Episodios
-
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS massive discounts on ski and snowboard hire from my friends at Intersport Rent.
--
Ah, Christmas. A time of friends, family and tradition - which in Looking Sideways world means the much loved Festive Special with my close pals and stalwart podcast supporters Tim and Gendle!
If youâre new here (and many thousands of you subscribed anew this year), Iâve known Tim Warwood and Adam Gendle, two incredibly funny and talented broadcasters, commentators, TV presenters, directors and all round media polymaths, for coming up to three decades now. We met through the extremely tightknit British snowboarding community, and spent a very fortunate decade snowboarding and travelling the world together.
It was a wondrous run that forged bonds to last a lifetime. So when I launched Looking Sideways back in 2017, I invited the boys on to record a freewheeling special to mark the festive season.
That episode was so well received that it soon evolved into something of a Christmas Looking Sideways tradition: all of which means that we are back once with our very own addition to the Christmas canon (even if, this year, we managed not to get blind drunk while recording this one).
Apart from that, it was the usual story - our highlights of the year, our hopes for 2025, the usual quiz (spoiler alert: I lost yet again), and a freewheeling catch up for our annual Yuletide review.
As ever, wherever youâre listening to this, grab a festive drink and a mince pie, don the Santa hat, and join us as we wax festive for a couple of hours. Iâve been fortunate enough to enjoy another brilliant Looking Sideways year, so huge thanks for listening and supporting what I do. Iâll be back refreshed, rested and ready to go once again in 2025 - in the meantime, have a brilliant break đ
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use SIDEWAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!
--
Regulars whoâve been following Looking Sideways at all closely for the last two years will be familiar with the name Chris Nelson. Alongside Demi Taylor and Lewis Arnold, heâs one of the triumvirate of creative talents behind the brilliant Big Sea, which Iâve been championing since I saw the first cut back in November 2022.
But I actually go way, way back with Chris. To the mid-1990s, in fact, when we were both young journalistic tyros from either side of the Pennines, keen to forge creative careers based around our respective passions of surfing and snowboarding.
In many ways, our careers have followed similar trajectories. And one of the things Iâve always admired about Chris in the decades Iâve known him is the strong sense of editorial and moral integrity that has always been such a clear hallmark of his work.
Whether itâs the early years as a start-up publisher inspired by terrace fanzine culture, the hugely influential Footprint books that redefined surf travel for a generation, his trailblazing work as one of the co-founders of the London Surf Film Festival, or the four-year mission to bring The Big Sea from idea to the big screen, this thread has guided his work since the beginning.
Chris has been an influence on my own work and approach since we became friends back in the mid-1990s, and the release of The Big Sea seemed like the perfect occasion to sit down and cast a reflective eye on his unique career.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
¿Faltan episodios?
-
Use my Intersport discount code LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for huge savings on ski and snowboard rental this winter.
--
One of the odd things about podcasting (at least the way I do it, anyway) is when a episode youâre convinced is one of the best, most enjoyable conversations youâve ever had doesnât get the pick up it deserves.
That was very definitely the case with my autumn 2022 conversation with legendary ski film-maker Greg Stump. Which is why, four years later, I am re-running it so that recent subscribers to Looking Sideways can listen to my conversation with one of the most quietly influential figures in action sports.
Iâm going to come right out and say it: Greg Stump is as influential a guest as Iâve yet had on the show. Now, if youâre unfamiliar with Gregâs oeuvre (and in recent years his achievements have been shamefully overlooked) this might seem like a fairly wild claim. But when you consider the success of an era-defining smash like his film The Blizzard of Aaahhs, and look seriously at the lasting impact of his work, who can really doubt it?
Greg, a skier, snowboarder and film-maker, first came to prominence with low-key ski film hits such as Maltese Flamingo and A Fistful of Moguls. But the success of 1998âs Blizzard changed everything. Here was a genuine pop cultural crossover success that redefined the ski film for a new generation, gave snowboarding a new platform, saw stars Glen Plake and Scott Schmidt appear on The Today Show, and set the âextremeâ agenda that still resonates to this day.
