Cha Cha: Okay, what would a real Hanson pick up line be?

Isaac: It would be more like, "oh baby you're so groovy, won't you come and be my baby?"

Cha Cha: Oh yeah!

~Channel 93.3 radio show, San Diego, CA, 7/6/00

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JUNE - SITE OF THE MONTH

Dreams

http://badubop.net/dreams/

Check out Stephanie's amazing tribute to the one and only Isaac Hanson!

Suffice it to say that Hanson looked a helluva lot cooler than those Backstreet schmoes look in their all-white, ice-cream-man tuxedos.

~Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles, concert review by Lyndsey Parker for Launch, August 15, 2000

"It [music] is something that's inside of you that you can't deny", he says, with feeling. "Being a musician and being a songwriter is something where there's a lot of love and passion and it's inevitable, it's something that I can't not do. The music also gives you an opportunity to express yourself in a lot of different ways. Sometimes it becomes self-examination. Sometimes you can resolve your own problems or difficulties by writing a song. There are emotions that you might have inside of you that you're maybe not sure what to do with. But if you put it in a song, it can help you deal with your own demons. Music has a lot of abilities to both identify and resolve your problems. It's also a love and passion that you just can't live without."

~Isaac, "Portrait of Hanson", by Jeff Napier for Nuvo.net

"The beauty of music is that you can do so many things," Zac says. "You listen to 'Dark Side of the Moon' or 'Rubber Soul', and they're completely different, but they're both great rock albums. Maybe that's what we will do; maybe not. But I would love to evolve into a band that produces music like that; that's weird and neurotic and strange."

~"Hanson Rocks", by Regis Behe for Tribune-Review, September 22, 2000

Talking to the press, Hanson are coy on the subject of girlfriends. They don't deny relationships, just downplay their significance. Ironically, most of their new songs are about girls. Some flavors from different tunes: "How could I forget your touch your warm embrace/And the shoes you wore with long black satin lace...This look you're giving me is not a look for kissing...You stand there trying to look so sweet/Every word you say is so full of deceit..." Sex, dirty looks and lies with the true ring of experience.

~Hanson Rocks Lloyd Noble Center, by Doug Hill, November 10, 2000

Isaac's pick up lines:

"Hey baby, your last name must be Gillette cause you're the best a man can get."

"You must be drinking a lot of milk 'cause something has done your body good."

~excerpts taken from the Channel 93.3 radio show, San Diego, CA, 7/6/00

Taylor: We think of ourselves as Hanson - no and, I don't know, people are like what do you think about being a sex symbol? teen sensation? and you're like, I never think of myself that way.

Zac: I do man!

~Channel 93.3 radio show, San Diego, CA, 7/6/00

"Oh my god, it's my ultimate fantasy, three brothers, Hanson live in the studio, on Channel 93.3..."

~radio personality Cha-Cha, Channel 93.3, San Diego, CA, 7/6/00

TLS & TC are off to Riverfest. Look for a review and pictures (hopefully!) when we return. Look out Tulsa, here we come! :o)

Who draws the crowd and plays so loud?
Baby, it's the guitar man
Who's gonna steal the show?
You know, baby it's the guitar man
He can make you love, he can make you cry
He will bring you down, then he'll get you high
Somethin' keeps him goin', miles and miles a day
To find another place to play
Night after night who treats you right?
Baby, it's the guitar man Who's on the radio?
You go listen to the guitar man
Then he comes to town, and you see his face
And you think you might like to take his place
Somethin' keeps him driftin' miles and miles away
Searchin' for the songs to play
Then you listen to the music and you like to sing along
You want to get the meaning out of each and every song
Then you find yourself a message and some words to call your own
And take them home
He can make you love, he can get you high
He will bring you down, then he'll make you cry
Somethin' keeps him movin', but no one seems to know
What it is that makes him go
Then the lights begin to flicker and the sound is getting dim
The voice begins to falter and the crowds are getting thin
But he never seems to notice he's just got to find
Another place to play
Anyway, got to play

>~"Guitar Man", Bread

Cha Cha: Who's the biggest flirt?

