Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Welcome to a classic lifer episode of Looking Sideways with my pal Melody Sky!If you’re somebody who scans the name of the guest and thinks ‘never heard of them, I’m not going to bother’, I implore you not to make that mistake here, but Melody Sky has surely had one of the most fascinating careers in European action sports media.Sure, she’s a photographer, filmer, artist and all-round creative legend, but these descriptions really don’t do justice to the sheer range of accomplishments and adventures she has to her name.And what I love about Melody’s story - and career - is how entirely self-made it is. She’s created this unique role for herself, driven by curiosity, drive, graft, passion and a desire to have a life filled with unique and unusual experiences. Perennial themes during Looking Sideways discussions, and particularly relevant when it comes to this chinwag.We recorded this one on Brighton beach in mid May, and it’s a rambling, shaggy-dog-story of a conversation in the classic Looking Sideways style. This one for the LS originals, and for anybody looking to be inspired by somebody who lives life completely on their own terms. Melody is a hero and I’m stoked to finally chat to her for the show. 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

Easkey Britton alert!Yep, I’ve got my old pal Easkey back on the show this week for her second visit, a mere six years after we first chatted for the pod. We’ve stayed in touch, and over the years I’ve watched the evolution of her singular, insightful career as a surfer, academic and writer with awe.So when Easkey got in touch to say she’d be in London in mid May to do a talk at the Finisterre store about her new book Ebb and Flow, I packed the podcast kit, called up Tozer to take care of picture duties, and headed up to meet her.And what an endlessly stimulating, occasionally mind-bending and always thought-provoking chat this one was. For me, Ebb and Flow is a quietly political piece of work, concerned as it is with the world we want to live in as individuals and a society, and gently interrogating as it does recent explosion in all things Blue Mind over the past few years. As ever, Easkey has a lot of very interesting things to say about water, our relationship to water, and how her own relationship to the element that has thus far defined her life has changed since she became a mum of twins.I very much enjoyed this conversation, which roves all over the place, and is embellished by the thoughtfulness and insight that characterises Easkey’s view of the world. Thanks for following me down my usual conversational rabbit holes, Easkey. 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

I welcomed one of snowboarding’s modern greats back onto the show for this episode: Elias Elhardt.If you’ve heard our previous conversation, or watched any of his films, you’ll know Elias is a true snowboarding original. On the snow, he’s one of our most highly-regarded freeriders, respected by peers such as Travis Rice, and with the CV to prove it. But it’s off the snow that he is arguably having the biggest impact on the culture. He’s one of our great thinkers, somebody for whom snowboarding is as much a forum for internal examination as it is physical expression.His series of films prove the point,. In Contraddiction, he explored his own relationship with professional snowboarding. In Narcis, he ended to Kosovo to explore that land’s recent history. And now, in Invisible Ground, he turns his attention to one of the most important topics of all: our individual and collective relationship to fear, danger, and vulnerability.That last word is key when it comes to Elias’s work, and why he’s such a unique snowboarding artist. Few snowboarders have experience of the situations that have formed the basis of Elias’s career. Among those that have, those willing to explore these situations through the context of fear and vulnerability are rare indeed.It’s why Elias’s work is so important, and why I was happy to welcome him back onto the show for this vital and enlightening conversation. Hope you enjoy the episode. 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

“I don't consider myself a world traveller because I haven't travelled the world. I literally found the 10 places I love and just keep going back. Because I would rather go deep and immersive with a culture, and understand it and its issues, than just fill myself with dopamine every time I get a stamp of my passport to shoot images out the car window at 60 miles an hour, which I've done.”Earlier this year, I interviewed Chris Burkard at a special event in London organised by my agency All Conditions Media and my pals at Db. I offered up a number of free tickets for paid subscribers - and originally I released the entire conversation as a bonus episode exclusively for paid subscribers only. Now I'm dropping the paywall so everybody can have a listen. If you listened to last year’s hugely popular conversation with Chris (also recorded in front of a live audience, that time in Stockholm), you’ll know what to expect. This was yet another intensely honest conversation about art, creativity and life itself with one of the most influential visual artists at work in the outdoor today.Sure, we briefly covered some of the territory we discussed in Stockholm, but there are new insights, pearls of wisdom and sharp exchanges here that showcases Burkard’s trademark humour, vulnerability and insight.Thanks Chris for being such a great sport, and to my All Conditions Media and Db family for taking care of such a brilliant event. And thanks to my paid subscribers for supporting the show! It’s so appreciated. If you enjoyed this, or have any feedback, tell me in the comments, or hit me up directly in the subscriber chat thread. Looking forward to hearing what everybody thinks. 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

