Looking Sideways: 10 Things
The story behind Polperro, a brilliant new Brighton surf film, and a historic Everest feat.
1. Isn’t the internet great sometimes? The other day my pal Olie Arnold, who is kind of a big deal in the fashion game, asked me to give him a quote for a Telegraph piece he was writing, which you can read above.
I thought this was funny, so I posted it on Instagram. Imagine my delight when follower/listener Gareth Powell replied with the following message:
Here’s the film, which I can confirm is great. Thanks for sharing Gareth!
My code LOOKINGSIDEWAYS10 will get you 10% off any order from Finisterre - yes, including one of those self-same Polperro jumpers.
2. Willy Mason is touring the UK at the minute. I remember hearing Oxygen, written as a protest song in the George Dubya era, for the first time in about 2004.
Listening to it now, 20-odd years later, with Trump making that era of Republicanism seem like a paragon of civility, what’s striking is how well it’s aged:
Idealistic and naive, maybe (I think Willy wrote it when he was about 17) but also still spookily on the money. I’m a bit obsessed with the idea that there haven’t been any really good protest songs in the last thirty years. (Do let me know if you disagree)
Oxygen is a rare exception, and if you get the chance to go and see Willy I highly recommend it. He’s a true artist and an amazing performer.
These Owen Tozer pics are from his first show of this tour, taken at the brilliant Outside in Devon.
3. Huge congratulations to Brighton surfer Claire Ventham and the rest of the talented team behind Hotpipe Hillbillies, an ace-looking film about incredibly tight-knit Brighton surf community and much-loved local spot. Watch the trailer above and get tickets for the premiere here.
4. Mosquitos have been found living on Iceland for the first time ever. I’m sure this is absolutely nothing to worry about.
5. Jim Morrison becomes the first person to successfully descend Everest’s Hornbein Couloir, a feat which will be the subject of a forthcoming Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi documentary. This Nat Geo piece breaks it down - and it’s good to see Marco Siffredi acknowledged, a snowboarder who was truly years ahead of his time.
6. Hands up who had Guy Mariano and Wayne Rooney joining forces on their 2025 bingo card? The new Palace x Nike collab has ruffled feathers aplenty - more here.
Use my code LOOKINGSIDEWAYSDB for 15% off anything from Db.
7. Who’s at KMF this year? My agency
will be there mob-handed, as usual, doing bits for Yeti, Berghaus, Danner, Arc’teryx and adidas Terrex.I’m also doing a couple of live Looking Sideways sessions, including a chat with about his career and brilliant new film The Cycle of Love:
And I’ve also been helping out with some ideas for the new Outdoor Connections thing on the Thursday, where I’m hosting a panel with some clever pals. Details above - hope to see some friendly faces there.
8. So was the GB Cup brouhaha up at Thurso a case of locals ruthlessly bullying younger competitors to make some dickish point about ‘proper’ surfing, as was reported by many competitors, spectators, media and pundits, above?
Or a case of tragically misunderstood locals making an unfortunate mistake and then being unfairly pilloried, as the main protagonist contends?
I have a feeling this one is going to rumble on for a while….
9. Great Circle, which I found through
’s excellent Substack and book recommendations, is proving to be the perfect autumnal barnstormer of a novel.As ever, you can find all of my 2025 reads here, and join a Chat discussion where you can add your own recommendations here.
10. Finally, I’m very happy to once again be an official media partner for this year’s London Surf Film Festival. And even happier to be recording a special live podcast once again. This year I’ll be discussing the future of adventure travel with Kepa Acero, Mike Lay, Joaquin Azulay and the brilliant Karen Song in front of a live audience. Tickets here!
Thanks for reading and supporting Looking Sideways! If you have any thoughts about any of the stories I discuss this week, let me know:
Let’s just say I gasped when I read there wasn’t any decent protest songs in the last 30 years…