Full episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com

If you’re a snowboarder, Danny Davis really needs no introduction. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest riders of all time, and is still going strong two decades into one of the most storied careers in competitive snowboarding.

But there’s more to Danny than this quick thumbnail sketch. Because, in a world of ever-increasing progression for its own sake, Danny stands for something. He’s a symbol of the creativity that is supposed to be at the heart of this entire business. As such, he’s one of the most beloved and admired riders on the planet, loved by snowboarders across the world as the personification of the idea that progression is redundant if it isn’t accompanied by style and creativity.

When I interview people how occupy such an exalted place in our culture, I’m always curious to see how they wear their reputation. Are they aware of it? Do they reject it? Embrace it? Will they even want to discuss it?

In Danny’s case, as I was delighted to discover, he’s more than happy to discuss it. What follows is, I humbly contend, as revealing an interview with Danny as you’re likely to hear, in which one of the greats dissects his own career, his plans for the future, and the state of snowboarding in general with total honesty and openness. In doing so, he offers us a peerless insight into the mindset you need if you’re going to stay at the top of the game for twenty years.

This one is great. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

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 episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com

Think of this conversation with Cornish surfer Sam Bleakley as a companion piece to the extremely popular Dylan Graves episode from a few weeks back. Why? Because here we have another amazing surfer using their talent and platform in Jan in an infinitely more interesting way than most other professional surfers.

Sam’s case is particularly interesting because he has managed to find a way to combine his two major passions - geography and surfing - into one singular life path, something that has led him into some very interesting territory indeed, both literally and metaphorically.

Of course, there’s the actual work itself. as well as a surfer, Sam is a journalist, author and academic. He also produces and presents his fantastic WSL show Brilliant Corners, and is a commentator for the WSL longboard tour. It’s a busy slate alright, but what I found fascinating about our conversation is the way Sam has worked to create these opportunities for himself by being honest to his own unique interests, and how he uses them to stretch himself creatively with honesty and integrity.

So yep, some classic LS themes in this one, explored in a conversation that took its own time and path in the best Looking Sideways tradition.

Thanks to Matt Ward for the theme tune, to my editor Fina Charleson, and to Duncan Yeldham for production support.

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 episodes info and Show Notes - www.wearelookingsideways.com

Festive Special!

Yep, as is now very much tradition in the Looking Sideways universe, for this special Christmas episode I was joined by my old pals Tim and Gendle for our fourth mince pie, Secret Santa and booze-filled yuletide jamboree.

Now, if you’ve listened to any of these episodes before, you’ll know what to expect - although this year, I’m happy to report, we managed to juggle schedule and beat the rapidly-approaching Covid restrictions to do this one in person. Tim and Gend had a Famous First Words gig about ten days before Christmas in London, so I packed the podcast kit, donned the mark and headed on up to the Smoke to record this episode.

If you’re new to the show or unfamiliar with the boys and their work, allow me to introduce them: two of the biggest influences and most-loved presences in British snowboarding, whether as film-makers, presenters or snowboarders.

This year’s show took the usual format and ran with it. So expect a Christmas quiz, Secret Santa gift exchanges, the three of us getting steadily more pissed, the boys turning the tables on me and asking me a few questions, and so on.

We had a great time doing this one, so I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

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.

This week’s guest is actor, musician, performer, podcast host and trans activist Brix Schaumburg. As Germany’s most high profile trans actor, Brix has become something of a focal point for the conversation around trans rights and issues of gender. This scenario has led him to a form of gently provocative activism, in which he has used his platform to position himself as a ‘filter and buffer’, a lens through which to explore these topics with a thoughtful generosity and playfulness.

I think this really comes across in our conversation, which is an extremely nuanced and thought-provoking chat. As usual in Type 2, we talked about Brix’s life and career but really we spoke about themes that everybody can recognise: especially, the gap between our inner and public-facing selves, and how reconciling these two poles really constitutes the work of everybody’s life. Regular listeners to Type 2 and my own Looking Sideways podcast will know this one a bit of a pet theme of mine.

We also discussed how difficult it is, no matter how progressive you consider yourself to be, to escape the binary conventions and associations that have accumulated in our culture - something I demonstrated perfectly at one point, much to Brix’s wry amusement, and which he pointed out to me in the same open spirit with which he approaches this entire topic. And we dipped a toe into the issue of trans athletes participation in sport, an issue which is at the frontline of the current debate.

I enjoyed our conversation very much, and as is the case in the best exchanges, I learned a lot about the issues generally and, more importantly, about my own relationship to the conventions and gender boundaries that invisibly govern our lives. 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.

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.com

This week’s guest Dylan Graves has managed something that sounds simple but is actually really very difficult when it comes to surf, skate and snow film-making - coming up with a simple idea that manages to convey the stoke of the entire business while also telling a repeatedly compelling story.

If you don’t know Dylan, he is a professional surfer from Puerto Rico and the host of a YouTube show called Weird Waves, which for my money is the best professional surfing vlog out there. Why am I making this bold claim? Because Weird Waves is so far removed from the usual surf culture narrative, with its preoccupations with the same tedious tropes we’ve all had rammed down our throats for the past 70 plus years.

