Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.comFull disclosure: this week’s guest is a close friend of mine. Lauren MacCallum is a writer, broadcaster and activist who has the type of plates-in-the-air career that is very common in the action sports and outdoor industry. We’ve been friend for years, and she’s someone I can always rely on to provide some much-needed perspective. In this way, this chat is just an extension of the type of freewheeling, no-stone-unturned conversation I always have with this absolute force of nature. Lauren is a brilliant conversationalist, with a considered, compassionate take on activism born from her own experience and years of hard work and research. For Lauren, community is key. It is at the root of her beliefs and the thread that links all her work, whether as General Manager for Protect Our Winters UK or through her work as a writer and broadcaster. Above all, Lauren’s personal experiences and insights make her the type of progressive, none-judgemental leader we need at this time, particularly as the last months have revealed such a vacuum of leadership at the heart of our industry. 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.comLet’s be honest - the Looking Sideways podcast is a pretty white and none-diverse space, reflecting as it does the action sports and outdoor community as a whole. I think this is why my first episode with Phil Young, broadcast back in November 2019, struck such a chord with listeners and very quickly went on to become one of my most popular episodes ever. The fact is it is still rare for BAME people to be given a voice or a platform in our industry. So to hear Phil outline his experiences as a person of colour in our insular little world was eye-opening for many listeners, as the feedback I received demonstrated.Since that interview, myself and Phil have kept talking and kept sharing views and experiences on this topic. And now, obviously, recent events mean the issue is now front and centre like never before. So I gave Phil a shout to see if he was up for coming back on the show and continuing our conversation. I was interested in getting his take on the events of the last few weeks, and understanding his hopes for the future. Like any conversation around this topic, it can be challenging to find the right words, and I certainly struggled at points during our chat. I left all that in though, because I think it’s important to openly and honestly discuss these things and embrace the challenges that come with it. After all, this isn’t about me or my fragility. This is about learning how to become a better ally. 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.comAndy Howell has always been one of skateboarding’s sages. He’s an artist and intellectual thinker who discerns patterns, seeks out connections and is unafraid to grapple with the biggest themes of all. Story-telling. Humanity. Technology. Life. Rebirth. You know - the good stuff.You can see it in his career, and the sheer number of ways he’s found to express himself creatively over the years. There is, of course, his storied career as one of the most progressive influences in skateboarding, whether as a pro, or through his involvement with game-changing brands like New Deal, Zero Sophisto, Underworld Element or 411. It is equally evident in his career as an artist and patron of international repute, a strand to his story that includes game-changing collaborations with luminaries such as Shepherd Fairey and Jeff Kinsey. And it runs through his later incarnation as a the founder of visionary tech start-ups, his role as an investor, and his typically progressive involvement with the 30th anniversary of New Deal Skateboards. And now Andy is on the brink of a new frontier, as he processes the incident that changed his life at the end of 2019 - the fire that destroyed his family home and, with it, the collection of artwork he has been collecting and curating for over 30 years. It’s a blow that has changed Andy’s life completely, and an experience he is still learning how to process. With all that in mind, I’m grateful for Andy for even agreeing to come on the show in the first place, I’m so glad he did though, because as you’ll expect if you’ve followed Andy’s career, this chat with one of skateboarding’s most original thinkers evolved into something really fascinating and unexpected. 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

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism.I welcomed a legend onto the show this week - surfer and activist Dave Rastovich, one of the world’s most respected, stylish and talented surfers. On the water, Dave’s always been an innovator and leader, whether because of the career path he chose, the equipment he championed, or his pioneering activism. Indeed, Dave came to epitomise the very idea of surfer as activist, thanks to films like The Cove, and his involvement with various different campaigns.Today, Dave lives with his young family on a patch of land near Byron Bay in Australia, and it still a committed, articulate activist who continues to lend his heft to various local and national campaigns. As you might expect from somebody with such a high profile, his story is well told, so in this conversation I was interested in understanding where Dave is now, both in terms of his experience as an activist, and in light of the very real social and ecological collateral damage that they’ve been experiencing in Australia over the last couple of years. How has it changed his approach? What has he learned? And what lessons can we take from his experiences? As expected, the resulting conversation was great and I very much enjoyed this wide-ranging and passionate chat with one of surfing’s modern greats. Just a note on the sound - we recorded this one over Skype, so there is a little background noise. My thanks to Dave for being such a great sport. 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.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