Taylor: Absolutely, Isaac.

Isaac: I am the biggest flirt. I will say that. I will be the first one to admit it. I am a big flirt, and I apologize.

~Channel 93.3 radio show, San Diego, CA, 7/6/00

MTV's TRL has confused BBMak and Hanson with `N Sync and Backstreet Boys.

~Debra Halpern, Staffwriter, The Tartan, "Reviewer Analyzes Definition of 'Boy Band' to Discover Hanson's New Image", October 2, 2000

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, TLS. :o) Love, TC

Well I've never been to Heaven
But I've been to Oklahoma

~"Never Been to Spain", Three Dog Night

We're baaack! :o) Give us a few days to get our reviews put together and we'll tell you all about our trip to Riverfest in Tulsa!

"Despite the fact that we are band mates and brothers and all that kind of thing, we're also really really good friends. We often end up talking to each other about all kinds of things, whether it be girls or politics or family, whether you're having a tough time with your parents, you know, whatever, anything like that."

~Isaac, TeenStar, Kansas City, 10/19/00

"I have a horrible history with mosquitoes. Mosquitoes love me."

~Zac, Girl's Life magazine

TC's Thoughts:

As I flew into Tulsa around lunch time on Friday, the rain was coming down in sheets. The sky was gloomy and my first thought was "please, Lord, don't let it rain tomorrow for Riverfest." The next day, while my skin was blistering in the sun and the sweat was drenching my clothes, I was wishing for a little bit of that rain to provide some relief from the baking Tulsa heat. And I thought Florida was humid. Sheesh.

Let me start by saying humidity, gargantuan potholes in the road, and incredibly confusing streets aside, I love Tulsa! I'm moving there someday, you know. Yep. I want to be kind to everyone and have a laissez-faire attitude like Tulsans do. :o) Oh, and oddly enough, I saw no boots. In fact, I didn't see all that many Tulsans until Sunday afternoon after church, if you don't count the nice-sized crowd that turned out for Riverfest.

Riverfest. Amazing. I did something relatively exclusive for the first time in my life. I heard new music, live, before it is released. And it hit me the minute the first new song began. I listened happily through "Lonely Again" and "Wish That I Was There"; taking notice of the fact that Isaac's guitar kept cutting out and how humorous Taylor and Zac thought that was, and thinking how happy the guys looked. I don't know what the title of the third song was, probably something along the lines of "Out of My Head", but when the opening notes were played on Taylor's piano, I was stunned. It was good. It was great. It was so incredibly Hanson. And I felt the tears well up in my eyes because I knew exactly why I was allowing my skin to blister in the sun and why I had flown so many miles to be there.

Following "Sure About It", I was doubly-stunned by the next as yet unreleased song. I assume the title of the song is "Wake Up". Not too original, you might be thinking? The lyrics to this song slammed into me; reaching inside my chest and squeezing my heart. "Why do you close your eyes so tight, when you're kissing him goodnight?" is just a little bit of a great big song. I loved it. :o)

The guys never disappoint. Taylor did the obligatory shirt removal for all our drooling pleasure. They sang "Mmmbop", only it was shades of 3 Car Garage, as opposed to Middle of Nowhere; at a slower tempo and perhaps the way it was originally written so long ago and before anybody tinkered with it. They went right into "If Only" and then it was over. Just like that. As I stood there in a daze, watching as the guys descended the stage stairs following the set just a few feet away from me, I was just as awe struck as I had been the very first time I saw them perform live. And I realized that it's that feeling - of each time being the first time - that keeps me coming back for more. And more.

The rest of the weekend included the ordinary pilgrimage stuff only a true, die-hard Hanson fan must do before leaving this earth for other-worldly places. I was particularly impressed with the big, yellow oil man statue. I forget what they call him around those parts, but you can rest assured that the locals driving by on the main road were shaking their heads and laughing at us girls having our picture made beside his massive foot. ;o)

I brought back a special little Tulsa memento. Another exclusive. I hope I get the opportunity to experience many more Hanson exclusives in the future. God bless Tulsa for growing them bigger and better in Oklahoma. Yeehaw.

