Remembering Ollie Olsen: 20 February 1958 to 16 October 2024

It’s been a while – seven years to be exact – since the last issue of Astrobabble (#15/Aquarius) and an Astrobabylon entry. At the time, I was in two minds about continuing both because their left brain treatment requires commitment – reading, researching, writing and analysing an individual’s cosmic blueprint with the limited understanding I have of the ocean that is astrology. Placing distance between Astrobabble/Astrobabylon and myself has given me time to reflect on a few things: why I started zine and blog, what my aims were, and what I wanted readers to take away. All interesting questions that writers usually ask themselves, and to that, I can answer that they are exercises in getting inside a creative’s astrological DNA, to examine what makes them exceptional. With the help of astrology, I attempt to crack the fame code, if such a thing exists, and search for the x factor that elevates luminaries like Nick Cave and David Bowie from the rest of us. I can’t say that my investigations have always been fruitful but it has been one of the most fascinating rabbit holes I’ve toppled into. 

This special issue of Astrobabble is dedicated to Ollie Olsen, a legend in Melbourne’s underground music scene and a triple Piscean (Sun/Moon/Ascendant) who died in October 2024 after a long illness. It’s fitting that I return to Astrobabble with such a creative and sensitive character to unpack, given Ollie’s pivotal connection with the subject of my last issue (Michael Hutchence). If you’d like a copy, please get in touch at this blogspot or m_zarro@hotmail.com. Alternatively, you can pick up a copy at The Sticky Institute in Melbourne. Below is an excerpt:

Sun, Moon and Ascendant in Pisces – the Ocean
Tom Waits once called Bob Dylan ‘a planet everyone should explore’. If Dylan is the planet up for exploration, then Ollie Olsen is the ocean worthy of a deep dive. Born with the Sun, Moon and Ascendant in Pisces, Olsen’s character was emotionally deep, overly sensitive and movingly empathetic. Drummer Peter Luscombe said of Olsen that he openly and unashamedly displayed tenderness, sometimes at inappropriate times. Olsen admitted in an interview with Jane Gazzo that he cried every day and even during movie trailers! 

Pisceans are old souls, embodying the qualities of every sign of the zodiac. Pisceans are not here to seek external validation but to share their wisdom. Olsen was a mentor to many (Saturn in the tenth house). He encouraged and supported emerging artists, was generous with his comprehensive musical knowledge and agreed to interviews or performances, usually for little or no money to support young creatives.

Both Neptune and Jupiter are Pisces’ ruling planets. They are important in Olsen’s chart because they form a Stellium with the North Node in Scorpio in the ninth house of the higher mind, philosophy, travel, and scientific and religious pursuits. Recognising the value of a guiding belief system or philosophy is crucial with Jupiter as chart ruler in the ninth. Olsen remained open to exploring possibilities and expanding his mental horizons (usually with the use of illicit substances). For example, during the Max Q period, a particularly intense acid trip, where Olsen claimed to be 'off' for two days, became a pivotal moment in his life. He described it as having died and been reborn. It changed him completely. The incident sparked a deep fascination with spiritual and psychic realms that stayed with him for the rest of his life. He explored Tibetan philosophy, various Vedic texts on Samsara (the cycle of rebirth) and Maya (the idea of the external world being an illusion), and Jean Baudrillard’s philosophical treatise Simulacra and Simulation (1981) about the relationship of reality, symbols and society. He developed a love of Norse culture and philosophy after spending four months in Norway (his father’s birthplace) with his family in 1969, as a 10-year-old. The experience was so profound that he returned to the country in his early twenties and worked in a fish factory (how Piscean). Some years later, he legally changed his birth name to Ollie Jngbert Christian to better reflect his heritage.

Favourable aspects from Jupiter to the Sun and Ascendant create what I call the ‘Santa Claus persona’- a ‘jolly’ and good-natured individual, generous and well-liked, with a positive outlook regardless of what life throws at them. You just need to cruise the many social media posts dedicated to Ollie to feel the love. 

Born on the New Moon, exited at the Full Moon - Ollie Jngbert Christian Olsen fulfilled his purpose and was ‘called home' on 16 October 2024 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. He is survived by his sister Marie-Ann and his wife Jayne, who dedicated herself to his care during his final years. His extensive contribution leaves an enduring legacy in Australian music. Bless you, Ols, see you in Valhalla.