Surfing, Skateboarding, Music, Photography, Travel, Culture and general antics of the youth on the run.

Forced Creativity In a Musty Place Or, the art of throwing empty pint glasses at a laptop and expecting results

what youth dear youth

“Writing is the flip side of sex — it’s only good when it’s over.” —Hunter S. Thompson

 Editor’s note: Here’s something(one) new. James Royce is a young surfer/writer dude from California who’s been submitting and writing a few things here and there for us. Just another one of us trying to navigate all this shit we find ourselves in and make sure there’s a surf or two mixed in. I liked this. Probably because he went into a bar and left with something more than just a good buzz. Anyway, meet James. —Travis

 I’m writing this from a dark spot. Literally. The light above me is flickering. I’m at my local dive bar. A place walking distance from my house. It has all the classic characteristics. Cracked red booths, clientele that could be easily be Beyond Thunderdome stand-ins, a general air of destitute. You’d be forgiven if you mistook it for a truck stop with a liquor license. But the beer’s cold and cheap so I’m happy.

I promised myself I’d have a completed article by now. Five-hundred or something words on something. Anything. A short story perhaps. Maybe a science-fiction drama. Something about a man who invents a time machine just so he can fuck around with the course of history. Give Krotons a bunch of steroids to freak out the Spartans during the first Olympics. Hand Bruce Brown a RED camera then surprise Mike Hynson and Robert August at Cape St. Francis by paddling out on a thruster. Kidnap Joseph Stalin and make him watch Vines Clockwork Orange style. But then I hated that idea as soon as I opened up a word document. There’s no glory sounding like a discount Philip K. Dick.

So I looked elsewhere. Towards surfing. I watched Turtle Bay Resort’s premier awards show. (Hey, Chapter 11 won movie of the year — that’s a bit epic.). But I couldn’t find anything to get fired up about between all the backslapping. Then I remembered Pipe is coming up. But then I realized I barely know who’s in the world title race as I haven’t watched a contest since Lowers (RIP) and apparently a lot has happened since then. Ideas, dead ends, what’s allowed to live and die on the page all meshed into one. Anxiety started creeping in. I was stuck. Frozen. Was it finally time to drive out to the middle of the desert with a suitcase stocked full of various stimulants, hallucinogens, and libations? Do I go for a hard reset?

No. Dramatics never solve a thing.

And that’s how I ended up in the local haunt. This mildew ridden place. Where amenities like color TV, surround sound, and air conditioning are proudly advertised on a sign out front. One man’s daily conveniences are another’s technological triumphs. It’s funny, I’ve lived down the road from here my whole adult life yet have never made a conscious effort to drop in until now. The only reason I decided to saunter in three beers ago was because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Escape the stress. And now I don’t have any desire to leave. There’s no wifi — thus no distractions. The music’s good (new wave hits on heavy rotation) and I have a booth to myself. No one’s shot me a weird look while I pound away on my laptop. I have neither any complaints nor any intentions of leaving anytime soon. Hell, slamming an empty glass onto my keyboard and expecting results might be my soundest plan at this point. Going nuclear on the piss worked for Faulkner, Joyce, Bukowski and a slew of other greats. It’s worth a shot. And once I snap back to reality and realize I’ve failed spectacularly to get a thing done, home is just a short walk away. But I did leave with this in my laptop. It’s just as useful as it is useless. See ya soon. —James Royce    

 

 

Chicago by night Art, dive bars and the perfectly executed 3 beer buzz

It’s perfect in all ways. The three beer buzz. You’re enthusiastic, powerful and alive. With zip and zest. Lit but sharp. It’s the magic number (but the trick is maintaining it for an extended period of time). And we’re in Chicago to perfect it. After a 4 am wake up and some public transport and domestic…

what youth dear youth mexico city

Back on the run in Mexico City We took Ozzie’s advice and starting saying, “yes” too.

We’re off to Mexico City tomorrow. Not quite sure how or why or what we’re in for, but we said yes. I think most people have a list of places around the world they must travel to. Waves they have to surf. Sites one must see. A lot of us also have a list of places…

what youth headquarters after school special

After School Special at WY HQ Our new favorite band is still in middle school

Yesterday we rolled up the back doors of our HQ to have After School Special (A.S.S.) play. The middle school-aged three piece jammed through a tight 40-minute set that ended on an Iggy Pop birthday tribute cover of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and featured Tanner Rozunko on vocals. In the background, the mini ramp…

Jim Jarmusch

Found Footage: Stranger than Paradise YouTube Gold from the man who gave us Coffee and Cigarettes

A few good things fell into place and I fell onto my couch and subsequently fell back in love with Jim Jarmusch. Jarmusch has earned his place as a legendary cult film director by making movies such as Dead Man, Down By Law and Coffee and Cigarettes.  The three films mentioned above inspire me every…

what youth sott chenowth

7 Reasons why being a parent is the best From the world’s greatest father

Some men and women hate children or find them a tremendous bother. On the surface, it stands to reason. Children require constant attention, get sick, cost money, take away most daylight hours, take away most nighttime hours as well, suck energy, put jam on everything, stomp dry-docked surfboards, get slivers, cry because they don’t want…

dear youth coachella crowd

Sell your Coachella Tickets It’s time we move on…and go to Barbados

Coachella was once magic. A warm and dry de-thawing station in the desert where all of California (and a shit-ton of Australians) could go put pigment and beer and drugs in their cold, winter-white bodies and listen to good music and lay in so much grass. It started as the perennial hipster gathering, with reunion and…

what youth jared sherbert photography kevin bradley skateboarding

Meet Jared Sherbert’s photography Full interview coming in What Youth Issue 14

Jared Sherbert is a skate photographer from Santa Clarita who is featured in our currently-in-production Issue 14.

what youth dear youth books reading

Advice from a Failed English Major Put your money where the words are

I know absolutely nothing about anything financial. 401K. Four hundred and one thousand dollars of savings that goes into your bank account every year? Maybe. That’s my guess. I know that money helps. I know enough to spew off a few generic statements about how money helps your life but doesn’t provide ultimate happiness yadda…

what youth dear youth cluster sneak in

Reminiscing on Cluster How I snuck into the premiere and took what was mine

I scrolled through the doldrums of Instagram, and I saw that What Youth was offering free tickets to the premiere of their long anticipated film, Cluster. I entered their contest. I wrote them an email. I had to go. The premiere was in Downtown Los Angeles. I live 10 minutes away in Echo Park. How…

what youth conner coffin surfing bells beach WSL

Riveting and In Depth Tour Coverage! Live from Bells Beach, Australia (and go Conner)

I’ve already spoken on the poor town of Torquay. And how sleepy it must be as the world’s best are in bed by 8 each night in anticipation of classic Bells Beach. And boy are they getting classic Bells Beach lulls. But I am not here to gripe. I am here to sing. Sing praise…

Nate Zoller, Surfing, Dear Youth, Social Media

Dear Youth: Pursue Anonymity On the eve of social media armageddon

The pursuit of anonymity is lost in my generation. I feel like Miki Dora when all the “working slobs” started to surf Malibu. Replace the slobs with digital opportunists forcing empty information down your throat via “push” notifications and here we are in 2016. I hate it. I used to be into it back in…

what youth surfing wsl

Hells Bells No More Once a wild way to spend Easter weekend, The Rip Curl Pro Bells is now a big yawn

I love Bells. I love Winkipop. I love Jan Juc. I love the Great Ocean Road. I love Melbourne. I love the girls. The people. The climate. I love love love that area. I love wetsuits. And I love that the Rip Curl office is the city center. I love it so much I once…

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