"In The View" With Thomas Hansen (in english, finnish one coming soon)

1.    I know you’re half German and other half Danish but have you lived your whole life in Germany?
 
No, a few years ago (99-2003) I lived in the wonderful city of Copenhagen, mad crazy times...then it was time to move on. However I still love Copenhagen, will go there for 3 days later this month...

2.    Are you sponsored and by whom?
 
Yes, I ride for BRR,BW and WW (wheel racing team!) I can't thank them enough for the support!

 
3.    Do you think that sponsorships are overrated? I mean that there are tons of kids in youtube posting sponsor me-videos so do you think that kids have wrong kind of impression about being sponsored by some company?
 
Kids always have wrong impressions not just regarding sponsorship. Hey, but they are kids!!I think it is cool the kids have a different view...they sometimes have a lot to learn but I guess I was no different back in the days... Most kids think sponsoring has to do with tons of free product...but fingerboarding is different.. I have had the same setup for more than half a year now..Sponsoship is overrated! During a session it doesn't matter, how good you are...and noone cares if you are sponsored or not! Fb is a fun activity. Sponsoring does NOT work via “sponsor me” videos!! It is all about meeting people at events.

4.    What made you start shredding bathroom sinks and other spots back in ’86 when I was a three year old baby boy? ;D
I do not think I really made tricks with fingerboards back then...it was just a funny keychain-thing... However when I started skateboarding in 1989 I remember having fingerboards for fun cruising through the sink... I first realized “real” tricks were possible in 2004!! Skilltoys allways caught my attention!

5.    Do you remember how long it took for you to learn ollie, kickflip and tré flip?
In 2004 I saw friends do real tricks with FB, thats when I first tried to do tricks involving ollies and flips... I do not know how long it took to learn the tricks, because I didn't care for tricks at all... I never really practised any tricks..It was just a fun thing to do – no structured training required at all...

6.    I remember that Martin Winkler also started at the same time so were you friends back in the good old days? Who else did you fingerboard with?
I always liked fingerboards but was so much into skateboarding, i didn't realise what fingerboarding is all abou until 2004, so basically thats when i started with tricks...Winkler was a die-hard fingerboarder from the beginning! One of the pioneers... I met him for the first time in 2004. He is so unique! A nice person and good friend! From his skateboarding and fingerboarding stories to tell however i know we were experiencing a lot of the same things regarding the meaning of skateboarding and the lifestyle without knowing each other. Winkler however started skateboarding before i did.

7.    What kind of boards did you use? I assume you built them yourselves so how did you make them and if you compare those to the ones we have today what’s the outcome?
I used to make 7 ply cardboard decks using matchbox/lego trucks and wheels – I guess everyone  built them this way.. sometimes I just tuned keychain plastic boards... but I prefered DIY!
Todays outcome is the product of the creativity back in the days – pure evolution!

8.    What do you think of the competetive element of fingerboarding?
It is ok...however other things are the driving forces in fingerboarding...

9.    Who are your favorite fingerboarders?
Everyone having fun fingerboarding! I used to say Manu Oberle, he is still one of my all time favorite fingerboarders, but there are at least 100 more fingerboarders I really like.

10. I don’t know how many knows this but you’re pretty good skateboarder too and I like your style and no complys, man they’re awesome. Do you still skateboard?
I have almost not really been skateboarding for 2 years now... i have constant trouble with my left ankle...it sucks and i need to get back on the board in 2011 more often...Most of the tricks you have seen is from old footage...like in fingerboarding i like dorktricks a lot! ;-)

11. This question is for me but it can interest finnish people as well but can you do a straight no-complete / no-comply (don’t know which one it is) with a fingerboard? I’ve seen maybe two straight no comply’s in youtube, but that is very hard trick to do with a fingerboard
Haha I did one today...and I was more than surprised...it works out from time to time but I do not have that trick on lock!

12. I have thanked you already but I want all the readers know that how much you helped me with the FB 4 FUN movie project. What made you think that I am / project is worth of sending money in advance and hundreds of stickers?
I liked the idea of the DVD and I could see how much effort you put into the project without even thinking about any kind of profit! I didn't want the project to fail. Also I like to see how fingerboarding is alive in other countries, like Finland... Your emails were written with a special enthusiasm. It was a pleassure helping out and it was worth it!

13. What would you like to say to all the beginners in Finland’s fingerboarding scene? Do you have any advices or words of wisdom for them? I know you do but this is an interview so I have to ask ;D
Fingerboarding (and skateboarding, art, music, etc) offers you a way to express yourself. Stay true to who you are, do it your way! All your idols (if you have any) all started with zero tricks just like you. I doesn't matter what tricks you can do...all that counts is the fact you do fingerboard making you a part of this community! Rock on! 