TLS's story:

Like so many of those who have become immersed in the culture of Hanson during the last four years, a trip to Tulsa has become a goal of mine to be accomplished. Never mind that in the past, Oklahoma was just another one of those "nondescript, square shaped, boring midwestern states" that I had little to no interest in. Once Hanson came into my life, a visit to Tulsa would equal a journey to one of the mythical Seven Cities of Gold!

One evening about a month or so ago I was chatting with my good pal Tay's Hostage (hereafter referred to as TH) about just this topic. A few nights later, lo and behold, TH informed me that our favorite musicians would be performing in their hometown at an event called Riverfest. After one of those "are you thinking what I'm thinking" conversations, we contacted our other good buddy TC, and reservations were made, buttons were obtained, and the countdown to The Promised Land began. After all, this was a golden opportunity to see the revered Tulsa AND no doubt our only chance to see Hanson live in the year 2001.

Friday: Tulsa

As my plane began its descent into Tulsa, I was mildly surprised to see that the city did NOT in fact give off a heavenly glow from being the hometown of Taylor Hanson, the God of All that is Beautiful and Perfect. However, from the air I did see the first of many oddly thrilling Hansony related landmarks, the big screen of the Admiral Twin Drive-In.

While sitting in the terminal awaiting the arrival of my two cohorts, I wondered for the first of many times during the course of the weekend just how the folks of the city were able to just go about their lives without stopping to break into squeals every so often just because they lived in T-Town. LOL

Finally both of my friends arrived and our adventure began.

TLS's observations about Tulsa:

~They have BIG LIGHTNING. Maybe it is the fact they they have fewer hills to block out part of it like I have where I am from, but I was impressed with the HUGE lightning. And big rain!

~Even though Tulsa is a rather major midwestern city, it has the atmosphere of a small town. It's VERY spread out, there is practically no traffic (until Sunday afternoon), and the pace is very slow.

~The roads have even more potholes and rough pavement than where I live!

~Tulsa can be a very confusing city to get around in if you aren't a native, even if you are armed with a map. Thankfully I had chosen the back seat of the car to ride in for the weekend. That way I could sit back and let the others figure out how to maneuver the maze of streets.

~It is a city of contrasts. There are tall office buildings and hotels, abandoned old warehouse and store buildings, beautiful well-kept homes with lots of character in lovely neighborhoods with lush green parks, run down houses with boards nailed across the windows and screens flapping in the wind, tons of small burger and taco places, and seemingly a Blockbuster Video on every corner. I was surpised to see that there WERE indeed hills rather than the completely flat land I expected, although the hills were a lot less steep than where I am from. And I expected there to be more of a western and Native American influence. Although, I did see the gigantic lighted sign for the Creek Nation Bingo. I think there should be one of those big signs at the city limits that says : HANSON LIVES HERE!!!

~The food was great! Even Tulsa McDonald's was good. LOL And, during one of our dining experiences, our server's name was Zach, which caused smiles all around at our table. Zach was very sweet, and he recieved a large tip for being so aptly named, too. ;-)

~Tulsans are so NICE. Every single person we ran into was extremely friendly. No wonder our favorite guys seem so real and down to earth. All in all, I felt very much like I was back at home and I figure I could be happy living in Tulsa. :)

Saturday: Riverfest!

The day promised to be scorchingly hot, so our little party decided not to spend the entire day crowded like sardines against the stage. Better not to be right up front only to pass out from heat exhaustion and dehydration and have to be carried off on a stretcher right at the end and miss what we came for! So, we headed over to the park in the early afternoon and spread out our blanket in a very decent spot behind the tightly packed group crowded against the stage. Of course our little personal space was positioned so that we would have the best possible Taylory view when 5:00 finally arrived.

