Looking Sideways: 10 Things
A new Jeff Buckley doc, a Substack Live pod, and the beauty of Aphex Twin
1. I finally did one of those Substack live things with Ben Mercer and … I really enjoyed it. We discussed reading, the intersection between books and adventure, and how Robert Byron’s The Road to Oxiana inspired a snowboarding trip to Iran back in the day. You can listen to it below, and I put a little clip above.
I might do another one….
2. A new documentary about the career of Jeff Buckley, you say? I could not be more in. And I’m still completely gutted about Jeff. What a senseless loss.
3. I absolutely loved this thoughtful, atmospheric conversation between my pals, Gavin Fernie-Jones and dan burgess on Dan's excellent The Spaceship Earth podcast (and not just because of their kind words about my work)
If you're in despair at the state of the world, have a listen to this. I found it a brilliant antidote to the general doom and gloom.
4. Some great escapist listening this week. This glitzy, very nicely-produced and narrated (by Withnail,no less) about the sinking of the Titanic. Perfect dog walk fodder.
My code LOOKINGSIDEWAYS10 will get you 10% off any order from Finisterre.
5. Is the Velvet Sundown saga, in which an AI-generated band snagged millions of Spotify listens, and which then devolved into a very weird tale of trolling and counter-trolling, the most 2025 story of the year? It might well be.
6. The best thing I read on Substack all week: Kevin Maguire’s piece on the emotional power of Aphex Twin.
7. Jon Alexander, who I spoke to recently for a follow-up Announcement pisode about his book, Citizens, has joined forces with Omezzine Khelifa for a new podcast series.
Use my code LOOKINGSIDEWAYSDB for 15% off anything from Db.
8. LinkedIn: what is it good for? Well, in this case, for introducing me to the work of Mark Fisher, someone I had unbelievably never heard of and who I will now be investigating further. Find out more about his revolutionary views on capitalism in this New Statesman piece.
9. Happy belated Bastille Day to my French brethren. Here’s a pic of me atop the Col du Miravidi with Mont Blanc in the background to celebrate, and a link to a story about France has passed a law making influencing fast fashion brands a crime.
10. Is Boardmasters backed by a company ‘with direct investments in weapons manufacturers’? Very much so, according to Conducta, who has just boycotted the event. More above.
Insights gang! Working on a project, and you need some input? I want to hear from you. Start things off by joining the thread, above, or DM me. This week I’m working with and chatting to subscribers Marla Tomorug and Yannick Schutz, and I’d love to help you too. Join the chat above or message me below.
Thanks for reading and supporting Looking Sideways! If you have any thoughts about any of the stories I discuss this week, let me know:
Looking forward to move forward with you Matt!
Thanks for all you do for this community.
Are you looking sideways?