On a personal level, Greg certainly changed my life. My first viewing of Blizzard as a skate and snow-obsessed Mancunian teenager in 1990 introduced me to a new world, where dirtbag skiers and snowboarders chased the snow in beguiling sounding-locations such as Telluride, Squaw Valley and Chamonix. For me, it was as exotic as the smooth Californian pavements I wished I could skate, and it put me on the path I am still following to this day.
All of which goes some way to explain why, when I sat down to speak with Greg, excitement levels were high - on both sides of the Zoom call.
After all, it isnât often you get to chat to a legit hero and tell them what an impact their work had on your life.
The resulting conversation was a riot - funny, warm, extravagant and shamelessly vain - a little like those films that changed so many lives. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use SIDEWAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!
--
As anybody whoâs watched your typical softball chat-show conversation will be aware, interviews with people at a certain level of fame and renown, such as this weekâs guest Jordy Smith, tend to unfold in one of two ways.
Thereâs the filtered, on-message, and generally uninteresting stuff weâve all heard countless times before.
And then, very rarely, thereâs what happened here: which is a really an insightful and frequently hilarious chat that certainly captures the personality of one of surfingâs modern greats, as well as the experience of life on the modern tour.
Jordy was in town (at the Wave, specifically) to take part in the regular OâNeill Rookie Rippers event, so I headed over to grab him for an hour to record this chat.
As soon as Jordy clocked the Looking Sideways approach, he was straight into it, and what followed was a quick fire and super enjoyable romp through his life and times as one of African surfingâs modern greats.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use SIDEWAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!
--
What a treat to welcome the great Jamie Brisick back for his third Looking Sideways appearance.
The occasion? The release of The Life and Death of Westerly Windina, his brilliant documentary collaboration with Australian director Alan White about the life and times of Peter Drouyn and Westerly Windina.
But also, a welcome chance to catch up with one of surfingâs sharpest, brightest minds. My friendship with Jamie has been one of the great pleasures of this whole Looking Sideways business. As has been watching his career continue to blossom in the years since his first appearance on the show.
His Soundings podcast, for example, produced in conjunction with The Surferâs Journal, is six seasons in and rightly beloved around the world. And his journalism continues to hoik the bar higher with every passing year.
Jamie has also been a very generous cheerleader for my own work, acting as a welcome sounding board as Iâve worked on The Announcement, and encouraging me in all my own weird little creative endeavours.
So it was that we caught up one evening in October to catch up, compare notes, and discuss the Westerly project, Soundings and The Announcement in detail.
What follows is a digressive, self-indulgent catch up in the finest Looking Sideways tradition. I enjoyed it immensely, and I hope you do to.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use SIDEWAVES10 for 10% off anything from session at The Wave in Bristol!
--
Over the last year, itâs been one of the biggest stories in British surfing.
How Croydeâs own Laura Crane headed to Nazare, and surfed the biggest waves ever snagged by a British woman.
No wonder ifâs been covered by everybody from Carve to BBC Radio Five Live.
But if youâve been listening a little bit more closely, youâll realise that thereâs actually much more to Lauraâs story than this admittedly incredible feat.
And itâs this aspect of the story, the bit that most surf media seems to have missed, that I was interested in discussing when we caught up for this conversation at the end of August 2024.
Because the truth is that Lauraâs professional surfing career has been as much about rejecting the preordained role the surf industry demands of its women professionals as it has been about the actual surfing.
Itâs been about understanding the personal impact of this institutionalised toxicity - in Lauraâs case bulimia.
And itâs been an ongoing battle to balance her love of surfing with the demands a predominately male surf media and industry make on female bodies and identities.
As anybody who has been paying attention will realise, this is a depressingly familiar story when it comes to womenâs professional sport, no matter how high the profile.
Think of Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles, or Serena Williams, for example; women with about as much agency as itâs possible to have in the world of professional sport, and yet who have still had to constantly fight to establish their own physical and mental boundaries.
