Looking Sideways Action Sports Podcast Matthew Barr

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How do you find an original angle with somebody who’s discussed the same story hundreds of times? Especially when that person is one of the best-loved and most-interviewed people in their field?
That’s the challenge I faced when approaching this interview with the great Captain Liz Clark. The occasion was the paperback release of Swell, Liz’s much-loved book about her decade-long voyage around the Pacific, with the author at the end of what was essentially her second round of promotion for the same tale.
And Swell really is a modern maritime classic; much more than ‘just’ a straight retelling of Liz’s incredibly gruelling, challenging and rewarding journey, as eloquently and honestly as she tells that tale.
It’s also about how we cope with the biggest themes of the lot: the generational accumulations that have brought us to this particular point, how a challenge such as Liz’s can be the canvas upon which we engage in the grandest acts of self discovery, and also how we can learn to face life’s challenges with grace and equanimity. It’s also about Liz’s own environmental awakening, a theme that brings us full circle to the present day.
In the end, I decided to go full Looking Sideways on this one: eschewing the questions Liz has been asked a gazillion times before: ignoring all the received podcasting interview wisdom (and believe me, there’s a LOT of that about these days); leaning into my full repertoire of lengthy digressions, two-minute long questions; and generally trusting Liz would get I was trying to have a conversation we’d both (and hopefully, my listeners) appreciate on a more human level.
I’m happy to report that Liz went seemed to be as into the idea as I was, and the result is the chat you’re about to listen to. Hope you enjoy it, and fo let me know what you think if you get a second.
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Regular listeners will know that British skateboarding institution Read and Destroy occupies an important place in the Looking Sideways firmament, both for me personally and for British sideways culture in general.
I've talked about it at length over the years, but Read and Destroy was hugely important to me when I was growing up. Not just because it was the main UK skate mag at the time. Looking back, I realise that it’s what RaD represented that was really important - that you could make something like that about the things you loved. That you could blatantly make it up as you went along. And you didn't need permission!
These were important, revelatory lessons for me at the time, that continue to influence the work that I do to this day.
This is why, in the early years of Looking Sideways, it was so important for me to speak to Tim Leighton-Boyce. Sure, I wanted to hear his story. But I also wanted to pay homage to what he'd created.
In the intervening years, it's become clear I'm not the only one who was influenced by the work of Tim, and peers like Paul Sunman. Among the wider skateboarding and creative community, there is huge affection not only for Read and Destroy, but for the creative uniqueness of the British scene generally. You can see it in the works of somebody like Neil Macdonald, who I've also had on the show, and the huge popularity of the Read and Destroy Instagram account run by Dan Adams.
You can also see it in the response to last year's London Calling event, and the outpouring of love and excitement with which the release of new Read and Destroy book has been greeted.
Which is why, on the eve of the release of this new history of Read and Destroy (and this year's London Calling event), I decided to sit down with Dan, Paul and Wig Worland for the conversation you're about to listen to. Wig is another old friend, but I'd never met Paul, even if we both knew of each other and have plenty of mutual friends.
As ever, I didn't really have an agenda. I just wanted to let the virtual tape roll and let these three oldest of friends, all so influential when it comes to UK skate culture, take the conversation where they wanted. As you'll hear, that's exactly what happened. It's a good one, this. Even Wig enjoyed it, which really is the highest of praise. I hope you do too, and as ever I’d love to know what you think of this one.
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To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.


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

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Ever wondered how you get one of those weird, none-conventional jobs? Ever wondered how people ACTUALLY ended up making a living doing something creative, and a little less ordinary? Harbour ambitions to make the leap and give it a go yourself? Then today’s bonus episode, a special Looking Sideways x Db Journey roundtable, is for you.
It’s the first half of the London Live Creative Exchange double header I hosted with my pals at Db in June 2024.
Once again, we hired Hoxton Arches. Once again, we invited a load of friends of LS and Db to come along for free. Once again, it was packed and vibes were high.
The subject for this first session? ‘How I Broke In’, with sought-after commercial photographer Ron Timehin; close friend of the show Lyndsay McClaren, who works with me at All Conditions Media , runs Neighbourhood Skate Club, and has had one of the most varied and impactful careers of anybody I know; and Hallvard Kolltveit, Db's own photography, production and creative wizard.
As regulars will know, our Creative Exchanges are all about sharing the knowledge, know-how and wisdom of our panelists with our growing community.
And in this discussion, my three panelists shared their own unconventional routes in, the mistakes they've made, the lessons they've learned, and basically proved one underlying truth about this whole creative game - there IS no conventional path, and knockbacks and mistakes are all part of the game.
This is a really lovely, open and honest discussion that at times is really moving and emotional. I'm really grateful to all my panelists for taking part and sharing their insights.
I’d love to know what you think about this conversation, or if there are any other topics you’d like me to cover in future Creative Exchanges.
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To find out more about what I do and join the growing Substack community, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.


