In this installment of the Tall Of Fame we feature the incomparable Eric Bandholz. Since Eric is one of our amazing brand ambassadors, I personally reached out with some interview questions to help everyone get to know this tall man with the magnificent beard.
Officially, just how tall are you?
I’m 6’4.5”. I normally tell people I’m 6’4” because I don’t like over embellishing my height, but I would constantly run into people claiming to be 6’4” and I’d be an inch or so taller than them. So I figured it’s probably just say I’m 6’5” with shoes on. 😀
Have you always been tall or did you get your height all at once growing up?
I’d say I’ve always been taller than average, but I was never the tall kid. In fact, I was a very late bloomer and didn’t hit my growth spurt until about 16/17 years old.
What do you do for a living?
I’m the founder of Beardbrand, which is a men’s grooming company. Functionally, my role is a combination of CEO, Creative Director, and YouTuber.
What are some of your passions and hobbies?
I really love being an entrepreneur and figuring out creative ways to build a business. But beyond that, my passions are rowing, traveling the world, graphic design, and following my Carolina Gamecocks.
What do you think is the best and worst part of being tall?
I love standing out from the crowd and being tall literally puts me head and shoulders above most others. Tie that in with my big mustache and I feel confidently unique. When it comes to the downsides, I’m sure everyone mentions not being able to fit into things (which definitely sucks), but I’d say the expectations from others to be extraordinary at sports because of my height is a downer. Yes, we do have a slight advantage in many sports by being tall, but that doesn’t mean every tall person is an exceptional athlete. Then of course, there’s finding the right clothes that fit. I’ve got the t-shirts figured out, but I’m still having a hard time with long casual sleeve button up shirts & jackets. For some odd reason, I don’t have any issues with pants.
Which tall question do you wish people would stop asking you and do you have a clever rebuttal?
Oh man, I don’t really get tired of people asking of my height. That being said, you know I don’t think people really talk about my height at all. Typically the questions they ask are related to my facial hair or my haircut. Which I suppose is pretty good, because I do have a grooming company to promote.
So…do you play basketball?
In high school I played church league ball, so I enjoyed it but didn’t light anyone on fire. Played a few pickup games in college and as a young adult, but since I had issues with my back I’ve given up the sport. Haven’t touched a basketball in 5 years.
You can either be the smartest person in the world or the richest person in the world…which do you choose and why?
Oh man, this is an easy question – the richest person in the world. When you have wealth you can hire all the smart people you need to accomplish your tasks at hand. In addition to that, you have the resources to complete many projects. I would imagine being the smartest person in the world would be a very lonely and challenging time. You wouldn’t be able to have others challenge you and concepts would come too easy. I’d also get frustrated with others for not being able to simply understand what I was thinking. In fact, I’d almost consider being the smartest person in the world to be more of a curse than a blessing.
Would you be any taller or shorter if you could be?
Well, I can say I’ve already been every height below 6’4” so there’s no reason to go back down after being there. If I could live in an imaginary world that allowed me to change my height on demand, it’d be fun to be taller and see what that life was like. All that being said, I’m very content with my height and have no desires to be taller or shorter.
