Interview with Danny MacAskill: Everything has to get crazier and crazier

In his videos, he looks like the superhero incarnate from a computer game. Danny MacAskill pushes the boundaries of what is possible with virtuosity. Where normal bikers stop, the fun begins for the Scottish trial acrobat. Like a pinball, he catapults himself through urban scenery and natural backdrops: vertical walls, steep cliffs, wobbly barrier chains. Parcouring with his bike, garnished with 360s, front and back flips. Danny writes bike poetry with the choreography of his videos. He is not only an athlete, he also shines as a storyteller - a challenge in the ever shorter and faster clocked hamster wheel of digital media.

We met up with Danny MacAskill for an interview in the Elements 007 area on the Gaislachkogel in Sölden. The 007 Elements Bond Museum on the Gaislachkogel, high above the bike trails of Sölden, was once the location for some of the most thrilling action scenes for the 24th Bond film Spectre. The reason for this meeting place: Danny's long-cherished dream is to double James Bond one day.

Of course, Danny MacAskill doesn't miss the opportunity to perform a few stunts against the futuristic backdrop of glass, concrete and glacial peaks. As if from the script, two helicopters with 007 logos suddenly appear as Danny dances in a wheelie on the railing - high above the dizzying abyss.

BIKE: Danny, you've been in the business for almost 15 years and are still one of the top stars on the scene. Only a few manage that ...

DANNY MACASKILL: My motivation is still the same as when I was working as a mechanic in a bike shop back home in Scotland and my mate, cameraman Dave Sowerby, captured my tricks in my first video "Inspired Bicycles". I live my dreams and capture them in real images with friends behind the camera and editing computer. Videos that everyone can understand, no matter how unbelievable they may seem to some.

Even though the film crew has grown a bit, you still shoot the videos with the same friends as at the beginning of your career. What role do these friends play?

Of course, the cameramen and directors are also on my shoots because of their skills behind the camera. But more importantly, they are there as friends and personal psychologists. They know how to deal with me if something doesn't go according to plan. We go through a rollercoaster of emotions on every shoot. That's the be-all and end-all for a good personal relationship.

Danny MacAskill's life hasn't changed that much since his first video. He hangs out with the same friends he used to live with in a not particularly glamorous part of Glasgow. Today, he shares a house in Inverness with one of them, trail pro Duncan Shaw - not far from the vastness of the Scottish Highlands.

Your private life seems sacred to you. What does your everyday life at home look like?

It may sound crazy: My everyday life probably looks like the weekend for a hobby biker: I go biking. I live my life as if it were one big weekend. I spend a lot of time on my different bikes. I often travel with my van and my bikes, visit my family on Skye and have lots of friends there with whom I also go mountain biking.

You seem to live in a narrow bubble.

Yes, that's probably the case. I focus first and foremost on my friends and family. I see my relationship with them as a garden that needs to be tended and that I want to tend. I enjoy that. At the same time, I keep an eye on what's happening in the world, watch documentaries and am interested in science. The world has changed a lot in the last few decades. Sometimes I wonder how much longer we will be able to live the life we are used to. I am grateful that I am healthy and can enjoy my freedom.

Find out what drives you and pursue these ideas consistently.

Do you have something like a personal philosophy of life?

I don't know if I'm the right person to give life advice. I'm interested in pursuing my own ideas. If I can give one piece of advice, it's this: Find out what drives you and pursue these ideas consistently. We are lucky to live in a part of the world where we have the freedom to put all our energy into what we want to do. No matter how crazy these things and ideas may be.

And if you can get rich doing it - all the better?

My goal was never to make big business out of biking. I just wanted to do what I enjoy. I had this incredible opportunity to realise everything I dreamed of. My friends were always a great support. And that's still the case today.

Let's talk a bit more about your dreams. 2009 was "Inspired Bicycles" Your first video. Was that a long-cherished dream?

The video happened rather spontaneously. I was living with some BMX riders at the time. One of them, Dave Sowerby, is a very good film maker. He offered to capture some of my tricks on camera. After a week of filming, I set my sights higher and higher. Really difficult tricks. Exactly what I'd always dreamed of doing when I was wrenching in the bike shop.

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Some of the tricks, like my stunt on the top of a fence, took me 300 or 400 attempts.

Tricks that had never been seen before. And clicks that went through the roof.

Some of the tricks, like my stunt on the top of a fence, took me 300 or 400 attempts. This project was definitely a huge lesson in perseverance. When we put the film online, the success really blew me away. Since then, I've been practising and dreaming constantly. It was never my goal to compete against others. It was always about setting my own small goals and achieving them.

