Chris Hines bonus episode! Chris is a surfer and activist best known for being one of the original driving forces behind the original incarnation of Surfers Against Sewage. Today he enjoys a reputation as one of the most respected and successful communicators in British environmentalism. This is actually my third conversation with Chris after his initial appearance on Type 2 was followed by our Instagram Live conversation last year. This one came about when I was asked to create and run a workshop on how to create podcasts and the art of interviewing for a company called WMFTG. This day-long session ended up being part-workshop, part-practical podcast tutorial, and part-talk on the art of creativity and storytelling. Anyway, as part of the workshop I interviewed Chris Hines in front of the attendees. This went so well that I thought I’d release the chat as a bonus episode of the podcast. So here we are. There are no Show Notes for this bonus episode, so if you want to find out more about any of the things we discuss or join in the debate, check out my Instagram (@WeLookSideways), Twitter (@WeLookSideways) and Facebook (@wearelookingsideways). Nice one.

Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

Bonus Episode: Chris Hines

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com This week’s guest Torren Martyn is probably the most individual, interesting and certainly most celebrated surfer in the world right now. Draw a Venn diagram of all the modern-day talking points in surf culture - board length, style, the craving for some substance among a world of throwaway edits - and Torren would be right at the centre. As 2021 dawned, Torren’s lazy, lanky style and mastery of the less-than-obvious board length had already seen him lauded as one of the modern greats. Then he released Lost Track: Atlantic, a four-part, three-hour long collaboration made with his best mate and long-term foil Ishka Folkwell that marked the high watermark of the pair’s creative partnership. Why? Firstly because it’s a beautifully-made piece of work that, as it languidly documents the duo's journey from Scotland to Senegal in ‘Donna’, their beat-up old Transit, repurposes the surf road trip dream in a way that is quietly innovative, yet as comfortingly familiar as that first post-lockdown pint. Secondly, because of what this defiantly old-fashioned approach signifies in the modern surf era. In a time of quick cut vlogs and Insta clips, Torren and Ishka have taken it back to more reflective era, when surf films were a satisfyingly cohesive package of music, surfing and culture. Throw in Torren’s beautiful surfing and Ishka’s unique eye, and you have the recipe for what was immediately recognised as a modern classic. Yep, I’m a fan. Indeed, I’ve been trying to get Torren on since I saw the first episode, and after a few months of email tennis we finally made it happen in September 2021. This one is just a lovely open chat with somebody who is a warm and impressive as his incredible surfing. I’m hugely grateful to Torren and Ishka for brightening an otherwise dire year with their visionary work, and to Torren for taking the time to unpick the whole thing for this episode. This is a good one. Enjoy. 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.

Episode 165: Torren Martyn - Lost Track

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com My ‘lifer’ episodes, in which I interview somebody without the profile of my more famous guests, but who nevertheless has dedicated their life to the culture with similar dedication (and, in many cases, has had a similar influence), are always among the most beloved Looking Sideways episodes. And in this episode with action sports agent and business coach Sue Izzo, I’m not afraid to say we have an instant lifer classic. Of course, as usual we discussed Sue’s life and career through the action sports industry - she founded Mosaic and helped steer the career of Danny Davis, Keir Dillon and Sofia Mulanovich, among others. But really, this open, honest and moving conversation is about the very stuff of life itself. It’s about the biggest questions and challenges of all, which at some point we will all inevitably have to face, and how we find the strength to deal with them. In Sue’s case, this ongoing reckoning has meant facing episodes of debilitating depression, numerous suicide attempts, a cancer diagnosis, as well as various professional crises. The story of how Sue found the strength to overcome these challenges, and come out the other side reborn as the person she is today is as compelling as any I’ve yet told on the podcast. Today, she is driven by mission to tell her story, in the hope that it will provide succour to others dealing with similar struggles, The result is powerful, thought-provoking and moving conversation. Just an advance warning - in this conversation myself and Sue converse pretty frankly about mental health, depression and suicide, so please be mindful before you get stuck into the episode. My thanks to Sue for her openness and honesty. 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.

