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


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Kelly Slater Announces Outerknown And everyone (except us) freaks out because it’s expensive

I love Kelly Slater. Always have. For all the infinite reasons there are to love him: he’s a great rep for surfing, great surfer, great looking, great, great great. He’s a little conservative (maybe) at times — but not really. He’s open-minded, and that’s all I ask. And let’s keep in mind the dude’s 43 —…

what youth spain dear youth

Live from a little bit of everywhere Spain, Oregon, Bali, SF, Vancouver and maybe more. We’re coming.

I still haven’t found a way to ask for “more red wine” on an airplane without sounding like a mumbling, lunatic alcoholic. The sounds, the letters, the tight quarters and awkward seating arrangements on board. Just can’t get it. But somehow, they decipher my gibberish and continue to fill my glass. We’re currently a little all…

what youth dear youth jack london

Jack London Calling Surfing, Books and Drinking for your long weekend in the sun

Jack London is a writer — rather famous one too. He wrote The Call of the Wild, The Sea-Wolf, Iron Heel, White Fang and tons of other famous novels in the early 1900’s that you may have been told to read and probably didn’t. Turns out London wrote about surfing too. In 1907 he was…

dear youth what youth mitch coleborn

Misguided Men with a Journal The defining “SurfCore” article came out. And it sucks.

Before we get too deep, let’s remember anyone using Men’s Journal as a resource for fashion advice, or anything outside of Creatine dosage, probably doesn’t skate our ramp. But, they spoke about surfing. And style. And fashion. So we must acknowledge. (And talk shit.) So let’s begin. Here’s a sentence in the article, next to a…

Dear Youth Craig Anderson what youth surfing

Craig Anderson at Desert Point Full Gallery Photographed by Nate Lawrence

Editor’s Note: When Nate Lawrence calls and says he’s going to Desert Point with Craig Anderson, I mostly assume that Nate means he will be surfing alongside Craig, because Nate fucking loves surfing Desert Point and he more or less hates shooting Desert Point. But on this trip, he did a bit of both. And…

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Dane Reynolds is World Champ Why Sampler is so much more than a heat win

Why Sampler is so much more than a heat win

“It’s a weird feeling” Brendon Gibbens on being in Cluster

I was en-route back to South Africa from WA when Kai invited me to Europe for the Cluster tour. Without hesitation, I accepted the invitation, spent 10 hours in SA and then flew directly to Spain to meet up with Kai, minus the board bag. It’s a weird feeling to be in a Kai film….

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Humming ((Sounder)) C.S. Louis and the economics of a hangover purchase

Last night I was JD Rockefeller but the Latino version. Endowing the arts, buying kalimotxos, schmoozing Argentine musicians, spinning women and hailing cabs on a winterlike eve. Today I have $9.99. And perhaps more pertinently limited bandwidth, limited patience, fits of anxiety and tremoring hands. I tried to shred it off in two foot onshore slop but…

Friendly advice from a tax man Is this the end of experience?

Information overload

“It’s still not on!” The WSL learning surfing is still a shit show

While I’m quite certain Samsung Galaxy’s products are not for anyone, the WSL and Samsung may be learning the hard way that surfing is definitely not for everyone. A 9th 10th straight lay day has forced the WSL to extend the waiting period for the Quiksilver Pro until Friday the 13th, in turn costing them a…

Noa Deane fuck the wsl what youth surfing

On “Fucking the WSL” We never intended to get them so laid

I’ve got a bone to pick. And it aint with the ASP, WSL, PGA, NFL or any other softball leagues. At least not today. It’s with anyone who’s so sensitive that when Noa Deane (or anyone) “popped the inevitable zit” and publicly de-flowered the WSL that it was deemed so offensive to “surf culture” that he had…

meatbodies what youth

We saw Meatbodies at Thalia’s Wax Ball A sick monthly rock show in Laguna Beach

Keeping Laguna Weird with Thalia Surf Shop

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