Looking Sideways: 10 Things
Looking Sideways: 10 Things
After a little unscheduled break, I'm back with the ten things I thought were worth sharing this week.
1. My latest episode with Ben Powell. It has taken me five years to persuade Ben to appear on the show, and this 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. Listen here.
2. 2021 marks ten years of the London Surf Film Festival! And this year, I’m honoured to be a member of the jury.
If you’ve listened to my podcast with co-founder Demi Taylor, you’ll know the backstory behind this essential event.
This year’s event takes places between December 2nd and 4th, and event details are being announced right now. If you’ve never been before, I highly recommend this pure-spirited celebration of all things surfing. Watch the trailer above and find out more by clicking here.
3. I’ve loved following Lewes skater Evan Johnson’s progression over the years via Instagram, and his latest edit for Drawing Board showcases his mind-bogglingly laidback tech wizardry to perfection. Watch it above.
4. The Siberian permafrost is the proverbial canary-in-the-coal-mine when it comes to climate change. So I found this piece about Russia’s complicated relationship with their unique frozen subterranean landscape to be completely fascinating. (And yes I will be buying Pey-Yi Chu’s book). Click here to read the story.
5. Ever heard of straight-lining before? And I’m not talking snowboarding. Me neither: until I read this very interesting Guardian piece about Calum Maclean and Jenny Graham’s mission to trek the longest direct route in the UK without crossing a paved road. Find out more above.
6. I think Vittles, an independent food publication, is my favourite thing on Substack, and certainly the best food writing out there right now. This recent piece on the joy and uniqueness of Britain’s regional bakeries by musician Gus Lobbam, compiled while schlepping around the country on tour, is a particular joy. Read it here.
7. My pal Andy Lawrence is a very talented creative and photographer, and I loved Lost and Found, his new zine. As Andy puts it, “Lost & Found is a zine surveying the strange summer of 2020 through the lens of a Nikonos V, with accompanying poetry and prose from a diverse mix of talented Cornish creatives”. Find out more and buy a copy here.
8. Matt Pycroft’s Adventure Podcast is consistently great, but I particularly enjoyed his recent episode with illustrator and author Nick Hayes. Nick is the author of The Book of Trespass, and I found his take on how the British public has been historically excluded from nature to be illuminating and very thought-provoking. Listen now by clicking this link.
9. This October, Wavelength Media are putting together the Blue Earth Summit in Bristol, a very interesting sounding two-day event that looks like a cross between the Do Lectures and Dragon’s Den. Click here to find out more.
10. I was really impressed with Divest The Dirt, a recent collaboration between Cut Media and Protect Our Winters UK that simplifies a complex issue and offers a simple route to direct action. Effective activism at its finest. Watch the film above and find out more here.