FAQ On Hanson
Q. Who is Hanson?
A. Hanson is 3 brothers, Issac, 17, Taylor, 15, and Zac, 12. They are a band who writes and performs their won music.
Q. What are their full names?
A. Clarke Issac Hanson, Jordan Taylor Hanson, and Zachary Walker Hanson.
Q. When are their birthdays?
A. Issac: 11/17/80; Taylor: 3/14/83; Zac: 10/22/85.
Q. Where are they from?
A. Tulsa, OK
Q. Are there more Hansons?
A. Yes...there are three younger sisters, Jessie, Avie, and Zoe, and one younger brother, Mac.
Q. How did they get started?
A. They used to sing at the dinner table(really), and then they began to perform in the local Tulsa area, at various parties and functions. Each also learned to play the piano, and subsequently, other instruments.
Q. Who plays what instrument?
A. Issac plays the guitar, Taylor plays the keyboards, and Zac plays the drums. However, each also plays other instruments (e.g. Issac: keyboards, Taylor: drums, Zac: piano)
Q. No, really, do they play their own instruments?
A. Yes
Q. Who writes their music?
A. They do.
Q. Is MMMBop their first record?
A. No, in 1995, the band released a record locally in Tulsa called "Boomerang". In May, 1996, the band released "MMMBop". They stayed there though November, 1996.
Q. Who sings lead on each song?
A. Taylor sings lead on all they songs on "Middle of Nowhere" except on "Lucy" and "Man From Milwuakee"-lead: Zac; and "Minute Without You"-lead: Issac.
Q. How did the break nationally?
A. They had been performing regionally since 1992. After being rejected by 12 record labels, Mercury Records finally signed them in 1996.
Q. What happened then?
A. They temporary moved to Hollywood in July, 1996, to begin producing their album, "Middle of Nowhere", which contains "MMMBop". They stayed there through November, 1996.
Q. Are the songs the same as the original "MMMBop" album recorded in Tulsa?
A. Not exactly. Mercury Records brought in several writers to assist in "polishing" their material (after all, this was a NATIONAL release). They included Mark Hudson, Ellen Shipley, Desmond Child, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. These folks have written songs for Aerosmith, Belinda Carlisle, Bon Jovi, and the Righteous Brothers (not together, mind you). In all, 9 of the 13 tracks had help from these writers.
Q. How about the "MMMBop" video? How did that happen?
A. The video was produced in Loas Angeles in February, 1997. Director Tamara Davis (Sonic Youth, Amp, Luscious Jackson) took many of Hanson's own ideas and added it to create a video about friends (essentially the premise of "MMMBop")
Q. Are there any other videos out?
A. Yes. "Where's the Love" now has a video, also directed by Tamara Davis. It was filmed in London in June, 1997. For "I Will Come To You", there are actually 2 videos: One was filmed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, and the other was filmed in London. In April, the video for "Weird" premeired on MTV with e-mails, postal mail and phone calls from fans. (Good job Hanson fans!)
Q. When was the single, "MMMBop", released?
A. March 24, 1997. Since then, the single has topped the charts in a dozen countries, including the U.S. (8 weeks) and Australia (9 weeks). It was Mercury Records first No. 1 single since 1990.
Q. When was the album "Middle of Nowhere" released?
In the U.S. it was released on May 6, 1997; it was released (through out the rest of the world) during the Spring.
Q. What other albums are available?
A. "Snowed In", an album of Christmas songs, was released in November, 1997. A video of their first year in Pop, "Hanson: Tulsa, Tokyo, and the Middle of Nowhere" is also available. Their two independent releases, "Boomerang" and "MMMBop" are not commercially available. Their two independent releases "Boomerang" and "MMMBop", are not commercially available, but songs from these will be featured on the new release called "Three Car Garage: Independent Recordings 1995 to 1996" which just came out.
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