We passed the time listening to some other very talented Tulsa bands, going to buy drinks, watching the parachuters and the crowd and the clock, and just generally trying to think cold Arctic thoughts to ward off the heat. Oh yes, we also managed to get sunburned despite our tans.

At last it was time for Admiral Twin and with their arrival onstage, the crowding began. Forget the lazy afternoon lounging on a blanket in the park. Now we had to become one of the sardines or get pushed to the back. It was good to see Admiral Twin again. They had been such an intregal part of the Albertane Tour. I realized I had missed them! :)

Once we had to stand up the heat became horrible, and all the icy thoughts in the world weren't helping, so I was glad for the water that was getting sprayed onto the crowd, except for the fact that TH got sunblock in her eyes because of it. Once we realized though, that she was not permanently blinded by it and would indeed get to actually see Hanson, things were fine again. TC was not able to see once the crowd closed in so she decided to try to see what she could from further back. TH and I remained where we were, hoping for the best. Luckily no one taller than myself was standing in front of me.

But, just as always, once Hanson took the stage, all of the traveling, the heat, the crowds...none of that mattered any more. Everything became worth it just to see them up there on that stage against the Tulsa skyline and hear them singing live again. During their second song Isaac's guitar kept cutting out, which Zac and Taylor seemed to find highly amusing. I am sure by now you have read other reviews that have listed the songs that were sung during the short but oh so sweet acoustic set. But let me tell ya, I felt very priveledged to have been there to hear the two brand new songs that our wonderful guys chose to sing for us. They were awesome and it makes me anticipate that new album even more than I already have been. Bravo, guys....you rock! And put another notch in my belt....this was my eleventh time seeing Hanson live! WooHOO!

Of course one of my reviews would not be complete without a little description of the rock god and his brothers. They all looked so good, as usual. They seemed happy to be there, performing in their hometown, aware that people had come from all over the place just to see them for 20-30 minutes. Zac had his hair pulled back in a ponytail, was wearing his usual t-shirt and jeans, and had on a baseball cap. Isaac had on what we called his "bowling shirt", jeans, and his lovely curly hair. And then, there was Taylor, the focal point of our little group. He was wearing two tank tops, a dark green one and a gray one, so he could take one of them off at some point during the show to please us women. Yeah, we know what you're doing, Taylor, and we LIKE it. Please don't ever stop. LOL He had on blue jeans and sneakers and it was so adorable when he would rest one foot on the place where the legs of his keyboard crosses. He was wearing a tan baseball cap and his hair was all flyaway under it. He seemed all flushed and sweaty even before he started singing. And he had sunburned arms. VERY very sexy, he was. All filled out even more than since I last saw him in October. Eighteen is a good year for our lovely most worshipped Taylor Babe. :) But the best thing of all was his wonderful smile. I don't know why it is, but when he smiles it is like everything is right in my world. One thing's for sure, Taylor Hanson is like a drug, and I have to keep going back for more. Bring it on!

After Hanson's performance, we were to meet TC under the Budweiser tent. But she was no where to be found. I was convinced she had gotten lucky and gotten one of the stickers that had been given out for a last minute meet and greet, but that wasn't the case. So TH and I went looking around. We found TC waiting by the fence, where she had seen Hanson starting to leave but get called back by their dad for the meet and greet. So we stood waiting to see if they would come back so we could catch yet another glimpse of them. We passed the time watching people beg the poor security guards to let them in the backstage area and fighting the urge ourselves to try to make a break for it and run past them. (A special shout out to the guy wearing the "Where's the Mullet?" shirt in the backstage area. Do I know you? LOL) After a time, one of the guards told us that the guys were getting ready to leave by way of the OTHER gate. So in a while we moseyed on over to the other side of the stage where we got a fantastic view of Taylor, Isaac, and Zac. They were talking to a woman in a black limo, doing an interview, we assumed. Taylor seemed to be doing most of the talking, leaning into the car all bent over with that hip slung out in that sexy way he has when he's just standing there. God, what a man! Every now and then Issac and Zac would lean over and say something. All the while a group of their friends was waiting back there too, chatting amongst themselves, and Walker was milling around taking care of business. We all think Walker is a right good looking man too. I think Taylor looks more and more like his daddy all the time. :) But anyway, once the limo pulled away, Hanson joined their friends for a few minutes, then they walked to Isaac's vehicle and got in and left. Poof, they were gone till next time!

