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

what youth collected thoughts nate lawrence indonesia

“Lucky Enough to be in the right place at the right time.” Collected Thoughts 099

If Nate Lawrence’s lens could talk…..Indonesia.   

what youth mason ho photography nate lawrence surfing bali

Be Like Mason Ho Collected Thoughts 098

“Why can’t everyone just be a little bit more like Mason Ho?” —Nate Lawrence

what youth surfing collected thoughts nate lawrence raph bruhwiler

Raph Bruhwiler, Canada 2011 Collected Thoughts 097

“Raph is amazing. Canada is amazing. This wave is amazing.  And drinking Iceburgs at Shelter is amazing” —Nate Lawrence

what youth collected thoughts mikey wright surfing pipeline

Mikey Wright, Pipeline 2014 Collected Thoughts 096

“In 2014 I only knew Mikey Wright as Owen’s little brother. Even though he was doing stuff like you see in this photo pretty consistently. Now Mikey is his own brand. He’s not Owen’s little brother anymore. The surfing he is doing is unique. It’s fresh. And pretty soon we could be referring to Owen…

what youth jordy smith surfing in indonesia

Jordy Smith, Indonesia, 2013 Collected Thoughts 095

“Jordy Smith, Indonesia 2013. Everything about this photo makes me want to pack up a bag and get back to this wave. I just hope there’s still no one out.” —Nate Lawrence

what youth kai neville nate lawrence indonesia

Kai Neville, Indonesia Collected Thoughts 094

“Kai Neville, Indonesia. The winds are light. The swell is picking up. The tank is full. It’s looking like a good time to be in Indonesia.” —Nate Lawrence

what youth collected thoughts

Kelia Moniz, Laura Enever and Monyca Eleogram Collected Thoughts 093

“Kelia Moniz, Laura Enever and Monyca Eleogram. Sunset Elementary. I shot this photo on the basketball courts on the North Shore of Hawaii back in 2012. Each has a different style on land and in the water. But all of the them seem to have fun no matter what they are doing.” —Nate Lawrence

What Youth Craig Anderson

Craig Anderson: “Cameo Mod” in Uluwatu April 2010 Collected Thoughts 092

“April, 2010. Craig had just debuted to the world for the first time in Modern Collective. He blew minds with his backside rotations in shark waters as the “Cameo Mod.” But we still had no idea who Craig was. Chas Smith and I hung with Craig for 2 weeks in Oz a few months after the…

what youth jordy smith surfing

Earth to Jordy…We want more of this. Collected Thoughts 091

Jordy, where’d you go? We wanna see more of this this year. Find good waves. Book those last minute flights. Get back at it. With the boys. Love, What Youth

what youth santa cruz nate lawrence collected thoughts

Santa Cruz, localism, kooks and me. Collected Thoughts 090

I recently made a mistake. I took a photo at a spot in Santa Cruz and posted it on our WY Instagram account. I didn’t name the spot, but I did say it was a wave that rarely breaks in Santa Cruz. And the photo tells exactly where the wave is. Then came the comments……

what youth taj burrow surfing nate lawrence

Taj Burrow always rules Collected Thoughts 089

Taj just released a rad little video online. It has waves in it that remind me of why I fell in love with Taj’s surfing. I can remember being a teenager and watching Sabotaj on VHS with my buddies. None of us had ever been to Australia. We had never even left Santa Cruz really….

what youth collected thoughts nate tyler santa cruz nate lawrence

Flash with Nate Tyler in Santa Cruz Collected Thoughts 088

With all the gimmicks and stunts that have gone down this year it makes me think back to the early 2000’s in Santa Cruz. It was the epicenter of smoke and mirror surfing. We’d either go pull into closeout barrels or use jet skis to whip into 2 foot waves with many of the guys…

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