.::.Articles.::.
by Kendal Kelly

 
 
.::MMM HANSON::.

I have never seen so many girls in one place, not even at the mall when it's having a sale. Wednesday, July 8, at the Mabee Center is a night I will always remember. All these people here to see the three Tulsa brothers, who some of you may have seen performing tow or three years ago at Mayfest, or somet other local gig in Tulsa, back when they were known as The Hanson Brothers and weren't nearly so famous. "Music was unavoidable in our house," Taylor commented once. Isaac, 17, Taylor,15, and Zac, 12, had no idea that in two short years they would be performing in front of over eight thousand people in their hometown at the Mabee Center. The boys changed their band's name to simply Hanson, signed with Mercury Records, and produced their number one hit single, MMMbop, and they were on their way to world wide fame, and where they are today, on top of the world. This summer, they are on their first official tour, Albertane, named after a made-up place in one of their wackier songs, " Man From Milwaukee." After Tulsa, they moved on to Los Angeles and played a concert there on July 12. After hitting several more U.S. cities, they are planning to come back to their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and rest for a few weeks before they start recording for their next CD, which they hope will be released by the summer of '99. I arrived at the Mabee Center early, and already there were titanic lines of girls lined up to way back in the parking lot. I waited for what seemed like forever, and then the doors were finally opened, and the crowd was filed in exceedingly slowly, up an escalator, and into the vast halls of the Mabee Center. There were booths of Hanson merchandise, shirts for thirty bucks, programs and posters for fifteen, stickers, keychains, hats, and even earplugs, two dollars apiece. The lines were long, thick, and twisted, a mass of anzious fans waiting to get their items and then find their seats. I waited almost half an hour for a poster and a program, and then I went to seek out my seats. I had great ones, tenth row, center section, right there on the floor in front of where Hanson would perform. It was close enough to see Hanson, yes, but unfortunately, not close enough for them to see me. After I got over that grievance, I began to observe the crowd. People were pouring into the cneter like a flood, tons of little girls with their mothers, pre-teens sporting Hanson t-shirts, some few and far between boys, and an occasional dad here and there. I chatted with some of the fans sitting nearby. Poeple had come from as far away as Canada, Germany, Australia, and Massachusetts, many of them just to see the Hanson brothers. The lights turned completely off, and there arose a deafening shrill from the crowd. The noise blew me away, but I remained sitting, because I knew the warm-up band, Admiral Twin, had yet to perform. The lights returned, and Admiral Twin were on the stage. They introduced themselves, and then tried to get the crowd pumped up. Their music is similar to ska, and normally I would have thoroughly enjoyed it, but I was so anxious to see Hanson that I could think of nothing else. The band played for half an hour, and then they said good-bye. Everyone hushed as the manager stepped up to the microphone, but booed and groaned as a half-hour break was announced. During the intermission, a pair of girls came down the aisle, tears streaming down their faces. They had somehow luckily been accomodated with backstage passes, and had gotten to shake Ike,Tay, and Zac's hands. Zac, although he's gotten rather used to it, still hasn't been able to understand why girls scream and cry when they see Hanson. "Why do girls scream? We need to know!" Zac once said. When asked about dating fans once, Taylor replied," It'd be kinda hard going out with someone that was obsessed with you. You'd take her hand, and she'd scream. But if she was nice enough, sure, I'd date a fan." All the Hansons claim to be single. Isaac, the oldest, better known as Ike, admits that he is the romantic of the group. When asked about girlfriends, he explains that none of them have any. "We can date, but right now it's not easy...a girlfriend probably wouldn't want to deal with it," he said. All these thoughts in swirling through my head, the intermission ends, and the lights are dimmed, and suddenly Hanson is on the stage, and the crowd goes insane, screaming and crying and jumping all over the place. I had always heard about Hanson, read about hem, seen them on television, bought their CDs, and even been to their house, but this was the first time I had ever seen them in real life. It was like a dream, and Hanson was a wonderful fairytale come true. The lights were bright and unreal, and made everything hazy, the air filled with excitement and screaming. I was actually standing there, staring at Hanson, listening to their music, so close to them, but wishing with all my heart I could be up there in the front seats... If I didn't know the songs, then the words were practically impossible to hear, because everyone in the center was screeching as loudly as they possibly could. I was irritated, wishing they would shut up. I had come to hear Hanson sing, not the stupid girls squealing. The boys started out singing an oldies song that I hadn't heard before, and then they moved on to their more familiar songs from their hit album Middle of Nowhere, and songs from their newest release, Three Car Garage, The Independent Recordings. "We love what we're doing," Zac had replied to a reporter in an interview. But as I watched these boys that the world had so grown to love, I felt a strange sense of pity for them. They were doing what they loved, yes. But were they normal people who could lead normal lives, who could go out with their friends or to a public place just to hang out? They would have an awfully hard time just going outside without being chased by a mob of yelling girls that were hoping for a glimpse of these cuties, or perhaps a touch from their boyish fingers. Isaac,Taylor,and Zac Hanson can play music most certainly, and are very good at it, but they are just people. Like you or I or anyone else on this earth, just people with hopes and dreams, who laugh and cry and get mad like all the rest of us. Not gods or prophets or miracles, like so many girls make them out to be, but only boys, and boys that can't go out by themselves, or hang out with their friends, or just to to the mall without body guards or in disguise. They rarely get to see thier friends, I imagine, because they are gone so often. That would be very distressing for me. I can't imagine not being able to do normal things like hanging out with my buddies or going to the mall. But this is the life they chose, and they supposedly love it. But just how good can it actually be? In the middle of the concert, Taylor, who usually plays the keyboard, took over the drums for Zac, and Isaac set his guitar aside and began to play Tay's keyboard. Zac ran off the stage and down along the front row, shaking hands with the lucky people who had gotten closer seats. He gave his drumsticks away to some girl, and then went back up on stage. After an hour and a half of wonderful music, and Hanson galore, the show was almost to a closing. They left the concert with an accapella verse from their song, which was a recent music video hit on MTV, Weird. "Sitting on the side, waiting for a sign, hoping that my luck will change. Reaching for a hand that will understand, someone who feels the same. When you live in a cookie cutter world, being different is a sin. You don't stand out...but you don't fit in. Weird." With that, the boys self the stage, applause and shrieks filling their ears. Then the lights returned, and the concert was over. I was hot and sweaty and my legs were aching from jumping around so much, but I was so happy that I had gotten to go to the concert, and was so lucky that I had gotten to get such wonderful seats at the concert of my favorite band. Many critics thought that Hanson would soon fade out after MMMbop grew old with the public, but five music videos, three albums, countless concerts and appearances , and a year and a half later, the boys are still in the runnings as one of the most popular bands in America, sepecially among young and adolescent girls. On a VH1 interview with the boys, someone asked Zac if he thought the brothers would break up sometime. He replied,"Don't ask that question!" Startled, the person asked him why. "How can we break up?" Zac had said, as if the question were absurd."We're brothers!" "People think of us as stars and we don't think we're stars at all. Not for a second!" Taylor said. "Fame hasn't changed us as people, be we do different things when we are away from home. We travel much more as a band, and we get to stay up late and do tv shows and stuff." "I would prefer to stay in the music business all my life. I love music. Music is a part of me," Isaac stated. "It's an incredible opportunity, but at the same time, you start to miss home." "We're always around eachother, even when we don't have to be." Zac explained when describing the relationship he and his two older brothers have,"We're like best friends---Only bester!" And on their future in singing? It looks as if they'll be doing it for a long time! Taylor pretty much sums it up. "Whether we're singing for a hundred thousand people, or just one or two, we'll always do it, because it's-----it's in us." 


