Looking Sideways: 10 Things
Here are this week's ten things I though were worth sharing
1. My recent episode with big wave surfer Tony Butt, above. Tony is one of UK surfing’s bone fide big wave legends. As Nathan Carter put it in a recent interview for Wavelength Magazine, Tony is ‘probably the British big wave surfer with the most giant paddle waves under his belt’.
Not that you would realise this if you used Tony’s media profile as an indicator. In a world of instant edits and Insta surf porn, Tony flies gloriously under the radar - which is just the way he likes it. Not for Tony any social media clout-chasing. Instead, he is content to keep to himself over in Asturias in northern Spain, where he spends his time exploring the reefs and waves of this lesser known nook of the European surfing universe; and indulging his other passions of oceanography and wave forecasting.
Indeed, if anything, Tony is better known for this side of his repertoire rather than his actual surfing thanks to his pioneering academic work, and thought-provoking journalism in titles such as The Surfer’s Path and Magic Seaweed.
He is, in short, a total legend - if an extremely self-effacing and unassuming one. Perhaps that’s why it has taken us around three years to arrange this conversation. But it’s worth the wait. This one ranges all over the place, from how our perception of mortality shapes our life path; to the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and how it affects our surfing. Of course, we also delved into Tony’s vast experience of big wave surfing, too.
The result is a hefty, thought-provoking chat with one of the true unsung heroes of European surfing, shot through with the wisdom accrued from a life of exploration around surfing’s wilder frontiers. This one has had an incredible reaction from listeners. Click here to listen.
2. If you’ve listened to my extended Housekeeping Corner, well, rant about GB Snowsports under the stewardship of CEO Vicky Gosling at the end of the Tony Butt episode, you’ll know I have some very strong (and admittedly very subjective views) on her tenure and approach.
Then I saw (above) that Gosling has also been made chair of GB Surfing in the lead-up to Paris 2024. My post about this on Instagram sparked a debate about the entire issue. It also led to a lot of messages, including many from people who thought I was being unhelpful and basically shit-stirring.
“Give it a chance” was a common sentiment. “She doesn’t need to be a surfer to have an impact. She’s here to unlock funding,” was another. “To be fair to her, she’s a very capable administrator” was yet another.
All fair points, I’m sure. I’m merely suggesting is that we should at least be debating the implications of this appointment - especially when there is a ready-made case study on hand in GB Snowsports.
And the fact remains that there are many, many lifers from the British snow scene (people who have dedicated their entire lives to nurturing the culture of snowboarding in the UK) who have, to put it politely, reservations about the impact of Gosling’s approach.
Personal experiences aside, this is fuelled in part by what seems to be the core philosophy emanating from the Gosling camp, which is rooted in a traditional Olympic sport approach, and appears to come with little consideration of the possible long-term impacts on surfing and snowboarding. See this article for more on that, and click here to read my post on Instagram.
3. Speaking of debates, last week’s blog by Jamie Currie also garnered quite a reaction. So much so that it was reprinted in Beach Grit. Click here.
4. UK skate legend Paul Shier has been at it for a solid 30 years. This Slam City piece by Jacob Sawyer is a brilliantly comprehensive look at his life and career in skating. Click here.
5. If you enjoyed Tim and Ed’s BBC commentary during the Games (for me the crossover hit, as it is every year), make sure you check out Tim’s Apres Pod. It’s full of amazing episodes, but I particularly enjoyed the latest Olympic recap episode. Listen above.
6. Like everybody I’ve been trying to make sense of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. One thread I’ve focussed on has been the influence of Russian money on every level of British life. On that score, I found this piece by Jonathan Liew, which uses the Chelsea/Abramovich story to delve into this theme, particularly interesting. Click here to read it.
7. I also enjoyed (if that’s the right word) this podcast exploring just how Evgeny Lebedev, the playboy son of an ex-KGB oligarch, ended up owning the Evening Standard and Independent, and becoming a member of the House or Lords. Spoiler alert: the Conservative Party has been completely complicit in Putin’s rise, and the whole thing is completely bleak.
8. On another note entirely, I’m very late to this beautiful piece by my friend Tim LeRoy which explores first love and the life-changing joy of travel through the lens of a lifelong fascination with American music. A guileless, affecting piece which I enjoyed very much. Click here to read it.
9. I also found this ludicrous clip of Mark Zuckerberg bragging about surfing ’15 foot waves’ to be a much-needed tonic during a bleak week. Watch it above.
10. Two weeks ago, I mentioned Jamie Brisick’s new podcast Soundings. It is now available on all the usual podcast platforms. Essential listening that has raised the bar in surf podcasting: click here to listen.