5 Greats: Joey O'Brien

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Header 2000
Philly phrases, old heads, forbidden songs, a viral sibling and so much more, we lock in the lists from one of the hardest working skaters out. As seen in our May '23 issue.

Photos by Zander Taketomo


Raw power in every clip, Joey's new part is a must-watch event

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Childhood Videos 200
  • Zero - Dying to Live
  • Any Jamal Smith video
  • 411s
  • THPS unlocked movies
  • Sabotage 2
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Workshop Alumni
  • Jake Johnson
  • Fred Gall
  • AVE
  • Grant Taylor
  • Dylan Rieder
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Philly Spots
  • Love
  • Muni
  • Art museum
  • Baldi
  • Orange hubba
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Morning Rituals
  • Read something
  • Ice bath or cold shower
  • Stretch
  • Eat
  • Walk the dog


JOB Nollie 180 sw back 5 0 Taketomo 000401600010 DZNollie 180 to switch back 5-0, JOB stretches out at Orange Hubba

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Time Drains 200
  • My dog
  • Playing guitar
  • Yard sales
  • Carpentry stuff
  • Ankle exercises
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Things to eat 200
  • Cheesesteak
  • Steak
  • Eggs
  • Poke bowl
  • Korean hot pot and BBQ
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Guilty Pleasures 200
  • Techno music
  • Playing Creed at the skatepark
  • Pop-Tarts
  • Herping
  • Insects
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Old Heads 200
  • Mulhern
  • Vern
  • Jimmy Chung
  • Sergei Trudnowski
  • Jaesun
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Things Filmers Say 200
  • “This try”
  • “Next try”
  • “You gotta learn it at the park first”
  • “You don’t have those”
  • “Not a shot”
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Skate Trip Homies 200
  • Ishod
  • Suciu
  • Penny
  • Tom Knox
  • Busenitz


JOB Back 5050 Taketomo 211031 DTW 08767 Taketomo DZBackside 50-50 down the spine of the earthworm. Thanks for the spot, J-Bohl

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Road trip songs 200
  • ZZ-Top - “Sharp Dressed Man”
  • 4 Non Blondes - “What’s Up”
  • Metallica - “No Remorse”
  • Q Lazzarus - “Goodbye Horses”
  • David Bowie - “Five Years”
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Wrestlers 200
  • Jonny O’Brien
  • Gauge Botero
  • Adam Waters
  • Jordan Burroughs
  • Kyle Dake
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Non Skate Sponsors 200
  • Reign Body Fuel
  • AHHH!!! smelling salts
  • Spotify
  • Liberty Mutual
  • Ugly Stik
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Songs you love but would never skate to 200
  • Creed - “With Arms Wide Open”
  • Nickelback - “Rockstar”
  • Pearl Jam - “Even Flow”
  • Staind - “It’s Been Awhile”
  • Any Mötley Crüe song


Joey O'Brien frontside 5-0 backside 180 Alien WorkshopIt's been a while since we've seen a 5-0 back 180 this gnarly

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads names you considered for your dog
  • Baby Good Boy
  • Bubba
  • Steezus Christ
  • Johnny Knoxville
  • Scooter
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Reasons To Take An Ice Bath 200
  • Wake up
  • Dopamine rush
  • Reduce inflammation
  • Strengthen your immunity
  • Better sleep
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Thoughts While In The Ice Bath 200
  • Is my heart still beating?
  • One more minute
  • Am I having a heart attack?
  • Does this really help?
  • Am I hypothermic?
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Travel Destinations 200
  • London
  • Paris
  • Tokyo
  • Puerto Rico
  • Abu Dhabi


JOB KF Bk NB Taketomo Image 2 Clean DZIf the tables aren’t stacked, you gotta flip in—KFBSNBS

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads PHILLY VIDEO PARTS 200
  • Ishod – ECVX14
  • Dylan Sourbeer – Sabotage 4
  • Tyler Dietterich and Kevin Liedtke’s – Sabotage DUB
  • Mark Suciu – Welcome to adidas
  • Ricky Oyola – Eastern Exposure 3
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Things To Scream When Youre Mad 200
  • “I suck!”
  • “This is sad!”
  • “God help me!”
  • “Next one!”
  • “This is ass!”
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Spots Brian Panebianco Fixed 200
  • Love, Muni, City Hall
  • Blue hubba
  • Pier 7 knobs
  • Albany rail
  • Every spot he goes to
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Comeback parts youd like to see 200
  • Dylan Sourbeer
  • Chris Cole
  • Guy Mariano
  • Brian Wenning
  • Eric Koston