Sunday: The Sights

Sunday was spent driving around, trying to see and capture photos of all of the Hanson related sights that all die hard fans know are important to experience. The MOE house, where our sweet guys grew up....Big Splash Water Park.....the Blue Rose Cafe.....Java Dave's..........Woodland Hills Mall......Lazer Quest....the cool little suburb of Bixby. And of course that unique Tulsa landmark, the Golden Driller. We thought he was one of the cooler things we saw, and we each had our picture taken with his foot. LOL

Another highlight was meeting up with some other friends, going on a wild ride ending with a special geological find. (Sorry, that was just a little inside joke...but a big shout out to S, C, and P...thanks for the awesome memories!)

Thanks to the confusing roads of the city, our little sightseeing adventure stretched out into nearly a full day. I feel certain that we covered nearly every single city street and rural road in Tulsa County. But it was all so cool, just being in the place where the band we love so much eats, breathes, and sleeps. And we were always on the lookout, because maybe, just maybe, they might drive by. You never know!

Monday: Farewell, Tulsa! :(

Monday morning was spent packing up, taking one last look at the city and heading back to the airport where we finally had time to buy a few souvenirs from our trip. I was the first to leave and let me tell ya, it was a sad occasion. I would miss my buddies TC and TH, and I would miss Tulsa. Our visit had helped to take the sting out of the news that it will be next year before the new album is released, that's for sure. As I left the Taylor Time Zone (don't you think that is a more catchy name than Central Time Zone? We should petition someone to change that, don't you think??), I vowed to come back again some day.

"We like mentioned it once in passing and it ended up on a bunch of fan webpages, Hanson fan webpages, which there are probably thousands of around the planet. And next thing you know we have calls, we have e-mails, we have phone lines melting down because we've got the mighty Hanson on the show."

DJ in Utah discussing the response they got to announcing Hanson would call in on the air, January 2001

drmrgrl:What's your fave ice cream flavor?

Isaac Hanson : drmrgrl, I haven't been asked that in a very long time...I would have to say...probably something chocolate-based...Like rocky road...or German chocolate or something like that. There are about a ton of others also! That's just one of many.

~Nick Chat, August 2000

"You could say singing is in our genes. Both our parents sang and made up songs constantly."

~Isaac, Hanson Quote Search Engine

Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

"I was very impressed with the Hanson album. "Mmmm-Bop" is one of the best pop songs ever written, and they wrote that themselves. It wasn't written by a bunch of songwriters. It was a 10 year old drummer, a 12 year old keyboard player, and a 14 year old guitarist. It was a fantastic achievement. Great structure, great singing, great performance. Brilliant. Really, really good. And the following songs could have sat on any Black Crowes album. You know, it's very, very good."

~Joe Elliott of Def Leppard, KAOS 2000 Magazine, May 2001

"For me, doing music for a really long time is a goal. I'd like to be in a band for 25 years or so. But besides that, I'd like to be able to slightly change the style each time and make people say, 'Wow, Hanson really changed their sound on the new record. It's gone more funk or more techno', for example. We're having lots of fun going out on tour and just playing music. But we're in it for the long haul. In five years, hopefully we'll be doing the exact same thing that we are now."

~Zac, Tulsa World, July 23, 2000

"One band in particular that may still stay the course was the family three piece Hanson, who scored a worldwide number one in God knows how many countries. Topping the Osmonds and many other family formed bands with ease, watch out for them -they're still out there."

-Paul White V-H1's 1997 night, United Kingdom

Ramada: What's your favorite city to visit and why?