Episode 164: Sue Izzo - Rebirth

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com I first asked Ben Powell to be a guest on the show back in 2017. In the end, it has taken almost five years of chipping away to get him to agree, and this week’s sprawling conversation is the result. Why was I so bloody-minded about getting Ben on the show? Because I challenge you to find anybody who has made a bigger impact on skate culture in this country over the last 30 years. Sure, Ben will cringe to his very fingertips at this highfalutin description. But it’s true. As part of the team behind Sidewalk, the much-loved successor to Read and Destroy magazine, Ben has spent literally decades championing every aspect of UK skateboarding with wit, integrity, irreverence and, when required, the utmost seriousness. If it happened, he definitely wrote about it - and probably filmed it, too. So yep, I’m happy I broke down his resistance. And in the end, this lengthy, digressive chat was also partially about that. Like all British northern men of a certain vintage, Ben is immune to bullshit and almost pathologically modest about his contribution, so my job in this case was to try to dismantle these self-deprecatory defences to find out just what motivated this legend to devote his life to the stories and culture of skateboarding. As you’ll gather, Ben is opinionated, erudite, passionate, a total skate geek and properly funny. Yep, I enjoyed this one. Hope you do too. 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.

Episode 163: Ben Powell - Breaking The Fourth Wall

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com On this week’s episode I welcomed the great Lesley McKenna back to the show for her second visit, a mere four years after her first appearance in June 2017. If you don’t know Lesley, she’s a snowboarder and Olympian who is, to my mind, one of the most original and quietly influential thinkers in action sports. Lesley was actually my first ever female guest, and in the intervening years a lot has changed - and not just for the my humble little podcast. There’s the fact that her efforts with GB Park & Pipe (which formed a large part of that original discussion), helped yield a further British bronze medal for Billy Morgan at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, as well as the wider changes we can expect following skating and surfing’s own Olympic bow at the 2020 Tokyo Games. It’s the type of new territory that is, to my mind, crying out for the type of sophisticated insight that Lesley specialises in.Whenever I need to sense check my understanding of any new developments in our world, Lesley is my first port of call. Which is why I decided to get her back on the show for an agenda-free catch up about all things sideways as our culture steps into a brave new post-Tokyo world. I’ve been lucky enough to count Lesley as a close friend for over 25 years now, and I always relish our time together. I know the conversation will leap off in spontaneous directions, and that it’ll be thought-provoking and intellectually nourishing. I purposefully didn’t prepare for this conversation so I could enjoy that spontaneity in real time, and that’s exactly how it panned out. 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.

Episode 162: Lesley McKenna -

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com These days, the notion of water therapy is fairly well mainstream. Think ‘blue mind’ theory, and the sheer number of Instagram account and Guardian articles extolling the virtues of cold showers and cold water swimming. But back in 2011, when this week’s guest Joe Taylor set up The Wave Project, it was rather less well known. As you might imagine, the story of Joe’s quixotic quest to establish the Wave Project is a fascinating one, and the subject of this week’s conversation. First, some background: the Wave Project is a surf therapy charity which ‘uses surfing to help young people improve their emotional and physical wellbeing’. Today, they run programs in 32 locations across the UK and have used the power of surfing to transform hundreds of young lives. It is inspirational stuff and, as I discovered during our conversation, Joe’s own tale is equally fascinating. As ever, I wanted to dig a little deeper and find out how how own relationship with the sea informed the Wave Project’s genesis and subsequent development, as well as understand exactly how harnessing the power of water in the way the Wave Project does has the power to change lives. My thanks to my friends at Watergate Bay for hosting me for this one, and to Joe and Rachel at the Wave Project for all their help. 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.