14. You mentioned in the ending credits of the FB 4 FUN movie that fingerboarding is more than just products, so for those who haven’t seen the movie or don’t understand english that well, what did you mean by it?
This was meant on different levels. First of all it is has the same meaning as the title of the DVD. If you have fun fingerboarding it is not important to have the most up to date setup. Of course you need proper equipment but fingerboarding is not about having a new setup every week.
Also it is meant to show people they should expect more from a fingerboard-company than just the product. Some selfproclaimed companies sell products without investing in the culture, without payback to the community. This is a shame. Unfortunately in fingerboarding a lot of people try to get everything as cheap as possible...this however is killing the culture.
Supporting the real companies involved in the community is an investment in fingerboarding culture. It helps to secure events, demos, videos, magazines, dvds, etc.
There are of course also economy-products available so everyone can get involved in fingerboarding.
Supporting sweatshop-products on the other hand is a little cheaper killing the companies options of community support and culture. The same penny-pinchers are the ones wondering why companies can't afford to support events any longer, why the team is shrinking and why no more DVDs, magazines, videoclips etc are made one day...and why no new and improved products are made!
The culture almost dies and all that is left is the product without any soul or even lifestyle...
We have partly seen this in Skateboarding before so we are warned!  ;-)



15. It sounds like a dream job when you hear that someone works at Blackriver but it can’t be just fingerboarding and chilling cause you really have to do real work, isn’t that right? By the way, how did you end up working for Blackriver in the first place?
Here at BRR all we do is fingerboard all day!!    ..haha...just kidding...BRR is a real company with real jobs. I have an university degree regarding “marketing and media” stuff and I work 8 hours a day at the office taking care of millions of different projects and ideas. Someone hoping to chill all day should not start working here... Out of 52 weekends a year you spend at least half of them on the road. All the fun stuff people see is in addition to the 8 hour working day.
The part for the DVD was filmed after work at night at the BRR storage building. The elevator used  broke down twice the same day we filmed. Lucky for us we were not trapped during the shooting.
I had no tricks ready and had to improvise. The hardest thing however was the fact the elevator movement makes it much harder to control any of the tricks. The heaven and hell signs can still be found there... who knows, maybe next time I might go for the “heaven”-button instead...  ;-)
For me it is a dream-job. It is lots of work, but it feels rewarding! I know I am part of something I really love!    If we would produce combs or deepfrozen pizza instead of fingerboardequipment I think it woul make a huge different for the overall motivation.

16. After fingerboarding for 26 years, do you still practise tricks or do you just take your board and start shredding?
I never have and never will practise tricks...i do not even fingerboard that much and if I do I just start shredding. Even in skateboarding there is only one single trick I can remember “practising”: the impossible! I couldn't even kickflip back then but wanted to be able to do the impossible so much I tried it for like 2 hours in a row until I landed it a few times...
I was happy for the trick but practising was not that much fun...
If I can't land a trick within a few tries I just skip it and try something else...
Also most of the time I do not have a contestline at contests. I just try whatever comes to mind.

17. I remember you mentioned that you used to listen to The Descendents when growing up in one e-mail long time ago. What kind of music do you like today?
I like all kind of music!!!  I bought two CDs a few days ago: System of a down and Neil Young! What a strange combination.

18. I would guess that this is an important question. When will Blackriver come to a fingerboarding event in Finland? Of course we will have to arrange events here in Finland so you will know how much people comes to those events first. But BRR Crew would definitely attract crowd to an event.
This is a tough question!! I get this question via email from everywhere around the world 5-10 times a week.. We would love to go everywhere but time is limiting us. Finland however sounds interesting although i fear the nearest stop will be Malmö/Sweden this year.  Never say never!

19. How do you think that people should act towards a fellow fingerboarder? How does people behave there in Germany? There’s so relaxed and tolerant atmosphere In Sweden but I don’t know YET how people behaves in central-Europe so if you could enlighten me and my readers.
For me this is not a question about being fingerboarder or not, it is a question about how to treat every single person you meet. Everyone has his/her own fears, wishes and needs! We have to learn to grant these three motives to every human being and we need to accept the motives can have different strenghs for each individual. This will help understand others and it also helps to understand yourself. Fingerboarding is a cultural lifestyle thing for most riders so they will be openminded towards other fingerboarders. I guess it is the same in Germany. Sometimes people have strange preconceptions regarding German people..hahaha...wait i have to go and buy me an alphorn...hahahaha. Basically you will find cool people and idiots in every country.


Thank you very much for this interview Thomas, I appreciate it a lot especially when you're preparing to your vacation and I think many others will enjoy reading this as well. You have some words of wisdom there. Support Blackriver and you support the scene! Peace.


(C) Tomi Lempinen