"Inspired Bicycles" became the high-flying start to your career.

I can hardly believe it to this day. I had previously performed at small shows in schools alongside my job in the bike shop. What happened next was beyond my imagination. Red Bull came knocking as a sponsor, and well-known bike companies like Continental supported me. It was crazy! It was like the film "The Truman Show". Suddenly I was the main character. It slowly dawned on me what it would mean to be more than just a one-hit wonder.

Did this increase the pressure to deliver?

Of course I was worried: would I still have as much fun cycling in the future if the next big thing was always expected? Fortunately, my sponsors remained relaxed. And they still are today. Basically, everything is still the same as before. I go out with my friends and work on my ideas in peace.

Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Everything has to be crazier and crazier.

Sounds pretty relaxed against the backdrop of the increasingly fast-moving Internet merry-go-round.

That is indeed a tricky thing. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Everything has to be crazier and crazier. I can't say that this inspires me. Seriously, I don't want to blog 15-second clips. I want to keep working on bigger film projects. Of course, it will be more difficult to realise the same number of viewers and click rates as before. Sometimes I think I suffer from grumpy old man syndrome. (laughs)

Danny MacAskill has spent five years working on a number of tricks, which he presents in his latest video project "Postcard from San Francisco" shows. In front of prominent backdrops: Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown ... and of course the prison island of Alcatraz is not missing. In the episode with the telling title "Friday The 13th" Danny crashes his rear wheel when landing a front flip off the prison wall.

Your current video project "Postcard from San Francisco", divided into a trailer and seven episodes, runs for around 90 minutes - the length of a feature film. You document in detail that failure is also part of the path to success. On purpose?

I find it exciting to develop a setup that is absolutely at the limits of my abilities. I don't just want to show the glorious result, but also the hard way to get there. In terms of length: as I said, I want to tell stories, not just produce action clips. With the speed and fleeting nature of the internet, the art of film is losing out. That's a pity. I'm lucky that what I do still works well on the internet for some reason. But the battle for the audience's attention has become tougher. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter.

I don't look at this analytics stuff. I'm not a world champion at social media posts either. When I'm cycling through the Highlands on my e-bike, I sometimes feel guilty: shouldn't I post something now? But then I think, oh well...

Some internet heroes are addicted to click numbers. One of your most successful videos to date is "Imaginate" with 93 million views on YouTube. How much do you focus on the click figures?

I don't look at this analytics stuff. I'm not a world champion at social media posts either. When I'm cycling through the Highlands on my e-bike, I sometimes feel guilty: shouldn't I post something now? But then I think, oh well... I think it's dangerous to fall into this trap where everyone is doing the same thing. It's like soft 2.5-minute pop songs. That gets boring. For me, a good song has a nice, emotional introduction, highs and lows. That's what draws you in. It's no different with films.

Speaking of which: Is it really a dream of yours to double James Bond?

A stunt double for James Bond, that would be really cool! I've already appeared as a double in an action film. It was in 2012 and was called "Premium Rush" with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It was about a fearless bike courier in New York City. I'm generally not that keen on doubling. I prefer to realise my own film ideas. But I would immediately make an exception for a Bond film, no question about it.

Which Bond scenes with a bike could you imagine?

For example, a chase through the city centre. Bond grabs a passer-by's bike while being cornered by villains. Or perhaps Armsmaster Q would equip an e-bike for James Bond: with mini missiles from the head tube or a hidden shooting range on the handlebars. And of course with a button for a turbo drive with mega acceleration. If Her Majesty's Secret Service wants to send Bond off on a bike, he should get in touch with me.

Danny travelled to Sölden on his Santa Cruz Heckler e-MTB. During the shoot, his gaze keeps wandering to lonely peaks and ridges. When he talks about e-biking, his eyes light up. A sign of a new longing that fulfils him?

For me, the e-bike is a completely new passion - no less than that for trialling in the city.

Keyword e-bike: you see yourself sitting on one suspiciously often.

Oh yes, I now spend a lot of time on my e-bike. Especially at home in the Scottish mountains. It's a completely new passion for me - no less than trialing in the city.

What excites you so much about motor-assisted biking?

E-MTBs make the most remote places accessible. There's a certain magic in that. I love getting lost in the contour lines of maps. Some places in my home country of Scotland don't even have official paths, sometimes there are only vague tracks or rocky ledges that lead to an enchanted lake. That's exactly what attracts me. Over the last three years, I've travelled almost 24,000 kilometres on my e-bike. Being out there in the barely touched nature is a new way for me to interact with the world.

