Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comThis week’s guest is yet another absolute legend of their chosen field - the great Torah BrightTorah’s been at the top of her game for the last 20 years. Sure, the headline news is that 2010 gold at the Vancouver Games. But that’s just one highlight in a career that has come to symbolise everything that is creative and expressive about snowboarding. And it’s this, if you ask me, that makes her one of the true greats⁣Because to achieve greatness in the competitive arena, as Torah did, is one thing. To do some in a way that also pushes the sport forward and communicates the sheer joy of snowboarding, is another. ⁣And now, as she prepares to become a Mum for the first time, Torah’s about to move into a new phase, and it seemed a really fitting time to sit down and cast an eye over her career so far, while also finding out her plans for the future. ⁣Torah Bright’s two decades at the top have given her a unique perspective on her own life and achievements. She’s also a generous spirit, and during our conversation was happy to explore some pretty personal themes, including her relationship with her brother Benny, and her changing relationship with her faith. I’m really grateful to Torah opening up fully and bringing the full range of her experience, insight and impressive levels of self awareness to our conversation. Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comJeff Johnson is probably best known for his film 180 South, a film which saw him travel to Patagonia with Yvon Chouniard and Doug Tompkins in homage to the original 1960s odyssey that is such a defining part of Patagonia story. It’s on YouTube, and I highly recommend checking it out. But there’s much more to Jeff’s career than this admittedly epic highpoint. He’s a surfer, skater, climber, film-maker, photographer and journalist who’s had another one of those questing, roving careers I like to feature on the podcast. As you’re going to hear, Jeff’s tale is yet another example of how a bit of front and a lot of passion can lead you to some extraordinary and interesting places, as the stories of how he got his breaks at the Surfer’s Journal and, later, Patagonia illustrate. Me and Jeff first started chatting around a year ago, so when lockdown kicked in I gave him a shout to arrange this conversation. Have to say, from our correspondence I had a feeling me and Jeff would hit it off and I’m glad to say we did. I throughly enjoyed this conversation, which we recorded in mid-May 2020 - please check out the website for full Show Notes and references to everything we discuss. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson.Enjoying the podcast? Want to keep it free and ad-free? Donate here: https://bit.ly/LSBuyPint This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comThis week’s guest is Chas Smith, surely the most notorious surf journalist on the planet right now thanks to his work with Beach Grit, books like Welcome to Paradise Now Go To Hell, and podcasts like Dirty Water and The Grit with David Lee Scales.Along the way, Chas has come to personify a particular type of surf writing trope - the tough-talking, hard-drinking alpha who is forever storming out of trade show interviews and picking literal and metaphorical fights with his peers and contemporaries.And yet….I’ve always been intrigued by Chas. Firstly because I met him last year and found him to be utterly charming. Secondly, because in its way this persona as as much of a cliche as the very surf conformity he has spent his career railing against, and I’ve long suspected that nobody is more aware of that than Charlie himself.All of which begged a fairly obvious question as I sat down to interview him for this episode of the podcast: where does ‘Chas Smith’ end and Charlie Smith begin? Really enjoyed this one - my thanks to Chas for coming on the show and being so open and honest. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Lockdown Surf Film Festival bonus episode with Gabriel Novis! Yep, in April 2020 Chris and Demi, my friends behind the Lockdown Surf Film Festival, asked me to interview Gabriel about his film Sorria, which was showing as part of the festival. Sorria is a few years old now and is, as Gabriel explained during our conversation, an attempt to show another side of Brazilian surf culture and performance surfing than the one we’re so often used to seeing portrayed in the majority of surf media. As Gabriel put it, he wanted to explain, ‘why we’re so noisy and take up so much space’. He did so by dialling up the positivity and fun, and showcasing surfers like Fillipe Toldeo, Yafgo Dora, Jesse Mendes and Thomas Hermes away from the line up. Today, Gabriel works as a film-maker in LA, and still has the same creative, indpendent views on surfing and film making that informed Sorria, as I discovered during our chat. So that’s what I did, catching up with the Brazilian film-maker to discuss all thing surfing, Brazilian surf culture and film-making. Big thanks to Gabriel for coming on the show - and to my pals Chris and Demi for getting me involved in the brilliant Lockdown Surf Film Festival. Find out more at www.lockdownsurffilmfestival.comThere are no Show Notes for this bonus episode, so if you want to find out more about any of the things we discuss, check out my Instagram (@WeLookSideways), Twitter (@WeLookSideways) and Facebook (@wearelookingsideways). Nice one. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comLet’s not mess around. My guest this week is one of the action sports G.O.A.T.s, up there with Hawk and Slater as the greatest and most influential rider his discipline has yet produced. Terje’s achievements are so legendary it is difficult to know where to start. Subjekt: Haakonsen? The Olympics boycott? THAT world biggest air record? That peerless string of 90s contest wins that set the tone for a generation? The fact that he’s still charging as he approaches 50?And yet, such a CV also presents something of a challenge for the interviewer. After all, how do you avoid going over the same old ground, the questions that have been asked thousands of time before? Luckily, I go back a long with Terje. We first met around in 2005 and have remained friends ever since. Which is why I approached this conversation the way I approach all Looking Sideways chats: with an open mind and no agenda other than to have a fruitful conversation. I’m happy to say that the result is as revealing an interview as Terje has ever given, covering his relationship with Jake Burton, the influence of Craig Kelly, those recent social media controversies and - yes - the Olympics. Don’t miss this one. