this glassy surface
Don't wander through this glassy surface
Expecting to find more than me
'Cause what am I without a purpose
But a lone mirage to see
I've found that almost all interviews are
preordained. They know what they want to write about you and they know what they
think about you before they ever talk to you, so they're just looking for words and
details from here and there to back up what they've already decided they're going to say.
— Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again)
In reading and trying to process the recent
batch of Hanson interviews, I'm forming some primitive thoughts on the entire interview
genre. It's so much about the relationship the writer forms with the subjects.
But, to the indiscriminate reader, that's transparent. These types of readers
perceive that it's all about Hanson. But it's not that simple.
Enter Hanson and their organic style of
communication. As family, they've bottled up the real stuff and strap it on like scuba
gear whenever they dive into the choppy waters of the press. Journalists can circle
and circle, but the guys simply stare back through their goggles and smile. Then before
anyone draws blood, the guys have flipped away, swimming together, a school of three.
There has been so much Hanson lately that I've
felt like a white water rafter, speeding along . . .unable to process what is happening,
but wildly plunging ahead. In an attempt to sort through some of the craziness, here
are a few of my feelings about the media and the album:
Favorite interview of all time:
Spin, June 2000
"Never Mind the MMM-Bollocks" by Kate Sullivan
Because: The setting, Pittsburgh, also the hometown of Annie Dillard author of my favorite
autobiography, An American Childhood. If you've read this book, the connection
will be significant. If not, I also like that the guys say they hate Madonna's cover
of "American Pie." (c;
"Asked about the trio's petri-dish
togetherness . . . It seems no outsider can penetrate this trio's inner sanctum."
Close second:
Nylon Magazine, April 2000
by Gloria M. Wong
Because: Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll . . . what the band really thinks.
"Hanson has such a wholesome background.
It's almost subversive. The temptation is to look for a seamy underside, but
there just doesn't seem to be one . . . And they have several qualities in
abundance--focus, passion, and determination--which make their precocious success
unsurprising."
Foreign Favorite:
[Random Asian interview], February 2000
Because: The guys mention their inside "Cows, Cows everywhere" joke again.
"Q: Since most Asians
have never been to Tulsa could you tell us about it, in case we decided to come visit?
All: Well, there are cows, cows everywhere . . . [all three launch into a
song about cows] . . .
Taylor: That's what we call an inside joke."
Favorite album review:
Tulsa World, May 5, 2000
"Soul Brothers: Hanson v2.0 is a definite upgrade" by Thomas Connor
Because: Thomas was really listening when Hanson patiently answered the "early
influences" question in every interview back in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Fifties and
Sixties rock-n-roll, indeed!
"[Mitch] Ryder & Co. translated the
music across lines of color; Hanson could transfer the music across lines of age and
experience. Either way, 'This Time Around' is one teeth-rattling, high-energy rock
fest that's bound to open more musical doors than the ones 'NSync slipped through."
Industry praise
RollingStone, May 25, 2000
"They want it this way: Taylor, Zac and Isaac return as a hard-pop
band."
by Rob Sheffield
A review that distances Hanson from the dreaded boy band label--by comparison. It's
the kind of article that, given RollingStone, could easily have slammed Hanson
only moments ago, but since 'NSync bugs the crud out of the editors even more this very
minute, they go easy on the Oklahomans. Besides, what can they say? This
Time Around Rocks . . . and the editors know it!
"The Hanson brothers play exactly what
they want to play, making records that they themselves might actually want to listen to,
and it shows."
Best pictures in a recent article:
Request, May 2000 (free Sam Goody publication)
"Brothers Gonna Work It Out" by James Diers, Photographs by Charlie Langella/Vue
Because: Sepia, wild-wild west-style photos, what more is there to say?
Best article title:
Teen, June 2000
"Hanson: the original boy band" by Jodi Bryson
Because: **I'm joking, I'm joking!!** But, if Hanson is credited with single-handedly
launching the careers of the Backstreet Boys and 'NSync:
A) Shouldn't they be receiving fat royalty checks? B) What will they be responsible for
next? Actual bands who play their own instruments and write their own songs? Novel.
Most annoying title feature:
Any reference to "MMM"
2nd most annoying title feature:
Age references (growing up, improving with age, etc.)
Interviews that earned Zac the
following British T-shirt, "Caution: Low Flash Point for Stupid People"
(like the shirts featured on the wacky roommate in "Notting Hill"):
Those unexplainably tactless New Zealand/UK articles posted at the hansonline Community
forum.
Favorite quotes:
Isaac:
"What Ric [Ocasek] told us was that Andy
Warhol could have been a classical painter, but he chose to do pop art
instead." --Spin
"They even had the arpeggiated
guitar!" -- Spin, comparing TLC's "Unpretty" to "MMMBop"
"We-ell, sometimes Taylor can be a total
perfectionist, and I can be anal about some things too, but I guess Zac does like to steer
the band sometimes. Zac cuts straight to the chase." --The Press (New Zealand)
"I think if you have a faith . . . then
that defines how you live your life." -- TV Guide
Taylor:
"Why do I suddenly feel very
awkward?" -- Spin
"Me and the menu gotta get to know each
other a little better." --Spin
"We felt transparent after meeting [Rose
Stone and the choir]. Like, we're beyond white boys. We're clear.." -- Request
"Well, it's not smart, it's just stupid
to be honest. People always say to have safe sex, but there's no such thing."
-- Nylon
Zac:
"Okay, so let's say he [Taylor] fell
here. Most likely he would impale himself there, and then--slam into that tree. If
he didn't die, let's say he breaks his legs, hits a few branches on the way down, and then
lands in the road. Then a Mack truck is coming, but his legs are broken--and he
can't use his arms--" -- Spin, standing on a cliff overlooking downtown Pittsburgh
"They're not bubblegummy enough! They cut
their hair and they went RAWK!" -- Request, describing potential response to the new
album
"My official title is 'Father.'" --
Teen
"Shamu." -- Teen, in answer to
"Who would you most like to play Twister with?"
Gus Van Sant:
"My very, very favorite song [on the new
CD] is 'Save Me.' And I think they thought, 'Well, he's older, so he likes that kind of
song.' The director of "Good Will Hunting" stops to chuckle, then adds, 'Their
mom agrees with me.'" -- TV Guide
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