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

Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Stance socks - and click here to see my other discount codes.
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As regular listeners will know, I don't often cover mountaineering and climbing on Looking Sideways.
But I knew I had to make an exception for Everest Inc., Will Cockrell's brilliantly written and nuanced exploration of the increasingly commodified world of mountaineering on the world's highest peak.
Firstly, as somebody who's been devouring books on climbing, adventure, and exploration since I was a kid, I was intrigued to discover that Will had managed to find a fresh angle on the most obvious topic of all.
Secondly, there’s much more to Will’s book than a straightforward retelling of the history of guided exploration on Everest. At its heart, Everest Inc. is a dispassionate examination of the increasingly commodified nature of adventure, bookended by those first British expeditions and, latterly, Nirmal Purja’s testosterone-fuelled approach to the business of mountaineering.
In this classically meandering Looking Sideways chat, Will and I discuss the ethics of commercialisation, the socio-economic impact of climbing, and the legacy of colonialism and empire that underpins the entire tale.
We also pondered the challenges of writing about a subject that has at this point been done to death - especially when two of your main subjects refuse to be interviewed - as well as the recent New York Times story about Nirmal Purge that broke the week we spoke.
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To find out more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.


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

Use LOOKINGSIDEWAYS for 15% off any Db bag - and click here to see my other discount codes.
I’ve been really enjoying the recent online ‘Creative Exchanges’ I’ve been doing with my friends at Db Journey. They’re such a brilliant idea that I’m not surprised they’re going down so well.
The premise is really simple - Db gather together some of their ambassadors and creatives to form a loose panel to discuss that week’s topic. We then extend the invite to people on our mailing lists, jump on a Google Meet link, and see where the discussion ends up.
Our February subject was a pretty hot topic right now - what does ‘responsible travel’ mean?
The resulting chat was about the ethics of travel in the age of the climate emergency, sure, but we also covered plenty of other themes - the ethics of travel today, the 90s-to-pre pandemic ‘Golden Age’ of travel, and what the future of travel looks like.
For this discussion, I was joined by panellists Kepa Acero, Timothy Myers, Alex Aubry and Db Journey’s Jon, Marcus and Tin, as well as over 100 passionate and smart people who proved there’s a huge appetite for this type of debate and knowledge-sharing. We discussed our own experiences, took questions, and generally engaged in a really fascinating and wide-ranging debate on this fascinating topic.
Big up the Db Journey team for the brilliant idea and for getting me involved, to the panelists for their thought-provoking insights, and to everybody for participating.
PLUS! We’re are doing a LIVE Creative Exchange in London in June! Keep an eye out for more details on this one, and if you enjoyed this chat then, please do share or leave me a comment:
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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

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When Freddie Meadows finally surfed RÁN, it signified more than the biggest wave ever surfed in Scandinavia.
It was also the fulfilment of a lifelong ambition; the endgame of a ten-year search; and the symbolic culmination of Freddie’s singular career as a surfer of proud Scandinavian and Swedish heritage thus far.
No wonder he named it after the Norse goddess of the sea.
But then, the long, thoughtful and myth-strewn trip that led to RÁN is emblematic of Freddie’s wider path through professional surfing.
I’ve been following him for years, and have always been fascinated by the way he has looked east instead of west - eschewing the classic professional surf career for something much more original and unique.
It’s an approach that comes through in everything he does, from the particular brands he chooses to work with, to the particular aesthetic that always embellishes the work he puts out.
And it’s why our thoughtful, involved conversation for Looking Sideways covers so much more ground than the usual pro surfer chat.
We discuss what RÁN means to Freddie, of course, now he’s had time to digest the experience.
But we also covered plenty of the classic Looking Sideways themes: our place in nature, the important of honesty when it comes to creativity and a fulfilling life, and why you need determination and vision to follow your own path.
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PLUS! HKC Discount Club is kicking off - click here for exclusive discounts from my partner brands such as Finisterre, Db, Goodrays. Albion and Vivobarefoot. Coming soon - Stance and The Wave!
To find our more about what I do, you can sign up as a subscriber to my Substack newsletter here. There's a brilliant community and much more than just the podcasts.
Or you can follow me on Instagram here.


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