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism.Even in a field crammed with extremely motivated people, Reece Pacheco stands out. He is Executive Director of WSL Pure, the WSL’s none profit with a mission to inspire the global surf community to lead the way in protecting the ocean. He is also in charge of the sustainability program for the World Surf League - or SVP of Ocean Responsibility to give him his full title. As if all that wasn’t enough, he hosts the WSL Pure One Ocean podcast too. All of which, by my reckoning, makes him extremely busy across a lot of fronts. What’s especially interesting about Reece’s current work with the WSL is the scale of the brief. In effect, he’s been given the daunting task of devising from scratch a strategy to help the WSL lead the way on matters of environmentalism and sustainability in the surf industry. As such, our chat about Reece’s approach is a fascinating counterpoint to last month’s conversation with Chris Hines about the genesis of Surfers Against Sewage; an organisation that, after all, evolved over many years from a single issue group into the most influential environmental body in the surf industry. As ever I was interested in digging into Reece’s background to find out how his experiences and private passion for this cause had led him to this point, and his views on the challenges the industry currently faces. Great chat this one - hope you enjoy it. New episodes of Type 2 are released every four weeks through my Looking Sideways channel. Hear it by subscribing to Looking Sideways via ApplePodcasts, Spotify or any of the usual other podcast providers.Thanks to Ewan Wallace for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comI’m back with the great Mike Manzoori, a much-loved UK skateboarder who has quietly had one of the most influential careers in British skating. Mike has been renowned for the power and style of his skating since day one, and came up alongside peers like Curtis McCann and Simon Evans during an era of particular significance for UK skateboarding, documented by the great TLB through the pages of RaD magazine and through Mike’s own early experiments in film making. Later, he headed to the States and evolved into one of the most progressive and creative film-makers in skateboarding. It’s a career arc that perfect mirror the evolution of UK skateboarding as a while, and it means Mike has a brilliant perspective on the last three decades. I’ve been keen to chat to Mike for the show for years, and the result was a really lovely, engaging conversation with a properly humble and modest character. My thanks to Mike for taking the time to do it, and to Don Brown, Dan Adams and Wig Worland for their help pulling this episode together. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comIt’s brave new era time this week as I finally relaxed my Skype ban to record this episode with Colin MacCleod. If you don’t know Colin, he’s a musician and surfer from the Western Isles in Scotland who has been quietly carving out one of the most successful careers in British guitar music in the last few years. I’m talking supporting-Robert-Plant/appearances-on-the-James-Corden-Show-in-the-States levels of success. He also seems, as I discovered during our conversation, to have that whole work/life balance thing completely dialled, working as he does as a crofter and a gillie when he’s not on tour with his band. My original plan with Colin was to head up to meet him in Lewis to record this episode, but with that not possible, I thought I’d get him on now to hear his story.And what a tale it is, delivered much like he delivers his music: with modesty, wit, compassion and honesty. Even better, Colin agreed to perform a song for me at the end of the interview, so stick around for that. My thanks to Colin for being such a great sport. Hope you enjoy the episode. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comI’m a big fan of ‘lifer’ stories on the podcast. These are the guests who aren’t big name athletes or personalities, but who have quietly had the same amount of influence. Think of guests like Demi Taylor, Chris Cote or Phil Young. They’re people who have dedicated their lives to the activities they love, and in the process have ended up helping to create the culture we all benefit from. This week’s guest Steve England, long-term publisher of Carve magazine and founding member of Surfers Against Sewage, is another example. He’d never admit it himself, but it’s impossible to do justice to the absolutely integral role Steve has played in the UK surf industry for well over three decades now. Think of any significant development in British surfing and Steve England has been at the heart of it. No wonder no less an authority than Gabe Davis describes him as ‘the absolute heart and soul of UK surfing’. What’s especially brilliant about this is that it is all so clearly driven by Steve’s absolute passion for surfing and belief in its power to transform lives, something he expresses with great eloquence during our conversation. Then there’s the final layer to all this, which is the arc of Steve’s career itself. As he himself says: if he can do it, anybody can. Steve was somebody I’d wanted to get on the show for months and I’ll be honest it took me a while to convince him. I’m so glad that I did, as you’ll hear. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comThe life of the professional athlete is truly an exalted one. There’s the travel. The free kit. The adulation. And the fact that you’re being paid to do what you love.Small wonder that so many professional athletes get swept along with it all, and start to believe their own hype. As I know from my experience of working in the industry for almost three decades, nothing is more common than the pro athlete who has made the fundamental mistake of thinking their current situation is permanent. It’s why characters like Mike Lay are such a breath of fresh air. Sure, he’s one of the finest longboarders the UK has ever produced, with a truly beautiful, considered style. But he’s also that rare thing: somebody who is amazingly good at riding a board, and also able to see far beyond the margins of our insular little world. You can see it in the writing he does for the various surf magazines he contributes to, and in the curiosity that seems to come naturally to him. As you’ll discover, he’s a creative, a dreamer, a reader, a writer and, above all, a thinker, as well as a surfer. These are the conversations I look forward to the most, the ones that take off into unexpected regions in the finest Looking Sideways tradition. I’m really grateful to Mike for going out of his way to make this conversation happen, and for approaching it in such a spirit of honesty and open-mindedness. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, and to my editor Fina Charleson. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wearelookingsideways.com/subscribe