Okay so I’m aware that yesterday was Father’s Day and thus this post is after the fact, but since I was busy actually being a father on Father’s Day for the first time n my life and only just caught this now, it’s getting a tardy post anyway.
Steve Olson, (the original one) is one of the most captivating and charismatic people in skateboarding: anyone who has watched his earlier Nine Club, or is old enough to have been aware of him prior to that will already know this. But for those of you who weren’t aware – prepare yourselves to be highly amused by a slightly drunk 50+ old man telling stories about everything from watching his son grow up to be a world famous skater, to getting fired from his job at a surf shop at 50-year-old – this a tour-de-force from our culture’s greatest raconteur.
Along for the ride, (unsurprisingly given that it’s the Father Day special) is his son, Alex Olson, who you all definitely know about.

There is some overlap with Olson’s first appearance on the Nine Club but this episode is peppered with an extra layer of father and son jibes, amusing parental anecdotes and lots more.
Definitely hilarious and whether you know how deep Steve Olson’s influence on skateboarding culture as a whole is or not – this is highly recommended.
The story of Tony Hawk announcing Alex Olson’s X-Games run as ‘The worst contest run I’ve ever seen” and/or the anecdotes relating to a cross country slalom skating trip involving both Olsons, Craig Stecyk and Jake Phelps are worth the hour’s investment alone.
Nobody has better stories or delivery than Steve Olson, so to watch him relate personal stories of fatherhood that, because of who this duo are, also intertwine with some of the biggest moments in skateboarding history, is an absolute joy.

As an aside – go do some research on Steve Olson’s skate career if you’re not too up on what he was all about. From being one of the greatest contest skaters of his generation, to being 1979 Skater of the Year for Skateboarder magazine, to having the first ever full-colour pro model skateboard (his Santa Cruz Checkerboard model), to being one of the original test-riders for that truck brand Independent that you might have heard of: Mr Olson has been everywhere, done everything and is one of the funniest people in our culture.
Enough bullshit – go watch it.
Up the rad dads!
If this has left you hungry for more Steve Olson stories, try this Observer piece ‘Steve Olson – irresistable man child, his 2014 Muckmouth interview and/or this interview about his work as an artist.