And itâs here that we find the real power in Lauraâs story. Her account of the reality of the professional surfing dream, and its impact on her, is one we just donât hear very often. Thatâs why it is so important.
Ultimately, itâs a story of reclamation, in which Laura has remade her own story, and shaped her surfing future, on her own terms.
Yes, it has taken her to Nazare. But whatâs really going to be exciting is seeing where it takes her next.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off anything from Stance socks.
--
Iâm joined by one of THE all time greats this week: Tommy Guerrero, legendary skateboarder and musician; and one of the select few to have shaped the way we collectively view this entire sideways culture.
Tommy was, of course, part of the original Bone Brigade crew, alongside Tony Hawk, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill, Lance Mountain and Rodney Mullen.
His parts in Future Primitive, Ban This and Public Domain basically defined the concept of modern street skating. In tandem, he also established a career as a hugely influential musician, which continues to this day.
In short, Tommy well and truly justifies the âlegendâ epithet. And yet, as is so often the case, I found him on wry, reflective form: as happy to geek out on Sudanese jazz as he was to discuss those legendary video parts; and ruminate on how growing up without a father influenced his life and career.
Sometimes this gig is a total privilege and delight, and this was one of those occasions. Thanks to Tommy for taking the time, and to our mutual pal Thomas Campbell for the intro.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db luggage or bag - and click here to see my other discounts.
--
Hallvard Kolltveit describes himself as âthe surf photographer that doesnât know how to swim properlyâ.
Itâs a good line, and one that sums up Hallvardâs witty and self-deprecating take on his own unconventional route through action sport and outdoor media.
If youâre unfamiliar with his work, he's one of the first really popular post-Burkard cold water surf photographers to blow up on Instagram, and Iâve been following his career with interest ever since.
We actually first met back in April 2019, in Lofoten, during a Patagonia Snow Impact camp. We stayed in touch, and have since worked on a couple of gigs together, and crossed paths in unusual places.
In this chat, recorded in May 2024, we discussed the nature of risk-taking, in both physical and creative pursuits, and how discomfort can be a powerful catalyst for growth.
Literally, in Hallvardâs case, as he explained how his recent foray into ultra-endurance events have influenced his perspective on life and art.
We also discussed the balance between commercial success and artistic integrity, the importance of collaboration, and the endless quest for new perspectives in a rapidly changing media landscape.
Classic Looking Sideways fodder, in other words. Have a listen, and let me know what you think.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db luggage or bag - and click here to see my other discounts.
--
Nick Russell is one of those rare snowboarders who combines grace and intellect in equal measure, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the high alpine with a distinctly cerebral approach.
I've been following Nick's career since I first interviewed him for Curator Magazine, and it's been a joy to watch his subsequent evolution into one of our most innovative and pioneering riders.
And this past winter has been especially significant for Nick. He ticked off the first snowboard descent of Papsura, a 6000-meter behemoth in the Indian Himalaya. He followed that with another crack at Mount Saint Elias in Alaska - a peak that 'Fifty' aficionados will recognise as one of the last great unsolved problems of that particular series.
It was an intense winter, and by the time we sat down to record this conversation, at the end of July 2024, I found Nick in recovery mode and in an open, reflective mood.
The result is a hugely insightful and thoughtful conversation that covers the two expeditions, themes such as the law of diminishing risk-versus-reward returns that comes with the high alpine territory, as well as a diverting thread around climate change and the accusations of hypocrisy that are so often levelled at people in NIckâs position.
Iâm a big fan of NIckâs approach to snowboarding, and I enjoyed this chat very much. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use SIDEWAVES10 for 10% off any session at the Wave - and click here to see my other discounts.
--
How do you find an original angle with somebody whoâs discussed the same story hundreds of times? Especially when that person is one of the best-loved and most-interviewed people in their field?
Thatâs the challenge I faced when approaching this interview with the great Captain Liz Clark. The occasion was the paperback release of Swell, Lizâs much-loved book about her decade-long voyage around the Pacific, with the author at the end of what was essentially her second round of promotion for the same tale.