Episode 161: Joe Taylor - Water Therapy

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. My guest for this episode of Type 2 is Rob Hopkins, a ridiculously prolific UK-based activist, author, podcaster, lecturer and environmentalist who describes himself as a ‘champion of the collective imagination’. There are many lessons and insights in this chat, but two themes predominate - the power of local movements to lead to wider, societal change; and the importance of imagination and creativity in this wider process. For Rob, the act of imagining different outcomes and realities is integral if we are to get through the perilous climate situation we find ourselves in. If you think about it, this is a profound insight. After all, one thing that keeps the status quo in place is a kind of imaginative helplessness, this idea that our own actions are destined not to have any impact, so there’s no point in bothering. Rob sees this condition of inertia and confusion as ‘a state of promise,’ and his work is primarily concerned with arming people with the tools to break out of this imaginative malaise, and to reimagine our individual and collective realities so we can create a better future. That’s the basis of Rob’s pioneering work with the Transition Movement, for example, and the work he’s currently leading in his home town of Totnes in the UK. Rob is a truly original thinker with an ethos that is a beguiling blend of pragmatism and untrammelled creativity. I found this to be a hugely inspiring, thought-provoking and insightful conversation. I hope you do too. 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.

TYPE 2: Episode 019 - Rob Hopkins

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Street skating legend Cairo Foster is well over two decades into a singular and iconic career. Think ‘two episodes of The Nine Club’ iconic. So when he got in touch to see if I’d be up for having a chat to commemorate the release of his new Actions REALized board, a collaboration between Real Skateboards in memory of Ben Raemers, with all proceeds going to The Ben Raemers Foundation, I was of course up for it. Especially because this episode has been a long time coming. Myself and Cairo have mutual friends in common, and have been loosely trying to get this off the ground for a couple of years now. I had a feeling we’d be able to have a good conversation, and am happy to be proven correct in this hunch. This one covers the biggest themes of all. Like how travel truly does broaden the mind and provides the key to an inquisitive and empathetic life. How certain unique individuals can have an immeasurable impact on you. And how loss, always the most sensitive of topics, has the power to take us unawares, and continually remind us of what is truly important. As a heads-up, we do discuss issues of mental health and suicide in this episode, and I’ve listed a couple of resources at the end of the episode. 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.

Episode 160: Cairo Foster - Homecoming

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Get ready for a trip through snowboarding history with somebody who, over two decades, had a ringside seat as snowboarding evolved from the domain of backyard tinkerers into the global super-sport it is today: legendary US snowboard photography legend Trevor Graves. Trevor is one of those first generation riders whose career perfectly mirrors the key developments of snowboarding history. Even more importantly, he documented it all, camera in hand. The result is a Zelig-like career during which Trevor captured the highlights of snowboarding’s most notorious and romantic period. The nascent, pre-metal edge east coast freestyle scene? Check. The rise of Brushie? Tick. Craig’s domination? Check. Burton’s early 90s purple patch? The genesis of Robot Food? Oh yes. As you might imagine, this CV has given Trevor a bagful of stories without parallel in snowboarding and I’m not ashamed to say I made him dig deep into this over the course of our conversation. Not that this is the entire story. Because Trevor has the distinction of succeeding at two careers once he decided to put down the camera, founding renowned Portland agency Nemo Design with a couple of friends and changing the game in that arena too. This a lovely, weighty episode with one of snowboarding’s great unsung heroes. It unfolds in its own sweet time, so grab a brew and listen as Trevor connects the dots and shares his insights into our shared history and culture. 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.

