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

RIP Chester Bennington The Linkin Park frontman apparently had a bigger impact on all of us than we thought

Editor’s note: This a weird one. Linkin Park might not be a band you’d anticipate seeing us report on after learning about lead singer Chester Bennington taking his own life today. But Linkin Park is interesting.  They are probably the first band that somehow has had a weird impact on every single person and age demographic in What Youth. Maybe because it’s secretly all our guilty pleasures from adolescents. Which leads me to Ben Kwock, who penned this immediately after we got the news. Ben is usually the man behind all the headless chickens that make up our team on a daily basis. He is our rock, our sturdy chair leg, our designated driver. And today we saw a new side of him: The emotional side. Enjoy. And RIP Chester. My favorite song was “A Place For My Head” because it was in a Chris Ward video once. The one he made while on Rusty for that hot minute. —Travis 

Pain. One of the first words I can think of describing Linkin Park and Chester Bennington’s lyrics. When Hybrid Theory landed there was so much new going on. Blink was coming onto the scene. Rap was slowly about to change with Eminem. And Pop music was king. And that created every sub-genre imaginable.

Linkin Park became the most legit of these hybrids. Their album Hybrid Theory represented exactly that, a mixed concept. With hip hop influences and edgy beats from Mike Shinoda balanced nicely with Chester’s more familiar heavy metal and hardcore influences. It created a sound never heard before. And it worked.

The angst and chaos that we all experience in life was where Chester thrived. He had such a natural ability expressing his emotion to us. Songs like “In the End”, “Faint”, and “Numb” share the pain we’ve all felt. He captured it perfectly. Because apparently he had felt it, and a childhood full of torment, drugs, alcohol and sexual abuse buried him.

And unfortunately today, at the age of 41, Chester Bennington took his own life. Yet another artist struggling to live. We were so thankful to have an outlet like Linkin Park to share in our frustration, rage, sadness, and ultimately happiness. Chester was the heartbeat and he will be dearly missed. —Ben Kwock


what youth san francisco road trip surfing

North on 101 in a big white van With Andrew Doheny, Yago Dora, Dillon Perillo and Brendon Gibbens

15 hours in a 15 seater van is a lot of things. It’s super fun, disgusting, hilarious, ridiculous, illegal, terrifying and exactly what we want to be doing. And so we are. We started the day in the beast vehicle at Denny’s on Century Blvd. by LAX. We walked in to pick up Yago Dora,…

what youth dane reynolds carves surfing

The Return to Thrash Have aerials and “clips” reached their ceiling?

I love airs. It’s why I’m here. It’s why I met Kai. It’s been my life’s work to highlight and get people amped on the latest in surfing. And airs have been the thing. Modern Collective was my project when I worked at another magazine and led me on the editorial path I’ve been on…

what youth dear youth dave rastovich

“Support the freaks as much as jocks.” From a conversation on the surf industry with Dave Rastovich in Europe

Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes with Rasta and all seems right again. From a recent hang in Europe while watching sets roll through at a French beach break: “Tell them how the groms don’t give as much of a fuck about contests as they used to. Heaps of surfers who groms look up…

Beach Goth remains freaky good The Growler’s music festival is the best Halloween party ever

I still have glitter in my hair and I’ve surfed and showered several times since the weekend. But I don’t mind, it’s a nice reminder of a really good time — and I think it’s why I like the Growler’s Beach Goth music festival so much. It’s ridiculous. Absolutely looney tunes. It’s a freak show…

what youth japan dear youth kai neville skateboarding

So Long Japan A wild seven days in the streets come to an end and the edit bay opens

We’re literally, somehow, rather deliriously checking in at the airport to leave Japan. 7 days, 3 major cities. DIY spots in the countryside. Robot cafes, underground bars, getting the boot out of numerous epic skate spots. Hotel lobby life, way too much time in a van, copious amounts of time at Lawson, family mart, 7-Eleven,…

I quit eating meat now I have no friends The repercussions of a healthier lifestyle

I didn’t mean to do it. I hadn’t even seen Cowspiracy or Food Inc. yet. Or read the recent study about how processed meat can cause cancer. I just decided I didn’t want to eat anything I wasn’t comfortable killing on my own. So that narrowed my options. I thought nothing should have to die to keep…

what youth dear youth arto saari in japan

And we’re in Japan With Arto Saari, Ishod Wair, Kevin Terpening, Raven Tershy and Peter Ramondetta

Somehow we’re here. In this wild, wild place and we are skateboarding. With some of the best dudes in the world. We’re once again following around legend Arto Saari and are joined by Japanese guru and photographer Rip Zinger. We’ve ridden bullet trains and skated ditches, ledges, seen the neon lights and the shows in Tokyo….

what youth bob hurley

Bob Hurley Retires as CEO of Hurley Congratulations on a career dedicated to making our lives radder

Bob Hurley is a surfboard shaper. I know this because I have a surfboard he shaped for me. I also read it somewhere a long time ago, that he was a shaper way before running one of our favorite brands (Billabong), and then starting another (Hurley). But he got his start shaping. And I’ve always loved…

mikey wright what youth surfing oregon

Postcard Oregon: Frame Grabs Short film starring Mikey Wright, Bryan Fox and Javier Mendizabal presented by Quiksilver

We’re not even really sure how this happened. But we’ve come to be thankful that it did. A random trip to Oregon with a surfer, skater and a snowboarder. And we sent our very own Michael Cukr to record what happens when the cultures collide. While we were there we hangout at Bryan Fox’s [pro…

what youth issue 12

A reason for radio silence What Youth Issue 12 is at the printer

Hi there. I want to begin by apologizing for the silent treatment. Between finishing our 12th issue and inserting ourselves in the sea on the hour, every hour (it’s been absolutely cooking around here), we’ve hardly had a chance to talk. You know, me and you. And that’s because all the planning and prep work in…

dear youth mick fanning shark attack what youth surfing

On the Unthinkable Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson brought us to tears

For whatever reason, I’ve been more emotional than usual the last week or two. I feel like I’ve been on the verge of tears at times. For no reason. Just highly volatile. A good inspirational Nike commercial will get me to well up and I’ll have to walk away. No chance at watching movies. People have…

music, bazooka, brixton broadcast barcelona

The Brixton Broadcast Barcelona All night rock and roll on the surreal sea

What do you do when a place has no respect for time or light or dark or anything outside of enjoying and capturing every fleeting moment presented? Well, you melt right in. Welcome to Barcelona. Last weekend in the beautiful city of Barcelona, we snuggled right up to the Mediterranean and tagged along with our friends…

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