And Swell really is a modern maritime classic; much more than âjustâ a straight retelling of Lizâs incredibly gruelling, challenging and rewarding journey, as eloquently and honestly as she tells that tale.
Itâs also about how we cope with the biggest themes of the lot: the generational accumulations that have brought us to this particular point, how a challenge such as Lizâs can be the canvas upon which we engage in the grandest acts of self discovery, and also how we can learn to face lifeâs challenges with grace and equanimity. Itâs also about Lizâs own environmental awakening, a theme that brings us full circle to the present day.
In the end, I decided to go full Looking Sideways on this one: eschewing the questions Liz has been asked a gazillion times before: ignoring all the received podcasting interview wisdom (and believe me, thereâs a LOT of that about these days); leaning into my full repertoire of lengthy digressions, two-minute long questions; and generally trusting Liz would get I was trying to have a conversation weâd both (and hopefully, my listeners) appreciate on a more human level.
Iâm happy to report that Liz went seemed to be as into the idea as I was, and the result is the chat youâre about to listen to. Hope you enjoy it, and fo let me know what you think if you get a second.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Stance socks - and click here to see my other discount codes.
--
Regular listeners will know that British skateboarding institution Read and Destroy occupies an important place in the Looking Sideways firmament, both for me personally and for British sideways culture in general.
I've talked about it at length over the years, but Read and Destroy was hugely important to me when I was growing up. Not just because it was the main UK skate mag at the time. Looking back, I realise that itâs what RaD represented that was really important - that you could make something like that about the things you loved. That you could blatantly make it up as you went along. And you didn't need permission!
These were important, revelatory lessons for me at the time, that continue to influence the work that I do to this day.
This is why, in the early years of Looking Sideways, it was so important for me to speak to Tim Leighton-Boyce. Sure, I wanted to hear his story. But I also wanted to pay homage to what he'd created.
In the intervening years, it's become clear I'm not the only one who was influenced by the work of Tim, and peers like Paul Sunman. Among the wider skateboarding and creative community, there is huge affection not only for Read and Destroy, but for the creative uniqueness of the British scene generally. You can see it in the works of somebody like Neil Macdonald, who I've also had on the show, and the huge popularity of the Read and Destroy Instagram account run by Dan Adams.
You can also see it in the response to last year's London Calling event, and the outpouring of love and excitement with which the release of new Read and Destroy book has been greeted.
Which is why, on the eve of the release of this new history of Read and Destroy (and this year's London Calling event), I decided to sit down with Dan, Paul and Wig Worland for the conversation you're about to listen to. Wig is another old friend, but I'd never met Paul, even if we both knew of each other and have plenty of mutual friends.
As ever, I didn't really have an agenda. I just wanted to let the virtual tape roll and let these three oldest of friends, all so influential when it comes to UK skate culture, take the conversation where they wanted. As you'll hear, that's exactly what happened. It's a good one, this. Even Wig enjoyed it, which really is the highest of praise. I hope you do too, and as ever Iâd love to know what you think of this one.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Stance socks - and click here to see my other discount codes.
--
As regular listeners will know, I don't often cover mountaineering and climbing on Looking Sideways.
But I knew I had to make an exception for Everest Inc., Will Cockrell's brilliantly written and nuanced exploration of the increasingly commodified world of mountaineering on the world's highest peak.
Firstly, as somebody who's been devouring books on climbing, adventure, and exploration since I was a kid, I was intrigued to discover that Will had managed to find a fresh angle on the most obvious topic of all.
Secondly, thereâs much more to Willâs book than a straightforward retelling of the history of guided exploration on Everest. At its heart, Everest Inc. is a dispassionate examination of the increasingly commodified nature of adventure, bookended by those first British expeditions and, latterly, Nirmal Purjaâs testosterone-fuelled approach to the business of mountaineering.
In this classically meandering Looking Sideways chat, Will and I discuss the ethics of commercialisation, the socio-economic impact of climbing, and the legacy of colonialism and empire that underpins the entire tale.
