“Private equity killing core brands and philosophies…”
The swinging Gen Z tail-slinger and world #17 Liam O’Brien has been unceremoniously dumped by Billabong only three days after his greatest triumph.
Liam O’Brien barely had time to celebrate his victory at the prestigious Burleigh Heads Boardriders Single Fin Classic, or feed the women on the headland driven mad by the scent of his healthy young flesh, when he received news Billabong wouldn’t be renewing his monthly stipend.
Gracious in defeat, the twenty four year old whose heat strategy is to clench and unclench his talons into his enemy’s heart until it stops beating, wrote:
“Thanks for everything @billabong it’s been an unbelievable ride. Special thanks to @bowie_ @rainoshayes @the_other_heff and everyone at the brand for 12 years of support and some awesome opportunities. I’m very grateful for the position I’m in and for what the future holds.”
The great surf journalist Sean Doherty wrote, “Blessing in disguise mate, onward and upward.”
Comments uniformly positive,
Private equity killing core brands and philosophies show em mate that the true art is in the water anyways.
You put a film out like Wandering and still get dropped wtf does a man gotta do to stay sponsored these days !? Smash the crap out of 2024 LOB love watching you surf and your class out of the water with it , let’s go !
Liam you will be gold for whoever is lucky enough to pick you up – style in and out of the water- no better representative for any company.
What a privilege for Billabong to have had a talent like you for the past many years. You will always be an incredible ambassador for any brand that want to be associated with a Surfer of your caliber, who is also so smart, well spoken, kind, legit and just a great soul. Keep charging LOB.
The sacking brought no surprises, of course.
Billabong fell on its sword years ago after flying too close to the sun, and is now the plaything of Authentic Brands Group, which also owns Quiksilver, RVCA and Hurley.
Italo Ferreira, a world champ, is gone. Griff Colapinto, out. The famed Pipeline A-team house was sold to an industry figure for six million bucks and Billabong, once a beacon of healthy living, recently partnered up with another brand to produced plus-sized womenswear.
Liam O’Brien will now fill his wardrobe with Vissla, former Billabong head Paul Naude’s successful start-up and producer of BeachGrit’s Backward Fins range a few years back.
Beautiful and anything but stupid, Liam first came onto my radar five years ago via an edit by Billy-Lee Pope.
He sent it to me a week before anyone else but while I pondered its suitability for patrons of this website, it started popping up everywhere else. Surfer, Stab, and so on.
I said to Billy, if he could get the keys to the file and change the song to something more appropriate to our audience, I would loose on BeachGrit.
After a short consultation, I chose a Rick James classic.
James was famous for having a very acid ejaculit after a long, and mostly satisfying, $7000-a-week crack cocaine addiction. When he died, the autopsy found alprazolam, diazepam, bupropion, citalopram, hydrocodone, digoxin, chlorpheniramine, methamphetamine, and cocaine, of course, in his blood.
The song, called Give It To Me Baby, encapsulates Liam’s approach to waves.
Give it hard and give it fast.
When I came home last night
You wouldn’t make love to me
You went fast to sleep
You wouldn’t even talk to me
You said I’m so crazy
Coming home intoxicated
I said I just wanna love you
I just wanna love you baby
That is why I’m so elated
C’mon girl, give it to me baby
Give it to me baby
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby), I betcha
I’ll make you hot till you’ve had enough
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby)
Just give it to me baby
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby), I betcha
I’ll make you hot till you’ve had enough
Give it to me
Give me that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff (say what)
(Give it to me)
Give me that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff (say what)
Give it to me, give it to me
Give it to me, give it to me
Give me that stuff
That sweet, funky stuff
Yoh ho, aw
(Give to me, baby)
When I was high as the sky
Out all night just dancing
You say let’s go home (c’mon Rick, I’m tired, let’s go home)
That’s the time I start romancin’
You say “how can I love you?” (how can I love you, baby?)
“When your body keeps on moving”
I say “wait til I squeeze you” (oh)
Maybe then you’ll start to groovin’ (c’mon girl)
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby)
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby), I betcha
I’ll make you hot like you had enough
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby)
Just give it to me baby
Give it to me baby (give it to me baby), I betcha
I’ll make you hot like you had enough
Give it to me
Give me that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff (say what)
(Give it to me)
Give me that stuff that funk that sweet that funky stuff (say what)
Give it to me, give it to me
Give it to me, give it to me
Give me that stuff
That sweet, funky stuff
Yoh ho, aw
(Hey Girl)
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me what you say
(Give it to me) what you say
(Give it to me) what you say
(Hey girl)
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me
Give it to me (hey girl)
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me
Give it to me (hey, girl)
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me right away
Give it to me
Give it to me (hey, girl)
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me what you say
Give it to me
Sing along!