Episode 159: Trevor Graves - Eyewitness

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Earlier this year, Australian surfer Lucy Small found herself at the centre of a genuine viral moment. If you follow surf media, you probably saw it. It happened when, after winning a surf contest in Sydney, she noticed her winnings were less than half of that of her male counterpart. Now in these situations, obviously, it’s easier to keep quiet. But on this occasion, Lucy decided to speak out and draw attention to this latest example of the gender pay gap in action - and a viral moment was born. Since then, Lucy has found herself at the centre of the latest run through of an age-old debate about gender equity, and the value we place on the contribution of men and women in surfing, and indeed, society in general. If you’ve listened to this podcast at all closely over the years, it’ll be no surprise to hear that I’ve been following this one closely, and once the dust had settled I contacted Lucy to see if she’d be up for coming on the show to talk about her experience and explore the issues thrown up by this entire incident. Which she did and I’m happy to see the result is a lengthy, nourishing conversation about the entire thorny issue. Here’s the thing with the status quo: we get so used to it that change can seem impossible. And the bigger the issue, the more entrenched that invisible consensus can seem. Often, it takes a simple act of bravery to get the ball rolling; an individual or group raising their hand and asking a simple question: ‘Isn’t there a better way of doing this?’ Sticking your head above the parapet in this way takes courage, particularly when you’re dealing with a hyper-masculine culture like surfing. The fact that Lucy’s perfectly reasonable position has ended up becoming such a talking point show’s how far we have to go, and is why I was so interested in chatting to her. Great episode, this. Hope you enjoy it. 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.

Episode 158: Lucy Small - Saltwater Pilgrim

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com I’ve covered plenty of people with unusual jobs on this podcast. Hell, my gig is pretty bloody weird. But this week’s guest Henry Jackson’s job is so unusual that it’s become the basis of a catchphrase - ‘My job is weirder than yours.’⁣ ⁣ So what does Henry do? He’s an MC, a commentator, a broadcaster - a ‘professional shit talker’ as he puts it. ⁣ ⁣ But the truth is that Henry is one of the most interesting, unique and compelling communicators in snowboarding today. Somebody with his blend of charisma and sideways chops was always going to be noticed, and today he’s parlayed this blend into a totally unique industry role for himself in - yes - the finest lifer tradition. ⁣ ⁣ It also means that this episode was a total joy to record. Of course it helped that Henry is an old friend of mine. It also helped that we both came up through the snowboarding industry, meaning I was very much on home turf for most of this chat. ⁣ ⁣ But really, the credit must go to Henry. Every now and again though, I record an episode where within five minutes I know I’m in the hands of an absolute master communicator and storyteller, meaning I can just relax and enjoy the conversation for its own sake. And this episode with Henry Jackson is, I’m happy to say, one of these occasions. 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.

Episode 157: Henry Jackson - My Job Is Weirder Than Yours

Type 2 is a podcast from Looking Sideways in association with Patagonia that explores the intersection between the outdoors, action sports and activism. This week’s guest is Sean Doherty - a journalist, writer, editor and activist who has been one of the key voices in the Australian surf industry for the last twenty years. In a way the path of Sean’s own career reflects the shift that has occurred in the industry in the period since since the early 2000s glory years, when he came to prominence as editor of venerable Aussie surf mag Tracks. Sean was at the helm of Tracks for the best part of a decade, during which he helped to transform the much loved titled both commercially and reputationally, before leaving to forge the career he has today, and which sees him deftly balance editorial and brand work. Today (as you must if you hope to have any type of career in the industry), he wears many hats. He works for Patagonia Australia, is publisher and editor of venerable Aussie surf magazine Surfing World, and is still one of the most respected and sought-after writers in the game. He has also, almost to his own surprise, embraced his own particular form of highly influential and effective activism. As he explains during our chat, this evolution has been a gradual one. Today he finds himself at the forefront of the activism conversation in the Australian surf industry, thanks to his involvement with causes such as Fight For the Bight, and the impassioned, hilarious way he raises awareness about specific issues on his very singular Instagram feed. Sean justly has a reputation as one of the savviest, funniest and generally most essential voices in the game, something this honest, open and frequently hilarious conversation amply demonstrates. Hope you enjoy our conversation. 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.