We also pondered the challenges of writing about a subject that has at this point been done to death - especially when two of your main subjects refuse to be interviewed - as well as the recent New York Times story about Nirmal Purge that broke the week we spoke.
--
To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db bag - and click here to see my other discount codes.
Iâve been really enjoying the recent online âCreative Exchangesâ Iâve been doing with my friends at Db Journey. Theyâre such a brilliant idea that Iâm not surprised theyâre going down so well.
The premise is really simple - Db gather together some of their ambassadors and creatives to form a loose panel to discuss that weekâs topic. We then extend the invite to people on our mailing lists, jump on a Google Meet link, and see where the discussion ends up.
Our February subject was a pretty hot topic right now - what does âresponsible travelâ mean?
The resulting chat was about the ethics of travel in the age of the climate emergency, sure, but we also covered plenty of other themes - the ethics of travel today, the 90s-to-pre pandemic âGolden Ageâ of travel, and what the future of travel looks like.
For this discussion, I was joined by panellists Kepa Acero, Timothy Myers, Alex Aubry and Db Journeyâs Jon, Marcus and Tin, as well as over 100 passionate and smart people who proved thereâs a huge appetite for this type of debate and knowledge-sharing. We discussed our own experiences, took questions, and generally engaged in a really fascinating and wide-ranging debate on this fascinating topic.
Big up the Db Journey team for the brilliant idea and for getting me involved, to the panelists for their thought-provoking insights, and to everybody for participating.
PLUS! Weâre are doing a LIVE Creative Exchange in London in June! Keep an eye out for more details on this one, and if you enjoyed this chat then, please do share or leave me a comment:
HKC Discount Club is kicking off - click here for exclusive discounts from my partner brands such as Finisterre, Db, Goodrays. Albion and Vivobarefoot. Coming soon - Stance and The Wave!
To find our more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
Or you can follow me on Instagram here.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 10% off any Finisterre purchase - and click here to see my other discount codes.
When Freddie Meadows finally surfed RĂN, it signified more than the biggest wave ever surfed in Scandinavia.
It was also the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition; the endgame of a ten-year search; and the symbolic culmination of Freddieâs singular career as a surfer of proud Scandinavian and Swedish heritage thus far.
No wonder he named it after the Norse goddess of the sea.
But then, the long, thoughtful and myth-strewn trip that led to RĂN is emblematic of Freddieâs wider path through professional surfing.
Iâve been following him for years, and have always been fascinated by the way he has looked east instead of west - eschewing the classic professional surf career for something much more original and unique.
Itâs an approach that comes through in everything he does, from the particular brands he chooses to work with, to the particular aesthetic that always embellishes the work he puts out.
And itâs why our thoughtful, involved conversation for Looking Sideways covers so much more ground than the usual pro surfer chat.
We discuss what RĂN means to Freddie, of course, now heâs had time to digest the experience.
But we also covered plenty of the classic Looking Sideways themes: our place in nature, the important of honesty when it comes to creativity and a fulfilling life, and why you need determination and vision to follow your own path.
--
PLUS! HKC Discount Club is kicking off - click here for exclusive discounts from my partner brands such as Finisterre, Db, Goodrays. Albion and Vivobarefoot. Coming soon - Stance and The Wave!
To find our more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
Or you can follow me on Instagram here.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Why is direct action important? Why is there such apathy as our democratic right to protest is being removed? How can the outdoor community and industry enact a more impactful and effective type of protest and activism?
All topics I discussed with snowboarder, activist and campaigner for Just Stop Oil Calum Macintyre. You might not know Calum, but he has a vital story to tell about how our democratic right to protest is carefully being steadily and stealthily dismantled in the age of the climate emergency, and I implore you to listen to what he has to say.
I first met Calum in Lofoten back in 2019 on a Patagonia activist camp. We became friends and stayed in touch, and since then Iâve watched with great interest as Calum has become more and more immersed in the world of direct action.
It was Calum who wrote my most popular ever guest blog - last yearâs thought-provoking 5 Reasons Why Our Community Does Not Engage, in which he was politely yet forcefully critical of the outdoor and action sports communityâs approach to protest and activism.
