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

A What Youth Press Release Collected Thoughts 031

Pretty Sweet What Youth
11.28.12 – TAGS:

PHOTO: Screenshot from Pretty Sweet

I think it’s the scene in the new skate video Pretty Sweet where they are spraying, toasting and blasting beer into the air. It’s snowing and it’s shot on RED, just a brilliant moment. Someone must have stomped a sick one. It’s unfiltered fuck it! Right there on the screen. I felt it. I finished the rest of the film, which is co-produced by Spike Jonze and has a sick soundtrack, and somehow manages to keep a high-end, high-budgeted production feeling bad ass and a cross between Crusty Demons of Dirt and Where The Wild Things Are. And once I watched Elijah Burle’s part and then the final section starring Guy Mariano, I was pulling kick flips in the warehouse. First-try Tuesdays!

After that, running on happy adrenaline and psyche, I logged onto the Internet and popped my own balloon. With a sword. Dane lost at Sunset. Something about Nike not making shoes for surfers anymore and oodles of stories about Kelly and Joel battling it out like they have since 2002. Bruce left the Bulls, I mean Jordan went to Fox or whatever. Lots of things that don’t matter when you’re surfing. I was sad. I was frustrated. I was confused. I was…But then I talked to my friend who works at Volcom and he said they’ve been partying and rocking and skating and surfing more than ever over there. Which is exactly how I picture the Volcom funhouse to be all the time. So I’ve decided to write a press release about that, because that matters more to me right now than Hurley’s acquisition of the Dream Team. Meet Mikey G at Volcom and you’ll know what I mean.

After this roller coaster of emotion slowed, I got on the phone with photographer Nate Lawrence and Kai Neville and Kai kept saying,”The industry has lost it, let’s go surf!” So we looked for some purple blobs and what not and hit play on a few brand new What Youth trips.

Come 2013, the youth is back on the run. Spike Jonze will be calling Kai. Dane will keep winning…at life and losing in comps because a 7.33 doesn’t turn a heat. But no one will care, because we’ll be gone, on the road, in the water. Somewhere. Do me a favor, go skin your elbows today doing something. Press releases are boring. —Travis

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Craig Anderson, Mentawai Islands Collected Thoughts 111: Horrible waves in Indo aren’t that bad

“We hopped on the Bintang boat and got the best waves of our year. Shortly after, we got back on that same boat and got the worst waves of our year. Turns out, horrible waves in the Mentawais still aren’t that bad…” —Nate Lawrence

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Gunner Day Mind Pump Collected Thoughts 110

“A three week flat spell led to an over-hyped swell. The over-hyped swell led to a crowded lineup. The crowded lineup led to searching for other waves. Gunner Day. A first timer to the inside-mind-pump section.” —Nate Lawrence

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Have Surf Magazines Lost their Minds? Collected Thoughts 109

Have surf magazines lost their minds? First off, surf photographers have always been creepy people. Writers, not much better. But it seems in my years dealing with surf magazines that the people in charge are usually pretty turned on. They know how to make a very selfish sport look fun and inviting. I always looked…

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Too Much Perfect in Indonesia Collected Thoughts 108

Living in Bali has it’s perks. It’s cheap, warm and has waves all year round. It also has it’s downsides. Traffic, pollution and kooks. But the perfect waves always conquer the cons when contemplating if there is a better place to live. But just recently the perfect waves didn’t seem so perfect. I found myself…

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Nate Lawrence nearly robbed To get you this Collected Thought Number 107 lineup shot

I nearly got robbed trying to get a lineup shot. I probably deserved it though. After all, I am exposing surf spots. And taking photos of a wave and making it look prettier than it is. The wind? It was onshore. The crowd? It was packed. But that’s the thing with us sketchy photographers, it’s…

Dillon Perillo, Indo Collected Thoughts 106: “Dillon lost his mind out here, which is kind of like finding it for him.”

On an island in remote Indonesia, Dillon Perillo can finally surf again. 5 hour sessions in the middle of the day with no one out. And then again just before sunset. This is not Malibu. —Nate Lawrence

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Chippa Wilson on the “Duo”, Bali Collected Thoughts 105

I was pretty amazed when Chippa pulled out this Neil Purchase Jr surfboard with only 2 fins and decided to ride it at pumping Uluwatu. The takeoffs were late and the drops were steep, but it didn’t hinder Chippa’s surfing. The positions in which he was riding the waves were something I hadn’t seen before.

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The Bukit Peninsula Collected Thoughts 104

The warm water splashes on your toes as you pass mostly naked women on the beach on Bali’s Bukit Peninsula. Left, right, left. Your head can’t stop spinning. Then you see the waves. One, two, three, four. Lines stack up to the horizon and then you pick your time and go. Paddle towards the sun….

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Julian Wilson in Bali Collected Thoughts 103

Still think spraying someone who’s paddling over the shoulder is one of the best things (and brattiest) in surfing. Julian Wilson partakes in Bali recently. —Nate Lawrence

Collected Thoughts 101 Bronson Meidy

Bronson Meidy, 12, Keramas Collected Thoughts 102

There’s a new kid to the surf scene in Bali. His name is Bronson Meidy and he just turned 12 this week. I usually don’t like to say anything about kids this young because you just want them to be kids. Eating candy and shit. Not worrying about sponsors and sticker placement. Just going surfing…

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The Indian Ocean Spotlight: beach parties, waves and Scandinavian women Collected Thoughts 101

The Indian Ocean is back in the spotlight. Swells are stacking up and surfers are busy paying excess baggage on flights. So what’s new? It’s still hot, dirty and full of Brazilians. There’s still corruption and crazy tourists. People are still getting crunched my motorbikes daily. But there are parties every night and Scandinavian women…

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Chippa Wilson, Bali 2016 Collected Thoughts 100

“Sometimes it feels so good to dig your back hand in the water and do a nice Larry layback. Chippa in Bali recently unveiling his new Brixton stickers.” —Nate Lawrence

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