Overnight star status
"From Zero to Hero" - that's what the Americans call what happened to the bike mechanic from Edinburgh in 2009. Together with his buddy and flatmate Dave Sowerby, Danny filmed how he tricked around the city on his trial bike. They called the film: Inspired. Danny balanced on a cast iron fence, rolled up a barrier beam, whirled into an underground shaft and danced on the front wheel in serpentine lines across the street.
The stunts were spectacular, without question, but there was more going on. Danny and Dave came up with the perfect video concept. This consisted of a perfect match with the music: fast when action-packed. Slow when soulful. Dave Sowerby filmed the tricks from several perspectives so that the viewer could better understand what he was seeing. He filmed Danny falling off the fence several times, faltering, struggling and trying again and again, knocking the figure eight out of the back wheel with a board lying on the road. This created drama and demonstrated the difficulty of the stunt.
The recipe for success
Dave also installed Human Touch. Danny rolled up an unhooked barrier - pretty spectacular, because the tyres barely found a grip on the metal pipe - and once he'd done it, Danny leaned his bike against the wall of the house and hooked the barrier back up. Good boy! And so likeable! Dave Sowerby played with so-called reflections: A mum and child watching Danny balancing over walls, people sticking their heads into the underground shaft Danny had just jumped into in the 360 and people looking over the railing of the bridge in horror because Danny had toppled down there like a suicide.
Was that the perfect video clip recipe? It was! The number of clicks skyrocketed. In no time at all, more people had seen the "Inspired" clip than any other bike clip. The bike mechanic, who actually just wanted to have fun in his "low-key" life, became a superstar and was immediately given the Red Bull helmet. A helmet from the Austrian soda manufacturer is considered an accolade in extreme sports.
Better well copied than badly homemade!
Danny stuck to his recipe for success in the years that followed. The ideas came from him, the filming from Dave Sowerby and other filmmakers, who Danny swore by his concept. One hit clip followed the next. Shortly after "Inspired" (2009) came "Way back Home" (today 43 million clicks), "Imaginate" (94 million) and "Cascadia" (116 million)
MacAskill fans Fabio and Gabriel Wibmer and Elias Schwärzler copied the style of the clips and filled them with their own ideas, garnished with even more tongue-in-cheek humour and slapstick. They also reached an audience of millions. For example, Fabio's Law (271 million), Gabriel's "The Grind" (6.1 million) or "My Dreamgirl" (40 million) by Elias Schwärzler.
Experts are certain that pure skills are less important. Superbiker Chris Akrigg from England proves this, unfortunately in a negative way. Chris Akrigg is probably the most talented all-round biker in the world and yet his YouTube clips rarely reach over 100,000 clicks. Why is that? Chris disregards the recipe for success and therefore has to deal with the consequences.
Athletes from other sports have now also realised this. For example, freeskier Markus Eder ("The Ultimate Run", 19 million) or paragliding acrobat Jean Baptiste Chandelier ("No Way", 1.9 million).
But even YouTube stars need inspiration. We asked Danny about his all-time favourites.
Film tips from Danny MacAskill - the top 3 bike films
- Dirty Tricks and Cunning Stunts
- New World Disorder 6 - Unchained
- BSD - Living for the City
1 - Dirty Tricks and Cunning Stunts
I think it's the best trial bike film. The chase at the beginning in particular is legendary. It's crazy what Martin Ashton and Hans Rey pull off. The film inspired me a lot. (Danny MacAskill)
2 - New World Disorder 6 - Unchained
NWD VI came out when I was working in the bike shop. The film blew me away. I still think it's one of the best kick-ass bike films of all time. Freeriding was THE SHIT back then. My favourite part: Darren Berrecloth. Super! (Danny MacAskill)
3 - BSD - Living for the City
My friend Dave Sowerby made BSD. Dave also made my early films. In BSD, Dave films the best BMXers in the world in Glasgow. Vibe, action, filming - it doesn't get much better than that! (Danny MacAskill)
Top 3 action sports films
- Fully Flaired
- Scandalnavians II
- Dodo's Delight Part 1 and 2
1 - Fully Flaired
Perhaps this film had the strongest influence on me. I would say it's probably the coolest skate film ever made. The DvD came out in 2007 and the intro in particular blew me away - so cool! (Danny MacAskill)
2 - Scandalnavians II
I know, I know: this is not a big-budget snowboard film produced somewhere in Alaska, but rather a low-budget number. But with all the more spirit, humour and good vibes. I love the crew's sideways glances and moods. An absolute favourite film of mine. Very cool! (Danny MacAskill)
3 - Dodo's Delight Part 1 and 2
That's adventure for me! Spiced up with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour and self-irony. In Dodo's Delight, a former minister, 80 years old, sails a group of mountaineers to Baffin Island in the Arctic Ocean. There are two parts of the film, both free of charge on Red Bull TV - very worth seeing, I think. (Danny MacAskill)
Who is Danny MacAskill?
Danny MacAskill is one of the most famous cyclists in the world. The Scottish trial cyclist and bike mechanic became world-famous in 2009 thanks to a YouTube clip. YouTube made Danny a millionaire several times over. He now lives in Glasgow.
- Date of birth: 23 December 1985
- Place of birth: Dunvegan, Isle of Skye, Scotland
- Age: 39 years
- Career: MacAskill, jokingly known as "MegaSkill", gained worldwide fame through his YouTube videos, in which he performs extreme stunts and tricks and stages them very creatively. His breakthrough video "Inspired Bicycles" was released in April 2009 and achieved millions of views within a few days. It was clicked 350,000 times within the first 40 hours. His YouTube channel has over 1 million subscribers.
- SponsorsRed Bull, Adidas, Eberspächer, Santa Cruz, Endura, GoPro, Lezyne, Evoc, Lizard Skins, Five Ten, Crankbrothers, Continental and Magura
His films
- 2009: "Inspired"
- 2010: "Way Back Home"
- 2011: "Danny MacAskill Plays Capetown" and "Industrial Revolutions"
- 2012: "Danny MacAskill
- 2013: "Imaginate"
- 2014: "Epecuén" (Argentina) and "The Ridge" (Isle of Sky/Scotland)
- 2015: "Cascadia"
- 2016: "Wee Day Out"
- 2019: "Danny Daycare"
- 2020: "Grammar school"
- 2021: "X Games Real MTB" (bronze medal)
- 2023: "Do a Wheelie" and "Postcard from San Fransisco"
- 2024: "Campus"
What else might interest you
+ Danny MacAskill speaks plainly
+ Danny's latest prank: One wobble with the handlebars = death
+ The man behind the YT brand: Markus Flossmann
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
