‘It could be dirty to myself’
How the hell did you go?
This is the title of Stephen Olson’s autobiography – which is released today and as an audio book only.
– It was like going to therapy, says the famous handball dossier.
We get anecdotes like when he called the Bengan Boys during the 1994 European Championships for 100,000 kroner with two cell phones that Telia took care of but also heavy moments like when he locked himself in a locker and cried during the Olympics or when he was about to burn outside he would take his son from a friend But suddenly he didn’t know where he was or where he was going.
But above all, we get it Staffan Olsens It narrated life from the beginning, how sport and especially handball became a haven when a child was considered a problem in school, to…no, not the end of the course, but mainly until today when the handball legend now releases an audiobook about it. Life, “How the hell did it go?” , along with former podcaster (Allsvenskan Studio) and now audiobook producer Philip Di Giorgio.
It was De Giorgio who came up with this idea.
– It sounded like something exciting. A bit of new thinking with an audiobook and that got me curious, says Olson before the book’s release today.
“I am lucky”
You often hear Olson himself speaking in the audiobook, from the many hours that Di Giorgio interviewed him. Then they cut audio from TV minutes of classic Bengan Boys matches and from time to time De Giorgio summarizes the course of events or reads from a newspaper article.
I had to do an incredible amount of meditation and think back. I feel a little sorry for Philip because it was like going to therapy for me. But it was so much fun and I’m so glad it happened. Then we will see how it is received.
Has thinking given you any new insights?
– A bit like the title says: How the hell did it go? After my second heart operation (2011), I felt fortunate and grateful. There are a lot of coincidences in life and in handball: you can only get that coach after that, go to that club or have that match there and then. Then I feel grateful for how things have turned out for me. Then of course I spent a lot of time and training. But you must also be lucky.
‘It could be dirty to myself’
When you listen, you get the impression that you have good self-confidence on the field, where you can keep shooting even if you miss, but a little worse on the outside where you got a lot of criticism?
I didn’t have the brakes on the pitch and the matches were fun and boring because of it. I became calmer after two years in Kiel, and he became more disciplined. But maybe I didn’t have that barrier on the field. But I thought about it a lot after that. I probably feel like I think needlessly a lot about the things I do and say, especially in interviews and around handball. After that I could be very angry with myself, says the 58-year-old.
What cheers you up most when it comes to an audiobook?
– I dared to do this. It’s cliched to say you threw yourself off a cliff, but I tried something new. Since then, I have had the privilege of working with young people, their creativity and innovation. It becomes very inspiring and you learn new things. I also get energy from it. And on the digital cover it says I’m a writer. I’ll include this in my resume (laughs).
