interview on www.n-sb.org coming very soon.
Stay tuned
'he damned well earned the right to do as he sees fit.'
I agree
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Tacoma Roofing
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