TYPE 2: Episode 018 - Sean Doherty

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com After an unscheduled and very welcome month off, I’m back. This chat with Sally McGee from Yonder has been a long time coming, and is very much by public demand. As my followers on Instagram will know, I frequently run polls to ask listeners who I should speak to for future episodes. And after a while I noticed something: among the usual suspects like Hawk and Slater, one name kept popping up over and over again - Sally from Yonder. I did some digging and quickly came to understand why. Yonder, which Sally runs with her husband Tom, is a surf school, a coaching company and a brand. But more than that, it symbolises an inclusive approach to surfing that has come along at the exactly the right time to meet the moment UK surfing finds itself in right now. So when I realised Sal would be in Devon at the same time I would be in May 2021, we arranged to catch up for what was only my third in-person interview since Covid came along. I’d almost forgotten how much more fun and enjoyable it is to do this in person, and what followed was a really lovely chat about about all things Yonder and Sal’s life in surfing. I think Sal’s approach to surfing will really resonate with a lot of people, especially the way her and Tom have worked hard to build Yonder based upon their values, and a legitimate desire to create a genuinely inclusive community. 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.

Episode 156: Sally McGee - Yonder

Full episode and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com Anybody deciding to start a print magazine in the current climate has to be applauded and supported for their sheer creative bloody-mindedness. ⁣ ⁣ That’s why the launch of The Skateboarder’s Companion, the new UK skate magazine set up by this week’s guest Leo Sharp and his fellow UK skate lifers Ryan Gray and Matt Law, is such an important moment. It might not sound like much, but the simple act of walking into a newsagent or skate shop and buying a new UK skate mag is a quintessential part of being a British skateboarder. With The Skateboarder’s Companion this trio have brought that simple ritual back to these shores. For that alone, they should be applauded. ⁣ ⁣ In Leo’s case, this is the latest chapter in a three-decade long career at the sharp end of UK skate culture. According to legendary skate photographer Wig Worland, Leo Sharp is ‘a modern British skateboarding hero. He is both a true professional and a true enthusiast. These things are often mutually exclusive and very rare to find in a single individual. I'm very happy that he's still involved in documenting skateboarding in Britain. The UK scene deserves somebody so loyal and somebody so talented’. ⁣ ⁣ Look back at Leo’s body of work, which is he has been compiling week in/week out since the early 1990s, and you see Wig’s point. Taken as a whole, Leo’s works stands alone as a unique record of UK skateboarding in all its glory. ⁣ ⁣ Plenty for me and Leo to get stuck into then, in a lovely, ruminative conversation which saw us cover many of the themes Wig raised and a load more for good measure. I very much enjoyed this conversation with a truly selfless documenter of UK skate culture. Hope you do too. Out now. ⁣ ⁣ 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.

Episode 155: Leo Sharp - For The Culture

Lauren McCallum Bonus Episode! If I have one major regret in the four years I’ve been doing the podcast, it’s around the way I handled the topic of Terje Haakonsen’s history of homophobia in my conversation with him for episode 121. The feedback I received from some listeners, who felt like my deliberate editorial approach was alienating, made it clear to me that I still have much work to do when it comes to shepherding these conversations in the right way.  This is also why I found the debate around Terje’s recent public apology for these remarks so interesting. My initial reaction, if I’m being honest, was that his apology was fine and to be applauded. But it soon became clear that many members of the LBGT+ community completely disagreed with this perspective, finding the apology to be ill-thought out at best and disingenuous at worst. These contrasting reactions told me that here, yet again, was an opportunity to try and understand that difference in perspective I’d unwittingly perpetuated in episode 122.  These gaps of understanding are really the territory that interests me. If you’re open to it, they provide us with an opportunity to learn and examine our own often buried prejudices - which is really what the entire podcast is ‘about’. After all, action sports is as handy lens as any through which to examine these issues. So I asked my old friend and erstwhile podcast guest Lauren MacCallum to come back on the show to discuss the entire brouhaha for a bonus episode of the show.  As is always the case when I talk to Lauren, this was a hugely enjoyable and at times challenging conversation. I learned a lot from it. Perhaps you will too. There are no Show Notes for this bonus episode, so if you want to find out more about any of the things we discuss or join in the debate, check out my Instagram (@WeLookSideways), Twitter (@WeLookSideways) and Facebook (@wearelookingsideways). Nice one. 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.

Bonus Episode: Lauren MacCallum

Presented by Matt Barr, the Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast seeks to uncover the most fascinating stories in action sports and other related endeavours.

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Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast

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