Steve Olson on Surf Devotion, Sidewalk Intimacy, the Theatrics of Style, Punk Music, and Dogtown

Steve Olson honed his skateboarding expertise sneaking into swimming pools across Southern California while growing up in the 1970s. His skating was wedded to a surf-centric childhood at a time when the crossover between the two was at its height. Olson earned a sponsorship by Santa Cruz Skateboards in 1979 and quickly became notorious for introducing a punk rock aesthetic and cool defiance to the skate scene. He’s also lived outside of surf-skate norms as an actor, artist, musician, and father, blending all those interests into a singular personality. In this episode, Olson sits down with Jamie Brisick to talk about their first encounters, his contemporary art practice, the art of trespassing, the surf-skate connection, cat-and-mouse thrills, his greatest moments on a skateboard, extreme individualism, and the memories that have stuck with him.
Become a TSJ member at surfersjournal.com
Produced by Jonathan Shifflett.
Music by PazKa (Aska Matsumiya & Paz Lenchantin).
Feature image by Arto Saari.

[@TimothyGrove-ky6qu]

Where would we be without him? Absolute Legend - I was one of those skater kids who read Skateboarder Magazine & was SO stoked to see - as a 10 year old kid - that T.A. threw his 2nd place trophy in the trash & Olson blew up the spot with his antics! That influenced us to no end.

[@craigtremblay7176]

Steve sounds like he enjoys the process. There’s a select few real ones who still do it justice. Thank you Steve

[@TheArts19]

Olson's subscribe card in Thrasher was one of his best pictures in a magazine that mattered...low rail grab Bertlemann at Brooklyn Banks.

[@joshuahancock4619]

That's our guy!

[@JRL2024]

The best

[@stuartjackiegraymccoy8151]

storied history. excellent

[@markronan4259]

booze starts catching up to him an hour in

[@nathanbuck7572]

Godhead