Daewon Song
A skateboarder whose technical wizardry and creative street spots redefined what was possible on four wheels.
Born 1975 (age 51)·American skateboarder·Birthday: February 19·Generation X
Biography
Daewon Song didn't just skate; he conducted a silent, meticulous dialogue with urban architecture. Born in Seoul and raised in Los Angeles, Song's approach was a quiet rebellion against the era's high-flying vert skaters. He became a master of the 'tech' game, treating handrails, curbs, and odd concrete formations as puzzles to be solved with impossibly precise flip tricks and board control. His legendary video parts, often set to classical music, felt more like artful studies than displays of brute force. Co-founding Almost Skateboards gave him a platform to shape the industry's aesthetic, championing a style where creativity trumped conformity. Thrasher Magazine's 2006 Skater of the Year award was a belated but definitive coronation for an artist who had been quietly rewriting the rulebook for over a decade.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Daewon was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Daewon Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Daewon's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named Thrasher Magazine's Skater of the Year in 2006, a pinnacle of peer recognition in the sport.
- Co-founded Almost Skateboards, a influential brand known for its team of highly technical skaters.
- Released groundbreaking video parts in 'Round Three' and 'The Search for Animal Chin' that are considered benchmarks in street skating.
- Co-owns Thank You Skateboards, maintaining a direct hand in board design and brand direction.
Did You Know?
He is known for skating in dress shoes, a signature style choice that defies typical skate footwear.
Song is an accomplished pianist and often selects classical music for his video parts.
He famously skated a rotating restaurant in one of his most inventive video segments.
His first skateboard was a plastic department store model he received as a child in Korea.
“I just try to do what I think is fun. If it's not fun, then I don't want to do it.”