 
.::UNTITLED::.

A popular rumor has been going around, worrying the hearts of young Tay lovers, that Aimee Osborne has snagged our precious Jordan Taylor, who we would all like to claim for our own. Aimee Osborne bought a date with Taylor and his brothers for 16,000$. If I had that much money to throw around, I sure would do it too! But sheesh! I read in the Denver newspaper that she and Taylor were holding hands, and that "sparks were flying". My poor heart shriveled within me, as did, I'm sure, many hundreds of other girls across America, and the world, did. Ozzy Osborne is her bat-eating heavy metal rock father who got her front row seats and backstage passes and a full-fledged interview with the boys. I wish my dad was rich and famous. Maybe then all my dreams could come true also. I have talked to many people about this Aimee, and some think that she started the rumors herself. Maybe she was just fantasizing aloud. The press likes to blow things out of proportion too. I heard mentioned several times on the radio about Tay and Aimee "going out" and "dating" and other such things, and it scared me! Taylor, on Friday, September 4, on CBS this morning, denounced Aimee Osborne publicly. He could be lying, but why would he do that. If you think about it, we are all selfish fans. Taylor has no obligation to us to remain single. Everyone wants love, and he's a guy with hormones! Poor thing! So now, with things cleared up pretty well, Hanson moves on with their tour, supposedly all of them single. Hanson is coming back to Tulsa. I am going to the concert. People, I want you to know that if I get to meet them, I will give you a full-fledged report, word for word, every detail, sound, smell, sight....So everyone that reads this, pray for me to get great tickets, and backstage passes! And now, as your column writer, I sign off. Peace to all, and Hanson forever. 