Nevertheless, your films still tend to be set in an urban environment.

That's a good thought. I should think more about how I can translate my passion for e-biking in the mountains into film. There's a simple reason why many of my videos are set in the city: everyone can identify with them. When I show my tricks on railway tracks, on a building or in a telephone box, everyone immediately has an idea of what it means to ride a bike there. Even people who have nothing to do with biking.

Tricks on a conventional mountain bike and an E-MTB - what makes the difference?

The difference is not that big. The weight doesn't play such a big role. Because in addition to my own strength, I can work with the power of the motor. Reading the terrain in front of you helps to improve your agility. You can use stones, roots or rock slabs as small ramps. And the constant flow of movement through the power of the motor also helps.

If you have the choice between a normal mountain bike and an e-bike, which one do you choose?

When I'm out and about in the Scottish hills, certainly my E-MTB. It gives me so much freedom. My current mountain bike is the Santa Cruz 5010, which I ride more on the road, playing around on it and practising my trial skills.

Danny also immediately finds urban obstacles in the Elements 007 area on the Gaislachkogel: the metal bridge to the mirrored façade of the Ice-Q restaurant, which functions as the Hoffler Clinic in "Spectre". The concrete roof of the Elements 007 building blending in with the summit rocks. Danny rolls towards the edge of the roof in a nose wheelie. Behind it lurks a skyscraper-deep abyss.

The action on the roof seemed risky. Did you have a plan B in case something went wrong?

I always try to stay in an area where I can maintain control. Of course, I have to trust my equipment: the brakes, the tyres ... If everything fits, I enjoy this feeling of being exposed.

Nevertheless, sometimes things go wrong. And even in your own films, every stunt involves a risk. How many times have you broken your bones?

Oh, there were probably about 20 of them. But most of them were quite minor. A lot of broken bones happened in stupid situations. I broke my collarbone on a pump track and my wrist jumping on a BMX bike for kids.

When I do my bike tricks, I try to minimise the risk of fatal injuries. I'm not interested in competing with others for the highest or furthest jump.

Your manager Tarek Rasouli used to be known for bike stunts himself. He has been in a wheelchair since an accidental jump. Do accidents like this make you think?

Definitely! But I try to analyse it as rationally as possible. We humans do dangerous things every day: driving a car, for example. When I do my bike tricks, I try to minimise the risk of fatal injuries. I'm not interested in competing with others for the highest or furthest jump.

Don't you feel any pressure from younger professionals, such as Fabio Wibmer?

Not really. The new generation of riders inspires me. I had many incredible years in which I was able to shape stunt trial biking with my videos. But that doesn't mean that I have to risk my life and limb for this status. If I feel like I'm going to crash during a double backflip, then that's a clear sign of a no-go for me. I'd rather try to shine with original scenes.

What are your limits?

Where my physical capacity - and that of my bike - is reached. When jumping and landing on concrete, that's a good four metres. What you can't see in the video is that I destroyed three more rear wheels during my attempts.

I want to tell stories, not just produce action clips.

In your videos, you document in detail that failure is also part of the path to success. What is the intention behind this?

It is exciting for me to develop a setup that is absolutely at the limit of my abilities. I don't just want to show the glorious result, but also the hard way to get there. I want to tell stories, not just produce action clips. With the speed and fleeting nature of the internet, the art of film is losing out. Just like in a Bond film, highs and lows are part of it. Just a one-minute highlight is too flat for me.

Your penchant for imaginative scenes is obvious. Do you see yourself as an artist or an athlete?

I would be reluctant to consider myself an artist. I just like to play. Of course, it's not always an easy game. If you have to invest 300 attempts in a trick, it's not without frustration. I don't see myself as a top athlete either. I've never trained seriously in the gym. I don't do any stretching. I don't pay much attention to my diet. I just live to have fun.

But now you're piling it on deep. Your tricks can't work without training... !

My key to success is simple: I spend a lot of time on the bike. The more, the more comfortable I feel. Of course, I practise flip variations on mats or airbags first, for example, to get a feel for them. I try to avoid injuries wherever possible.

Many bikers struggle with mental blocks at key points or when learning new tricks. Do you also recognise this feeling?

Oh yes, only too well! It's the fear of the unknown. It often arises when I try tricks that I've never seen before and don't know how they work. There's a primal fear, as if a bear were lurking in wait for me. But I know if I land the thing, I'll get away from the bear. It definitely helps to break down complex moves into individual parts. Or to try jumps with a soft landing on an airbag first. The smaller the consequences of failure, the greater the chance of success.