Looking Sideways: 10 Things

This week's stuff to share.

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1. I’m hosting a conversation with Yulex founder Jeff Martin and current CEO Liz Bui at the Finisterre store in London next week. I have some tickets to give away for paid subscribers - if that sounds like you, reply to this email and let me know, but be quick.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know I’ve been covering the ongoing story about the environmental impact of chloroprene rubber (aka neoprene) for about a year now.

Type 2: Episode 028 - Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson

If you’re unfamiliar with the story, start by listening to my interview with The Big Sea film-makers Chris Nelson and Lewis Arnold, above.

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Gerhard Stochl on Instagram: “I wanted to take a moment to point you in the direction of an excellent conversation Matt Barr recently had with Skin Phillips on his Looking Sideways podcast. Anybody who follows this feed will probably know who Skin is, in short, nothing less than a legend of (skateboard) photography. And that’s not using that term lightly either. His work over the decades has been astonishing, as is his life’s story, one that resonated with another Euro here. Embarking for the promised land of California in the 90s, trying to make it as a photographer in skateboarding, well before one could forge connections or learn the tools of the trade with the help of the device you are currently holding in your hands. It was a trip. Matt is a thoughtful and empathetic person to lead an interview and as a result we get to hear about Skin’s entire journey so far, the incredible highs as well as the many challenges of dealing with devastating mental health issues that ultimately forced him to relocate back to his native Wales. Thanks to both Matt and Skin for this unvarnished conversation, a rarity in our culture. It’s not all heavy either, got to chuckle at the mention of the hard to beat combo of Stoney tops and Adidas trainers as well as the pain of watching Antony play on the wing for ManUnited. And speaking of the football, here is a snap of Skin during an appearance for my other great passion, the Chinatown Soccer Club, a few years back. Oh, plus but a slice of some of the imagery that is burned into the collective consciousness of every skater of a certain age.”

January 26, 2024

2. I’m always completely blown away by how supportive the skateboarding community is, something underlined by the incredibly generous response to my recent interview with Skin Phillips.

This post by friend-of-the-show Gerhard Stochl, above, is a case in point. Thanks to everybody who has shared the episode, or been in touch about it. If you’ve yet to listen to my chat with Skin, click here. It’s about much, much more than skateboarding.

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3. I enjoyed this short documentary about Denise Joi, the first and only female wildlife pilot for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which covers some weighty themes in its short run time. Watch it above.

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4. Tonight in London! There are still tickets left here.

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5. Rest in peace Neil Kulkarni, one of our finest music critics, who died this week at the absurdly young age of 51.

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6. What does the saccharine Instagram-ification (sorry, everyone) of Persian poets Rumi and Yefaz say about Western attitudes to Muslim culture?

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7. Carve Magazine has the latest on what’s going on in Imsouane in Morocco.

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8. This Guardian piece on ‘eco-conscious skiing’ is really terrible. But it is good to see friends-of-the-show Re-Action being recognised for their quietly influential work.

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9. Does Substack have a Nazi problem? This Bloomberg story is a good primer on the brouhaha that has been rumbling on since last November.

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10. Finally, thanks for all the messages - some supportive, some not so supportive - about my Housekeeping Corner at the end of the Skin episode, in which I spoke about why I haven’t felt obliged to broadcast my view on Israel/Gaza to the internet. With that in mind, I found this even-handed take on the whole situation from, of all places, the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, an interesting listen.

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