First gaining global recognition as the subject of the 2018 documentary Free Solo, pioneering rock climber Alex Honnold has again defied belief, completing a staggering 101-story free solo climb up Taipei 101 - one of the world's largest skyscrapers.

Broadcast live via Netflix, Skyscraper live saw Honnold scale the architectural marvel without any ropes - defying both gravity and his own mortality for 90=s minutes of palm-sweaty real-time tension. Managed to complete the climb in 91 minutes, the unbelievable feat begged the question - what was in your headphones on the way up? 

For Honnold, the answer came down to one band, "...mostly TOOL."

Speaking with Variety following the streaming event, Honnold explained how the music was not only a matter of preference, but was also used as a point of reference so he could keep focused on this pace. 

"It’s a random playlist that I made, that I shared with production. I made it months ago while I was driving. I’ve been training to it a bunch. Basically, rock music that I’ve liked my whole life. Part of the appeal of music is that actually it helps me with pacing.

Each bamboo box had been taking me about five to six and a half minutes. I just know how long the songs are. So it gives you a sense of if you’re going fast or slow. But in this case, it all kept cutting out anyway, and I couldn’t really hear and I was kind of like, ‘Whatever. I’m just doing my thing.'”‘

As for the monumental climb turned high-stakes television event, Honnold explained via Nexflix how the landscape provided some unique mental challenges - going from climbing in remote destinations to sprawling urban landscape. 

“The biggest difference between climbing something in the city and [climbing] something in the middle of nowhere in nature is that I feel slightly more self-conscious getting off the ground.”

Honnold added,.“There is something surreal about waiting for the light to change and crossing a crosswalk before jumping up to climb."

Among the most tense sequences of the climb would likely include the wide shots that really reflect the scale of the building as Honnold made his way up the wall. Combined with the winds higher up the skyscraper, in addition to the people inside the buliding taking full advantage of the surreal photo ops of the real life Spider-Man scaling the building outside, Skyscraper Live! was a white knuckle ride - even from the safe confines of your couch.