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

Let’s be together When all goes numb, the numb need to get together

what youth scott chenoweth ny illustration

I spent the end of last week careening through the perfectly lit and temperate streets of early autumn New York. I ran around with beautiful Hawaiian princess Kelia Moniz and we drank rice wine margaritas, shopped for jewelry and watched golden hour illuminate over the bustling streets as we ate oysters and sipped Stellas. There was a stranger at the bar who we helped with the New York Times crossword puzzle. We rode the subway across town. We eavesdropped on conversations. A day of human interaction and dancing together that only NYC can provide. Then the following day we climbed through elevator shafts in Brooklyn with artist and friend Jason Woodside as he showed us his studio and then where the world’s best sandwich is (spoiler alert: it contains anchovies). I was high. High on people. On diverse, radical, creative, friendly people. Three days surrounded by every single odd walk of life there is: creative, beautiful and diverse people. Something was restored inside my oft-confused little heart.

I returned home on early Saturday and immediately surfed in front of my house, got juiced from the buzz that that provides, then loaded my car with the same suitcase and drove to Los Angeles to watch the band that I like to think re-routed my potentially generic (college, corporate career, house, 2.5 cars and kids etc) life and truly showed me that music was deeper than the few punk bands I was into. It could be thoughtful, morose, uplifting and dark and light all at once. The band was Interpol. A group of art students from NYU who created the post-9/11 soundtrack to a generation of New Yorkers and young people. It provided sentiment and tempo for living in this new world. I don’t think they even meant it. But they did it perfectly.

I left that concert Saturday night the same way I’d imagine everyone in Las Vegas would have left their show: euphoric and inspired and truly happy. I had picked apart songs and tapped emotions from them I’d never felt even after listening to them no less than 5,000 times. That’s what live music does. I had “the new” in me. A new everything: new outlook. New depth. New thoughts.

And then Sunday night and Monday morning came.

And I’m really having a hard time with this one. I just don’t have words. Music, writing, crying, not crying, anger, yelling, surfing, drinking, running, hiding, creating, sleeping, panicking…none of it is having the usual impact or therapeutic effects they do for me. All I have are people around me. And It was a person who did this to people. And I think it’s gonna be people who will make this feel OK eventually. And I’ll tell you right now I’m going to need a lot of you to get through this one. Probably all of you. So let’s be together. That’s all. Let’s just be together in this fucking berserk new place that’s been created. —Travis

PS: RIP Tom.

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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