Weâve spent much time over the last year discussing these ideas, which has helped inform and shape my own thinking as Iâve been working on The Announcement, my forthcoming podcast documentary series about Yvon Chouinardâs September 2022 decision to give away Patagonia.
Calumâs participation in this movement has also given him a minor role in a wider, much more important story - the way that climate protest is being weaponised by a government intent on criminalising protest for their own nakedly political ends.
Which was why, in March 2024, after Calum successfully defended himself in court after being arrested for taking part in a slow march for Just Stop Oil, I decided to ask him to come on the podcast to discuss these topics.
This is a vital conversation about the climate crisis, the notion of protest, effective activism, and how the climate emergency is being weaponised as part of the culture wars. Itâs also about how Calum has found a little untouched snowboarding paradise in one of Europeâs last wildernesses, which might make you want pack up and head for the hills.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db snowboard bag - and click here to see my other discount codes
Eric Blehm is a journalist and author who has had one of the most interesting and quietly-influential careers in snowboarding.
As one of the original and most high-profile American snowboard journalists, he certainly had an influence on my own career.
His work at Transworld Snowboarding, in particular, where he combined a none-more-geeky passion for snowboarding with an insatiable curiosity about the wider world, inspired me to think it might be a path that I could also follow.
Ericâs storytelling talent meant he soon outgrew our little world, and these days heâs an acclaimed none-fiction writer in the Krakauer/Grann mould. But with his latest book, The Darkest White, heâs returned to his sideways roots to tell one of the most important stories of all - the life and death of Craig Kelly.
I have no hesitation in saying that The Darkest White is the best book ever written about snowboarding. It is a subtly structured and truly brilliant piece of work that, like all the best none-fiction, is about much more than its ostensible subject matter.
Of course, it a lovingly and respectfully put together biography of Craig, Ericâs friend and mentor who clearly had a huge personal impact on his life. But it is also the grown-up history of snowboarding weâve been crying out for, which sheds new light on the key phases of our cultureâs development.
And it is also a dispassionate, forensic and at times enraging (for me, anyway) look at what actually happened to Craig, and which cast the entire sorry episode in a completely new light.
Myself and Eric have plenty of mutual friends and have known of each other for years. But this is the first time weâd actually connected, which made this one a real pleasure. This one covers a lot: the books, of course, but also Ericâs own remarkable career. Hope you enjoy our conversation.
Buy The Darkest White here.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 10% off any Finisterre purchase - and click here to see my other discount codes
If youâve been following Looking Sideways for a while, youâll know that Iâve covered the conversation around chloroprene rubber and Yulex extensively over the last year or so - through my conversation with Big Sea documentary film-makers Chris Nelson and Lewis Arnold (below), for example, as well as blogs such as this one. If you arenât yet aware of the connection between neoprene and higher rates of cancer among one hugely impacted Louisiana community, find out more by clicking those links.
Itâs through those conversations that I first made contact with Liz Bui, CEO of Yulex, the natural rubber alternative to neoprene and so-called limestone neoprene, which is touted by Yulex and partner brands such as Patagonia and Finisterre as a natural alternative to these materials and is, according to Yulex âproven equal or better when compared to neoprene in all applicationsâ.
So when my pals at Finisterre invited me to host a live q&a with Liz and Yulex founder Jeff Martin at Finisterreâs London store in February 2024, I was in. Particularly because, whenever this conversation comes up among surfers, you always hear the same (to put it politely) received wisdom about Yulex. Itâs too expensive. Itâs not flexible enough. Itâs just as bad for the environment as neoprene. (And thatâs just some from some of the surf industryâs trade bodies).
Here was an opportunity to put these very questions to Liz and Jeff in person, as well as find out more about the basics of the Yulex process, while also exploring some of this issueâs more contentious talking points.
So thatâs what I did, and the result was a fascinating, insightful and revealing conversation with two people who understand this topic, with all its nuances, intimately. Huge thanks to my Finisterre family for getting me involved, and to Liz and Jeff for answering everything with such clarity and transparency.