Instead, each episode of Weird Waves focuses lovingly on the margins of surf culture, the scenes that are a million miles away from the Beach Grit beat, but are, in 2021, just as legitimate as La Jolla, Hawaii or Byron Bay. Whether it’s the Brits surfing the Severn Bore on junky old longboards, or frothing mid westerners tackling howling Great Lake windswell, Dylan puts these communities in the spotlight with zero judgement.

There’s another reason that Weird Waves is to be applauded, too, which is the way that Dylan uses the format to challenge himself, whether creatively or by tackling the bigger issues of the day without fear or favour. When somebody with the profile of Dylan uses their platform to challenge themselves, and attempt to make our community more inclusive and accepting, they should be applauded. That’s a big reason why I invited Dylan on the show, and why I enjoyed our thoughtful conversation so much. 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.

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.com

Welcome to an absolute throwback of an interview in the finest Looking Sideways tradition. Yep, if you liked my recent chat with Ben Powell, for example, you’re going to enjoy this conversation with BMX legend ‘Mad’ Jon Taylor. For a start, it was face-to-face, which was such a laugh and something I’ve missed more than I’ve realised.

Secondly, there’s the fact that this is a riotous look at the life and times of one of the most beloved figures in UK action sports. Jon is a true living legend of the global BMX scene, somebody who has been there, seen it, done it and has the raucously entertaining anecdotes to prove it.

British listeners not hugely familiar with the BMX scene may have seen Jon on the BBC’s coverage of the BMX events at the 2020 Tokyo Games, where he sat in alongside Ed Leigh and provided brilliant context to the mainstream audience. I’m not gonna go through the CV, as Jon does this during our conversation far more entertainingly than I’m able to hear. But suffice to say this is a glorious trip through Jon’s life and times with one of the biggest characters in the game.

I know some listeners have been crying out for this type of episode recently - like I say, it’s an instant LS classic in the truest sense of the word. Hope you enjoy 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.com

Is experience a prerequisite for knowledge? How can you use the lessons of life to strive for equanimity? Is it possible to avoid taking life personally? Should we let our curiosity guide our decision-making? How can we put story-telling at the centre of what we do? Is life about taking or giving back?

These are the questions we all grapple with at some point during our lives, however unwittingly. And, as I realised at the end of our conversation, they are the questions that formed the key themes of my fascinating and thought-provoking conversation with snowboarding legend Dani ‘Kiwi’ Meier.

Let’s get the snowboarding part out of the way first. As you might have guessed from that nickname, Dani is from New Zealand, but it was as part of the nascent late 80s/early 90s European snowboarding scene that he made his name. On the snow, his surf-influenced, rootsy take on snowboarding saw him carve out a gloriously idiosyncratic career, riding for brands like Rad Air and Northwave, and helping to create the European pro scene as we still recognise it today.

Off the snow, his work ethic, ability to see the bigger picture, and incessant curiosity marked him out as a genuine innovator. Take The Crystal Awards, snowboarding’s original culture-driven contest comp that soon became one of the most copied formats ever. Or his work with his agency Mana Media, which saw him work with the biggest brands on the planet and succeed in taking his culturally sympathetic story-telling approach to the biggest canvasses of all.

Now, in mid-life, Dani is taking stock of his life and career, and I’m so fortunate he was gracious enough to share his insights for this episode. It’s the type of conversation that caused me to view my own life differently. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

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.com

My guest this week is Skateistan founder Ollie Percovich, who I welcomed back for his second appearance on the show. I first chatted to Ollie in May 2018 in the dim, distant pre-Covid era, and in the intervening months it’s fair to say much has changed for Ollie and the community he’s spent so long establishing.

The first event was, obviously, Covid, which understandably had a huge impact on a none-profit with operations and staff all over the world. The second was the recent geopolitical upheaval in Afghanistan, which it is booming clear has changed the country significantly - and had an enormous impact on the work Skateistan have been carrying out in the country.

Back in August, when it became apparent just how serious the unfolding events in Afghanistan were, I contacted Ollie to see if he’d be interested in coming back on the show to discuss the entire situation.

I’ve got such admiration for Ollie. His selflessness, positivity and belief in the power of community look more prescient with every passing year, and is needed now than ever right now. Obviously this is a highly sensitive topic (not least because Ollie and his colleagues are still working in the country), so we had to tread carefully in the way we discussed the issues.

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.

My guest for this episode of Type 2 is Shannon Galpin an explorer, writer, journalist, artist and global activist known primarily for her work on climate action and women’s rights.

I first became aware of Shannon through her long-running work in Afghanistan, where she has been involved with womens’ rights projects for over a decade now. She first visited the country in 2009, eventually helping to establish the first Afghan Women’s National cycling team, and continuing to advocate for the right of women in the country to ride bikes in safety.

Shannon wrote two books about this experience, as well producing the documentary Afghan Cycles. Today, with social and political change sweeping the country once again, she has been working to help evacuate the women she worked with and their families from the country, as well as setting up post-evacuation programmes for them around Europe, the US and Canada.

In addition to this important, emotionally involving work, Shannon is also collaborating with her daughter Devon on a project called Endangered Activism, through which she focuses “on field research and the use of street art as a way of …inspiring youth activism for wildlife conservation and climate justice”

As you’re going to discover from our conversation, Shannon has a truly remarkable range of interests and is creating important, transformative work across a number of different creative fronts, something she sums up by saying ‘my curiosity outweighs my fear’. I found her empathetic, inquisitive approach to activism to be hugely inspiring - 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.

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

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.

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