 
.::UNTITLED::.

Hanson...people dream of meeting these three blondies. However, not all of them will get to do it. I myself have not gotten to meet Hanson yet. One of my goals is to meet them before I die. But not knowing when death will come, it may never be achieved. For those of you that have met Hanson, you are lucky. Taylor, Isaac, and Zac are just people, kids our age, and yet it is SO hard to get in to meet them. For instance, my father worked and worked on getting me backstage to meet these boys when they came to the Tulsa concert in September. My dad knows the director of the Mabee Center even, and that didn't even get me in! It was so disappointing. Isn't it strange about how much fuss is put up over three boys? Three YOUNG boys who just happen to be gorgeous, and also have this awesome singing talent. "You just gotta have fun with the craziness!" Taylor commented. These guys remain optimistic on everything, even though I'm quite sure they can't lead halfway normal lives. Sometimes I get scared that something bad will happen to them. What if they are travelling somewhere and their plane crashes? Or what if some stalker tries to kill them and succeeds? Like on The Body Guard, with Whitney Houston, she was a famous rockstar, and some obsessed fan tried to kill her. Her body guard was Harrison Ford, and even with that hunk, the stalker almost succeeded! So every night I pray for the Hansons, and hope that nothing bad happens to them! Remember what happened to John Lenon, the former Beatle? He was shot in his New York in his apartment complex by an overly-obsessed fan. Scary to think of, isn't it? That one of our precious blond babes could get killed? It would shock the nation. Anti-Hanson people, such as my brothers, say they would love to kill Hanson. I hope that doesn't ever happen! Then I think I would grieve as if I had lost one of my best friends...Well, on to *brighter* things. Hanson are going to release a new CD, hopefully by spring of '99, so we have something to look forward to. Zac's voice is changing, so what will happen when they have no one to sing the high part? Isaac is getting to the age of college! What would happen then? Taylor is going to be 16 on his next birthday, and learn to drive. Stay off the road people! I saw an article in some fashion magazine, with Hanson test driving a new VW Beetle. By the way, did you people know that VW is a German brand? THose Germans sure must make tons of money off of America! Hanson also has a new dog, a mutt they named Wickett. Does anyone know where they got that name? In September when Hanson stopped by Tulsa again to perform another concert, they announced Tulsa their favorite place to play. Also, Isaac jumped up on top of Zac's little drum stage at the end of Man from Milwaukee, to look cool, and he fell on his ass! It was so funny!

.::Fame, Fortune, and a 13 Foot Christmas Tree::.

Hanson has risen to the point where it would be very strange if someone didn't know who they were. They have been mentioned in songs, magazines, articles, movies, tv shows, been on numerous music charts, performed on countless television shows, slowly rising to a summit. They have been on MTV, VH1, Jay Leno, Regis and Kathy Lee, Conan O'Brien, Dave Letterman, and Oprah. In a short year and a half, these blondies from Tulsa, Oklahoma, have become world-wide stars, an impossible feat proved possible. It's like a fairy tale. A humble family making it to the top through hard work, dedication, and their incredible talent of making music. Perhaps it would not be so amazing if it weren't for their ages, ranging from Zac, 13, to Isaac, 18, with Taylor in the middle, aged 15 and a half, barely old enough to receive his driver's permit. Critics swore up and down that these three boys would be one hit wonders when their number one hit single "MMMBop" came out, their claim to fame. Time has proved them wrong. Hanson is still alive and in the runnings, the biggest hit of pop since The Beetles. They are a large American family, normal in every aspect except their size, nine family members in all....Which, by the way, would be great to have millions of dollars, enough to spoil rotten each and every member of the family, even one as big as the Hanson's. They have a 13 and a half foot Christmas tree this year. Think about all the presents underneath!! Whoa! Well, off the subject a little, sorry!! Some worry that Hanson is losing their fame, but I think this is not the case. Even if Hanson does eventually one day become just mere pale memories of stardom, it is assured that they will live on in each and every fans' heart for always.