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
It's a return visit for friend-of-the-show Thomas Campbell this week, who is, as I said last year, âone of surfing and skateboardingâs most important influences thanks to classic films such as The Seedling, and a singular aesthetic and approach that has an outsized influence on what it means to be creative in our worldâ.
I think itâs fair to say myself and Thomas got on pretty well first time around, and weâve stayed in touch over the months.
This redux episode came about after I asked him if heâd be up for taking part on one of my Open Threads, in which guests (such as the great Jeremy Jones, here) answer questions from listeners and readers.
Thomas was up for it, but asked if we could just do it as another conversation. Which I thought was a great idea, and is exactly what we did.
The result was yet another brilliantly entertaining, discursive chat about life, art, surfing, music, creativity and the rest of the good stuff. As it was originally supposed to be a written piece, you can find the transcription for the entire episode here as well.
Huge thanks to everybody who contributed questions for this one. Iâd love to know what everybody thinks of this new format - let me know by either leaving a comment on my Insta or Substack đ€
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Photographer Skin Phillips, this weekâs guest, has had one of the most extraordinary careers in British skateboarding. Completely self-taught, and driven by a thirst for knowledge and a desire to experience life behind the borders of his hometown of Swansea, Skin came up in the late 80s and early 90s.
Initially published in RaD and mentored by the great Tim Leighton-Boyce, he soon followed in footsteps of Bod Boyle, Steve Douglas and Don Brown by heading to the States, where he embarked upon a truly remarkable career in the US industry. He was a staff photographer at Transworld, and eventually ended up running the entire thing during that institutionâs undoubted heyday. Later, he took a role as team manager at adidas Skateboarding.
An amazing CV -but this brief overview really doesnât do justice to Skinâs outsized influence on global skate culture during this period. He shot with absolutely everybody - and I mean everybody - and has the tales and respect that go with such an outsized CV, as a quick look at the comments of any his recent Instagram posts will demonstrate.
So far, so legendary, and if you checked out Skinâs Nine Club chat from the other year, youâre probably familiar with that part of his story. What hasnât been so well documented is the way things changed quickly for Skin after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Finding himself unable to stay in the States, he returned home to Swansea where heâs spent the intervening years coping with the new realities of his life.
I went to see Skin in Swansea early in January 2024. We cover the history, sure. But we also cover plenty of themes that arenât discussed too frequently in the skate, surf and snow industries: how quickly his career in the industry unravelled, and how heâs coped with such an abrupt change of circumstances, with all the mental challenges this has entailed.
This is a tale about the challenges of dealing with a diagnosis that changes your life overnight, when thereâs no safety net in place, and youâre left to work it out.
Itâs also about the last thirty years of the UK, and the political manoeuvring that has wrought such havoc during that time, as epitomised by Skinâs South Wales home turf. And itâs about British working class culture, and how things such as skateboarding, football, music and art are the light in the darkness.
Itâs an important one, this. Big thanks to Skin for this poignant and powerful conversation (and to listener Marc Evans for the help setting it up).
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe -
Ah, Christmas. A time of friends, family and tradition - which in Looking Sideways world means the much loved Festive Special with my close pals and stalwart podcast supporters Tim and Gendle!
Yep, weâre back once again with our very own addition to the Christmas canon -even if, this year, we managed not to get blind drunk while recording this one. Apart from that, it was the usual story - our highlights of the year, our hopes for 2024, the usual quiz (spoiler alert: I lost yet again), and a freewheeling catch for our annual Yuletide review.
As ever, wherever youâre listening to this, grab a festive drink and a mince pie, don the Santa hat, and join us as we wax festive for a couple of hours. Iâve been fortunate enough to enjoy another brilliant Looking Sideways year, so huge thanks for listening and supporting what I do. Iâll be back refreshed, rested and ready to go once again in 2024 - in the meantime, have a brilliant break đ
This is a public episode. If youâd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe - Mostrar más
