August 11, 2007: The Right in All Our Fighting?

Hanson fans are so grumpy. Whether we're fighting about Natalie on HansonSecret or debating venue sleepover policies on Hanson.net, we're always breaking a major collective sweat about something. I guess it's not surprising, given that everyone basically hates us, but must we always take our alienation out on each other?

Mostly, though, we take it out on Hanson. Who hasn't cramped their scroll finger reading about the horrors of Are You Listening, or Taylor's current facial hair arrangement, or the band's stupid contests and clunky songs? As much as the endless message board threads and LiveJournal comments raise my ire (grumpiness about grumpiness — my favorite kind), I also understand perfectly well that I'm part of the problem.

I complain about Hanson all the time.

I think Are You Listening is hypocritical and moronic, I'm cynical about the band's charity work, and I think the documentary Strong Enough to Break was hilarious, amateurish, and deeply self-serving. It's not just that I feel entitled to these opinions. I see them as basic truth. In other words, in all matters concerning Hanson, I'm always right.

I don't believe in that rightness because I know more about Hanson — more than is totally healthy in some instances — than other people. I believe that I'm right because I deeply, deeply love Hanson. And loving Hanson entitles me to believe — and say — anything I damn well please about them. Even if it's sort of mean. (Isaac has a squinty eye.) Or hyperbole. (Zac has a terrible singing voice.) Or just misguided. (Taylor got married for the wrong reasons.) It's not fair. It's not logical. But very little about being a Hanson fan is. Which brings me to another thing: This web site.

At this point in the mellow golden years of my fandom, I don't write very often about how much I love Hanson. I assume, dear Fanson, that the existence of this little cybershrine is proof enough of that. And also, who wants to read about how cute Taylor is? You know he's cute. You have four copies of Totally Taylor in your attic. You want to talk about the music? The music changed my life and altered my outlook the world, my generation, and my place in both. But how many times can you say that without boring everyone into a coma or sounding like one of those circa-1997 Anglefire web sites whose sole editorial mission was reporting the color of Taylor's latest toothbrush?

I don't think the moody fans on the message boards are much different. Their love is proclaimed. It is tattooed on their backs and stolen from their bank accounts and carved across their consciousnesses.

In light that, why are we not allowed to call Zac out on that dirty t-shirt?

Posted by That Laura Person | 8:25 AM | 4 comments

Comments:

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Yes, but you used to write funny critical stuff about Hanson. Now you just sound bitter. I guess we've all grown up a little or a lot, but I ask, Where's the humor, Laura?

To lighten the mood, can I share a bizarre fact? I now work for the people who published Totally Taylor!

And they don't have any idea I'm a Hanson fan.

By Anonymous, at August 11, 2007 7:28 PM  

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Do you take requests? Nostalgia took hold of me yesterday and I stumbled back into the Hanson fandom after a rather long absence, got caught up with who was married and how many offspring they had, and then discovered the Howard Stern Interview conducted last May... Is there an amusing commentary about that interview in you somewhere?

By Mia, at August 22, 2007 6:32 PM  

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Wow, I could have written this SAME piece...but not nearly as well. Love it.

By Anonymous, at August 27, 2007 9:14 PM  

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what dirt t-shirt?

By Anonymous, at September 11, 2007 6:15 PM  

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