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 mastered 'tech' skateboarding, treating handrails, curbs, and concrete formations as puzzles solved with precise flip tricks. Born in Seoul and raised in Los Angeles, he rejected high-flying vert skating. His video parts, often set to classical music, resembled artful studies. Co-founding Almost Skateboards let him shape the industry's aesthetic. Thrasher Magazine named him Skater of the Year in 2006, recognizing an artist who had rewritten 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.”