After episode 204’s polarising conversation with Steven Kotler, regular service resumes this week, with this lovely chat with surfers and film-makers Lucy Small and Maddie Meddings about their new film Yama Surf.Regular listeners will recall my previous conversation with Lucy back in 2021, after she achieved notoriety for speaking up about gender equality in surfing in a famous post-contest speech that went viral. In the intervening years, Lucy has continued to lead this conversation on her own terms and in a way that continues to move things forward.And now she’s back with this film, a collaborative creative project with British film-maker Maddie which sees them explore the female surf and skate scenes in Ghana, explore the country’s hitherto untold surf history and, as the duo put it, ‘challenge the historic representation of Ghanians in a story of reclamation and joy’.They also focus on the work of two driven, impressive locals: Sandy Alibo of Surf Ghana, and Justice Kwoife of Obibini Girls Surf Club, who are building Ghanian surf culture from the ground up.Embellished by Maddie’s pulchritudinous cinematography and Lucy’s lovely surfing, the result is a compelling surf film that tells a new story in what is rapidly becoming Lucy’s trademark style. This is really a  tale of complete creative openness and collaboration, and I particularly enjoyed hearing about how the pair devised and created the project as they went along. Hope you enjoy this 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

Everything we know about ageing is wrong - and action sports are the perfect tool through which to test this hypothesis.At least, that’s the contention of Steven Kotler, this week’s guest and author a new book called Gnar Country.Kotler, who tends to be described as an ‘expert in human performance’, made his name as the doyen of all things flow thanks to books such as The Rise of Superman and The Art of Impossible, and his work as Executive Director of the Flow Research Collective. In Gnar Country, his latest book, he turns his attention to the science of ageing, and tests his theories of ‘peak performance ageing’ by attempting to learn to park ski at the age of 53.As you might imagine from that brief précis, we’re in life hack and ‘actionable protocol’ territory with this one, which regular listeners will know isn’t really my usual style. But I enjoyed The Rise of Superman, which articulated supremely well a lot of concepts and experiences anybody who has dabbled in sport at any level will recognised, and also find the premise of Gnar Country to be an intriguing one, and something which I imagine most listeners will also find of interest. After all, who doesn’t want to continue to ‘kick ass before you kick the bucket’, as Kotler puts it?On a personal level, too, an interview such as this, with somebody on the promo trail and with a very clear message to impart, always presents an interesting challenge. So it was that in early April 2023 I hopped on Zoom to chat to Steven. Of course, we discussed Gnar Country and the ideas that underpin Kotler’s quest. We also explored the reasons we do what we do, and how we can mindfully harness the techniques Steven has dedicated his life to understanding. And we delved into Steven’s own motivations, and some of the contradictions inherent in his own quest as outlined in the book.Hope you enjoyed our conversation. I’ve really love to know what everybody thinks of this one, and whether you recognise the ideas and experiences myself and Steven discussed. 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.And after four years - this is the final ever episode of Type 2! And what a fitting guest I’ve got for this landmark episode - Jenna Johnson, current President of Patagonia Inc.Jenna is a Ventura lifer, a proud product geek, and somebody who has ascended the ranks from shopfloor to her current status at the very top of the company.Today, she’s one of the senior leaders at Patagonia, one of a handful tasked with actually delivering that recent ‘Earth is our only shareholder’ announcement. Indeed, it was Jenna, if you recall, who set the tone at the announcement itself with her ‘We’re here to talk about a really big fucking deal’ line.All of which makes Jenna herself kind of a big deal. Of course, we covered her career, and her path to her current role. But I was really interested in getting her take on some of the themes I began to discern during my time at Patagonia HQ. How the concept of ‘product activism’ has always been a key tenet of the company philosophy. How all the ‘it’s a tax dodge’ criticisms levelled at the company last year are nothing new. And whether ‘the announcement’ signals a shift into a more overt form of campaigning leadership as the company celebrates its 50th anniversary.It’s a good one, this. Massive thanks to Jenna, Corey, Corley, Alex, Louise, Ryan and Jelle for all the help with this episode. And to my Patagonia Europe family for all the help and encouragement during this last four years of Type 2 episodes. 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