Isaac Hanson : Ramada, that's a very hard question to answer! I enjoy going wherever I get the opportunity to go... There are so many lovely cities around the U.S., around the world, that it's almost impossible to pick one.

MODERATOR: Isaac, I bet!! Especially since they ALL love YOU!

Isaac Hanson : But I'll give you several I like... Sydney Australia...San Francisco....Vancouver... New York...Paris...Paris is cool! And last but definitely not least, Tulsa! My hometown!

~Nick Chat, August 2000

Thanks so much to Teri for today's wonderful picture!

"With seven kids in a family you can't have a competitive spirit between you. We're all on the same level, no favoritism. When it comes to Nintendo champion of the band, that's another story!"

~Zac, TV Hits, June 2001

Thanks, Krystal, for today's pic! p>

The five key elements for today's "Boy Band" are (1) you must look good, (2) you must dress well, (3) you must be able to harmonize, (4) you must be able to dance, and (5) you must heavily depend on synthesized music. MTV's generation has confused the true definition of a "Boy Band." MTV's TRL has confused BBMak and Hanson with ~N Sync and Backstreet Boys.

Hanson started all the confusion of what a "Boy Band" truly is composed of. The boys are young, cute, and their music does appeal to the mass of teenies, but they are not a true "Boy Band." They do look good, they do dress well, and they do harmonize. However, they do not dance and they do not heavily depend on synthesized music, instead they go back to the important basics of writing and playing their own music.

~Debra Halpern, The Tartan, 10/2/2000

IfOnlyHitzChick Asks: What was the last "Hanson does stupid stuff" thing you guys all did together?

Isaac: I don't know, we acted like ourselves?

~msn chat, 6/17/00

Buckbeak89: How often do you have to practice?

Zac Hanson : It's kind of a matter of how tight we want to be on a song. The more you practice, the better the song. When we were practicing for the tour, six to eight hours a day.

~Nick Chat, August 2000

This collection of songs from the boys' two Tulsa indie records is interesting if only to get a glimpse of the band from the perspective of another singer. It's Isaac singing lead on most of the 11 tracks here -- and doing a surprisingly formidable job. Hearing his bold vocals on ``Pictures'' and the exquisite ballad ``Surely as the Sun,'' as well as his green-but-growing guitar work throughout, you can't help but wonder how the band would have fared had business types not put the more soulful (and, sure, more fetching) Taylor out front. It could have been a wholly different, grittier guitar band.

~Unknown review of 3 Car Garage

Today's picture courtesy of Jackie.

"Living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, there aren't that many attractions. The Hanson house has become one of the more frequented hot spots. Our whole thing is come to the shows, come to the radio station, but once you come to our house, you've gone too far."

~Zac, "Hanson: The All American Boys", Jennifer Maerz

Hanson also hooked up with Matthew Sweet for a new song, "Underneath," that the band considers the song to be "a title-track contender" for the next album.

"We went out [to Los Angeles] planning to write with Ben Folds, and then our time schedules didn't work out," says Taylor. "We met with [Sweet] a couple nights before and had dinner with him, and we said, 'Hey, let's write,' so we just hooked up one night and recorded a song."

"It happened in four hours," says Isaac. "It was ridiculously fast. We've done co-writes before that have been so long and so unnecessarily laborious. This was an incredibly good fit and we wound up with what we think is a really, really good song."

~Wall of Sound, April 2001

"Originally we wanted to get the new album out this year. But now we're taking our time to make sure we've got all the right songs on there."

~Isaac, Smash Hits, May 2001

We know, we know. None of us wanted to hear that, but we know that it will be worth the wait.

Today's photo courtesy of Kris. :)

"I'm really embarrassed because my dad is Hanson's biggest fan. Is there something wrong with him?" ~ Embarrassed, NSW

Answer: "Chill out dude! It's quite normal for people of all ages to dig the cool tunes of Hanson!"

~TV Hits, June 2000