Joey O Brien Switch Lip Muni Alien Workshop 750Koston skated handrails switch too. Maybe we just gotta get him to Muni

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Skate Photographers 200
  • Zander Taketomo
  • Dakota Mullins
  • Burnett
  • Dan Z
  • Ryan Gee
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Youtube Channels 200
  • Chael Sonnen
  • Thrasher
  • Andrew Huberman
  • Wim Hof
  • Memory Screen
IMG 7624 DZMikey could probably kickflip with your whole family on his back. That might be his next post, actually

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads trick your brother has done in the garage 200
  • Weighted 360 flip jump-rope hippie jump
  • 315 lb weighted ollie
  • 165 lb weighted kickflip
  • 135 lb weighted zercher kickflip
  • RipStik deficit Jefferson
  • dead-lift eyeball drop shot
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Philly Phrases
  • Jawn
  • C’mon, pop
  • Wiz wit
  • Dickhead
  • Bent up nasty


Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Rewatchable movies 200
  • Interstellar
  • Rocky
  • Goodfellas
  • Reservoir Dogs
  • Bullet Train
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Annoying trends 200
  • Safety hands
  • Vaping
  • Size 64 jeans
  • TikTok
  • TikTok haircuts
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads bucket list purchases 200
  • The Master Sword
  • Gibson Explorer
  • Jet Ski
  • The newest iPhone
  • An asteroid


Joey O Brien Switch Backside Flip 750Switch backside flip at Papp’s double set. It’s hard to get far from Muni some days

Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Demo Moves
  • Kickflip roast beef
  • Airwalk
  • Big ol’ O
  • Benihana
  • Half Cab blunt stall 180 out
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads Ways to blow it 200
  • Don’t skate
  • Needing too much weed
  • Being too needy
  • Going emo
  • Being too drunk
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads reasons not to party 200
  • Feel better
  • Recover quicker
  • Sleep more
  • No hangover
  • Stretch instead
Joey O Brien 5 Greats Subheads words of advice from dad 200
  • “Live each day like it’s your last”
  • “Be confident”
  • “Show urgency”
  • “Respect people”
  • “You’ll get it”


JOB Gap to NG Taketomo 000398230002 DZGap to nosegrind at Penn’s Landing, oozing with confidence
  • January 1989

    January 1989
    Cover: Jay Adams – Grind Photo: Hudson Inside This Mag: Thrash-A-Thon in San Luis Obispo and what skateboarding is all about in 1989Also In This Issue: An overview of contests, demos and other skate-intrusions in '88, pool skating in Cambridge and some snowboarding actionMusic Articles: The Sugar Cubes, Igor's record collection, Suicidal Tendencies and Eek-A-Mouse  
  • Winter 1988

    Winter 1988
    Cover: Tony AlvaPhoto: Kevin ThatcherInside: Best Of Thrasher: Our first 13th issue. Interviews with Mullen, Hosoi, Blender, and Smith.
  • December 1988

    December 1988
    Cover: Lance Mountain – Sad PlantPhoto: Ogden Inside This Mag Capitol Burnout in Sacramento with Lance Mountain, Micke Alba, Eric Dressen, Jason Jesse, Mark Gonzales, Steve Caballero and Ben Schroeder and skating in Germany Also In This Issue: Spotlight on skating in Boise, IDMusic Articles: Social Distortion and Guns 'n' Roses
  • November 1988

    November 1988
    Cover: Bod Boyle – Back Lip Photo: Kanights Inside This Mag: Jaks team in Santa Barbara and the World Cup '88 in MunsterAlso In This Issue: Metro D.C. skate report, the "Gotcha Grind" in Seattle and the O'Boy/Thrasherland/TNT Skate Shop series finaleMusic Articles: The Hard-Ons and Social Distortion
  • October 1988

    October 1988
     Cover: Dave Hackett – Frontside Grind Photo: Katz Inside This Mag: The Tracker Bluegrass Aggression Session at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY, skating in Albuquerque and a photospread of skating at a New Zealand canalAlso In This Issue: Pool sharks and gnarly skate injuriesMusic Articles: The Accused and happening bands from the East Coast featuring Living Colour, Soul Asylum, H.R. from Bad Brains, White Zombie, Gwar, Danzig and more