“I don't consider myself a world traveller because I haven't travelled the world. I literally found the 10 places I love and just keep going back. Because I would rather go deep and immersive with a culture, and understand it and its issues, than just fill myself with dopamine every time I get a stamp of my passport to shoot images out the car window at 60 miles an hour, which I've done.”Paid subscriber special!Last week, I interviewed Chris Burkard at a special event in London organised by my agency All Conditions Media and my pals at Db. I offered up a number of free tickets for paid subscribers - and now I’m releasing the entire conversation as a bonus episode exclusively for paid subscribers only.If you listened to last year’s hugely popular conversation with Chris (also recorded in front of a live audience, that time in Stockholm), you’ll know what to expect. This was yet another intensely honest conversation about art, creativity and life itself with one of the most influential visual artists at work in the outdoor today.Sure, we briefly covered some of the territory we discussed in Stockholm, but there are new insights, pearls of wisdom and sharp exchanges here that showcases Burkard’s trademark humour, vulnerability and insight.Thanks Chris for being such a great sport, and to my All Conditions Media and Db family for taking care of such a brilliant event. And thanks to my paid subscribers for supporting the show! It’s so appreciated. If you enjoyed this, or have any feedback, tell me in the comments, or hit me up directly in the subscriber chat thread. Looking forward to hearing what everybody thinks. 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

How do we choose the stories we tell? Who gets to write the histories we decide sum up our collective past? And what’s the impact when equally valid versions of the past are written out of these histories?All questions I explored with legendary snowboarding photographer Stan Evans in this fascinating conversation, recorded during my recent trip to LA. Back when I was working in the snowboard media, Stan had one of the highest profiles in the games, shooting Travis and Romain at Chad’s Gap, and helping to document the history we now take as gospel.Then he shifted his focus away from snowboarding, embarking upon another equally successful career as a commercial photographer. He also spent a lot of time assimilating his experiences in the snowboarding community, thinking deeply about the topics of diversity and inclusion, and establishing platforms such as his Social Studies Show through which he explores this history and these topics on his own terms.Why? Because, as we discussed during one strand of our conversation, true diversity only really happens when stories are being made ‘by’ people, rather than ‘about’ them. It’s why Stan is so careful about who he discusses these topics with, and why it took him a few years to agree to come on the show for this discussion.This is a wide-ranging, illuminating and nourishing conversation. We covered Stan’s life and career, of course. But it’s really about how the storytelling choices we make impact people and communities. About how our little corner of the world is generally a generation or so behind the main tenor of any cultural debate. And about how threatened people can get when their own cherished orthodoxies are challenged, however gently or logically.Yep. There’s plenty to take in with this one. Thanks for a brilliant afternoon Stan, and for sharing your insights and wisdom so generously. 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

Lifer alert! Yep, this conversation with my old pal and current head of creative at Patagonia in Ventura Alex Weller is another classic of this quintessential LS genre, recorded in California during my recent trip to the Golden State.And it was proper batten down the hatches and don the sou’wester time. - I was in LA during the wettest, stormiest weather the state had experienced in a decade. It meant that normally flawless line-up of spots resembled my local here in Brighton, and that fabled sunshine and blue skies was replaced with greys more synonymous with my home town of Manchester.Still, this inclement weather event did mean I had more time to spend engaging in some truly nourishing conversations, both on and off tape. Including this conversational gem with Weller.I go way, way back with Alex. As we worked out, we first met back in the late 90s when he came to stay with me in Meribel when we were young idiots trying to make our way in the industry. And I had a brilliant time recording this episode, spending a lovely day with Alex in Ventura and Santa Barbara, taking in a lovely surf at C-Street, before sitting down to record this quickfire run through Alex’s life and times.As you’ll hear, we’re in classic lifer territory with this one, and the tale of how Alex made the long, circuitous trip from the London skate scene to his current lofty position at Patagonia is a fascinating one. Expect plenty of industry insights and lessons for people looking to forge their own path in a career they cherish from one of the smartest minds in the game.Recording this type of episode with an old pal in an unexpected place is one of the true joys of running Looking Sideways, and something I don’t take lightly. I hope you enjoy our conversation - and a special HKC update on my trip. And my thanks to Alex, Alice, Emmy, Tabby, Lou, Jelle, Corey, Corley and everybody else at Patagonia for their help setting this one up. 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